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adminMarch 8, 2023

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Despite the fact that creating an editorial calendar can save you time, 46% of marketers do not have a documented content strategy.

Many have avoided creating a content calendar as it is an overwhelming task, but we’ll walk you through the process of how to quickly create an editorial calendar that will give you and your team visibility and structure to help you feel more organized and successful for the year.

Reading: How to create a blog editorial calendar

Here are the key steps:

Determine your overall content goals
Decide which platform you want to use to create your calendar
Determine your content workflow
Determine your content distribution plan
Assign relevant people to relevant tasks

What is an editorial calendar and why is it important? ?

An editorial marketing calendar is a long-term timeline for planning and executing your content marketing strategy. It is tightly integrated with other planning tools like release schedules and content calendars.

Here are a few more benefits of a robust editorial calendar:

Reduces time spent writing and planning content
Makes work around unexpected events easier manageable because you can see the big picture
Improves collaboration within your marketing team and with other stakeholders
Provides the necessary vantage point to reuse existing or evergreen content
Allows you to measure results based on your marketing goals

What does an effective editorial calendar template look like?

A solid template describes how different elements interact connected to your overall content strategy. It often breaks down major events or campaigns taking place over the next 12 months into the following categories:

Objectives
Tactics and Frequency
Responsible person or department
Key employees
Key sales channels
Release dates

You can use a variety of tools to make your Create editorial calendar. Many large marketing teams use content calendar software, but you can also use spreadsheets, traditional calendars, whiteboards with markers and sticky notes, kanban boards, Figma, or other project management tools.

How to quickly create a editorial calendar

In this section we will cover five steps to create a editorial calendar as quickly as possible.

Step 1: Determine your overall content goals

Use the following overall content marketing goals as a starting point:

Build brand awareness
Inform your audience
Build credibility and trust with customers and industry peers
Generate demand and leads
Subscribers nurturing and leads
Build loyalty with existing customers
Increase attendance at events
Generate sales and/or revenue
Build a subscriber list
Support the launch of a new product

You may have multiple goals, and that’s fine – in fact, it’s probably the most likely scenario. However, it is all the more important now to clearly identify them so that you take them into account when planning your calendar.

Step 2: Decide which platform you want to use to create your own editorial calendar

Once you’ve set your goals, the next step is choosing a platform to create the actual calendar. So let’s take a closer look at the aforementioned tools to find out what’s best for your team.

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets are a popular tool for many content marketers. However, spreadsheets can be difficult to maintain — especially when you have a large content marketing team.

Calendar Apps

Calendar apps help keep track of content deadlines and publication dates. They are free and easy to use. The main problem is that editorial calendars contain much more than just the most important dates, and you need to find a separate way to track that information.

Whiteboards

Editors used to use whiteboards to keep things organized. However, whiteboards are limiting and inadequate when it comes to sharing the information on them with others on your team.

Project Management Tools

Visual Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and other project management tools like Jira and Trello are great for managing your editorial calendar.

But this path is often just another isolated solution – detached from your other marketing tools, calendars and communication methods.

Content calendar software

Many teams are switching to content calendar software to create and manage their editorial calendars.

For example, Optimizely’s content calendar software is purpose-built for marketing teams, bringing together all the tools you need in one easy-to-use platform. If you think you probably can’t afford it, even the free version comes with:

Table Planning
Monthly Editorial Calendar
Timeline and Gantt views
Kanban boards
Shared messaging
Project management
Flexible workflows
Alerts and notifications

To get a better idea of how content calendar software can improve your efficiency, consider the case of Orolia.

To date, team productivity at Orolia has increased thanks to centralized planning and streamlined collaboration. Also, 87% of the time previously spent in weekly meetings is now being spent on productive work.

Step 3: Determine your content workflow

Once you have chosen your platform, the next step is to think about your content creation workflow . How does a piece of content move from first to last draft in your organization? What steps does it go through before it’s ready for release?

Here is an example of what a workflow might look like:

Research keywords
Interview SMEs from product development team
Title and Develop outline
Write article based on research and SME interview
First round of changes
First round of changes
Final round of edits
Recent changes
Final approval
Add visuals and graphics
Publish article and/or send to client for review

Step 4: Determine your content distribution plan

Next, you should consider the distribution channels you plan to use to deliver your content to your audience. To do this, you should think about where your target audience typically spends their time online.

For example, if you are targeting B2B buyers, LinkedIn is one of your best options. On the other hand, if you’re targeting B2C Gen Z buyers, platforms like TikTok and YouTube are usually better choices.

Step 5: Assign relevant tasks to relevant people

Now that you have a general idea of workflows and channels, you can start assigning tasks to the appropriate stakeholders.

For example, the editor performs the first round of editing, while the strategist is responsible for the first round of approvals.

Editorial Calendar FAQ

What does an editorial calendar include?

A 12-month editorial calendar typically contains key elements that tie into your overall content marketing strategy standing, focusing on the who, what, when and where of content production.

What is editorial calendar management?

Editorial calendar management refers to the execution of the schedule set in the calendar itself. It’s like creating a schedule for the year and then making sure everyone sticks to it on a daily basis.

What is the difference between an editorial calendar and a content calendar?

In short? Scope. An editorial calendar focuses on the big picture, while a content calendar focuses on the finer details. Another way to think of it is that an editorial calendar is a scaled-down, long-term plan for executing your content strategy. In contrast, a content calendar zooms in and outlines a daily schedule for meeting deadlines in the editorial calendar.

Time to create

Now you know it’s possible to create editorial calendars on the fly. When you’re ready to create your own editorial calendar, Optimizely’s content marketing platform can help. Get started with a free account today.

You can create a calendar for your team in minutes. Enjoy!