August is here, and most bloggers are turning their eyes to back-to-school content. It’s hard not to with the stores bombarding us with school related products, that mixed with our own excitement about the kids going back to school and you have a LOT of school related content.
Don’t get me wrong, you need some school content on your site but there’s a bigger opportunity in front of you in August that I don’t want you to miss.
Christmas.
Yes, CHRISTMAS!!!!
Best practice for *most* minor holidays is posting holiday related content 4-6 weeks before the holiday. Christmas is completely different. If you do Christmas right, it can send your blog substantial traffic for 4+ months of the year.
Today, I wanted to share my secret to maintaining sanity about Christmas content.
I’ve been through several Christmas seasons as a blogger and I’ve found a way to maximize pageviews without too much stress.
I can’t emphasize this enough…
DON’T WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER TO START POSTING CHRISTMAS CONTENT.
If you wait until December it’s already too late!
After years of tweaking my blogging schedule I finally arrived at a schedule that makes the best use of my time AND gets all of my holiday content out when I want it. (no more Christmas ideas still sitting in draft on December 26th!)
This post does contain affiliate links to products I ADORE. If you choose to make a purchase through one of my links I will earn a small comission at no addition cost to you).
August
In August, take inventory of all your Christmas related content from previous years. Make a spreadsheet for yourself with your Christmas content separated by topic. Make space for the date it was published and write notes for yourself if the post needs tweaking or new images. (You can see the spreadsheet I’m creating for this year here, to give you an idea)
Spend time in the month of August UPDATING OLD CHRISTMAS POSTS. This will also help you remember what content you already have and how you can create new content that works with your old content to drive more traffic to yourself.
Try to have all your old posts updated in August. This is the time to make sure the posts all have great affiliate links, optimized images, and backlinks to other relevant Christmas content on your site. Your spreadsheet will REALLY come in handy when it comes to building backlinks, so you don’t forget ANYTHING.
Bonus tip: If you aren’t already, install MiloTree on your site ASAP. This is a simple plugin I’ve been using for a long time which helps convert your visitors into followers on social media and newsletter subscribers. This is one awesome way to get your social following UP which can help you land more campaigns going into the Q4 craziness!!! (sidenote: MiloTree is google friendly and won’t slow down your site!)
That’s a big task for one month, so I’m going to hit the other months at a run…
SEPTEMBER
Create new Christmas content, at least ONE post a week. If you don’t have dates in your URLs, backdate this content so it’s not all showing up on your homepage. Pin this content, but don’t share elsewhere. You want new content up this early so that it has time to gain traction on Pinterest before the holiday season. You’ll also have it handy when other bloggers are creating round-ups in the Fall to prepare for Christmas. Extra backlinks to your new Christmas posts is always a good option!
OCTOBER
Same as September, but by this time you’ll have a better idea of how different topics are performing on Pinterest and google. Create round-ups and companion content around your most popular ideas and still aim to get at least 1 new Christmas post up a week.
NOVEMBER
Now is a great time to start re-posting your Christmas content (IF you don’t have the dates in your URLs). Start sharing Christmas content on Facebook, Twitter and continue pinning. Tailwind tribes will be particularly handy for this. (Get your free 30 day tailwind trial here)
DECEMBER
Same as November, but less new content after the first week or two. It’s really hard to get traction on a new Christmas post when Christmas is just a few weeks away. It’s also a good time to start prepping drafts for content for the New Year.
I’ll share more about affiliate strategy and how to make the most of those Christmas shares in later months, but for now, I wanted to share this august strategy with you so that you can make the most of your holiday content NOW.
If you haven’t already, join me in my new Facebook Group for Quick tips.
I share a few tips a week that can be actioned in about 5 minutes. Small things that can make a HUGE impact on your blog and income.
Happy Blogging in August!
I’ve been blogging for over 12 years and received more than 10 million pageviews – here are the blogging resources I can’t live without! Check them out to help you get your blog in shape for the best 4th quarter EVER!!!
Gretchen says
This is SO helpful! This winter will be my first holiday season with my blog, and I’ve already been trying to figure out how to prepare. Thank you!
Julia says
Thank you! Honestly I have been telling myself to start planning holiday content. It’s my first Christmas with my blog as well. I just sent a request to join your fb group. Thanks for the motivation!
Laurie @ Pardon Me, My Crown Slipped says
Thank you so much for this post. I would have been way behind. I am still only about a year old and their is soo much to get the hang of. Creating my editorial calendar now, this is priceless.
Natasha Combs says
This is so helpful! I never would have thought this is what the timeline should look like. Thank you! But what if you DO have dates in your URL..? What do you do then?
Ali says
Thank you Paula! I would have had no idea to start this early!
Cindy says
Thanks so much for this post. These are super useful tips. I’m a new blogger and I haven’t been thinking about Christmas at all yet. Thanks again!
Sarah @ My Joy-Filled Life says
Why does it matter if the date is in the URL?
Nicole | The Professional Mom Project says
Thanks so much for sharing this info especially the spreadsheet it’s super helpful. Now I just have to get started on the blogging and editing part!
Toni glaspy | This Little Nest says
Great post. I love this strategy on how to add your holiday content to your blog and Pinterest.
It’s smart and I didn’t realize we needed to start so early, and I had no idea it could drive so much traffic for so many months.
I’m going to start on my holiday content as soon as I’m home from the beach ;)
Oh and I cannot wait till school starts back either!
16 dayyysss away…..
kate says
This is super helpful and a really doable plan! thank you
Writer says
Ahaha. Thank you, you’re right, in August you need to take an inventory of your blog, clean up the extra refresh your blog with new posts that will not be associated with the new year holidays. It is very important to plan your content. Thank you for your motivation!
You did a good job and painted a great plan of action for months:))) I think this is what I needed! A small charge of vivacity to continue to keep your favorite blog. Thank you!
Good Luck, Paula!
Patrick Smith says
That’s right! I have noticed how much it means when a place we like is also with any website or blog. If you like its design or you see that they are engaged or “prepare” it for the holiday, you go to it more often. Though the article amused me a bit, I agree with the author’s opinion.
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