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      What is an Editorial Calendar?

      Editorial calendars are essentially bulk orders of content outlines that help customers plan out their content needs. They come in 10-topic or 20-topic groups.

      Each topic represents an outline that one or more writers on that customer’s writing team will later convert into a full article.

      How to create a good editorial calendar

      To begin, you need to carefully review the customer's Voice Profile™. Pay special attention to their target audience, tone of voice and competitors.

      Additionally, it's important to:

      1. Consider the relevance of the topics you’re suggesting.
      2. Use timely and non-competitive reference sources.
      3. Create a detailed outline, but try to leave some space for creativity.
      4. Use your personal experience and expertise.
      5. Do the research for relevant SEO keywords if the customer doesn't provide a list.
      6. Consider the customer's business objectives.
      7. Use the suggested content types.

      The outline structure

      Editorial calendars have certain structural requirements so that you include all the correct information in an easy-to-read format. Here's a template:

      • Title: The proposed title of the full blog article.
      • Keywords: The main words or phrases that summarize the focus of the article.
      • Suggested word count: The recommended length of the full article.
      • Introduction: Around 2-4 sentences to introduce the topic.
      • Key points: At least three detailed key points on the topic, usually 2-3 sentences each, in bullet point format.
      • Resources: At least three relevant, timely and non-competitive links that support the topic and key points, in bullet point format. Please do not repeat the same link on more than two outlines.

      Here's an example of a Typical Editorial Calendar.

      Recommendations

      Editorial calendars are part of a good content marketing strategy. If you want to learn more, explore some free online courses and resource centers:

      1. HubSpot Content Strategy Course - free certification (a little over four hours of learning time).
      2. Think with Google: How to adapt your social strategy to unpredictable times.
      3. Coursera: Content Strategy for Professionals Specialization.