Planning holiday content for a personal brand can feel overwhelming, but with the right approach, it’s entirely manageable—and even enjoyable. Whether you’re a budding content creator or a seasoned pro, a little preparation can ensure your holiday content aligns with your goals while still leaving room for holiday fun.
Here’s how I plan content for my personal brand, with tips you can easily adapt for your own.
Step 1: Mark Key Dates on Your Calendar
The holiday season is packed with potential content opportunities, from major holidays to quirky celebrations and sales events. Start by noting all the important dates for your brand.
Why is this important?
For Social Media: Align posts with hashtags, trends, and collaborations on the day of the event for maximum visibility.
For Web Content: Publish blog posts or website updates ahead of time to ensure they’re indexed by search engines when people start searching.
For example, I know I’ll have family traditions, a Disney trip, and some local holiday happenings to feature. These become part of my content plan, either as inspiration or opportunities for pre-scheduled posts.
Don't forget to account for normal seasonal business too. Trips to visit family, holiday parties with friends, and the general hustle and bustle of preparing for the holidays also impact your time. The best laid content plan all goes to pieces when you realize the only time you have to do it is between the hours of 11pm and 1am each night. Ask me how I know...
Not speaking from experience or anything...
Step 2: Set Your Posting Schedule
Decide how often you’ll post and on which platforms. Are you aiming for daily posts (like a Blogmas challenge) or a few times a week? Is your focus on Instagram, TikTok, or another platform?
Once you decide that, I want you to pull out your planner, GCal, or agenda of your choice and look and see how much time you actually have (see above: accounting for normal seasonal business). Then, make a second version of that posting plan that is the bare minimum. If you're really super motivated, make a third version that's a combination of the two.
The point is that it's very easy to say to yourself that you're going to post every day on December 1st, but by the 8th you realize that filming and editing a 20-minute daily vlog after a full day of work, grocery shopping for the office potluck tomorrow, going to your neighbor's ugly sweater party, and packing up presents for your niblings to ship out in time is slightly unsustainable.
Understanding your schedule will help you stay consistent while juggling other holiday commitments.
Step 3: Organize Content Into Three Lists
When planning content, I divide it into three categories to stay organized:
Must-Do Content: These are your non-negotiables—collaborations, sponsorships, or anything contractually obligated. For personal brands, this also includes your annual traditions or key posts that resonate with your audience. For example, assembling the Target Christmas Cat House has become one of my signature posts.
Want-to-Do Content: These are the creative ideas you’re excited about. They might include fun projects, content you know will perform well, or ideas you’ve been waiting for the right time to try. If you’re not sure where to start, scroll through saved Instagram posts, check Pinterest boards, or brainstorm trending holiday topics.
Backup Content: Backup content is your safety net for when things don’t go as planned. This could include repurposed old content, updates on past events, or simple, low-effort posts. For personal brands, backup content might include evergreen photos, quick tips, or behind-the-scenes looks at your life during the holidays.
It's a big "no shit Sherlock" moment but start with your must-do posts first. It's very tempting to start diving into the creative, want-to-do, stuff because it's way more exciting, but you can't put the ornaments on the tree before you put the lights on, you know?
Unless you're this guy...
Step 4: Batch Your Content Ahead of Time
The holidays can get hectic, so batching content is key to staying on top of your posting schedule. Dedicate a day or two to creating as much content as possible, including:
Writing captions or blog drafts
Filming reels, TikToks, or stories
Scheduling posts for Instagram, Twitter, or other platforms
Taking seasonal photos you can use throughout the month
I like to incorporate some kind of series where I can write/film/edit all at once and parcel it out over the duration of the season. I try to do all my caption writing and uploading all at once, too, so I can get a good idea of what the month looks like and where I still need to fill in gaps.
Step 5: Focus on Your Personal Goals
Why are you creating holiday content? For a personal brand, your goals might include growing your audience, sharing your favorite traditions, or experimenting with new content styles.
The real reason I do Blogmas every year is to experiment with different content styles and embrace staying in the moment during a very busy holiday season. Knowing my goals helps me prioritize important content and let go of anything unnecessary.
Step 6: Give Yourself Grace
No matter how much you plan, things won’t always go perfectly. Life happens—family obligations run long, files get lost, or creativity just isn’t flowing. That’s okay.
Remember, you're doing this for fun, not perfection. It's not brain surgery or live TV. If you need to skip a post or pivot to backup content, don’t stress. Authenticity matters far more than hitting every single milestone.
Christmas =/= Content
Conclusion
Planning holiday content for your personal brand doesn’t have to be stressful. With a clear schedule, organized content ideas, and creative flexibility, you can enjoy the season while staying consistent with your posting goals. The holidays are a time for joy—let your content reflect that, and your audience will connect with the genuine, authentic you.
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