Do Editorial Calendars Matter?

During my first PR internship – circa 2003 – much of my time was spent “pulling editorial calendars” for the full-time staff. Back then, editorial calendars were the living end, used to determine how and when to pitch what and why based on set plans for content as laid out by editors.

So, 20 years later, do editorial calendars still matter?

Yes. And no.

They matter in that today they usually have the “theme” of each issue of the outlet or episode. They usually also have key advertising focuses or lists set to be produced.

However, a good topic is a good topic. A timely angle is a timely angle. A smart pitch geared to a regular column or section of an outlet or program on a channel is a smart pitch.

As a result, today when we have interns or new team members, it is not so much about “pulling editorial calendars” as “pounding the pages” and then perusing the calendars. By this, I mean spending the physical hours (and yes, it does day hours and hours and hours) reading key outlets in print and online, as well as listening and watching key broadcast outlets that we pitch regularly to understand what they want and need all the time. Armed with that information, plus the occasional themed issue notice courtesy of the editorial calendars, new team members are well positioned to make a good impression on the media.

Want to take advantage of our thousands of hours pounding the pages? Shoot us a line here and let us help you be in those pages today!