Whether managing thousands of blog posts or a few dozen articles, having an editorial calendar is imperative to keep track of it all.
The good news is there are a lot of great calendar tools out there you can choose from. In fact, for those of you who are 探花精选 customers, there鈥檚 a marketing calendar built right into 探花精选鈥檚 software.
But there are several excellent options out there. They include features like repeat scheduling, syncing, and adjustable visibility so you can collaborate effectively with your team. Are you intrigued yet?
Here鈥檚 how to set up your editorial calendar using Google Calendar, spreadsheets, or project management software.
We鈥檒l review what you should put into your editorial calendar. While there鈥檚 no one-size-fits-all rule for determining what content to create, where to publish, and how frequently, there are a few best practices to remember.
Start by asking yourself:
While your answers probably won鈥檛 give you a black-and-white picture of what you should do, they鈥檒l provide basic guidelines for what makes sense for your audience and your capacity.
Most businesses choose to publish content on a blog. However, to get more eyes on the content, they repurpose it on various other channels, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, email, and TikTok.
While you don鈥檛 have to show up on all those platforms, you do need to pick the ones most likely to be used by your audience. Moreover, some of your posts will be better suited to repurposing on different platforms.
However, by establishing where you want a presence early in the editorial calendar creation process, you can streamline your efforts better.
After identifying how frequently your competition updates content, it鈥檚 your turn to figure out how often you鈥檒l post. Generally speaking, consistency and quality trump frequency.
It鈥檚 better to post consistently 2-4 times a month than to publish four articles weekly and then abandon ship for a month or longer.
However, the more often you can create top-notch content that engages your audience, the more likely you will stay top of mind.
Now is also an excellent time to determine what content you鈥檒l share. While this can change as you go if you can think of big-picture categories and your content goals, that can help you determine your frequency.
For example, here鈥檚 a sample publication outline you could use to repurpose content:
You can create and flesh out your editorial calendar using the above example more easily.
Now that you have a rough idea of the content you want to create, where to publish it, and how often, it鈥檚 time to choose and build your editorial calendar platform.
The most popular options are spreadsheets, online calendars, or project management tools like Trello, Asana, or ClickUp. Regardless of which option you choose, you鈥檒l want to be sure you鈥檙e keeping track of things like:
Now that we鈥檝e covered the basics, we鈥檒l dive into some specific how-tos for various platforms, emphasizing Google Calendar. Many of the later steps can be applied to the other calendar formats.
First, download the calendar templates above (they鈥檙e free.) By doing this, you鈥檒l have three editorial calendar templates on your computer: one for Google Calendar, one for Excel, and one for Google Sheets.
Here we鈥檒l go over how to upload the Excel calendar into Google Calendar.
The publish dates on your templates will be stamped for a previous year.
Now is a great time to change them to the current year in the spreadsheet. You can also determine posting cadence now or adjust your posting schedule after uploading the file into Google Calendar.
Google Calendar makes loading a calendar you might have pre-created in another program into Google easy. This includes Microsoft Excel.
To import the blog editorial calendar template into Google Calendar, you鈥檒l need to take the following steps:
1. Delete the header row with the 探花精选 logo.
2. Change the words 鈥淧ublish Date鈥 to 鈥淪tart Date.鈥
3. Change the wired 鈥淭opic/Title鈥 to 鈥淪ubject.鈥
4. Move the 鈥淪ubject鈥 column to be the first column and the 鈥淪tart Date鈥 column to be the second column 鈥淒ue Date.鈥
5. Move the 鈥淪ubject鈥 column to be the first column and the 鈥淪tart Date鈥 column to be the second column 鈥淒ue Date.鈥
6. Save the document as a .csv file.
Next, we鈥檒l show you how to import the Excel calendar template you downloaded into Google Calendar.
Once you鈥檝e downloaded (or created) a calendar that opens in Microsoft Excel, it鈥檚 time to open Google Calendar. Just make sure you鈥檙e already logged into the Gmail account you want this calendar to give access to.
Click the gray dots next to your profile picture, then click 鈥淐alendar.鈥
Next, set up your Google Calendar to accommodate the information in your Excel spreadsheet. To do this, go into your Google Calendar and click the plus sign to the right of 鈥淥ther Calendars,鈥 as shown in the screenshot below.
Then, select 鈥淐reate new calendar 鈥 in the dropdown menu."
Fill out the fields that appear on the next screen. This includes a brief description of your calendar, as shown below, to give people proper context when you invite them to your calendar.
When you鈥檙e done filling in the details, click 鈥淐reate calendar.鈥
Using the same dropdown menu you used to create your editorial calendar, you鈥檒l now import the Excel .csv file itself into Google Calendar. Click that plus sign and select
鈥泪尘辫辞谤迟.鈥
Click the upload box that reads 鈥淪elect file from your computer,鈥 and locate the file entitled 鈥淏log Editorial Calendar - Excel鈥 that was included in the ZIP file you downloaded in Step 1 above.
In the second box below your imported file, click the 鈥淎dd to calendar鈥 dropdown. Be sure to choose the calendar name you just created from the dropdown menu, as shown below. Then, click 鈥泪尘辫辞谤迟.鈥
Once you鈥檝e uploaded your Excel file and selected the calendar you want to add this file to, click 鈥泪尘辫辞谤迟.鈥
If you kept all the events in your Excel file, you should see an import calendar dialog box telling you that 365 events were successfully imported. However, if you change this to a different number of posts a week, that number will differ.
Click 鈥淥K.鈥
Navigate to the start of your calendar. Ensure all your other calendars are temporarily hidden by clicking the colored box to the left of the calendar name.
For example, on the week of January 3, if you鈥檝e typed in Blog TBD in your Excel file, you鈥檒l see a 鈥淏log TBD鈥 calendar event on that date. Otherwise, you鈥檒l see 鈥(no subject)鈥 events every day you have an item scheduled.
Use the edit window of each assignment to change the publish date. Each assignment will then appear as event blocks in your monthly calendar view.
Now that you have your calendar created, it鈥檚 time to fill it in with assignments for the year. This is when you must decide about your blog鈥檚 publishing schedule.
While the Excel file you imported accounts for one blog post per day, this doesn鈥檛 mean you need to publish seven days a week.
You can choose to publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Or perhaps you plan on posting just on Thursdays. You may have adjusted this already, or you can do so now.
Either way, remember: Quality over quantity is the key to successful blogging.
Don鈥檛 overcommit to a blogging schedule if the quality of your content will take a hit. How often your company should blog will vary depending on your business goals and resources.
If you decide to decrease the number of days you want to publish, click on the calendar event of that day and select 鈥淒elete.鈥
Even if you want to publish multiple times daily, updating this calendar is as easy as adding an event.
Select a slot on your calendar to add another 鈥淏log TBD鈥 event and copy the default description from another one of the events you imported.
Next, it's time for some minor adjustments. Currently, the 鈥淏log TBD鈥 events are set for 10 a.m. Feel free to move these events to whichever time your blog publishes content during the day.
If you selected just one week of dates to upload to Google Calendar (not 365 days), you can make these recurring events on your calendar.
If you have a regular publishing schedule, say every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:00 a.m., you can put that in as a recurring 鈥渟lot鈥 on your calendar.
It鈥檚 okay if you don鈥檛 have a piece of completed content or a working title to put there yet. It鈥檚 just a reminder that you want to publish something that day.
To add your recurring slot, click on your first 鈥淏log TBD鈥 event and click the pencil icon to edit your event.
This will take you to the details of the post, where you can create a custom recurring schedule for each assignment, as shown in the screenshot below.
You can set the post up as recurring, so it automatically appears every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:00 a.m. (or whatever days and times you want).
Once you鈥檝e selected the recurring days, hit 鈥淒one鈥 and 鈥淪ave,鈥 and you鈥檒l have an editorial calendar framework to work with.
For now, keep the event鈥檚 title as 鈥淏log TBD,鈥 but feel free to customize the description with any extra details you want to be sure you include for each post.
Wait to invite any guests, as we'll use this to assign posts to an author once you begin filling in your topics. With everything complete, click 鈥淪ave.鈥
If you don鈥檛 have a recurring schedule like this, you might not need an editorial calendar just yet 鈥 but it is an excellent way to set goals for yourself.
For example, if you know you want to publish a certain number of posts each week, even if you don鈥檛 hit every single slot, it鈥檚 a good reminder for yourself and your team that this is something you should all strive for.
Now that you know all the slots you want to fill, you鈥檝e got to fill them. (If you don't have topic ideas yet, . It鈥檒l give you some good ideas for content to put on the calendar.)
Let鈥榮 say one of the posts you want to write is "10 Surprising Facts About Tapirs," and one of the posts you鈥檝e already written and want to publish later is 鈥淭hink You're Cut Out to Own a Tapir? Read This First.鈥
Just add them both to the calendar by clicking on 鈥淧ost - TBD鈥 on the correct date, choosing 鈥淓dit Event,鈥 and then changing the 鈥淧ost - TBD鈥 text to the actual title of the post.
Let鈥榮 say you don鈥檛 want to write 鈥10 Surprising Facts About Tapirs,鈥 and you want your colleague to write it instead.
To assign the post to an author, you鈥榣l invite them to the event as guests. To do this, click on the occasion, and hit "Edit Event."
Then ask that colleague to the post by typing their name or email address into the "Add guests" box. Select "Add" when their name pops up and hit "Save" on the event once you鈥檙e done.
Now, anyone can see who is responsible for writing the post.
You can take it a step further by adding details to the 鈥淒escription鈥 box of the event, as shown in the large box in the screenshot above.
You might include a quick synopsis, the keywords you plan to target the post for, the target audience you鈥榬e trying to reach, and the offer or CTA you will direct the reader to at the end of the post. Don鈥檛 forget to add the draft鈥檚 due date.
Before Google Calendar lets you save the event, you'll see a dialog box asking if you want to change just this event or all of the events in the series. Select 鈥淥nly this event.鈥
Repeat these steps to assign each blog topic today and in the future.
Now that your calendar is set up, you can invite people to see it. Let's start with your immediate team, regular contributors, and anyone who regularly asks you about publishing content on your company blog.
To share this calendar with people, simply find your editorial calendar under 鈥淢y Calendars,鈥 as shown below. Click the three dots next to the calendar name and select 鈥淪ettings and sharing鈥 when it appears in the dropdown menu.
You'll be taken to the same screen where you first fill out the details of your editorial calendar in Step 2.
Then, you can add the names of people you'd like to share on the calendar and set the correct permission levels for each invitee.
It鈥榮 wise to keep those with the permission settings to manage changes and sharing to a minimum so there are only a few cooks in the kitchen. However, let everyone see all event details so it鈥檚 clear exactly what content is going up in each slot.
Under the 鈥淪hare with specific people鈥 heading, enter the email addresses of those on your content team and decide if they have viewing, editing, or admin privileges. Save your updated settings.
And there, you have your editorial calendar on Google Calendar!
If you鈥檙e a spreadsheet superfan, Excel and Google Sheets are great options for your editorial calendar because they allow online real-time collaboration.
The best choice is whether your organization uses Google Workspace or Microsoft Teams.
The editorial calendar template bundle you downloaded includes links to Google Sheets editorial calendar files and an Excel blog editorial calendar template you can adapt to your company.
To use the Google Sheets option, open the link in the included pdf and select 鈥淢ake a Copy.鈥
This will automatically save to your Drive. From there, you can adapt to your schedule/needs and share with team members for easy collaboration.
Save the Excel file to your Teams folder and share it with the appropriate team members.
Regardless of which spreadsheet you use, only provide 鈥渆dit鈥 access to people who need it.
Whether you鈥檙e using Google Calendar, Outlook, or iCal to manage your personal and work schedules, you can easily use your online calendar as an editorial calendar.
The first step is to create a new calendar.
In Outlook, you鈥檒l add a calendar.
Then you鈥檒l choose 鈥淐reate blank calendar.鈥
In Google Calendar, you鈥檒l create a new calendar:
In iCal, you鈥檒l create a new calendar and choose iCloud:
Regardless of which app, you can name your calendar 鈥淓ditorial Calendar鈥 and add events.
Choose a date and time on the calendar, name the event 鈥淏log Title,鈥 鈥淓mail,鈥 鈥淚nstagram Post,鈥 etc., and choose how often you want it to recur.
Then you can go into each instance and fill out details like Title, Content Outline, and any other information.
You can then also share that calendar with other people on your team so they can plan accordingly.
Project management tools like Asana or ClickUp make great editorial calendars because you can view the content in multiple ways. Each item is its card, allowing you to put as much information as possible.
That includes dates, links, assignees, checklists, and custom fields.
Generally speaking, you can toggle between List, Board, or Calendar views. You can also assign a variety of tasks and subtasks with different deadlines.
And because they鈥檙e usually drag and drop, updating your editorial calendar as things change is easy.
List view gives you a straightforward way to look at everything on your plate, as in this ClickUp example.
The Board view lets you track progress.
And the calendar view allows you to lay everything out based on the week or month.
Regardless of which option you choose, it鈥檚 a good idea to ensure your team understands your content calendar and how to use it to keep your process moving smoothly.
While other solutions work for editorial calendars, we want to give an extra plug for Google Calendar because it has impressive features to help you manage your .
For starters, if you use Gmail for your corporate email, everyone you work with will already be in Gmail (and their calendar, specifically) all day.
As a result, it won鈥檛 be hard for people to habitually check the editorial calendar because it will be easy for them to find it.
Google Calendar also makes things easy to move around and schedule. It has all the functionality you need to schedule and let the people who need to know about it know.
Along those lines, allowing people to view your calendar is simple, making it easy for multiple teams to collaborate, see what鈥檚 being published, and figure out when they might launch content and campaigns.
Finally, this sets a precedent for other teams to coordinate with your team straightforwardly. You can have a calendar for upcoming campaigns, offers, social media pushes, product launches 鈥 you name it.
And you can all share those calendars for a single-screen view of everything going on so you can coordinate more easily.
While there are other solutions for maintaining an editorial calendar, if you鈥檙e looking for a free, not-too-shabby, minimum-viable product, then Google Calendar is for you.
Whatever you choose 鈥 an online calendar, project management software, or a spreadsheet 鈥 having a well-organized and up-to-date editorial calendar is vital to a successful blog.
It will help you keep track of all the moving parts: what content you want to publish, when, and who鈥檚 responsible for making it. Up your content publishing with a calendar today!
Editor's note: This post was originally published in January 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.