Bazaar’s 2008 Editorial Calendar

The single most important part of a blog is the content.

It might sound like a redundant statement, but without consistent, quality content, readers won’t have a reason to come back. An Editorial Calendar will not only help you decide what to post, keep you inspired, but it also helps your readers know what to expect. Magazines use editorial calendars to plan a year in advance allowing time to develop content properly. While most blogs may not need to plan posts a year in advance, having some kind plan for your posts will help save time and curb blogger’s block. And don’t be afraid, editorial calendars come in all shapes and levels of detail, you can work what’s best with minimal effort, and still reap the rewards.

Start planning gradually…

I love making excel spreadsheets pretty. I hate data entry. While it’s possible for me to spend hours creating a spreadsheet I’ll never use, wasting time is not something I have very much patience for. Figuring out what’s realistic and comfortable is a process… for everybody. There are many times I have created unrealistic goals for my blog, usually ending up with me scouring the internet until the wee hours of the night, frustrated and upset. Luckily, I didn’t give up… I just tried different goals.

Editorial calendars are flexible, they can be changed… even in large magazines, editorial calendars change, even at the last minute.

1. Set your posting frequency goal

My first attempts at editorial calendars was to set a goal of posts per week. My plan was to post five times a week, at the time, I did a post about my daily attire almost every day, so I could post about something else fashion related to make the five posts, then anything else would be bonus. Posting frequency is somewhat fluid, sometimes I attempt to do 10 posts per week, but it’s not always possible, nor does it necessarily improve the blog.

2. Determine what types of posts work for your blog (and your sanity)

There are many types of posts, especially with fashion blogs. Here are some I frequently see around:

The Designer/collection
The “Find”
How To
Sale Alerts
What Are We Wearing?
The Interview
The Muse
Trends
Inspiration Collage
Link Roundup

These are just off the top of my head, I’m sure you can think of ones I’m missing… but you get the point. There are lots of kinds of posts, and every blogger has their own specialty. A ‘What Are We Wearing” would drive one person crazy, and another person could happily do it every single day. The trick is finding which posts you like to do, your readers will be able to see this and share your joy. But don’t just stay stagnant, always be on the look out for new things to try. I’m always trying new kinds of posts, and new ways of posting… it’s what keeps blogging interesting.

3. Set your posting goals by frequency and type

Now that you’ve figured out how much you can comfortably post, and what you like to post about.. you can start thinking about a more concrete editorial calendar. Like Bazaar’s editorial calendar, my personal plan is usually a list I write out every Sunday or Monday morning. There is a rough schedule that doesn’t really change too much and then I note a few particular items I would like to post about. It helps to write all the weeks posts ahead of time, but that’s not always possible.

Some people work with notepads, calendars, PDAs, or excel spreadsheets, it doesn’t really matter what you use as long as you use it. And if you’d like a calendar to work with, you can download the lovely M.I.S.S. Crew calendar here:

M.I.S.S. Crew August Calendar