WP_Query Object ( [query_vars] => Array ( [feed] => craigslist-ca [error] => [m] => [p] => 0 [post_parent] => [subpost] => [subpost_id] => [attachment] => [attachment_id] => 0 [name] => [static] => [pagename] => [page_id] => 0 [second] => [minute] => [hour] => [day] => 0 [monthnum] => 0 [year] => 0 [w] => 0 [category_name] => [tag] => [cat] => [tag_id] => [author] => [author_name] => [tb] => [paged] => 0 [comments_popup] => [meta_key] => [meta_value] => [preview] => [s] => [sentence] => [fields] => [menu_order] => [category__in] => Array ( ) [category__not_in] => Array ( ) [category__and] => Array ( ) [post__in] => Array ( ) [post__not_in] => Array ( ) [tag__in] => Array ( ) [tag__not_in] => Array ( ) [tag__and] => Array ( ) [tag_slug__in] => Array ( ) [tag_slug__and] => Array ( ) [post_parent__in] => Array ( ) [post_parent__not_in] => Array ( ) [author__in] => Array ( ) [author__not_in] => Array ( ) [ignore_sticky_posts] => [suppress_filters] => [cache_results] => 1 [update_post_term_cache] => 1 [update_post_meta_cache] => 1 [post_type] => [posts_per_page] => 7 [nopaging] => [comments_per_page] => 50 [no_found_rows] => [order] => DESC ) [tax_query] => WP_Tax_Query Object ( [queries] => Array ( ) [relation] => AND [table_aliases:protected] => Array ( ) [queried_terms] => Array ( ) [primary_table] => wp_posts [primary_id_column] => ID ) [meta_query] => WP_Meta_Query Object ( [queries] => Array ( ) [relation] => [meta_table] => [meta_id_column] => [primary_table] => [primary_id_column] => [table_aliases:protected] => Array ( ) ) [date_query] => [post_count] => 7 [current_post] => -1 [in_the_loop] => [comment_count] => 0 [current_comment] => -1 [found_posts] => 492 [max_num_pages] => 71 [max_num_comment_pages] => 0 [is_single] => [is_preview] => [is_page] => [is_archive] => [is_date] => [is_year] => [is_month] => [is_day] => [is_time] => [is_author] => [is_category] => [is_tag] => [is_tax] => [is_search] => [is_feed] => 1 [is_comment_feed] => [is_trackback] => [is_home] => [is_404] => [is_comments_popup] => [is_paged] => [is_admin] => [is_attachment] => [is_singular] => [is_robots] => [is_posts_page] => [is_post_type_archive] => [query_vars_hash:private] => f1bef36c6fd4adbce97179c3b544dc63 [query_vars_changed:private] => [thumbnails_cached] => [stopwords:private] => [query] => Array ( [feed] => craigslist-ca ) [request] => SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS wp_posts.ID FROM wp_posts WHERE 1=1 AND wp_posts.post_type = 'post' AND (wp_posts.post_status = 'publish' OR wp_posts.post_status = 'expired' OR wp_posts.post_status = 'private') ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC LIMIT 0, 7 [posts] => Array ( [0] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 8637 [post_author] => 2294 [post_date] => 2015-03-03 00:06:21 [post_date_gmt] => 2015-03-03 05:06:21 [post_content] => [caption id="attachment_8638" align="aligncenter" width="640"] StartupStockPhotos / Pixabay[/caption] In my previous article, I talked about how I launched my freelance writing career, and how you can too. I also talked about the fact that one of the ways you can earn money as a freelance writer is to help a business launch a blog. In 2012, I did just that, and I became the primary writer for the blog. My position with that company lasted 19 months, and during that time, I consistently published three posts per week. That experience taught me a lot, and allowed me to take my writing and online marketing knowledge to the next level. In this article, I'd like to talk about the importance of an editorial calendar, and why you need one if you want to write for any company.

Why do I Need an Editorial Calendar?

As a blogger or freelance writer you may have the tendency to write on a haphazard basis; in other words, whenever you feel like it, or whenever inspiration hits. That may be fine if you aren't accountable to anyone in particular, but it's a little problematic if you're looking to build a relationship with a business. You need a way to be able to show your work, especially if you have an arrangement where you are working remotely. When I was blogging for the aforementioned business, I was working with detail-oriented, no-nonsense people who operated on hard deadlines. If I had balked or hesitated, I may not have lasted that long with them. While working with them, I was asked to put together detailed reports for how I spent my time. I was also tasked with curating traffic and social reports. Alas, I didn't have an editorial calendar at the time, but if I did, I would have been able to answer the question, "What are you working on right now?" with ease, every single time. I've since learned that it's good practice to have a printout of that editorial calendar so that you can show your client (or employer) exactly what you've been working on. There are a variety of other reasons why you should have an editorial calendar (i.e. to track your ideas, to determine what keywords to focus on, to keep your blog tags organized, etc.), but I believe that building trust is one of the most important reasons.

How do I Set Up an Editorial Calendar?

I would advise using a spreadsheet to create your editorial calendar. It's simple, it's reliable, and pretty much everyone in business understands what it is and how it works. If you're using a Windows machine, then you might opt for Excel. If you're using a Mac, you could take advantage of Numbers. I happen to like Google Sheets (within Google Drive), as online calendars are easily shareable with your colleagues. This will also come in handy if you know you're going to be working with other writers too. Here is what you want to include in your editorial calendar: [caption id="attachment_8639" align="aligncenter" width="600"]Editorial Calendar Here's an example of what your editorial calendar should look like.[/caption]

What Else Should I Include in My Editorial Calendar?

If you've already created columns for the previously mentioned items, then you don't necessarily need to add anything else. However, here are some optional items that might come in handy:

How do I Maintain My Editorial Calendar?

If your employer or client is anything like mine was, they will be constantly asking you, "What are you working on right now?" That should be sufficient motivation to keep your editorial calendar up-to-date. If your colleagues are looking for a report, you can send the latest revision of the calendar off to them. Work that has been completed should either be crossed off (not removed), or marked as 'complete' so they can easily see what you have been up to. Additionally, your calendar should be your go-to place whenever you're beginning work on a new piece, as this means that you have all of your post ideas stored there (which is what you want). Every time you pull it up, you can take a moment to make sure you're on track and update it as necessary.

Final Thoughts

I hope you're beginning to see how important it is to have an editorial calendar, especially if you are going to be building a working relationship with an existing business. However, even if you are just working on your own projects, it can still come in handy. A digital calendar can help you to stay organized, as it doesn't take much for things to get out of hand. You could have post-its, notebooks, index cards and papers strewn about everywhere with ideas on them. Make it a point to transfer all of them over to your digital calendar. If you do that, it will also become clear which ideas are worth your time and effort, and which aren't. [post_title] => How to Set Up and Maintain an Editorial Calendar [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => how-to-set-up-and-maintain-an-editorial-calendar [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2015-03-03 00:06:21 [post_modified_gmt] => 2015-03-03 05:06:21 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://writertown.com/?p=8637 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 8520 [post_author] => 486 [post_date] => 2015-02-10 08:04:10 [post_date_gmt] => 2015-02-10 13:04:10 [post_content] => I can’t remember exactly what sparked my interest in freelance writing, but at some point I was furiously searching Google for freelance writing opportunities. I found hundreds of job boards and long story short, got my first client. I was brought on as a blog post writer for a marketing firm out of Kansas City, Missouri writing 500 word posts about a variety of topics for $15 per piece. From manufacturer recalls to energy efficient buildings, I got a taste of researching, writing, submitted and taking criticism – with grace of course. As of today I have worked with over 15 different clients from all over the world. Some of the clients I work with are large companies looking to outsource blog posts, while others are authors that need a reliable ghostwriter. In the past 365 days I have written about things like marketing and business all the way to real estate and cloud computing – and everything in between. As my first year of freelancing comes to a close, I have looked back on my successes and failures. I thought sharing them would not only help me by reflecting but also help new freelancers that might be overwhelmed, confused or even frustrated. Here are some of the things I did that got me to where I am today. I Was Selectively Selective I spent a lot of my first two months as a freelance writer browsing job boards for openings. I quickly realized that applying for jobs and getting them was based as much on speed as credentials. Any job posting that was older than 3 days was useless to me. I found out along the way that clients looking for freelancers received hundreds upon hundreds of applications – in the first day. In an attempt to save my time and theirs, I used this three-day rule to narrow my search and improve my success rate of applications to positions. Beyond that I only applied for jobs that I was qualified for and interested in. I Guessed At Pay Rates Finding jobs was one thing, but then clients started to ask me about my rates. To be completely honest I had no idea what to charge when I started writing. Good thing my first few clients already had standard rates in place. I used these rates to configure how much I wanted to charge when it came to clients later on that needed me to take the lead on pricing. To be honest, I’m still not sure I’m making enough money for the work I provide, but the work I get is steady and my clients are happy. This is one area I want to improve on in the upcoming year. I Provided Quality Work To my newly found clients, I provided quality work, in a timely fashion. The first draft I submitted wasn’t always up to par so I gladly made changes and asked questions so the same fixes were necessary the next time. I also took criticism well (if I do say so myself). Writing is just a function, its not who I am. Critiques of my writing are just that, critiques or suggestions from clients who deserve what they want not what I think they should have. And naturally over time I improved to points where I was providing the best quality assignments I could for my clients, work that they could publish on their websites with little to no edits. This leads me to the next way that I survived year one – with referrals. I have to admit that this wasn’t something I went out looking for - it just started to happen. Clients I had picked up along the way must’ve mentioned me to their friends and coworkers because before I knew it I was getting emails from brand new people that needed blogs written and had heard about my work from someone they know. I Kept Connected I always found time to check in with past clients, who more often than not had work for me to do, or stumbled upon work for me to do in the upcoming weeks. A few of them event thanked me for checking in, as I thought to myself no, no, thank you! Keeping in contact with my clients have led me to long-term projects and increased profits. The last year if my life has been a whirlwind of learning and writing that’s for sure. I realized that being a freelance writer is just a function of being an entrepreneur. I think that this article is a good, quick look into the first year of a freelance writer and I hope it helps other freelancers hit the ground running. If you have a passion and talent for writing the world of freelancing is your oyster. If you’ve been thinking about diving into the writing world – what are you waiting for? Getting started is the hardest part; it’s smooth sailing from there.   [post_title] => My First 365 Days of Freelancing: How I Made Them Count [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => my-first-365-days-of-freelancing-how-i-made-them-count [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2015-02-08 23:04:55 [post_modified_gmt] => 2015-02-09 04:04:55 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://writertown.com/?p=8520 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 4 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 8315 [post_author] => 2147 [post_date] => 2015-02-09 17:30:05 [post_date_gmt] => 2015-02-09 22:30:05 [post_content] =>
Understanding how to achieve high placement for your website per its respective category, is literally the difference between a successful business and a failing venture. If you want to be successful in your business dealings, be sure that you're reading up on these search engine optimization tips that are provided below. [caption id="attachment_8561" align="alignright" width="300"] geralt / Pixabay[/caption] When using SEO, avoid keyword stuffing, or keyword densities that have been artificially inflated to exceed ten percent of the total text. Search engines will generally view such sites as possible spam, and may even ban your site from their listings altogether. Using natural text will avoid this problem and still drive traffic to your site. In search engine optimization, a website with many links leading to it from other sites, will receive a big boost to its position on the results page. Search engines give great weight to exterior links that mention search terms when evaluating the relevance of a particular website. Cultivating these links is an effective search engine optimization strategy. Research your keywords before you start the search engine optimization process. You need to know which keywords are more likely to bring visitors to your site, and which keywords are being used most often for the products that you sell. There's no point in optimizing your website for a term that web users never search for. The future development strategy for all companies with a web site should include a strategy for search engine optimization, getting more traffic to their site. One key point is to be aware of the use of appropriate key words. Appropriate key words should be placed strategically throughout your site, the title tag and page header are generally the most important spots for keywords, be careful with your choices. When you are optimizing your site, don't forget that there is more than one search engine out there. Don't focus your attention so much on Google that you don't think about the others. Yes, Google is the most popular one, and what works for it will generally help you with all of them, but there are different strategies that can help you out with some of the other search engines. A fantastic way to get a more visible site is to use unique and relevant titles and descriptions on each and every page of your site. When you have a title for each page, your site will end up higher on the list for primary search keywords, increasing your visibility. Make sure you're using analytics on your website. Analytics allow you to measure the traffic to your site. It'll tell you where people are located, the browser they're using, how long they spend on the site, what they visit, and how they found the site. You can use this information to figure out what's drawing people to your website and allow you to use that to increase your traffic. Limit the focus on creating your website for SEO strategies and try to focus on human preferences. The most important component to your website is the people who are logging in to purchase products. Therefore, you must be sure to create a wonderful experience for the visitors to your site, in order to help increase your overall chance of a sale. Search engines hate frames, so if you need to use them make sure to include a noframes tag and to create a full version of your site for the noframes client. If the search engines spiders can't read your site then you are never going to move anywhere in the ranks. Creating a no frames site will ensure that you can even be indexed in the search engine. So there you have it. Nothing but ideas. If you put this information to work and use the tips and tricks that have been provided here to you, you should see results in your search engine optimization goals. The benefits are well worth all the effort and research you may need to do.
[post_title] => Succeed in Search Engine Optimization With these Great Tips [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => succeed-in-search-engine-optimization-with-these-great-tips [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2015-02-08 23:00:23 [post_modified_gmt] => 2015-02-09 04:00:23 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://writertown.com/?p=8315 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 8283 [post_author] => 2147 [post_date] => 2015-02-09 08:56:03 [post_date_gmt] => 2015-02-09 13:56:03 [post_content] =>
1cf47966ec423ab8ee87dc13_150Establishing a home business is a dream for many people. The lure of setting your own hours and being your own boss is very appealing, but it is important to understand the reality of managing a business from home. Read on for some great ideas to help you develop and manage your business successfully.Open up a new business checking account for your home business venture. Make sure that every dollar of business revenue and expense runs through this account. Apply for credit cards that you will use only for business purposes, such as supplies and shipping. Keep detailed notes regarding large expenses and any expenses that had to be paid with personal funds. You can write off part of your internet bill on your taxes if your home business is internet based. Be honest as this will protect you in case of an audit. You need to set up a separate checking account for your home business. It is important to keep your personal finances and the business finances separate. This is so that you can show the IRS that you are not embezzling money or trying to evade paying taxes on your business. It will make for less hassle when tax time comes around. When gathering funds for your home business be sure to have many back up investors. You can never trust that everyone who says they want to invest will actually provide the money at the proper time. If you have a few second string investors ready than you will be setting yourself up for success. Support other businesses like your own. Home businesses are a growing phenomena, so you should try your best to support businesses just like yours. You will build a network of allies and enjoy the same superior service you were looking to create for others when you started your home business! It's a win-win equation. Do not assume that you can perform as well at home as in an office without adapting a special area for use as a home office. Attempting to maintain productivity levels is very difficult in the presence of common household distractions like television, surfing the internet, and supervising children or pets. Use the many available resources online to keep from feeling alone as you start your new venture. There are sites all over the place for people who are starting their own businesses. Join a forum dedicated to home businesses in your niche and start giving and getting support and advice. A great home business tip is to try and find your target audience. You need to find your target audience in order to sell your products or services. Once you find them, do everything you can to make them happy. This can insure your business has a long life. Is your home business paying off? Considering the time you are spending on it, the remuneration may seem low. But if you are figuring your hourly rate of pay in comparison to an outside job, don't forget to figure in commuting time and the cost of gas. The IRS figures use of your car at about 55 cents per mile. You should too. The savings from staying at home will make your hourly rate of pay look better! As the beginning of this article discussed, a lot of people would like to begin working at their own home business instead of at their current job. Unfortunately, the process of starting can be difficult to some, so use the advice of this article and you will be on your way to starting your own home business.
[post_title] => How To Begin A Home Business And Succeed [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => how-to-begin-a-home-business-and-succeed [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2015-02-08 22:58:05 [post_modified_gmt] => 2015-02-09 03:58:05 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://writertown.com/?p=8283 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [4] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 8347 [post_author] => 2280 [post_date] => 2015-02-03 09:04:35 [post_date_gmt] => 2015-02-03 14:04:35 [post_content] => We live in a society of “shoulda, woulda, coulda’s, right? Who wants to live their life like that, especially when it comes to something as important as getting married or preparing for marriage? So many couples ask questions about marriage only after they got married, and found out what a huge mistake they made. Here are some words of wisdom for your wedding day so you won’t have to live the rest of your life with any regrets:
  1. Choose to appreciate those around you.
It is important to appreciate the present and not worry about the future. When you worry about the future, you postpone your happiness and can take out your frustrations on those you love.
  1. Center your attention on what’s really important in your life.
On your wedding day, (ladies) instead of becoming a bridezilla and trying to make everything perfect focus on that person that you are walking down the aisle to and with whom you are going to spend the rest of your life with.
  1. Welcome mistakes no matter how many hours of planning you did.    
Welcome the reality that something will go wrong; no matter how much planning you do. Once you come to that realization, you will spend less time worrying and more time enjoying those who came to support and witness your union.
  1. Your husband/wife is the most important person at your wedding
Don’t waste your time worrying about who’s going to show up on your big day. As long as you know that this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, then nothing else should matter.
  1. Realize that your husband/wife will not be the same 5-10 years from now.
You will come to learn one day that people change. Change is good and it is important to allow others to grow as you will continue to grow as well. Let’s face it, no one is going to be the same person 5-10 years from now. Ask yourselves are you marrying your mate solely for their looks? Did you see yourself growing old with them? We will never stop changing, so embrace it.
  1. Do Not become the wedding planner on you Wedding Day.
If you hired a wedding planner, let them plan your wedding for you and to delegate responsibilities to others. It is not your job to make everything perfect. Your job is to know that this is the person you plan to spend the rest of your life with and to make sure you are at the aisle.
  1. Cherish every moment of that day, because it will come and go.
Know that your big day is a day to remember but it will come and go before you know it. Enjoy your day, savor those memories and remember along the way not to take one another for granted. [post_title] => 7 Words Of Wisdom Couples Wish They Heard Before Walking Down The Aisle [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => 7-words-of-wisdom-couples-wish-they-heard-before-walking-down-the-aisle [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2015-02-02 18:11:16 [post_modified_gmt] => 2015-02-02 23:11:16 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://writertown.com/?p=8347 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [5] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 8278 [post_author] => 2147 [post_date] => 2015-02-02 20:04:02 [post_date_gmt] => 2015-02-03 01:04:02 [post_content] =>
e4d71915a68db7157b40fffb_150Affiliate marketing takes a lot of time, research and patience. It's important to do plenty of research before diving in, to make the most of your efforts. Learn everything you can to ensure the highest profit margin. The tips you read below will get you on the right path. If one affiliate program doesn't work for you, try another one. The various programs are not all the same. They offer different products, services, and payment. Some allow more freedom and flexibility, such as color and design, to help match your site better. Finally, you can even see if your favorite vendor or store has its own affiliate program. Mix and match until you find a program that fits your needs. Consider carefully which products you will link to before beginning to write your website content. Once you've chosen some links, experiment with organizing them in different ways on your site. Sometimes customers respond better to one arrangement than another. Once you figure out how to best attract your customers' attention, their money will follow. When researching affiliating marketing programs, it is important to learn how the companies track orders that are processed via means other than their website. If you are responsible for one of their sales and you do not link them to you, it can cost you money. Test the product. The only real way for you to know if you want this product to be affiliated with you, is to try it out! Saying you know something works because you have tried it is much more trustworthy and reliable than saying you read about it on their website. Affiliate marketing begins with talking to a company that has products that you want to promote for a percentage of the sale. On most company sites you will find that there is an affiliate link that will allow you to ask for permission to advertise for them. Since most companies do not have the time to properly talk about each of their products, they are usually very happy to pay a small percentage for the extra sales. Try incorporating a trivia question into your banner ads. You can make the question a tricky one, with the answer available on your website. Most people cannot resist clicking that. Make it even more attractive by giving discounts to the people who answer the question correctly. A great affiliate marketing tip is to make sure the company you're doing business with uses tracking software. This is very important because you don't want to miss out on any sales. Tracking software will track any customer you've referred, which is good because you'll be able to benefit from their future purchases. Go through the purchase of your product as a customer. Take a good critical look at what they are going to see as they go through the buying process on the product site. Focus on any difficulties that you can advise people to watch for. Be careful of sites that try to bring people to purchase in a way that will circumvent your commissions. If you find something like that, make sure to provide step by step instructions for your customers to buy. People are more likely to take a chance on an affiliate link if they view you as trustworthy. Don't promote products that aren't of real quality or smother your visitors with too many ads. Give people something they really value. This will enhance your reputation and bring people back to your site. Earning fat commissions by being the literal, driving force of a product's sales is a very rewarding venture. If you can follow the advice and steps laid out in this article, you can work your way up through the ranks of affiliate marketing and eventually, become a big player in the market.
[post_title] => Read These Tips And Affiliate Marketing Won't Have Any Secrets For You [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => read-these-tips-and-affiliate-marketing-wont-have-any-secrets-for-you [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2015-02-02 18:07:11 [post_modified_gmt] => 2015-02-02 23:07:11 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://writertown.com/?p=8278 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 1 [filter] => raw ) [6] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 8500 [post_author] => 2237 [post_date] => 2015-02-02 11:40:09 [post_date_gmt] => 2015-02-02 16:40:09 [post_content] => Here are over 100 easter eggs from popular Pixar movies, including Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo! 100+ Easter Eggs from Every Pixar Movie [wp_ad_camp_4] [post_title] => 100+ Easter Eggs from Every Pixar Movie [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => 100-easter-eggs-from-every-pixar-movie [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2015-02-02 11:40:09 [post_modified_gmt] => 2015-02-02 16:40:09 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://writertown.com/?p=8500 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 1 [filter] => raw ) ) [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 8637 [post_author] => 2294 [post_date] => 2015-03-03 00:06:21 [post_date_gmt] => 2015-03-03 05:06:21 [post_content] => [caption id="attachment_8638" align="aligncenter" width="640"] StartupStockPhotos / Pixabay[/caption] In my previous article, I talked about how I launched my freelance writing career, and how you can too. I also talked about the fact that one of the ways you can earn money as a freelance writer is to help a business launch a blog. In 2012, I did just that, and I became the primary writer for the blog. My position with that company lasted 19 months, and during that time, I consistently published three posts per week. That experience taught me a lot, and allowed me to take my writing and online marketing knowledge to the next level. In this article, I'd like to talk about the importance of an editorial calendar, and why you need one if you want to write for any company.

Why do I Need an Editorial Calendar?

As a blogger or freelance writer you may have the tendency to write on a haphazard basis; in other words, whenever you feel like it, or whenever inspiration hits. That may be fine if you aren't accountable to anyone in particular, but it's a little problematic if you're looking to build a relationship with a business. You need a way to be able to show your work, especially if you have an arrangement where you are working remotely. When I was blogging for the aforementioned business, I was working with detail-oriented, no-nonsense people who operated on hard deadlines. If I had balked or hesitated, I may not have lasted that long with them. While working with them, I was asked to put together detailed reports for how I spent my time. I was also tasked with curating traffic and social reports. Alas, I didn't have an editorial calendar at the time, but if I did, I would have been able to answer the question, "What are you working on right now?" with ease, every single time. I've since learned that it's good practice to have a printout of that editorial calendar so that you can show your client (or employer) exactly what you've been working on. There are a variety of other reasons why you should have an editorial calendar (i.e. to track your ideas, to determine what keywords to focus on, to keep your blog tags organized, etc.), but I believe that building trust is one of the most important reasons.

How do I Set Up an Editorial Calendar?

I would advise using a spreadsheet to create your editorial calendar. It's simple, it's reliable, and pretty much everyone in business understands what it is and how it works. If you're using a Windows machine, then you might opt for Excel. If you're using a Mac, you could take advantage of Numbers. I happen to like Google Sheets (within Google Drive), as online calendars are easily shareable with your colleagues. This will also come in handy if you know you're going to be working with other writers too. Here is what you want to include in your editorial calendar: [caption id="attachment_8639" align="aligncenter" width="600"]Editorial Calendar Here's an example of what your editorial calendar should look like.[/caption]

What Else Should I Include in My Editorial Calendar?

If you've already created columns for the previously mentioned items, then you don't necessarily need to add anything else. However, here are some optional items that might come in handy:

How do I Maintain My Editorial Calendar?

If your employer or client is anything like mine was, they will be constantly asking you, "What are you working on right now?" That should be sufficient motivation to keep your editorial calendar up-to-date. If your colleagues are looking for a report, you can send the latest revision of the calendar off to them. Work that has been completed should either be crossed off (not removed), or marked as 'complete' so they can easily see what you have been up to. Additionally, your calendar should be your go-to place whenever you're beginning work on a new piece, as this means that you have all of your post ideas stored there (which is what you want). Every time you pull it up, you can take a moment to make sure you're on track and update it as necessary.

Final Thoughts

I hope you're beginning to see how important it is to have an editorial calendar, especially if you are going to be building a working relationship with an existing business. However, even if you are just working on your own projects, it can still come in handy. A digital calendar can help you to stay organized, as it doesn't take much for things to get out of hand. You could have post-its, notebooks, index cards and papers strewn about everywhere with ideas on them. Make it a point to transfer all of them over to your digital calendar. If you do that, it will also become clear which ideas are worth your time and effort, and which aren't. [post_title] => How to Set Up and Maintain an Editorial Calendar [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => how-to-set-up-and-maintain-an-editorial-calendar [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2015-03-03 00:06:21 [post_modified_gmt] => 2015-03-03 05:06:21 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://writertown.com/?p=8637 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) )