The Easy-to-Use Tool that Helps You Build a Breakthrough Blog

The Easy-to-Use Tool that Helps You Build a Breakthrough Blog

Reader Comments (70)

  1. Thanks!

    A solution for those who are challenged by details, structure and anything relating to organization!

    (Not me of course. Talking about “others.”)

    🙂

  2. I’ve installed the Editorial Calendar plugin on a couple of my own sites and I’m strongly encouraging all of my clients to add it to theirs (I’ve already nagged most of my blogging clients on to WordPress).

    I still maintain a separate calendar, just because I write on multiple sites regularly, but this plugin has definitely made my life easier. The only addition I’d like to see in the future is possibly a way to add notes on the calendar for content going out on other platforms, like a newsletter.

  3. Good advice. We use a google document for this and have weekly content planning meetings. It’s kept us updating regularly which is a problem that a lot of blogs in our industry seem to have.

  4. This was a refreshingly sweet and relevant post. I woke up this morning with a huge headache about content organization. This definitely inspires me to change that.

  5. Excellent! I’ve been waiting for a plugin like this, since my blogging life is now getting complicated enough that I am starting to calendar. I will definitely try it out.

    You guys are part of a bigger trend, the birth of the scheduled web.

    There is a possibility that this could play very nicely with a free plugin that we offer, that allows you to create trails (= series on steroids) through your blog, Trailmeme for WordPress. If you’d like to chat, do get in touch via the comment form on trailmeme. The idea of scheduled trails might be a very sweet one indeed.

    Venkat

  6. An editorial calendar, including content for my email marketing, is what makes it even possible for me to juggle half a dozen blogs at the same time.

    I’ve also convinced my clients to use one, and they now see how much faster they can get a post published just because they already have a topic lined up.

    Having a calendar also helps to space out your various campaigns and promotions, so you don’t overwhelm your readers with one pitch after another.

    So far, a simple document using Google docs (so I can share with my clients) or Page or any other word processing software, has been working really well for me.

    However, I think I will give the Editorial Calendar plugin a try. It would be fun to drag and drop posts around… assuming I’ve drafted them already, that is.

    Thanks!

  7. This is one of the first plugins we built in to our new blog [it’s only 3 weeks old] and I LOVE it.

    I’m trying to keep ahead of myself and the calendar is brilliant for scheduling content.

    I also use the drag and drop function to reorganise posts.

    It literally makes my blog posting job easier.

    Congrats guys … you’ve saved me a lot of hassle and time.

  8. Very important stuff,

    A little bit of structure can certainly help to streamline and target the writing process.

    I have been doing this for a while now and I 100% agree. It actually helps a lot for creativity to have that measure of structure rather than hurting it.

    From what I have seen the editorial calender seems like a pretty nice addition that might be quite useful to helping with this.

  9. I just use a google doc, works like a charm and I can move ideas and posts from day to day with a simple cut and paste.

    • We did that as well before we installed the plugin. That works pretty well, but with the plugin, there’s just one thing to update. It’s all there in your WordPress editing area. Small bit of streamlining, but it was a really nice improvement for us.

  10. As a former Hollywood writer, I know how valuable a delivery schedule (sic editorial calendar) can be to increasing INCOME. If you don’t deliver on time, you don’t get paid.

    The plug in is EXCELLENT! Many thanks for the tip. Installed and using it now.

    It might be cool to add a few features to it (as hinted in your blog) for tracking and scheduling content based on trends and relevance.

    Great stuff. Thanks.

  11. Oh, this is too awesome! The timing couldn’t be better…I just tried to whip something together in office word (poorly).

    On my way to the plugin! Thank You!! …I’ll be setting it up today!

    Andrea

  12. I had installed this about a month ago, and was very excited about it. However, it suddenly stopped working — as in, when I click on “calendar” I see a lot of . . . nothing. Blank page. Obviously conflicts with something else, but I don’t know what as I haven’t installed any new plugins since then. . .

    Any suggestions?

  13. Hi Justin & Zack

    Nice tool! I find when clients ask for direction, they need some structure to their marketing activities and that’s really often in the form of a schedule.

    I’ve just dowloaded this plugin for my own blog – thank you for enabling a more paperless world! (although I’m quite attached to my crossing out and scribbles but you know what I mean).

  14. We’re loving the editorial calendar plugin for our own multi-author blog, as well as client blogs — for all the reasons this article explains so well. Previously we used a shared Google calendar published as a private page on each blog, so the integrated WordPress calendar with its plugin’s drag and drop function is a major improvement.

    I would say that our number one request for enhancements would be to integrate a tickler system of some sort into the plugin. At the moment, we need to separately set up reminders for each client/author/editor for deadlines.

    • Hi Pat,
      This is Justin from Stresslimit. Just wanted to let you know that we are in the beginning stages of thinking through an edcal plugin that’s targeted at advanced users and mutli-author blogs.

      This version was really targeted at single-author blogs, as part way through the development cycle we realized we were better to focus on one use case at a time than aim for both beginner and advanced use cases and miss the mark on both. We’re very excitedly compiling a list of features for the next (multi-author, pro-blogger) version so we really appreciate the feedback.

      Feel free to email me at Justin at stresslimitdesign.com with any other feature requests, etc.

      I’m really glad you are enjoying the plugin.

  15. I got into the habit of forward planning when I was doing the pre-writing challenge earlier in the year. Lovely Carlos set us up with the thing in Google Docs, colour coded and everything. But then the challenge ended, life did its thing and got busy, and pre-writing and planning sort of fell to the wayside.

    I’ve just installed your plugin and, at first glance, it looks fab. Like others have already intimated, it would be lovely to have the option of adding little notes to show links between posts but overall, it looks great. Thanks for giving back, its much appreciated. 🙂

    • I agree, as someone who runs a blog that’s at the center of a business, it would be nice to add some non-post-related things like “vacation to Paris,” “spa day,” etc.

      Other people may have less indulgent notes to make. 🙂

  16. I don’t use WordPress, and do my organizing with Emacs org mode, which I find works fantastically for me (but it isn’t for everyone).

    But the idea of being well organized and planning out one’s posts in advance has been something that I have give a lot of attention to lately. I do most of my initial organizing on paper – I have a magazine stand that acts like an inbox tray does, and I throw everything in there that has to do with blog posts.

    I organize it regularly and keep a peace of paper that has a section for brainstorming, resources (links, etc) and an outline. Each time I think of something new, I add it to the paper. I decide exactly what I am going to read before I write it, and then build the post up, so that by the time I post, I know so well what I am doing, I hardly look at the paper.

    I have mostly been doing this for my business blogging/writing, but recently I have decided that I even want to do it on my personal blog – it just makes blogging more fun.

    Like you say “Staring at that blank screen and trying to come up with a topic can be one of the most stressful aspects of blogging. “

    • I actually still have four calendar whiteboards (each one is 1 month) in my office so I can forecast out promotions, deliverables, etc. Looking a little further into the future is really helpful.

      • Sonia, I actually use whiteboards for planning new pieces of a website. (the rest of the time my kids take it over.)

        I use Django, so you plan out the urls, their content and the hierarchy of pages, but I really love the GTD (David Allen, getting things done) way of doing things and I could almost go with a real bucket for organizing.

        I’m fanatical about little pieces of paper, in my pockets, my camera bag, my car – and I constantly write it down, and throw it into my blog posts box or Inbox, and regularly clear that out and organize.

  17. Another big help for me who has left a couple of blogs idle for several months now. Reading through the post and the positive comments here, I will definitely install and use the editorial calendar. I am trying to work hard to become a power blogger and I guess the WordPress Editorial Calendar Plugin might do well for my plans. Thank you!

  18. Installed. Activated. Scheduled my first few blogs. Works great. Next I’ll test your theory that it will actually help me get my blogging done:-)

    I created a spreadsheet to do this with my social media posts and include the blogs as a placeholder. I like how this let’s you start writing down some thoughts as you schedule it.

    Thanks,
    Jamie

  19. I also use notes or scraps for ideas especially if I have lost of ideas for one topic. It is just so difficult that is why it’s great that you shared this calendar post. 🙂

  20. Excellent tips, Zack and Justin! An editorial calendar makes blogging efficient, although I find that many times, I change my mind as to what to post for the week. Sometimes something new comes up and I’d want to write and publish that instead of the one scheduled so I just move it further along the calendar. Still, having a calendar helps you keep track of things and make easy adjustments! Definitely no writer’s block with the use of this kind of system.

  21. Great Timing!

    I have got so many things I want to blog about but I’m sort of holding back with them and then blurting them out when I know I need to make a post!

    I can see how this is going to help me structure my content and allow me to get my ideas down as and when they happen rather than at set dates.

    Thanks

    Simon

  22. The only problem is that I find that my blog still won’t let me schedule. The post does not get published and has a message saying schedule missed. I have to re do it and publish manually. It did this before but I had hoped that upgrading to wp3 would have sorted it. Never mind, the calendar is still really useful.

  23. Sounds like a very interesting tool. I more-or-less starting doing this on my own using Mindmaps. I began to plan out what I wanted to accomplish in the month, especially post ideas and how to market. I also have a folder to bookmark certain links, pages, pictures, that gave me an idea for a new post. When I have enough material I can put it all together and publish it. So I’m always gathering new ideas for new blog posts, and I’m not worried about running dry anytime soon.

    Thanks for the tips.

  24. You guys made my day! I was just scheduling a bunch of blog posts and discovered just what you made a solution for. It was confusing to manage all the draft posts. So I was writing myself reminders elsewhere to make sure everything went smoothly.

    I installed your plug in. Marvelous!

  25. I think the editorial calendar really helps. I started with mindmapping, and coming up with titles for my next blogs. I know also what to write about. I simply need to sit down and type them. This sounds easy, of course. But writing is a difficult task. That’s why only those with discipline may truly succeed.

    Including writing in the schedule will help a lot.

  26. I recently began using an editorial calendar. And believe me, I have sat here in front of a blank screen way to often. Here is what I would add to what you’ve written here. Since I began using this, I have noticed that when I simply come up with an idea and a blog title, I can put it into the calendar. Then, having a few of those in mind, I can over time, add outline pieces to the post notes. Then when I write, the writing is a log easier AND easier to organize.
    Mike

  27. Thanks for changing my life, guys! I tend to be very low-tech about organizational issues, and had my blog ideas just tossed randomly into a Word file. I put in the plug-in and now I have the next 6 weeks of posts planned out. I’m in loooove with this.

    I have a better sense of how to create good variety in my posts and schedule my strongest one first in the week now. Really helped me get organized.

    You rock!

  28. This is a great tool, but useless if you only use WordPress.com or don’t use WordPress at all (I’ve given up on it –preferring the ease of Blogger).

    Love your site and have definitely benefitted from it!

  29. Sometimes you need to be reminded of the blatantly obvious! Planning like this will benefit the flow of my blog topics significantly (they have been a little haphazard of late). Previously I thought I was being organised writing my blog a few days in advance, I can see that all needs to change now, and will with the help of the plug in. Thanks!

  30. I’ve never really thought about scheduling out posts before, just king of posted random things as they came. But this is a great idea!

    This could definitely provide some structure and motivation. Maybe even create recurring subject entries scheduled for certain dates.

    I’ll definitely have to take a further look at this.

    Thanks!

  31. Now this is something I can use. Thanks for this post I was just about to crawl up a wall about writing and timing blog posts.

    Kudos for the plugin.

  32. After using it, I’d like to suggest some kind of reminder system. Maybe it emails the day before or something. Not a big deal for the daily bloggers, but for us 1 or 2 times a week it would be helpful.

  33. Thank you so much! I have been using this at my primary site for several months and it is such a blessing! I am just now adding it to a second site and it is one of the plugins I can NOT do without! It really helps me stay organized and not “lose” good article ideas in the stack of papers on my desk. It’s a BIG HELP for this very busy Sandwich Generation blogger! Again, thank you so much!

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