← DictionaryEditorial Calendar
also called content calendar
A dated plan of what will be published, where and by whom.
The schedule of what goes out when.
What It Is
Editorial Calendar belongs to Content, specifically the Planning part of it. In practice it means this: a dated plan of what will be published, where and by whom.
It is a repeatable structure, which means it only pays off when it is actually followed through instead of quoted. Used with that meaning, it stays a working tool rather than a talking point.
How It's Used
You will usually meet Editorial Calendar in editorial planning, briefs and the day-to-day work of publishing. It rarely travels alone — expect it next to Content Strategy, Marketing Calendar and Post Cadence. The practical test is whether anyone can follow it without the person who wrote it in the room.
Why It Matters
Editorial Calendar is cheap to get right early and awkward to fix late. When it is unclear, output goes up and effect goes sideways. The businesses that treat it seriously spend less time redoing work.
It is a set of steps someone worked out so you do not have to guess the order. The schedule of what goes out when.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
In agency and in-house rooms, Editorial Calendar means exactly a dated plan of what will be published, where and by whom.
In plain conversation it comes out as the schedule of what goes out when.
The Bottom Line
The practical takeaway on Editorial Calendar: the schedule of what goes out when. Judge it by that, not by how it sounds.