If you are like me you are a visual person. A list of posts in the standard post view of WordPress isn’t easy to find posts that you have set or saved as a draft. One plug in that I can’t live without is called Edit Flow. It maybe a strange name but it is an amazing and free plug in.
What is Edit Flow? 
Edit Flow allows you to see your posts on a calendar view. The calendar shows you drafts, scheduled and published posts. I use it to plan out posts and keep track of ideas. I simply title a post and save it as a draft. After it’s on the calendar as a draft you can drag it to any date.
Do you work in a team? If you do you can keep track of when posts are completed by the writer, needs to be editor or approved. You can create custom groups that will automatically email people when an action item is needed. Editors can then put in editorial notes or keep track of budgets.
Writing A Post
After a post has been written, Edit Flow allows you to set it with custom status. They are Pitch, Assigned, In Progress, Needs Editing and Ready to Publish. It allows you to quickly see the status of the post. These are great in working with a team. I have found them to be very helpful in the editorial process.
Instead of emailing the writer you can have Editorial Comments. This allows for a one on one interaction between the editor and the writer. It’s kept on the post and can serve as easy access for both parties. Its similar to private messaging.
Editorial Metadata lets you put in due dates and important information the post needs to cover. After the post is assigned the editor goes in and fills these two out. You can also have a check on if a photo is needed and word count.
If you have teams that deal with the blog you can set up notifications. Its not the notifications on your phone but a group (or a person) that will be emailed. There are preset groups or you can set your own. If your organization is smaller you can select individual users to notify. It’s a feature that is one of the main reasons I chose this plug in. It just keeps everyone on the same page. Which isn’t easy at times!
Lastly, it makes searching for posts way easier. If you deal with a blog that publishes multiple times a day. It’s easier to scan a calendar rather than scroll through a post list. As I stated above you can see what has each posts status is easier. Drafts are seen as blue and can be moved on the calendar. Scheduled are in Grey and can only be moved if you go in an edit the post. Schedules are also in grey.
The best thing about Edit Flow is it’s a free plug in! I found out about it a few years ago when reading a blog about plug ins. I thought it would be a interesting to try out for a bit. Little did i know a few years later i would still be using it and rely on it for any blog I work on! If you are looking for a way to manage your content give Edit Flow a look over, it just maybe what you’re looking for!
Pictures were taken from the Edit Flow Page on WordPress.org
