*This post is part of Bailey Gardiner’s Public Relations Tactics series, which highlights tools and best practices to ensure a successful public relations campaign. The series will run weekly.

Whether your public relations campaign lasts three months or 5 years, it’s important to develop an accurate and timely calendar to keep your campaign on track. From magazines to local events, each outlet and opportunity operates on a different timeline, some of which are easily spelled out and others which are more of a guessing game. Either way, miss their deadline and you’re toast.

Here are 5 tips for developing a PR calendar that works.

• Think Long Leads: Long lead publications operate anywhere between 4-6 months in advance, which makes it easy to lose track of what kinds of stories they’re looking for (when we’re thinking about hitting the beach, they’re thinking about holiday gift guides). Depending on the goals of your campaign, it can be nightmarish to miss these opportunities because you didn’t act in time.  By adding long lead pitch ideas and reminders to your calendar you’ll keep yourself thinking 4-6 months ahead all year long. Now, what are we all doing for the 4th (of July)?

• Editorial Calendars: Want to be included in a “Top 10″ list that runs annually or a “Best of” section. More often than not, long and short lead publication have an editorial calendar that outlines the months these will occur during the following year. Even if you don’t have something specific in mind, Ed Cals will tell you exactly what publications are planning to cover and when. These can often be a gold mine of information and should always be top priority when developing a PR calendar.

• Include Short Leads: While short lead publications don’t require much advance notice, they typically plan special sections and some feature stories further in advance. For topics like back to school, summer travel stories, and holiday gift guides it’s best to allow more time than less; especially now that papers have smaller staffs to cover the same number of stories.

• Events: If your client is interested in having a booth at, attending, or sponsoring an event, there’s a deadline for that. When kicking off a PR campaign see if your client is interested in national events, local events, sporting events, charitable events, etc. and then bring them opportunities that will help them grow their brand and image. Just make sure you bring them that opportunity in time. Even if the deadline hasn’t passed, booths and space fill up.

• Awards: There are awards for everything. Trust me. Submitting your client for appropriate industry and media awards can be an important part of a PR campaign. (Plus, everyone likes winning). When developing a PR calendar, look at major industry awards and awards in appropriate publications and make sure you note the deadlines and submission information.