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Why you need an editorial calendar… Like NOW!

I’m one of life’s planners. I like to be organised and hate the feeling of being out of control. There are many different types of blogger; some people prefer to fly by the seat of their pants; publishing as and when they want. Writing the night before the deadline and they thrive like this. I, however, do NOT. I like being organised. Knowing where I’m going and if possible have a plan to get there too.

Having an editorial calendar is so important to your blog’s success and I’m going to tell you why. However, first, I want to mention that an editorial calendar can take many different forms, depending on how you work. It could be as simple as a diary, an excel spreadsheet, a chart, or as I have, an editorial calendar plugin.

An editorial calendar is a tool that keeps you, as a blogger, a season ahead. This is vital, as you need to be to plan ahead for events, seasons, trends and holidays. Most pro bloggers will prepare well in advance for notable dates. Your editorial calendar gives you the opportunity to get ahead, be consistent and gain momentum. Which will help to drive traffic to your blog.

Why is an editorial calendar so important?

  • Allows for better planning for seasonal opportunities. You don’t start thinking about Christmas posts in December, you need to start planning them around September time.
  • You can produce better content when you give yourself time.
  • Better consistency –  which Google loves.
  • Routine – which readers love. People like to know when your new posts will be live.
  • Staying ahead of the game – Being ahead keeps you on top of upcoming trending topics and events, so you can plan content accordingly and reap the benefits.
  • Accountability – It can be hard to motivate yourself to get stuff done.  Having dates (and a plan) to work to makes you accountable.
  • Reduces chances of stress – Knowing what you have to get done and the deadlines you are working to reduces stress.
  • Growth in traffic  – A calendar will improve your momentum and so traffic will build. If you blog regularly people will come looking for your new posts
  • All your ideas on one place – Editorial calendars allow you to bring together all your ideas in one place. Everything you have pinned, made notes about and written in your diary, can all be added to your editorial calendar, which is a more focused and efficient way of working.
  • Improves focus – There was a time when people thought multi tasking was the way forward; the way to get stuff done. However, this is no longer the case. Studies of really successful people have shown that focusing deep and narrow on one task at a time produces much more productivity. Having a calendar spells out to you where your focus should be.
  • Increases organisation – I’m a visual person, having a visual representation in front of me with the ability to drag-and-drop posts is vital. I have all my drafts at the side and a whole month in view.
  • Improves the balance of your posts – If you’re just publishing as and when you feel like it, you’re relying totally on your memory to ensure that your posts are balanced. Having a visual aid makes it so much clearer to see where the different types of posts are and helps you spread content out better.
  • Make more money – If you’re organised and ahead of the game you can plan your posts better, include money making affiliate links and capitalise on key dates.
  • See the big picture – Blogging can be hard and having the key dates, and your goals in front of you can help you keep things in perspective and allows you to plan content that will help you achieve your goals.

Having an editorial calendar is such an important part of blogging and I literally couldn’t blog without mine. It’s a professional way to work, strategically planning posts, rather than simply chucking posts out there and hoping some of them will stick.

Are you ready to start your editorial calendar?!  If you already have one, which method works best for you?

LIKE IT? THEN PIN IT!

I'm one of life's planners. I like to be organised and don't like the feeling of being out of control.  There are many different types of blogger; some people prefer to fly by the seat of their pants, publishing as and when they want, writing the night before the deadline and they seem to thrive like this.  I, however, don't. I like to be organised, know where I am going and if possible have a plan to get there too.

Comments 43

  1. Completely agree! I do a digital calendar on google drive, but I’m still not organized enough to think seasons ahead. work in progress heh

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  2. I seriously need one of these in my life – my poor website is becoming very neglected as work is slowly taking over everything!!! Must be more organised!

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  4. Yes! Totally agree, I also like to make notes on a piece of paper too. Feel so much better when I am ahead, even if it’s just by a day or two xxx

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  5. I’ve had a month by month one, usually to help me see what I want to take photos of and to do that when I’m at home in the daylight, but I want to start thinking a little bit further ahead in the year so that the high days and holidays don’t creep up on me!

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  6. I totally agree. Having some sort of plan certainly helps keep the blog running smoothly. I use a combination of an editorial plugin and a written diary to stay on top of things.

    Xx

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  9. I have a plugin – in fact I’m sure it’s one you recommended in a previous post. I’ve stopped using it recently, but I’m currently in a ‘blogging as and when I find the time phase’. I can imagine I’ll go back to using it if I want to start taking things a bit more seriously x
    #thelist

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  10. I love my editorial calender, I don’t usually plan very far ahead but always have the next week or 2 planned, I want to start planning further ahead though, one of my goals for the year. x

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  11. I have a two month editorial calendar on my pin board and at the moment I’m managing to work on posts for 7 weeks time. Feel so much more in control when I am organised 🙂

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  12. I’m certainly a planner – I’d love to be super organised like this and in my head I am. My problem is finding five minutes to sit down and do the planning #TheList

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  13. I don’t use a calendar for my blog but have a notebook with bits jotted down. For my personal life though I have large calendar on the kitchen & everything goes on appointments; school trips, swimming lessons, birthdays etc. Couldn’t manage without it.

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  14. I like to schedule my posts and work about 3 weeks ahead currently. Not all pieces can be scheduled ahead of course. I like the weekly roundup features inspired by you and I also like the spontaneity of writing pieces about my life e.g. My autism posts or the posts I am writing now about my hysterectomy journey. Those Come out straight from the heart and can’t be planned for.

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  15. My new years resolution is to get blog organised and start planning things, also in my real life too with birthdays etc. I am usually such a last minute person (although people think im super organised-i dont know how i pull it off!) it is stressfull!

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  16. Love the idea of being super organised but it never really pans out that way! These are good tips (and not just for blogging!) and I will use at least some of them to get more disciplined in my approach.
    #TheList

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  17. This is a really good post for reminding me what I need to do with my blog next. I’m not organised at the moment and I like to feel organised so an editorial calendar is a must. Also like you say it gives you plenty of time to plan your content then. I don’t feel like I have that at the moment so I need to get going with a calendar

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  18. Upon your recommendation, I got the editorial calendar for WordPress and its making me feel so organised already! Thanks!!

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  19. I’m so rubbish when it comes to this, but you’ve convinced me 🙂 I think I need to start thinking of my blog like a magazine! When i was a magazine editor, I HAD To have an editorial calendar and work with all kinds of constraints. Think it’s probably about time I gave my blog the same rules! Thanks love, another cracking post. X

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  20. I need to sit down and sort this out. I was asked what my editorial calendar looks like by a PR just this morning. I have a lot of draft posts sitting on wordpress but should plan much better! #thelist

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  21. I use an Excel spreadsheet and I swear by it for all the reasons you state – it keeps me organised and on schedule, and allows for me to plan ahead. I do sometimes write posts an hour before they are due, but just knowing what I am going to write about is enough 🙂 #TheList
    Debbie

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  22. I’m trying to get more organised with my blog and I’m sure an editorial calendar would help. Thanks for the suggestion.
    #thelist

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  24. I have just this year started using a diary to help organise my blog and I wish I had been doing the whole time I have been blogging. I feel so much more organised and less stressed, I know only post 3 times a week and plan (mostly) in advance what I am going to write. Planning ahead like this also helps me to decide what linkys to add my posts to and I have already seen a difference in my blog stats. Hooray for being organised! Love your tips xx

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  25. Oh my goodness I so need to do this – always churning out content whilst flying by the seat of my pants. One day I will hopefully get my brain into action on this front. Thanks as always for hosting #TheList x

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  26. This post made me laugh!! Ever since I first met you, you’ve been drumming into me the importance of planning and scheduling — I downloaded the plugin and felt utterly stumped! Last year was SUCH a whirlwind — I did most of what I set out to achieve but *literally* by the seat of my pants. Everything was SO last minute and, as a result, I felt as though I was juggling and spinning plates at the same time.

    THIS year my goal is to plan better!! Have bought myself a diary — am ON IT. ‘Bout time eh? It’s only taken me a year!! 😉 xx #TheList

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  27. I like using a paper diary because I’m a bit old school like that! It’s nice to be able to carry about and jot down ideas – and doodle all over, of course. 🙂 #thelist

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  28. My new years resolutions is to get more organised with my blog. I never even thought of having an editorial calendar before but after reading this I will be getting a one pronto xx

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  29. I agree with all your reasons, but predominantly because I’m currently so behind! I have so many posts that are almost finished – need a final read through, picture editing, a bit more formatting for some niggles… I need to get all of them finished so that I can be ahead as at the moment I can’t get to that stage again. Thanks for the reminder! #thelist

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  30. This is my New Years Resolution. Even more important no little bubs arrived and I have to work around feeds and endless nappy changes. My planner has arrived now just need to get going. #thelist

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  31. Another awesome post! I’m currently transitioning to a more organised blog, with regular features, so this post came at at apt time. Thanks 🙂 x #thelist

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  32. I am a real planner too, and much prefer to plan ahead and have content ready in advance. Doesn’t always happen with two small children but that is my preferred way of working. Definitely love a planner 🙂 #thelist

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  34. I totally agree with you. An editorial calendar is essential if you want to make your blog more professional. I have a very basic diary but don’t get to plan ahead as much as I’d like. If I was full-time blogging it would be a must though #thelist

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  35. Thanks for posting this aby. As always very helpful. I bought the planner in September but have been awful using it.
    I started again there a few days ago though. Reason I did because I missed out on an opportunity that I completely forgot about. You planner is a handy size to take with me so I can always follow up with everything.
    I still need to find my organisation though because I never have many posts in mind days ahead.

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  36. I definitely need one! Now I just need to make time to start one! Is there a calendar for organising starting a calendar?? #thelist

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  37. I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants planning kind of blogger. By that I mean I plan seasonally – so, for example, I know when the big awareness days are and can plan accordingly. For the majority of the time, though, I write as I feel – there are times I’ve scheduled a post for a particular day but if it doesn’t suit my mood I save it for another day. It leaves me space to write a topical commentary post too when appropriate. I like a balance between planning and just going with the flow – I guess my blogging represents how I am with other aspects of my life. Great tips re planning for those who need them Aby xx #thelist

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  38. I took your advice last time and it definitely works for me. Huge advocate of it. Can’t say I am as organised as I should be but I could say that about every aspect of my life 🙂 It’s as good as it is going to get! #TheList

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  39. I couldn’t agree more to all the points! I’ve been planning my posts in a diary and I’ve started writing the. The week before and instead of the old slapdash content I used to have I’ve now made them juicy and a lot more entertaining. The other bonus is the free time I now have. I’m not spending every evening writing and instead I know it’s planned out, if that makes sense? This is a great post everyone needs to plan ahead #thelist

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  42. I so need to start using my editorial calendar! I have sorted out my strategy for this year, got a clear vision and now just need to get in action – I would love to be ahead of the game, with a few posts scheduled in advance at all times! 🙂

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