HOW TO BUILD A PRESS RELEASE CALENDAR FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

HOW TO BUILD A PRESS RELEASE CALENDAR FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

A press release is a powerful and valuable tool to share your company information with the media, build credibility and increase brand awareness and visibility. If Public Relations is not your dedicated scope of work, sending press releases to the media could be very ad-hoc. This may result in missed opportunities, disorganization, inconsistency, missed deadlines, and a lack
of evaluation. Creating a press release calendar allows you to stay organized, plan, coordinate with stakeholders, maintain consistency, and evaluate your performance.
The Press Release calendar should be aligned with your business goals and other marketing activities. Here are some reasons why you should maintain a Press Release calendar:
1. Organization: A press release calendar helps you stay organized and on track with your PR efforts. It visually represents your upcoming press releases and key deadlines, which can help you manage your time and resources more effectively.
2. Planning: A press release calendar enables you to plan your PR activities in advance. By identifying the events or milestones you want to promote and determining the timing and messaging of your press releases, you can ensure that your PR efforts are aligned with your business goals.
3. Coordination: A press release calendar facilitates coordination between team members and external stakeholders. It ensures that everyone is aware of the upcoming press releases and their respective responsibilities, which can help prevent miscommunication and mistakes.
4. Consistency: A press release calendar promotes consistency in your PR efforts. By establishing a regular cadence for your press releases, you can build momentum and maintain the interest of your target audience and media outlets.
5. Evaluation: A press release calendar enables you to evaluate the effectiveness of your PR activities. By tracking the performance of each press release and analyzing the media coverage and audience engagement, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions for future PR efforts.
Here are the steps you can follow to create a press release calendar:
1. Determine the timing of your press releases: Consider the events or milestones that you want to promote with your press releases. For example, you may want to announce a new product launch, a partnership or collaboration, or a major company milestone. Once you have identified the events, determine the dates or time frame for the press releases.
2. Identify the target audience: Consider the audience you want to reach with your press releases. This could be customers, investors, industry experts, or the general public. Knowing your target audience can help you tailor your messaging and choose the right media outlets to distribute your press releases.
3. Choose the media outlets: Identify the media outlets where you want to distribute your press releases. This could include online news sites, print publications, industry journals,

social media platforms, or niche blogs. Choose outlets that cater to your target audience and align with your company's brand and values.
4. Assign responsibilities: Determine who will be responsible for writing the press releases, pitching them to the media outlets, and distributing the releases. Assigning specific responsibilities to team members can help ensure that the press releases are executed smoothly.
5. Create a calendar: Once you have determined the timing, target audience, media outlets, and responsibilities, create a calendar that outlines the key dates and deadlines for each press release. This can include the date the press release is scheduled to be distributed, the date the media pitch is due, and any follow-up dates.
6. Review and adjust: Regularly review your press release calendar to ensure it aligns with your PR strategy and business goals. Adjust the calendar as needed to account for changes in your company's priorities or market conditions.
At Publsh, we have worked with over 100 brands to get their brand message out in the media. With affiliations to more than 450 media titles around the world, we get you published where it matters the most.