OwlHillMedia.com [email protected] / (516) 234-060 How to Create an Editorial Calendar to Publish Blogs, Facebook Pages, Tweets, and Email Newsletters August 21, 2010 Tim Slavin [email protected]http://www.reachcustomersonline.com http://linkedin.com/in/timslavin (516) 234-0607
How to create an editorial calendar to publish blogs, Facebook pages, tweets, and email newsletters. Includes content strategy as well as what to track, what tools you might use, and how to measure results over time.
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OverviewEditorial calendars require a content strategy …
• Know your goals for creating content: acquisition, retention, branding, support? Set baseline measurements so you can measure your results over time. Also do surveys.
• Content has to be managed by what is appropriate for each channel. Twitter and Facebook are interactive and require you to use an authentic voice. Your website might be more reserved. Content must reflect these differences.
• Use your website as a content repository of record. Link to content from all channels.
Corporate Editorial Process (1/2)1. Develop a list of what to publish and when for a set time
period; include backup content items for each item slated for publication; include break points to determine whether to delay or kill each content item.
2. Assign each piece of content based on the publication schedule
3. Write each piece of content
4. Review first draft of each piece of content
5. Give go/no go based on first draft edits (adjust publication schedule if/as needed)
• At the maximum (pick one or more):– Destination (e.g. Blog, Print, Facebook, Twitter, Email Newsletter)– First Draft (Go/No Go), Final Draft– Backup Content– Team Process: Images, Layout, Legal Review, Test Site
Large Group Editorial Calendar1. What to publish based on audience needs
2. Prioritized list of what to publish
3. Work effort required to publish each piece of content
4. Micro-content needed (e.g., page titles, headlines, navigation link labels, ALT tags, footers, blurbs)
5. Dates assigned for writing, editing, publishing for each piece of content, includes copy editors, fact checkers, photographers, layout team, legal approval, and other participants
6. Backup content identified for each piece of content on the calendar
7. Go/No Go breakpoints identified for each piece of content and/or within the process (e.g., if interviews are not possible or a writer gets sick)
Additional Ideas• Organize your editorial calendar into tabs in a spreadsheet
– Content Ideas– Publication Calendar– Published Content– Glossary and Copy Edit Styles
• If you use tabs, repeat common columns (e.g. Title, Notes) in the same left side locations to make it easy to copy/paste rows of content from one tab to another
• Include metrics in your Published Content tab– Track popularity based on page views, tweets, Facebook
Likes, inbound links, and other metrics– Helps you plan new content
Writing and Editing Guidelines• Writing guidelines are a key part of the editorial process
• Guideline examples include:– Length of pieces published as well as the different kinds of pieces– Examples of appropriate tone and structure for each kind of content– Examples of what to avoid (e.g., first person, insulting the CEO,
using less than 2 sources for each fact)– Examples of file names and how they evolve through the process
(e.g., to indicate versions, multiple authors)– Grammar, punctuation, and language guidelines
• These guidelines ensure a consistent reading experience and simplify editorial process