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FAQ: How to use Editorial Calendars | Media Calendars for Public Relations (PR) Story Placement
How are editorial calendars useful to PR professionals?
How do I obtain a publication's editorial calendar?
What's the best way to collect and manage media calendars?
How far in advance should I pitch stories for specific issues?
What do I do when I find an editorial opportunity?
How far in advance should I pitch stories for specific editorial calendar topics?
• How are editorial calendars useful to PR professionals?
Each publication's editorial calendar (also called edcal or media calendar) lists the planned editorial content for each issue, providing PR professionals with an invaluable guide to story placement opportunities. An editor is much more likely to publish your story if you tailor your pitch to fit to the publication's editorial needs for a particular issue.
• How do I obtain a publication's editorial calendar?
Not all publications issue an editorial calendar. Most that do publish their editorial calendars on their Websites. It's often located under "advertising", since the editorial calendar is used by advertising sales reps to sell space ads in the publication. You can also call the publication and ask for the advertising sales department to request a free copy. While you're at it, also request the publication's full media kit.
• What's the best way to collect and manage media calendars?
You can do it yourself. First, identify the publications that are appropriate for your story. Then build a list of media calendars by going to their websites and finding their editorial calendars, requesting a media kit, and assembling a spreadsheet of story opportunities. It's a time-consuming and arduous task that's best done on niche subjects with a limited set of media choices.
Most PR professionals find it more productive and cost-effective to use an editorial calendar service such as CyberAlert EdCals that uses a fully-trained research team to continually update its searchable database of over 6,000 editorial calendars in the U.S. and Canada. With the low-cost annual subscription service, you can assemble dozens or hundreds of editorial opportunities in just a few minutes - and you can do dozens or hundreds of searches during the year. Almost certainly, you will find story opportunities you would never uncover yourself. The bottom line: You get more and better story pitching opportunities while saving your time. Less time looking and more time pitching almost always leads to more media placements.
• How do I match my story to the publication's needs?
While you can certainly review individual editorial calendars to find a match, the best way to identify story opportunities is through a key word search in one of the subscription editorial calendar services. For product promotion, use key words that describe the product category such as "computer monitor", "computer display", "PC monitor". Some of the more robust services permit advanced Boolean-type searches such as (computer OR desktop OR laptop OR PC) AND (monitor OR screen OR display)
• What do I do when I find an editorial opportunity?
You'll undoubtedly find many story opportunity matches - and you'll need to "pitch" your idea to each of them, customizing your pitch to the audience and needs of each publication. There are many online articles about making a PR story pitch to an editor. The basic rules are: 1) Fit your story to the needs of the specific publication. 2) Offer story ideas or approaches that are distinctive. 3) Tell the editor how your story idea meets the needs of that publication's audience. 4) Approach the editor during "down" times 5) Keep the pitch succinct.
• How far in advance should I pitch stories for specific editorial calendar topics?
Assignments and deadlines for most publications are often months in advance of publication date. It's best to contact the editor with your story idea as far in advance as possible - three to four months is not unreasonable. Since editorial calendars change frequently, re-check the media calendar shortly before contacting the editor.
In summary, utilizing editorial or media calendars is an effective PR tool to identify story opportunities and ultimately to obtain more and better media placements.
