How to Create Holiday Content that Doesn't Burn You Out
The end-of-year holiday season is often described as a marketer's dream—the time of peak consumer spending, emotional connection, and soaring engagement. It’s also, frankly speaking, a recipe for strategic burnout.
The pressure to produce endless streams of festive content, manage promotions, and track sales can feel like trying to cram a nine-foot Christmas tree in a three-foot space. Marketers often end up overworked, with content that feels rushed, and their hard-earned break is spent recovering, not recharging.
We believe that the most effective marketing strategy during the holidays is one that is intentional, simplified, and sustainable. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your well-being (or your budget) to connect with your customers.
Here is a tactical guide to surviving—and thriving—in the busiest marketing season with realistic expectations and an effective plan. If you’re already in the trenches, save this post to revisit next year!
Step zero: align the holidays with your brand DNA
Before you design a single graphic, you must define how—and if— the holidays align with your brand. Not every business is Coca-Cola, leaning hard into the red-and-white joy and nostalgia, and that’s fine. Your participation needs to feel genuine and authentic to your audience.
The deep dive (best for retail and FMCG): If your brand is inherently linked to gifting, food, or family gathering (like a luxury goods retailer or a confectionery brand), then a full seasonal campaign focused on emotion and generosity is appropriate.
The intentional participation (great for tech or B2B): If your offering is utilitarian (like a SaaS platform or a logistics firm), leaning into deeply festive content might feel forced. Instead, participate by focusing on utility during a busy time. Your content might focus on:
Peace of mind: ‘Our service gives you back time to spend with family.’
End-of-year planning: "Use our tools to hit Q4 targets and start 2026 strong."
Think of brands like Nike. While they might release holiday-themed colourways or a campaign focused on 'winter fitness goals,' their core message remains consistent: performance and inspiration. They participate without being blatantly about the holiday vibes. This clarity ensures your message resonates instead of sounding like yet another generic sales pitch.
Prioritise to prevent dilution
When resources are tight, dilution is the enemy. You cannot execute a brilliant holiday campaign across eight different channels: you must strategically choose where to focus your energy for the highest impact.
Identify your conversion channels: Which channel actually drives holiday sales or appointments? Is it email? Paid social ads? Your homepage banner?
Make those your pillars: Invest 80% of your production time, design budget, and ad spend into those top channels.
Use others for repurposing: Use secondary channels (like organic social or LinkedIn) for simple repurposing and amplification of the core message, not for original, standalone campaign content.
A smart, intentional plan beats chaotic, daily posting every single time.
Batch, automate, and schedule
The key to actually enjoying your own holiday break is to have your marketing machinery running seamlessly without your direct daily input. This requires discipline and pre-planning:
Batch your core content: Write all your holiday email copy, design your hero graphics, and script your short videos in one or two intense sessions weeks ahead of time. This helps keep everything feeling like it’s singing from the same song sheet.
Schedule religiously: Use your scheduling tools (for email, social, and even blog posts) to pre-load as much as possible. Set it, test it (crucial!), and forget it.
Automate your retention: Ensure your post-purchase email sequences (for thank you notes, shipping updates, and follow-up reviews) are flawless and fully automated. This is where you maintain customer trust during high-volume periods.
By pre-loading the majority of your planned content, you drastically reduce daily stress and create the necessary breathing room.
Leave space for spontaneity
While scheduling is your best friend, you don't want your brand to sound like a robot reading pre-programmed lines. Your strategic pre-planning must leave room for spontaneous, timely, and human moments.
Save space for last-minute ideas: Set aside a small portion of your content calendar (maybe a non-scheduled post per week) for spontaneous moments. Even better if you can put aside a little budget for this, too.
Monitor and react: Use this space to respond to real-time events, share a genuine behind-the-scenes moment, offer a last-minute helpful tip, or acknowledge a shared community moment. This light, human touch is highly differentiating and shows your brand is run by people, not just algorithms.
Key takeaway
You don’t need to post every day to win the holidays; a smart, intentional plan beats chaos every time. Future success hinges on understanding your brand's unique role in the season and then ruthlessly prioritising for clarity and maximum impact—all while giving yourself the gift of a break.
