If you’re not already planning out your holiday content like yesterday…you’re kind of behind.

I’m not saying this in a negative way. In fact, I hope todays tip will lead you to more blogging success and monetization.

Why? Because you’ll be 5 steps ahead of 90% of the bloggers who will be reaching out for brand collaborations and blog posts one day before Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas, etc.

If you want to have a holiday strategy, you should be planning it out in July, August, and September.

I typically plan about two months ahead for regular content but 5 months ahead for holiday specific posts and partnerships.

For me, this makes scheduling so much easier.

I know what I need to photograph ahead of time, which means I can be extra creative with the shots I do. Brands and readers will want to see more than just the average “gift guide” post during the holidays. They want to be inspired – be taken away into a wintery magical land.

Perfect shots like those don’t just happen spontaneously.

How to plan your holiday content out

Quarter 4 is the time most bloggers earn a significant amount out of brand deals and affiliate commission. People are in a buying mood and if you can plan ahead to get there first, you’ll get the sale first

Planning ahead can also help you rank in keywords faster. If you’ve published a Christmas post in October (yes, you can), then you’ll rank better for that holiday keyword come December. You can even start publishing holiday content in the summer.

So, I’ve managed to convince you to even just brainstorm about holiday content, here are my tips for you:

 

1. Get yourself an editorial calendar

You need to see this content plan out in a calendar so you can keep track of tasks and important dates. I highly recommend you either use a paper planer, like Day Designer planners (which are oh so chic!), or go paperless and use a Google Drive folder and sheets.

I personally prefer paper over digital – I like to see the calendar at large and write things out in pencil. There are so many great paper planner options avaliable on Etsy! Check them out here.

 

2. Plan blog posts around holidays and dates

Next, write down all the important holidays and social days coming up – you know, like #nationalicecreamday or something like that.

Then brainstorm 10 – 15 articles you can potential write about those dates or topics. Focus on major holidays like Christmas, Black Friday, etc. Then brainstorm 2-3 post ideas for the social media dates.

Narrow down your posts to the ones you think you can reasonably do. Put them on the calendar and remember not to publish exactly during the holiday. Think a week or two before = you want to publish before others do so you can get the traffic!

 

3. Plan out photoshoots well ahead of time

Remember, our goal is to publish and create before everyone starts posting about the same sales, the same holiday, etc.

Style bloggers, this is an important tip: I understand things will be out of stock, not on sale, etc, but try to shoot outfits for holiday content well ahead of time. If something gets updated or added to sales, you can always shoot 1-2 images quickly and post later.

You want to make sure you set the scene with care and creativity. Spend a whole day pretending it’s Christmas – set up a tablescape, outfits, decor, etc. And just like that, you have your Christmas content!

Think like a magazine! They create content for 2 quarters ahead. 

 

I hope this was helpful. What’s important to remember is that if you want this blogging thing to work out for you to be able to grow and monetize, you need to think and act like a professional blogger. This means scheduling and creating ahead of time.

 

Do you plan your content in advance? Have you started thinking about the holidays and what content you plan to create?