Holiday Season Campaign Playbook

Who this is for

Online stores preparing for a seasonal peak such as a winter holiday, a gift-giving occasion or a back-to-school period.

Before you start

• The dates of the peak and your last order dates for delivery.
• The products you expect to sell during the season, with stock levels you can rely on.
• Last season’s customer questions, if you have them.
• A blog or content section on your store.

Step 1

Plan backwards from the peak

Set publication dates well ahead of the season.

1. 01Mark the peak, the last delivery dates and the date you want each piece published.
2. 02List gift guide angles by recipient, budget band and interest, using words rather than prices.
3. 03List evergreen questions that rise in season, such as wrapping, returns and delivery.
4. 04Decide which of last season’s pages to update rather than replace.

Step 2

Create guides and seasonal pages

Write content that helps people choose and plan.

1. 01Write gift guides that explain why each product suits the recipient described.
2. 02Write a delivery and returns page for the season, with your real cut-off dates.
3. 03Update last season’s evergreen articles rather than writing new copies of them.
4. 04Check stock for every product a guide recommends.

Step 3

Publish early and update often

Give the content time to be found, then keep it accurate.

1. 01Publish gift guides and the delivery page well before the peak.
2. 02Link guides from the homepage and relevant category pages for the season.
3. 03Update guides when items sell out, swapping in available alternatives.
4. 04After the season, update dates and keep the pages for next year rather than deleting them.

Step 4

Measure the season

Record what to change next year.

1. 01Check which guides were found in search and how early in the season.
2. 02Track sales from each guide in your store analytics.
3. 03Note questions that reached customer service and add them to next season’s plan.
4. 04Write down publication dates that came too late, and move them earlier next year.

Common pitfalls

• Publishing gift guides too late to be found before people buy.
• Guides that keep recommending products long after they sold out.
• Deleting seasonal pages each year and starting again from nothing.

Where Opus Rank helps

Tutorials for the parts of this plan you can do in Opus Rank.

• Build a topical map

  Plan the season’s guides and evergreen articles as one map.

• Edit a passage with AI, or rewrite the whole article

  Refresh last season’s articles instead of rewriting them.

• Publish an article to your CMS

  Send guides to your store’s blog through a connected CMS.

Related playbooks

• Online Store Launch Playbook
• DTC Product Drop Playbook
• Subscription Box Launch Playbook