How to Use an Editorial Calendar

editorial calendar showing dates and content ideas

Have you ever wished you had a message ready at just the right moment? Have you ever seen an opportunity come and go because you weren’t ready to communicate at the opportune moment? If you want to avoid making those kinds of mistakes and missing out on a chance to connect with your audience, you need an editorial calendar. Think of an editorial calendar as part schedule and part road map. It’s both a list of what you want to say as well as the best time and place to say it. Your editorial calendar could consist of press releases, holiday greetings, special remembrances, thanks yous, blogs or other articles, social media posts, email promotions, and ad campaigns. In short: it’s a plan of action for all the messaging you know you’re going to be doing over an extended period of time, as well as plan for how to manage any opportunities that come up along the way. While you can’t plan for everything, and you will have to come up with messaging, posts, and content on the fly, that process is a lot easier if you have what you can plan ready to go. For some people just getting started with an editorial calendar, they find it easier to begin with a template that allows you to plan and track your messages. You could use one of the many templates available online or go with a back-to-basics whiteboard or large wall calendar.

The kind of calendar that is best for you will depend a great deal on several factors including:

How many people are using the calendar?
Will you need to make changes or updates in real time?
Will your calendar be yearly, monthly, weekly, or all of the above?
Will you need to limit or extend editing capabilities?
What kinds of content are you planning?

Answer these questions before you choose a calendar. Not only will that limit your options in a positive way, but it will save you time and frustration down the road. Once you decide what kind of calendar format will work best for you, it’s time to make a list of all the kinds of messaging you will be doing over the given period of time, and when you plan to do them. This list will be slightly different for everyone, but it should include both internal and external communication. Some organizations find it easier to have two separate calendars, one for in-house communication and one for external communication. Along with this process, take some time to add special dates to the calendar. This may be your business anniversary, employee birthdays, customer anniversaries, holidays, or any other occasion that may prove to be a good opportunity to reach out and connect. Once your hard-and-fast dates are written down, begin planning how you can make the most of those communication opportunities. Next, design a plan for how to manage the breaking news and surprise opportunities that will come up. When you have a well-designed process in place, it will give you an advantage over the competition and allow you to get your message out faster, clearer, and better.

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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