Why and how to use an editorial calendar for pitch planning
Tying a campaign to holidays or seasonal goings-on can afford you significant traction, but it can’t be done willy-nilly. Ask news outlets about their deadlines, and schedule accordingly.
Planning is vital to successful pitching—and an editorial calendar is an essential scheduling component.
Editorial calendars give a PR department or agency a roadmap for creation of PR materials, including press releases, blog posts and content marketing.
By laying out what content to create, when to pitch and whom to pitch, editorial calendars make PR both easier and more effective. They also help you update your pitches and track their success.
Some PR pros download one of the hundreds of free editorial calendar templates available online. Just use Google to search “editorial calendar template 2019.” In the results, you’ll see useful ads at the top and then relevant or popular options. You’ll probably find what you need on the first page.
Some PR departments and agencies devise a spreadsheet to accommodate specific needs or idiosyncrasies. Others, especially solo communications consultants, opt for a simpler approach and tack a large desk calendar to the wall.
Select the right editorial calendar format
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