How to use a content calendar

A PR calendar is a great way to get on top of your content strategy and generate an effective plan to help you boost your brand.

It is usually made up of national/international awareness days, national or global holidays, key industry dates and notable events throughout the year. These can be used as opportunities to create topical, relevant and unique campaigns.

For example, take Valentines Day - can you launch a pink or red version of an existing product? Can you launch a campaign that focusses on couples? Better yet - could you create a campaign around Singles Day just after Valentines Day, which focusses on single people? Does your business produce bacon? You could use National Bacon Day to create a campaign to promote your company.

From product launches to social media content, a PR calendar can help you stay relevant and hot in your industry and will really place you as a highly-aware, relevant brand.

With PR, there are few rules, meaning you can really get creative. However, there are important things to remember to ensure you get the most out of your PR. The time and date you pitch your campaign to a journalist can be the difference between the story getting used and it being deleted. Some longer stories require up to three months notice for publication, which is common with glossy monthly magazines with early deadlines. Others can publish stories the day they are sent them - or, in some cases, even as soon as it hits their inbox! There are some real tricks to sending content to journalists and if you ace it, you're winning (if you want to learn more about pitching to journalists, I teach all about this in my membership group, Hope's Hub).

If nothing else, a PR calendar will give you inspiration for social media content when you're lacking it. I recently put a post up in my (poor excuse of a) Christmas jumper on - you guessed it - Christmas Jumper Day. It was one of those days when not much was going on and I wasn't sure what to post, but posting about which day it was gave my followers the impression that I'm aware of what's going on in the world. It really can be that simple!

There are often multiple events on each day, so you can have a good choice of content to share, too.

If you want to get started on planning your content for 2021, my PR calendar is just £6 for the whole year and includes every date you need to shape content, as well as all the monthly events throughout the year and notes space for you to tailor it to your own business and set reminders.

Drop me a message or email hope@hopemckellarpr.co.uk to order yours!