What is the purpose of mining editorial calendars? What is the process marketers should follow in employing editorial calendars for MPR purposes?

What will be an ideal response?

Marketers do not have to leave identifying the right connectors to guesswork. Many traditional media outlets and even some bloggers publish editorial calendars that list the topics their publications will cover over the course of the year. Many outlets release their editorial calendars for the following year toward summer and fall. Marketers can use this time productively to match the topics they want to see covered with the connectors that are seeking content on those topics. Outlets that are focusing attention on subjects that seem to fit information about one's company or products are where marketers should invest their time and energy obtaining media mentions. Many publications have several-month lead times, so it is imperative that marketers channel news to connectors early in the editorial cycle.

The basic steps in the editorial calendar mining process begin with listing publications that are likely to reach your best prospects. A search within a media research service such as Lexis/Nexis will tend to reveal media outlets that cover the subject matter one's organization is pitching. The next step in to search within the Website of the publication itself in order to locate and review the editorial calendar. The editorial calendar typically will contain information on the prospective dates of certain stories and related content along with deadlines and guidelines for submitting material. If the editorial calendar is not readily accessible, then a marketer should telephone the Editorial Department at the publication or speak with someone knowledgeable about the release schedule of stories and topics. Marketers should replicate this process for each target publication until they have assembled a complete list of all stories that might offer suitable opportunities for contributing content. Finally, marketers may find it easier to tackle all of this information by using off-the-shelf spread sheet software to organize connector lists and follow up pitches.