Utilizing Editorial and Media Calendars

The first question you may have is what are editorial and media calendars?  They are calendars of planned articles, theme issues and stories published by the media to help advertisers with their ad planning.  This leads to the next question; how do you utilize these for public relations, especially for young emerging companies or SMBs hungry for media exposure?  One of the key elements is finding out when media are planning stories relevant to your company or market and reaching out to the reporters, editors and writers with your story or product for possible editorial consideration.
 
However, using the calendars for PR is time intensive (something many entrepreneurs, SMBs and startups are short on) and also requires a very specific skill set and knowledge.  Investing the time and resources will payoff for the startup or SMB trying to gain media exposure, by tying in with articles, features and stories already planned by the media.
 
Remember, leveraging editorial and media calendars is time consuming, but the benefits are worth it.  Not only does it help you build relationships and awareness with the media (even if you’re not included in the story), but you gain inclusion in an article or story that you wouldn’t have been in otherwise.  For most entrepreneurs, SMBs and startups, that is a good thing.