How to build a campaign communications plan for North Carolina's 2026 election

Think like a newsroom to plan like a pro. Here's how I'd do it.

The central event in the life of a newsroom is the budget meeting. This is when editors gather to plan out the next edition.

When I was a newspaperman, we had two general kinds of them — one daily, one weekly. We’d gather around the table to talk about the big stories we had in the works, the stories we knew would happen (like city council meetings or school board votes), and what visuals would grab people’s attention. There was a news hole to fill: the front-page centerpiece, the local page anchor, the sidebar stories.

TV newsrooms operate similarly. There’s an hour of airtime to fill every day, and producers plan accordingly: What’s the lead story? What’s the feel-good kicker at the end?

As a candidate, you need to think the same way. Your campaign is a media company. You have stories to tell and an audience to reach, and the best way to be effective is to treat your content planning like a media product with distinct holes to fill. That’s where a content calendar comes in.

A good calendar keeps your campaign messaging focused, consistent, and organized. It helps you plan ahead while still leaving room to react when something big happens.

Luckily, you don’t need a daily budget meeting. A monthly calendar gets you 90% of the way there, and a weekly check-in helps refine tactics for the days ahead.

In this guide, I’ll break down what the building blocks of the content calendar should look like, what types of content you need, and when to hit send.