How To Create A Blog Editorial Calendar

Do you know what you’ll be blogging about next month, in 3 months or the rest of the year?

I do, but so can you!

Say what?!

Every year I create a Blog Editorial Calendar, filling in each month with a list of topics and ideas I will be blogging about.

I know this may sound a little insane or perhaps a little daunting, but it’s really not so hard since I’m going to share with you the 7 steps I go through to create my blog editorial calendar each year – and how you can create yours too!

I’m going to tell you…

A blog editorial calendar is critical to the success of any content marketing strategy, which is a key to your blogs growth and success.

A blog editorial calendar isn’t just a bunch of titles and dates. It’s an opportunity for you to be ahead of (rather than behind) other bloggers and their content.

Trust me, you don’t want to be sharing Christmas decorating tips, Christmas home décor, Christmas morning family PJ’s to buy, or gift guides a week before Christmas. Majority of people have already decorated their homes and bought their gifts, so you’re too late to the game. You want to put these blog post ideas on your calendars starting in late October through the first week of December.

A blog editorial calendar will also ensure that you’re never at a loss for content or a shot-in-the-dark last minute, work until mid-night type of content ever again.

Why Do You Need a Blog Editorial Calendar?

You need a blog editorial calendar to:

Keep your content consistent
Keep you organized (on track, and prepared ahead of time which is way less stressful)
Foster creativity
Help plan your SEO strategy before creating content
Give each blog post a clear purpose (and direction)

How Do You Build a Blog Editorial Calendar?

Whether you already have a list of topics to publish or you are starting from nothing, you are going to need to give each of your pieces of content a purpose. Is your post targeting a keyword opportunity for SEO? Are you targeting major shopping holidays and industry events? Are you looking to create an ebook and need to fill some chapter gaps?

Take time to carefully map out your content, by month, so you can use your time and resources as effectively as possible.

Step 1: Determine your blogging schedule. Figure out how often you’re going to post on your blog. FYI: I post once a week.

Step 2: Identify who you are blogging for. So you write blog posts that your ideal readers (and ideal clients) will want to read and share with their friends.

Step 3: Come up with a long list of topics. My post on How To Create A List of Blog Post Ideas will help you do this

Step 4: Have a calendar. Some people will physically buy a calendar to write on, some might choose an online option like Google Calendar (online or app), or some might prefer to print out a free printable calendar. Here’s the free printable calendar I created for 2020, which you can download HERE.

Free modern 2020 calendar printable by Your Marketing BFF 1c

It doesn’t matter which option you choose, just have a calendar specifically for your editorial calendar.

Step 5: Put it all together. Now it’s time to place the list of topics and dates on your calendar.

Step 6: Throughout the year… Check your Metrics. An important next step is to check your metrics (aka Google Analytics).

Ask yourself… Are you meeting your content goals? Are you targeting the right keywords? Are you touching on topics that your readers want and love from you?

Step 7: Be flexible. Throughout the year, be prepared to move things around or get rid of completely on your blog editorial calendar.

If something isn’t working, based on your metrics, adjust it.

Also, be prepared for unexpected opportunities! For example, let’s say you just got a sponsored post opportunity in May, then move that already scheduled post down a week or to another month or perhaps just don’t do it (if it’s not a crucial piece in your marketing content strategy).

Now that you know how to create a blog editorial calendar in 7 easy steps, I hope I have inspired you to create your own! Trust me, you’re going to thank me later.