What is a Blog Editorial Calendar and Why It’s a Game-Changer

I am in the process of reading Ruth Soukup’s book, How to Blog For Profit Without Losing Your Soul, and there is so much great information in there. One thing in particular that is impacting my blogging productivity is the concept of an editorial calendar. Here I will explain the concept and its benefits.

First Things First

Let me introduce you to Ruth Soukup and tell you a little bit about why she has so much credibility in the blogging world.

Here’s some of her introduction from her site:

Hey there, I’m Ruth. And just like you, I wear a lot of different hats. I’m an author, podcaster and product creator. I’m a busy wife and mama, a small business owner, a daughter, sister and friend, and the founder of Ruth Soukup Omnimedia.

I originally started this company in 2010 as more of a creative outlet than anything else. As the mom of two toddlers, I was desperate to get my home and budget under control, and I found that writing about my own journey of trying to live well and spend less gave me the much-needed accountability that I needed to create real change in my life.

You can read more at her website. She founded the Elite Blogging Academy, and the book I mentioned above is basically all the information in a much more affordable format. Ruth is a great example of someone who worked hard at her dream. She has been able to grow her company so much to the point her husband was able to quit a job he was miserable at. It took her time, though, and being consistent. Having a blog editorial calendar is one of the tools she has used along the way.

What is a Blog Editorial Calendar?

You’ve heard the saying. “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” In a nutshell, that’s what the editorial calendar is. Your plan. Every month, you take time to brainstorm the topics you want to talk about. Then , you write them in on your calendar.

Before I Had a Blog Editorial Calendar

Before I had a blog editorial calendar, I would just blog when inspiration would strike. I didn’t have much of a strategy. I would get frustrated with all the options of what I could write about. I would take 2-3 weeks to write a single post. I would get so frustrated because my time for blogging was very limited with my other responsibilities so I needed to be able focus and take action when I actually had some blogging time. So, you can imagine my relief when I discovered the idea of a blog editorial calendar!

Benefits

There are countless benefits to having a blog editorial calendar, here are some examples:

  • Always know what to write about. This is very freeing.
  • Easier to be a few posts ahead so you can take some days off
  • Keep a constant flow of content coming out. I am able to keep up with 2-3 posts a week.
  • Fights procrastination.
  • Increases your ranking on google.
  • Keep your readers engaged.

Next Steps

After I have brainstormed and penciled in my topics to my calendar, I then have to schedule when I will be working on them. For me, this is in the morning before my kids get up. My goal is to work on my blog for an hour and a half but if it’s only a half hour that’s still progress! There are some days when I don’t wake up early because I need the extra sleep, or I was was up too late for some reason. On these days I still make time to write in my blog. For more ideas to make time for things that are important to you, check out this post I wrote.

What’s working for you on your blog? What’s not working? I’d love to hear in the comments below! Also, feel free to email me with any concerns you may have, or if you are just in need of some encouragement.