Mar
9
Editorial Plan, what it is, what it is for and how to do it
An editorial plan is one of the fundamental elements to focus on objectives and work to be done.
It is presented as a document and is used to prioritize what content to publish, in set times.
It is an online and offline tool , ideal for a corporate blog or for detailed editorial planning (magazine, newspaper, etc.).
Although it may seem something quick and simple, it is not: the flow of content and timing must have a certain strategy as well as the definition of the same.
Let's see together what it is, how it works and what are the useful tools for a perfect editorial plan .
What is the editorial plan
All companies or individuals who want to be present online must learn how to create and manage the editorial plan.
This document is essential for planning the contents and achieving the objectives set.
The questions that an editorial plan must answer are: when - what - for whom - why - how and how much .
It is not trivial and not as easy as it seems, precisely because there are big differences between improvised and planned publication ; the basic strategy is the turning point for your business.
A tool of this type serves to have a precise picture of the contents that must go online, to limit errors and superficiality.
A strategic study also helps to avoid non-productive topics and make the most of the potential of the web.
It is a document, as already amply highlighted, which seems easy to manage but which actually presents pitfalls to be known a priori.
What are the stages for the construction of the editorial plan
The editorial plan can be digital or paper, where the various information and files showing the dates for publication (with timetable) are gradually added. More than rules to follow, an editorial plan will have to follow very specific phases in order to have an even clearer vision of the work to be done, that is:
Targets
An editorial plan begins to form and fill in only when all the objectives are clear in one's mind. The definition is prior so as to be able to proceed with the publication of the contents in an intelligent and strategic way.
Does the company want to retain the public? Find new customers? Approaching another type of target? Content can lead to the achievement of different objectives even without direct sales, such as e-commerce blogs or an extension of the bond of trust by creating brand awareness .
Brand
The document can be prepared for a blog, for social networks and for the weekly newsletter. In any case, the person concerned begins his journey from the analysis of the brand highlighting all the strengths of his own reality (or third party company). After a SWOT analysis, the tone of voice and everything that a content must convey is identified.
Target
Once the first point has been developed, we move on to the target audience. Those who want to be present online must study well who are the people to reach and who may be interested in that brand: what do users want? Here is the question to ask.
Google comes to the rescue by providing tons of information on what users might want. Thanks to SEO tools like Ahrefs and Semrush you can get a broad view of what are the primary needs to be exploited.
Google Analytics is another of the tools to be used to analyze the various data, so as to arrive at the perfect user prototype for the content to be posted.
Personas are created not only for a project but for the overall success of the company.
Competitor analysis
The phases also include the analysis of competitors, an indispensable action to evaluate what their sector contents are and to develop new ideas to be included in the editorial document.
For an analysis of this type to be carried out in the best possible way, the Semrush and Ahrefs tools can give the answers to the many questions, also verifying the positioning of the competitor website.
The research can also be carried out on social networks by evaluating followers, contents and reactions from users.
Editorial calendar
All the analyzes and studies listed above lead to the planning of contents and publication dates. The points to consider are:
- how many times to publish in a week
- all topics and themes to be addressed
- the authors of the various contents
- the delivery dates
- full details for publication.
To this is added the category to which they belong , the SEO strategy , the images to be included, the Tags to be taken into consideration and any hashtags for social networks.
All these factors together depend on the type of calendar desired, which will change whether it is social or blog. To identify seasonal or current trends, Google Trends is the tool to use: as the calendar improves and you will find a highly effective and winning strategy.
The planning and management of the editorial calendar requires time and attention also on the Key Performance Indicators - KPIs - to better evaluate:
- how many users are on the site / post at the moment
- the duration of the users visit
- the pages that have been viewed
- possible compilation of a question form
- if users have clicked on specific pages or left the site right away.
What tools to use for the editorial plan
The tools to be used to compose the editorial plan are many, as already amply explained above. It starts from the awareness of the search volume and its tendency and then goes on to investigate the target and niche of expertise.
The SEO tools allow you to search starting from a single term, from a content or directly with the competitor's site.
Among the tools not to be underestimated, Google Trends is a reference point for ad hoc editorial planning: it has been specifically designed to find out what users may want at a given moment. Trend analysis is essential to verify the topic of interest or a specific topic.
The trend is managed both geographically and temporally, this is excellent for getting an idea of how interest in a theme can change over time. Advice? Take advantage of all the online tools available and study a strategy based on objectives and target audience well.
