Editorial Calendar Template:
Tips for Success

Searching for an editorial calendar template? Creating an editorial calendar can be an invaluable tool in moving content initiatives forward, if it’s used correctly. Read on:

If someone on your content team has created a calendar, but the following tips have not been implemented, it can be a waste of time. Everyone knows time is a precious commodity, don’t waste it with the wrong editorial calendar!

How can you be sure that your target market not only discovers your content, but interacts with it?

Implement these tips for success along with your editorial calendar, and get ready for the fast lane!

Several editorial calendar templates are listed at the bottom of this page if you’re in a hurry.

Identify Content Purpose. Why is your team creating all of this content? It sounds laughable to ask that question; but in today’s world, “Content is King” is part of every marketing team’s mantra.

Content won’t be king if you’re creating it for an audience that isn’t interestedClick to tweet

Content Purpose

Attract new visitors to the website, new search engine traffic
Gain attention on social media channels, gain viewers through shares
Reinforce brand image and messaging for an existing audience

This exercise will add a much needed dose of strategy to your editorial calendar!

1 New Visitors

If your main goal is to gain new website visitors via search engine traffic, it’s time to evaluate keywords: Then and now.

Has the person in charge of your editorial calendar taken note of the keyword targets that already exist on your website or blog? No? BACK UP.

It’s very common for the editorial calendar task to fall on the desk of the PR team, an assistant, or a freelance marketer. If they haven’t worked with your SEO team or don’t have access to the SEO Audit from the earlier days of the site, they may not know which keywords have already been covered.

If a new team member or department creates content that repeats top keyword targets, this can have a negative impact on search engine traffic. Want to learn more about this process? Hop over to Jackson Marketing Services to learn more.

Calendar Tip: Make sure that someone audits the editorial calendar on a monthly basis, ensuring that keyword targets are not targeted among several pages or posts.

Keyword targets should not cannibalize existing keywords on your website or blogClick to tweet

2 Social Shares

If you are creating content in order to gain social shares to gain more followers, likes, and eyeballs for your brand, keep the following “fabulous four” items in mind:

Headlines! Headlines will make or break a content campaign that is optimized for Social. Inspiration? Kissmetrics Blog
Make it easy to share. Check out the Red Slice blog, they insert a “Tweet This” link in every post. It can’t get any easier than that!
Formatting. People will bounce quickly from your post if it’s not formatted correctly. Organik SEO has a great post about blog formatting.
Recycle Content. Why reinvent the wheel? Save valuable time and money by repurposing existing content, and incorporating it into your editorial calendar. Buffer will show you the way.

How can you incorporate the fabulous four items above into your editorial calendar?
Simple: Add a quality control person to the calendar. Schedule them to check on headlines, share options, formatting, and recycled content before each item is published.

The shortcut? Schedule every post using a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer, and the quality control person can log in and check each post for the “fabulous four” before they are shared.

3 Brand Image

If you are part of a branding or PR team, creating content solely for this purpose can be challenging.

Incorporate the following items into the editorial calendar for branding initiatives:

Quotes. Create original quotes for the brand, and share those quotes often. Wouldn’t it be awesome to see your brand’s quote posted and shared on industry blogs and social channels? Schedule quote publication on the editorial calendar.
Events + Press Releases. Someone on your team should be planning to incorporate company events and happenings with the old-fashioned press release. Mark the 1st of each month as the “check on future events” day within the calendar, and everyone will know to incorporate this event with a fresh piece of content.
Mobile. Does your branding and content campaign have specific initiatives for Mobile? Capitalize on this market by incorporating mobile initiatives into your editorial calendar. Need some help? AdWeek can help.

Editorial Calendar Template – Free Resources

Now that you are ready to create the most targeted, strategic editorial calendar on the planet, what kind of templates are available?