Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on | 0 Comments
This blog is about editorial calendars. Eventually.....But the reason I'm writing about them is all thanks to the gym I attend in Brooklyn, where I live....(Shout outs to OTOM gym - another small business!)
The other day I was pounding away at the treadmill at the gym on my quest to get my "TV ready" body back (I seem to have lost it in college - ha ha) when I thought, "goodness, this just isn't exciting and I'm not seeing enough progress". There I was, making my trips to the gym but my routine was getting old, I was doing the same thing over and over again, and I wanted to spice up my Get In Shape 2011 strategy. There had to be other things I could be doing, and no, I was not ready to venture over to the weight room.
I sighed to myself and decided to keep on keepin' on with the treadmill work out, after all, what else at this gym could help me besides the machines and the weights. Out of sheet boredom I started reading the signs on the wall all over the gym and I that's when I saw it: "Zumba Classes, Pilates & Yoga in the basement".
The basement!?! I didn't even know the gym had a basement! Clearly I did not realize there were classes that would be fun and a great cardio work out. I could add to my fitness strategy plan and work towards my goals in new ways. Sure I'll keep going on the treadmill but now I will have the chance to work out 2x a week with other people, in new ways, it will keep me going, put an end to monotony and give me new ways to get to the same result.
While reflecting on this discovery I began to think about a PR campaign and how in some ways it's like joining a gym. Unless you're really taking advantage of all the ways you can reach the press and tell your story you are definitely missing out, you are not maximizing the work and time you're putting into your campaign and you aren't going to be as strong (PR wise) as you could be had you been taking advantage of new ways to reach the press. One thing I see many entrepreneurs look over is ediitorial calendars.
As many of you know, in brief, editorial calendars ("Ed Cals") are the calendars magazines share that list all the editorial features they have planned out for the year. Knowing what they have planned gives you the power to specifically pitch to stories you know they are already working on. Sure you're pitching them fresh angles about your products and expertise on a regular basis, but are you hitting the ed cals as well. Publicists do it regularly and DIY-ers should be as well. To get more in-depth scoop about ed cals you can read out article about them HERE.
That being said, just like I was missing out on new ways to get my body in fighting shape by failing to see new opportunities to reach my goal, some of you may be missing out on great press opportunities by missing out on the editorial calendars sharing what the media WANTS you to pitch them! You can find them by checking the magazine's media ktis for them (often found online at the magazine's homepage), calling their advertising departments for them or if you are a member of Tin Shingle you can access them HERE for free.
SEE ALSO: Need more info on tracking down a magazine's editorial calendar? Read this article on just that!
Also, remember to think "big" in terms of what topics you are going to respond to in an editorial calendar. Don't just search in fashion magazines if you are a fashion brand, don't just search in health magazines if you are a health expert - think wider. Check magazines like Inc. or Entrepreneur who may be doing stories on small business, check gift guides out, check to see if they are doing interesting stories on mompreneurs.
Just as the more ways I find to work out will help me reach my goal, the more ways you find to connect to the press the better chances you have to reach your PR goals!
HINT: Want to learn more about using ed cals? Listen to this podcast on How to Use an Ed Cal to Get More Press!
