A well-crafted magazine full of interesting articles doesn’t just happen. Editorial planning can make the chaos of pulling together a magazine at the last minute a distant memory. A carefully thought-out editorial plan can promote balance in your magazine and provide a rich variety of articles for your readers.

One of the first steps in creating an editorial plan is holding an editorial planning meeting involving the whole editorial staff. Here are some guidelines for holding a successful meeting:

• Meet once or twice a year.
• Meet for at least half a day or as many as two days. You may want to talk about other editorial and business matters at the same time. Leave lots of time for brainstorming.
• Give your staff at least a month’s notice of the meeting.
• Ask staff to prepare.
• Get away from the office – away from ringing phones, email, and immediate responsibilities. A new environment promotes creative thinking.
• Ask staff to pray ahead of time for God’s wisdom, guidance, and creative ideas in the meeting.
• Provide inspiration by bringing examples of creativity: advertisements, unusual products, or video clips. What can you learn from them?
• Have a framework for your meeting. This could include reading your mission statement, reviewing the target audience, critiquing past issues, discussing concerns, and planning for the future.
• Brainstorm.

For more information, download the free e-book “How to Create an Editorial Plan for Your Magazine.”