Why does a PR Pro need an editorial calendar? — MediaHQ

An editorial calendar is more than just planning for monthly press releases. It should incorporate your blog posts, press releases, social media posts, email newsletters etc. These are normally planned out on a monthly/quarterly basis.
Editorial calendars are never going to be concrete plans, as things will change and news will happen. However, they act as a solid foundation for anyone working on content and act as a great collaborative tool so that everyone knows what campaign is coming up next:
Fail to prepare…
… Prepare to fail!
Without proper planning, content has the potential to fail flat. Or not get done on time. Or at all.
Taking the time to research and plan will make your content better, and will ensure that it is produced more consistently as everyone is assigned work well in advance. Editorial calendars allow for newsjacking, as key dates and significant events are marked out for your press releases. It also encourages teamwork and collaboration as everyone can contribute to the plan. As mentioned previously, due to unforeseen circumstances the plan will swap and change but having the foundations will do wonders for your planning.

So you’ve started planning, but how do you maintain it?
Use our News Diary Feature!
If you’re a user of MediaHQ, we have a brand new News Diary feature that you can access. It contains all the notable events, public holidays, and story hooks that you could ever need. If anyone in your organisation is scheduling a press release, these can all be seen in the calendar view also. This nifty feature is brilliant for maintaining an editorial calendar with multiple users as stories can be drafted and scheduled, with potential story hooks that can act as a foundation for your press release.
To learn more about how our News Diary can help you, or get access to over 6,000 media contacts in Ireland click here or call Gaye on (01) 473 2050.
Originally published at mediahq.com on September 7, 2018.
