How to Create an Editorial Calendar

 

Over the past couple months, I have been searching and searching for the secret answer to all my blog scheduling issues.

There is no secret answer or at least none that I have been able to find.

This is how I have worked on filling my blog editorial calendar.

Grab a calendar or planner.

Paper or digital.

Do you have certain topics that you cover on a certain day? (i.e. Wordless Wednesday, Recipe on Thursday, etc.)

Flip to this month.

What is happening in your world in February?

Valentine’s Day is the 14th, are you planning on writing anything focused on that topic?

Write it in the calendar on the day you’d like to have the post go live.

Are there any special outings you have planned that you want to write about before or after, or both?

Do this for each month. Add in birthdays, anniversaries, Easter, summer vacation, back to school, Halloween and so on.

For example:

This year will be my daughter’s first birthday party with school friends, so I’ll be sharing how it goes, from deciding who to invite, the decorations (DIY of course), etc. So I have these topics already scheduled for following her birthday.

How to keep track:

I just recently installed WordPress Editorial Calendar to help me keep track and “see” when I have posts scheduled.

Google Docs and Evernote are great as well.

I don’t use Google Docs that often, but I do use Evernote daily.

If you have a note scribbled on a piece of paper and want to keep it, snap a picture of it.

You can have different notebooks for each site you write for and for different ideas.

You don’t have to get fancy though, calendar, sticky notes, pen or pencil.

And you don’t have to use a fancy app, Excel works great and is what I use to plan long term.

Anything you schedule doesn’t have to be written in stone.

You can move things around to fit.

Maybe you have the perfect topic or post written in your drafts and can’t wait to publish it.

Do it.

Use it to get organized, scheduled, and as something to get the creative juices flowing when the time is there.

Check out this list of WordPress Blogging Plugins that will grow your email list.

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