Ever sat in front of a blank screen and wondered, “What shall I write about today?”
You simply wing it without a content strategy.
For many, many years, print newspapers have used editorial calendars to allow them to identify and envision their content plans. This technique can also be taken on board by bloggers.
![How to Create an Editorial Calendar [Examples + Templates]](https://blog.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/buffer-content-calendar.png?width=690&name=buffer-content-calendar.png)
The creation of an editorial calendar for your blog not only reduces the strain of getting a fresh idea on the spot, but also lets you think from a big photo about your blogging efforts.
So how do you build a publishing calendar? And what instruments would you use to simplify the process?
Create your publishing calendar
You first need to think about the main goal of your blog while preparing your editorial calendar.
Are you trying to become an expert in your field? Are you trying to provide useful insights into a very particular audience?
Set your main goal for your writing, so that any blog you write ends up pulling you towards that broader goal.
Think about what the content of your blog will help you accomplish your objective. This may be:
Tips for process/strategy improvement
How to solve those points of pain
New insights into the data
Case studies that reflect your past experience
Research that shows an interesting idea
Stories of failure/success
Create a running list of 20 to 40 ideas and think about the days when new content will be launched. See your website and insights into social media to see if any trends help you spot any dates/times when your follow-up works best for your material. If a trend appears, prepare to publish your new blog content during the spikes.
Also: make sure that you examine the content to see what kinds of posts get the most traction. You should review your editorial calendar while creating more material that your audience needs to read.
Editorial Calendar Tools
There are many fantastic ways to schedule your editorial calendar, but your particular needs are the best thing to do.
Co-Schedule
CoSchedule is a collaborative platform to prepare and publish content easily through drag-and-drop functionality. If you are a one-man show or a content producer team, you can use CoSchedule to map your editorial calendar, arrange your post details and work efficiently to ensure that you do not waste any of your valuable time by clicking between screen and tabs.
Trello
With the simple Trello boards, you can drag and drop ideas for your publishing calendar to various lists and easily organize material. This is again perfect for individuals or teams and there is no need for complex training to use this method. Plus: You can sync editorial plans on all your devices so that even when you go, you can check back on your Trello boards.
Google Blankets
A simple table in Google Sheets can take a little more setup time, but it is a free resource for editorial-calendar planning that is accessible through cloud storage on all devices. You can also adjust any element of this format and set the due dates synchronised with this tool with your Google Calendar.
Plan Start, Stop Stressing
With the well-thought-out editorial foundation in place, you can start creating blog content that is more reflective, efficient, and laser-oriented towards your ideal audience. And you never have to look at a blank screen with a strategy in place.
Also Read: Earning Customer Loyalty
The Entrepreneurs Diaries is now available on Telegram. Join our telegram channel to get instant updates from TED.
