14 Oct Dos & Don’ts for Posting This Holiday Season

The holidays bring plenty of festivities, shopping, and caring spirit across the globe as well as opportunities for brands to capitalize off the commercialization of the season or be a fruitful, authentic contributor. For brands looking to create social media content this holiday season, it’s as important as ever to stay culturally aware and approach posts with proper intent and execution.

Ultimately, understanding when and what your brand should post throughout the holidays is key to staying on top of your marketing strategy.

Don’t: Alienate Any Holiday

While it’s important to make sure your holiday content feels relevant to your brand, it’s also important to remember that your followers may celebrate different holidays. If the individual holiday isn’t important to your brand identity, avoid assuming that your audience is celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or another holiday specifically. Instead, be thoughtful about the language and imagery you use throughout the season. However, this doesn’t mean your brand needs to post content for every holiday. When in doubt, keep your broader holiday messaging inclusive. Phrases like “holiday season,” “season of giving,” or “end-of-year celebrations” can let you get in on the holiday spirit without leaving any of your audience out of the fun.

Don’t: Make Content That Is Promotional but Isn’t Useful

The holiday season is already oversaturated with promotional content, so give your audience a reason to stop scrolling. Think gift guides organized by budget, last-minute shopping tips, holiday hosting inspiration, gift-wrapping tutorials, etc. Even if your brand isn’t directly tied to a specific holiday, you can still create content that helps your audience navigate the season. A little inspiration or practical advice can go a long way toward building a connection that lasts beyond the holidays.

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Do: Make Sure Your Brand Has Holiday Relevance

It’s no secret most users don’t want to see a plain “Happy Holidays” post from every brand on their socials. The key here is determining whether your brand has something authentic and relevant to add to the conversation that has meaning to your audience. Are you providing them with value? If your brand offers holiday-edition products or other seasonally relevant offerings, that’s a pretty big sign you should be advertising them on your socials. Still, remember that the holidays are about more than selling. Tapping into holiday trends, spirit, and community to connect with your audience often feels more intentional than obligatory.

Do: Hop On Relevant Seasonal Moments & Trends

One of the best ways to stay on top of your social media marketing is to leverage any existing or emerging seasonal trends that could work for your brand. Sephora did a great job of this last year with their Mariah Carey collab. The ad used Mariah’s iconic “It’s Time!” phrase that trends as a TikTok sound every year for the holidays. It’s a good idea to do some social listening of your own to see what users are naturally discussing this time of year, then see if your brand can fit naturally into the conversation. Remember to be selective; not every trend will work for every brand.

Do: Start Early!

Finally, make sure you start posting early to generate awareness and give people enough time to shop and celebrate. A 2025 survey showed that 49% of shoppers planned to start buying holiday gifts before Halloween (CBS News). That doesn’t mean you should start posting about the holidays before Halloween, but it does mean you’ll want to have your strategy in place to start your posting in November.

So go ahead and get started if you haven’t already and reach out to us if you need any help!