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Nina Cresswell

About Nina Cresswell

Posts by Nina Cresswell:

mockup of printable calendar with social media dates for 2021

Social media holidays 2021 calendar with templates (FREE)

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(TL;DR: here’s the link to your ~free~ social media holidays 2021 calendar)

Hey! Did I ever tell you about when I worked in a MISERABLE call centre job, I used to tactically plan bank holidays to get the most out of my annual leave allowance (why yes, I’m crafty AF).

Eventually, I learnt how to sell using words and was able to leave said office job, launch my own creative business & live beyond a few days of freedom a year.

What I’m saying is, I’m a great copywriter and marketer – I know how to reach the right eyeballs – and I know how to plan ahead for important dates on the calendar.

300+ creatives, biz owners & marketers downloaded my Social Media Holiday calendar last year. Some pinned it to their desk and consulted it every month to prompt them with content planning. So I thought I’d follow it up with an EVEN BIGGER calendar for 2021.

Click here to download your social media holidays 2021 calendar. Simply pop your email in the box and you’ll have your mitts on almost 800 key dates instantly. Wonderful.

I know what you’re thinking though:

“YEAH CALENDAR DATES ARE GREAT NINA, BUT NO ONE IS SHOWING US HOW TO BLOODY TURN THEM INTO POSTS”

I hear you, dear one.

So, this time round, every month also has ⭐ 36 free caption templates for 2021⭐ included (yay!) – three swipeable caption ideas per month for the next year, all taking advantage of hashtag holidays to boost the visibility of your creative business and spark engaging conversations with customers.

Each caption template has easy-to-fill prompts <which look like this> so you can copy, paste, and embellish them with your own – tone of voice -industry niche – followers’ interests – to create authentic messages with meaning.

And hopefully, these 36 ideas will spark off 36 more of your own.

Or, you can join my brand new monthly copy subscription service and I’ll send you strategically written captions for every day of the year.

Subscribe to The Copy Drop.

And if you’re still thinking social media holidays are a frivolous cringe-fest, I’ll slide into your inbox to guide you on why they’re such a powerful marketing tool – allowing you to express common interests and connect on a human level with followers. Which, when it all boils down to it, is all social media is – really.

Have fun writing social posts & shout if you need me! 🖊️

what do i write about

But… what do I write about?

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Does writing for your business spook you out?

Do you go to write an email and your brain is bleaker than an unkept grave?

Do you scream out on social, but no one is listening?

 

Like, we’re not Mystic Bloody Meg are we.

We’re business owners, friends, sisters, psychologists, marketers, stylists, role models, sounding boards, chauffeurs, counsellors, accountants, activists, personal assistants, advisors, planners, chefs, baristas, huggers, lovers, witches, Instagrammers, daughters, granddaughters, gym buddies, mams, cat mams, dog mams, reptile mams, guinea pig mams, plant mams, partners, clients, employers, employees…

We’re everything in one.

But we aren’t psychic. Are we?

How the devil do we know which messages will grab our reader’s attention?

How do we know our captions are interesting? How do we know they flow?

And how do we craft each word to get the response we want?

"What do I write about that’ll be interesting to my reader?"

brown and white long coated small dog wearing eyeglasses on black laptop computer

 

Write the word TITS! as your email subject line and your readers will open it.

I should have ended this article there.

Laughed, manically, as 11 years of content writing slosh down the drain.

Don’t write TITS! as your email subject line.

Some of your clients may want to read about TITS! but, well, that’s their business.

Once they open the email, most will be very aware that you’re using seedy tactics to get their attention.

You gotta be genuine.

 

To get (and keep) your reader’s attention, you’ve got to tell them about their favourite subject: them.

 

There are two questions you need to ask yourself before you write:

 

  1. What problem are they facing at the moment?

  2. What solution can I provide them with the product or service I’m selling?

 

If you can’t answer those two questions, there’s no point going any further.

Then, use the answers to these questions to drive a frictionless conversation with your reader.

Every time you sit down to write, have a purpose for your words.

 

Instead of asking “What will be interesting to my reader?”,

focus on these four content themes:

  1. INFORM CONTENT

  2. INSPIRE CONTENT

  3. INVOLVE CONTENT

  4. ENTERTAIN CONTENT

Let’s look at each theme in detail:

1. Will what I’m writing inform them?

This is your genuinely useful how-to-do content, the posts that answer the problems your reader is facing with the solution you’re offering. Have a look on AnswerThePublic, type in the keywords relating to your business, then hit send. It’ll show you the common questions asked around your area of expertise. Turn everyone of them into a how-to guide or cool product demo or instruction video.

This kind of content has a long life – if you can turn it into a teachable on Instagram, it’s more likely to be saved too. And Instagram rewards highly-saved posts!

Inform content in the wild:

My ever-inspiring friend and biz partner Maddi is wonderfully generous with her inform content for her personal coaching brand BossYourSalon. This post gives her readers seven simple, actionable tips to get more sales – showing she’s well-practiced, well-researched and well, just bloody lovely, really!

 

2. Will what I’m writing inspire them?

Your reader won’t notice anything they don’t feel personally connected to or inspired by. So, make sure you know exactly what it is that motivates them. And to do that, you need to consume what your client consumes and tap into their personal interests (more info on this here).

And yes, it really can be as obvious as an inspirational quote. Not just any quote, though. It has to be similar to the kind of sentiment your reader is drawn to / would share themselves. My audience are creatives – like me – and I also know that Frida Kahlo is the goddess of creativity. She inspires me daily. And I know she’ll inspire my readers. Do your research, don’t just share posts for sharing posts sake – that’s lazy!

We’re curious creatures, always on quest for fresh, motivating thoughts. Dig beyond the obvious and into the basic categories of human motivation – think everyday accomplishments, relationships, self-awareness, self-acceptance, creativity, spiritual faith, their sense of making a difference in the world.

Inspire content in the wild:

Another effective way of inspiring your reader is to show real people engaging in activities that involve you or your brand. For example, if you sell homeware pieces, like my talented friend Grace at Innocent Bones, sharing happy customers and the unique way they style products is a brilliant way of inspiring potential customers. It gives more depth to the product, going beyond the flat-lay shot and showing your clients exactly how they can use your products.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Forever in love with this fireplace setup from @burrowandme 🖤 How good does the ‘Shit’ cross stitch look hanging there?! ✌🏻 #innocentbones #interior

A post shared by Grace Isobel (@_innocentbones) on

3. Will what I’m writing involve them?

“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.” ~ Seth Godin

You hear a lot of talk of tribes in content marketing. It’s part of being human – belonging to a community. And the more real, positive and empowering your copy is, the more it tends to bring people together.

So, try to create content that establishes connection instead of trying to grab attention. Will it spark a conversation? Does it encourage people to share their own stories, effectively bringing people together?

If you can provide a space for others to connect, with people who share their interests and behaviours, you’ll become an important community that potential clients will want to return to.

Involve content in the wild

I’m part of an online brand-building community for female founders called Maven Collective.

All of our content has one aim – to make entrepreneurs feel less alone and help them meet and hang out with other entrepreneurs like them.

We do have a lot of inform/inspire content, but our copy is always inclusive – involving our readers and showing them that they belong is always the main goal.

 

4. Will what I’m writing entertain them?

What memes does your reader love? This might sound silly, but the memes your dream client shares are goldmines into their psychology.

Think about it – if you show a mate a meme and they laugh as hard as you do, you feel like they’re ‘your’ person. If you show someone a meme and they don’t get it, you’re like omg bye.

Okay, so maybe you don’t cut friends out of your life because they don’t like the same memes as you, but you know what I mean.

In tips 22 and 23 in my mammoth blog post 101 ways to write well, I discuss the importance of entertaining your reader.

British journalist A. A. Gill wrote in his memoir Pour Me A Life: “If someone laughs, they feel understandably that they’ve actually contributed to the joke – indeed it wouldn’t have been a joke without the laughter.”

 

Entertain content in the wild

Interior Vampire is one of my favourite accounts on the internet. Not only because I can completely relate to her replacing a booze habit with a decorating addiction, but because she shares videos like this one, which includes paint colour names like Blushing Bollocks, Elephant Schlong, Whispering Perv and Monk’s Jizz. All while showing off her astonishing interiors? Genius.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Stasia Buckle Content Creator (@interior_vampire) on

We can do good marketing without compromising sales.

 

Have you seen the Netflix documentary ‘The Social Dilemma’ yet?

OMG. It kinda tells us what we already know deep-down: how Facebook harvests our attention for money. How so much of our online environment is engineered to distract us and keep us addicted to logging in.

Not gonna lie, it’s a terrifying wake-up call. I was ready to delete ALL OF THE APPS, until I realised I needed them for my Facebook group and business pages and my new addiction to buying furniture on Marketplace.

Checkmate, Zuckerberg.

person holding smartphone

 

So remember, every time we’re writing a post, caption, blog, email… we’re competing with these manipulation machines.

But don’t despair! And certainly don’t copy the doom merchants. Get clued up on fear-based marketing – which involves raising stress levels and making people feel incomplete without your product or service. Then avoid it.

Make sure your curious copy answers at least one of the four content pillars and you’ll become even more empowering, magnetic and genuinely meaningful than the guys greasing the wheels at Facebook.

Martin Weigel says in his brilliant blog post The Fracking of Attention:

 

“The easy industry rhetoric of interruption, disruption, attention, and engagement disguises the truth that building brands involves a deeply intimate, and personal process.”

So, get personal.

Inspire enthusiasm – even passion.

Bring people together.

Share your knowledge.

Pass it on.

Capture imagination.

Make your reader feel.

Make them smile.

Energise them.

Empower them.

Be honest with them.

And if you do at least one of these, you’ll interest them.

 

Got a copy demon you want to banish?

DM or email me and I’ll show you the solution.

 

Thanks, always, for reading,

Nina

anti racist writers

Anti-racist copy: 5 writing specialisms that need to do better

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There’s a collective awakening occurring right now.

A pandemic, a civil rights movement, a giant community rethinking out-of-date structures and systemic racism.

With it, more brands are leaning towards more conscious marketing.

If you’re a marketer, business owner, journalist, or content creator, you no longer have the option to practice diversity and inclusion – shake off the status quo and bring a higher purpose to your language and marketing.

It’s your responsibility to live, work, and write inclusively and consciously. You can do good and make profit. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. But people and the planet should come first.

In the Carolyn  Tate’s book Conscious Marketing, she states:

“Conscious business leaders understand that a sustainable business is built on purpose and people (and the planet) before products and profit”

With that said, here are the industries that need to do better with their language and content creation choices. 

5 industry copy specialisms that needs to be more inclusive

1. Travel copywriting

black traveller

This article by Nneya Richards for Conde Nast Traveler discusses how black travellers are always depicted as locals, never the explorers in journalism, advertising and marketing. That, or left out of the conversation entirely.

2. Interior design copywriting

Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk looks at design terms such as ‘master bedroom’ being linguistically binned for alternatives that don’t have racist, gender-biased connotations.

The alternatives: ‘primary bedroom’, ‘main bedroom’, ‘owner bedroom’.

3. Food writing

diverse cookbooks write inclusively

This Eater article about the overwhelming whiteness in cookbooks is an insightful read.

It includes Nik Sharma’s story – an award-winning food writer, photographer and recipe developer who was told by many publishers that his book would be “too Indian” and “wouldn’t sell”.

If you want to see the eye-opening stats, food and culture writer Mayukh Sen details the percentage of Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, African and Caribbean recipes authored by white writers (FYI – it’s never lower than 82%).

In 2016, Bon Appetit, a mostly-white-staffed magazine caused outrage when it used a white chef to tell people how to eat pho.

Phil Yu, who runs blog Angry Asian Man described it as “Columbusing at its finest”.

”I’m Vietnamese, and I always put hoisin or Sriracha into my pho,” one commenter wrote. “Don’t tell me how I eat pho.”

Adam Rapoport, editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, issued this statement acknowledging the mistakes made.   

Lesson: don’t rely on overused journalism tropes, internet hyperboles and cultural appropriation to get clicks.

4. Pop culture copywriting

Michael G. McDunnah discusses the use of language that assumes straight white people are the universal ‘norm’ in television and film – and that everything else is ’other’.

He looks at the language used to describe two similar TV dramas, premiered back-to-back on the Starz network:

“Vida is described everywhere as a show about queer Latinx culture, but almost no one describes Sweetbitter as a show about straight White culture.

The larger problems, of course, are an overall resistance to acknowledging the existing biases of the entertainment world and a general societal refusal to even recognize—let alone engage with and interrogate—straight White culture as a discrete milieu.”

Read the full article on the Conscious Style Guide here.

5. Dance writing

black ballerina with pink En Pointe shoes

Major ballet shoe supplier Bloch added  pointe shoes to match black and Asian skin tones after an online petition went viral recently.

But it’s not just dance footwear brands that need to be more diverse and inclusive.

This article by Theresa Ruth Howard for Dance Magazine looks at the way writers and editors analyse and critique black dancers, such as overusing adjectives such as ‘aggressive’ and ‘violent’.

Theresa also explains how choreographer Camille A. Brown tried to overcome the lack of knowledge (or willingness to learn) in critics, whose “subconscious biases create barriers to the elevation of non-white artists.”

Aware that the narratives in BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play may not be familiar with critics, “Brown placed a study guide in the program, and built in a post-show talkback where much of the cultural and historical information was unpacked. Still, writers gave the production a scratch-and-sniff once over, reducing the rhythms derived from Juba to “sneaker tapping”.

Despite this, writers still plumped for a hackneyed opening of “a sassy, fierce and at times playfully snarky step dance number.” 

***

I hope this has helped – whatever your specialism or profession.

I’ll continue to put these out and I encourage you to join me in actively and consistently making conscious, inclusive copy and marketing a priority.

If you have created and/or read any more resources that could help me compile these round-ups, please send them to nina@writewells.co.uk

As Carolyn Tate says in her conscious marketing manifesto:

“Unlearn the old. Study the new”.

Choose your words wisely.

ophelia painting meme

Are you a Conscious Marketer or a Doom Merchant?

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Traditional marketing makes people feel incomplete. Like they need a product to fill a hole.

Conscious marketing works by making people feel better about themselves, or their position in the world – better than they felt before reading your tweet or blog or email.

Marketers ARE the message.

We’re on your screens. On your shampoo bottles. In your kitchen. In your car. On the side of buses. In the instruction manual of your kid’s new annoying toy.

As heavy as it sounds, we play a huge role in greasing the wheels of social conditioning. So when you understand marketing & copywriting, you also understand that you harness a great deal of power.

The question is – are you a Conscious Marketer or a Doom Merchant?

You have a choice.

You can be a conscious marketer: intentional with your messaging, using every word you send out as an opportunity to inspire humanity to step into its full potential

OR//

You can be a doom merchant: raising the stress levels of humanity through fear-based marketing.

Good luck selling anything by making someone feel shit about themselves, or by exaggerating potential consequences to stimulate anxiety. And if you do sell anything, good luck sleeping at night.

Post-pandemic, we need responsible marketing more than ever. Next time you go to hit the send button, comb through your words and ask yourself:

1) Is my copy appropriate and relevant to this new reality?

2) Does what I’m saying at the very least, do no harm, and, at best, empower the people I serve?

As life and business shifts wildly, we should constantly be reassessing our copy – even if it’s something we gave the green light a fortnight ago.

My free guide to conscious marketing during a crisis shares more on this but basically, right now:

  • Content surrounding mental health and physical health helps,
  • Content that keeps us calm (or cracks a smile) helps,
  • Content that keeps us busy helps. 

Joshua Spanier, VP of Global Media at Google, talks about how his teams are reassessing appropriateness of content during the pandemic:

“We’re asking ourselves every day, “Is this creative or ad placement right for this moment and in this context?” And when the answer is no, we pivot. For instance, we’ve had an Android campaign running that referenced being “out and about.” Was that OK in the U.S. market a few weeks ago? Sure. Today? Not so much.”

The Google teams are reevaluating any content that shows hugs, handshakes and high-fives, since social distancing is an important tactic for slowing the spread of illness.

Search ad copy such as ‘virus checks’ take on a whole new meaning, too – so the team are reviewing anything that feels uncomfortable.

“As business professionals, we recognise that we have a responsibility to navigate uncertainty,” Spanier continues. “Through it all, we’re evaluating our media budgets through the lens of what’s most relevant to our consumers. Our guiding principle as a brand, particularly in this moment, is to be helpful.”

I salute those last words. The least we can do, whether we’re a small personal brand or a gigantic corporation, is help each other.

Think long-term – make sure you come out the other end of this having played a small part in helping your people.

From aerial yoga teachers to airlines, now is the time for brands to walk their talk, take care of their people and their clients, and stick to their values through a time it matters most.

It goes way beyond marketing – this is about caring.

coronavirus marketing guide

Conscious marketing during a pandemic: FREE guide for brand owners

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This blog post is about COVID-19.

As much as I’d love to distract you with a cat video, I’d feel very weird if I didn’t talk about this.

Nothing is more important than the simple observation of human truth – so don’t shy away from talking.

But DO make sure that what you’re saying at the very least, does no harm, and, at best, empowers the clients you serve.

I’d like to share a free resource I’ve put together, for business owners lost for words right now.

Click here to download your free copy of my guide: Conscious marketing during a crisis.

It might feel weird, banging out the business copy during a global pandemic. But not if you do it consciously. Which is the way I work, always.

  • We should, absolutely, continue selling and delivering our services to each other. Especially if it helps people.
  • We should, absolutely, acknowledge the pain. We should talk about it.
  • We should, absolutely, try to stay positive. 

People are craving connections now more than ever, especially those who struggle with alone-time.

So, start those conversations.

Show the “human” side to your business everyone marketer raves about, but is actually too frightened to show.

If you’re feeling like this, there’s a chance your clients will be too.

Talk about it. And if you need to, talk to me:

nina@writewells.co.uk

x

World Book Day - pretty book with flower

World Book Day magic is fading: reclaim it

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The World Book Day bus is here! 

Grasp your tokens and fill your boots! 

With books! 

Glorious, life-affirming books!

Books that pluck us out of our beige council estates and into Hogwarts and Hobbiton and Narnia and Magic Faraway Trees.

Books that give us a mad yearning to learn more.

Books that inspire us to write our own books.

Books that show us the way and help us see the importance of not being Veruca Salts or Augustus Gloops.

The original concept of World Book Day is admirable and joyous.

But, for anyone strolling down Sainsbury’s aisles this week and seeing nothing but plastic Cinderella costumes, here’s a brief reminder of its birth in the UK.

The school-calendar staple was founded by Baroness Gail Rebuck (also Chair of Penguin Random House UK and founder of Quick Reads), then launched in 1998 by Tony Blair to improve reading and writing standards.

I can imagine Gail’s vision now: playgrounds full of Prince Hamlets and Little Women and Mad Hatters and Mrs Twits.

In reality, it’s become an annual night-before scramble, forking out 20-pound notes for an Elsa dress.

Parents aren’t feeling the merriment. They’ve turned into grumpy Twits themselves. 

Which means the whole purpose of World Book Day is muddied. 

It’s not even about books anymore. I know, I know, it’s fun. Stop being such a tight-arsed literary-pushing grump, Nina. 

But HOWAY. Kids are dressing up as everyone from Mrs Hinch to Donald Trump – even Christian Grey is more acceptable than those (an actual costume an 11-year-old Mancunian turned up to school in five years back which caused absolute RUCTIONS). 

The old-fashioned magic is fading and we’re losing sight of the whole purpose of the day: to spark excitement in books. 

Lest we forget Roald Dahl’s words:

“If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.”

Remember the magic. Reignite it.

  • Read books yourself.
  • Let your children see you reading books.
  • Read books with your children.
  • Read more books with your children.
  • Swap books.
  • Watch authors doing readings of books on YouTube (or take budding young brains to see them at a bookstore near you).
  • Act out scenes from books.
  • Set a spending limit on World Book Day costumes (or only use what you already have). Fashioning a tinfoil crown and sending your little one into school with a box of Turkish delight (C. S. Lewis’ White Witch) is a thing of creative and financial joy. 
  • Ditch the costumes and donate a quid to give the school or local library an update.
  • Read books.

Happy World Book Day 2020, one and all.

x

Cosmo Cover December 2019

The ONE question that’ll keep your brand marketing relevant

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I once wrote an article listing a selection of sex tips Cosmopolitan offered its readers. These included:

  • Grinding black pepper over your partner’s face as he climaxes.
  • Painting your nipples with sparkly purple lipstick.
  • Sticking his penis through the hole of a glazed doughnut.
  • Covering your vagina in pennies.
  • Doing it in a sleeping bag in your backyard.
  • Wearing Mickey Mouse masks.

You can’t shun the journalists for their lack of imagination – that’s for sure.

But, long before it featured often humanly impossible sex moves, ’The Cosmopolitan’ actually began life as a literary magazine in 1886. Without a clear-cut target audience, critics labelled it BLAND and BORING.

That was, until Helen Gurley Brown came along as chief editor in 1965.

She reimagined and remodelled the magazine for modern single career women. For more than 30 years, Brown transformed Cosmopolitan’s image, values and brand marketing.

She knew what women wanted and which topics were being gagged, then grasped the opportunity to tap into her dream reader’s deeper need. Brown’s ‘devout feminist’ personality was clear on every page – she used the magazine as an outlet to stop the stigma around single women not just having sex, but having fun with it.

She knew who she was, she knew what her vision of Cosmopolitan was – and HELL YEAH she got that message out there loud and clear and on purpose.

Cosmopolitan Magazine 1969

Brown was attacked by critics, but worshipped by fans.

Those women who the magazine resonated with mattered. The critics did not. And that’s why Cosmopolitan remains the largest-selling young women’s magazine in the world (despite its back-breaking sex moves).

As tech advances, Cosmopolitan’s outlets for brand marketing are expanding. Today, its Snapchat stories are read by more than three million users daily. Meanwhile, the publication’s tone of voice grows more sexually progressive. It’s 2020, babes. We don’t give a fuck. Get that purple lipstick on ya nips.

Cosmopolitan also made history in December last year by printing a first-ever ‘non-female cover star’ – non-binary Queer Eye star and living joy that is Jonathan Van Ness.

With his chocolate locks and peach gown, the LGBTQ+ activist served up an aesthetic the magazine coined ‘pre-limousine prom queen meets sexy cult leader’…

This is the magical power of a strong AF brand. To maintain a sustainable identity, its expression must keep up with social consciousness over time.

If your client’s values and circumstances are changing – you need to keep pace. For business owners who’ve put in the hard work to truly understand their brand’s soul, audience and values, this will be an easier task than trying to reimagine that shallow ‘brand marketing pyramid’ of random adjectives I see so many agencies conjuring.

You might think you know your dream client and have your brand marketing nailed – but I think you can dive deeper. So, here’s your task:

Imagining one, specific person you’re writing to, think about the psychological, real-life feelings they’re having.

These are not always things your client tells you – or even says out loud. They’re invisible forces that may lie on a subconscious level.

Dig beyond the obvious and into the basic categories of human motivation – think spiritual faiths, everyday accomplishments, self-awareness, self-acceptance, their sense of making a difference in the world.

Then ask yourself this:

What real-life, unsolved yearning is still niggling away at my dream client?

Whether you’re selling magazines or mentoring programmes, nail extensions or nappies – the most effective messaging anchors a product or service with a meaning that’s both true to the soul of your audience, and has an actual benefit.

Fake this and your brand marketing will be seen as unauthentic, unconvincing and – at its crappiest – completely ludicrous.

My online copywriting course The Copy Maven will show you how to tap into these universal feelings and instincts, gaining true brand meaning and more money, without resorting to lazy, shallow brand marketing tactics. Because that’s not what builds larger-than-life business personalities.

I can’t offer any weird and wonderful sex tips, but I can promise  introductory offers for The Copy Maven, which is set to launch in the first quarter of 2020. Pop your email in here to be first in the queue.

20 ways to use social media holidays to increase small biz visibility [+FREE 2020 calendar]

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To kick off 2020, I created a free social media holidays calendar full of useful hashtag holidays for business owners. I was describing it to my non-marketing boyfriend over dinner…

Me: “So I’ve made a free calendar of all the social media holidays that business owners can download and print off for free”

Mick: “You mean like Hug A Drummer Day and Steak & BJ Day?”

Me: “Exactly that, minus the last one…”

Mick: “There’s one on Facebook every bloody day now! Can’t move for them! Where did they all come from?”

He’s right. Anyone with an active Insta or Facey or Twitter account will have seen a #MotivationalMonday, #TacoTuesday or #WomanCrushWednesday. You might have even shared a shameless boomerang on #NationalMargaritaDay (February 22, FYI), clinking overpriced cocktails on a five-second loop.

Christmas, New Year, Easter and Halloween – these holidays go beyond the dates your Postie acknowledges. And yes – they’re obviously, totally made-up, frivolous fun. 

But they’re also big business – and in 2020, nearly everyone’s snapping them up.

So what’s the actual point of social media holidays?

And where did they all come from?

What marketers are referring to when they say ‘social media holidays’ or ‘hashtag holidays’ are trending topics on the Internet. From global awareness months to niche industry-specific campaigns, there are thousands of them. 

You can thank web developer Marlo Anderson for the National Day Calendar. A self-professed geek in all things national days, Marlo created the calendar for fun. Now, there are entire companies dedicated to selling new national days to companies – you just have to glance at the success Riondo Prosecco has had since the winemakers officially “founded” National Prosecco Day to see why.

We don’t all have Riondo’s budget or size to create an entire day for our own business, but we do all have social media. And this printable hashtag holiday calendar at our disposal. 

In a strict business sense, social media holidays like #BackToSchool sales to #BlackFriday deals are the perfect opportunity to meet your customers, exactly when they need you most. They’re low-risk, with potentially high rewards. So, let’s get cracking.

Three benefits of social media holidays (and how to use them)

  • They get more eyeballs on your small business

More eyes on you + relevant content = more potential followers, prospects and eventually, customers.

If you don’t have a big brand that millions of followers feel personally connected to, you’ll have a hard time getting others to use your own hashtag. That’s why savvy creative business owners jump on existing topics – preparing for upcoming hashtag holidays sometimes even a year in advance.

Like all trending topics and strategically used hashtags on social media, wading in on these holidays will spread your words to a lot more screens than traditional marketing. 

  • They express our personalities & connect on a human level

In my list of 101 writing skills I’ve picked up over the years, Tip Number 45 is: 

Make your writing a vehicle for self-expression. People share articles that make themselves look smart, funny, connected… anything that portrays the idealistic self.

The same goes for social media holidays. If people feel a personal connection to something, they’ll jump at the chance to express it.

You can absolutely bet I’m on Instagram every year on the 8th of August for International Cat Day… 

I’m saying: “Hey, look at my cats. I’m a cat person. An absolute raging cat person. They’re really important to me. And really cute. I want to remind you all of that – and I want to see your cats too. I want to connect with other raging cat people.”

At the end of the day, that’s all social media is, really – creating our online personal brands and sharing the stuff that matters. And raging cat people.

If you know your audience well – and know what makes them tick – then give them any excuse and they’ll express it. We just can’t help ourselves.

  • Hashtag holidays start conversations

Social media holidays are evidently manufactured for marketing opportunities. But they’re no different to other Hallmark occasions, like Valentine’s Day. Of course, they spur us into spending – but they also give us more reason to bring people together and spend time communicating with each other. 

Many small business owners cringe at sharing hashtag holidays, but they shouldn’t. Sparking conversations about common interests is an authentic and effective way of developing a relationship with your followers.

Don’t make your followers do all the hard work – boost engagement on social media holidays by asking questions or generating discussions. To give you a headstart, here are some hashtag ‘conversation starters’ you could embellish and use in your own marketing:

24 social media holiday conversation starters for 2020

January social media holidays 2020

  • 20 January

It’s #BlueMonday 😢 BUT it’s also #NationalCheeseLoversDay 😃 what’s your ultimate comfort food?

  • 24 January: 

Today is #NationalComplimentDay – we wanna know what the most genuinely lovely compliment you’ve received is. Go on, share the joy!

February social media holidays 2020

  • 1 February: 

If someone were to write a book about your life, what would it be called? Mine would be [Insert Meaningful/Funny/Clever Story Title Here]. #NationalStorytellingWeek

  • 9 February: 

It’s a flammable topic, but we’re going there: pineapple on pizza? 🍍 OMG yass or hellllllllnooooo? #NationalPizzaDay 

March social media holidays 2020

  • 8 March: 

REAL TALK: what assumptions about women in [industry you’re in] would you like to change? #InternationalWomensDay

  • 18 March: 

Since it’s #AwkwardMomentsDay, I think I dare share this. We’re all friends here, after all. [Insert awkward moment story] 😂 Okay, there’s my cringefest – now it’s your turn.

April social media holidays 2020

  • 1 April: 

If your pet could speak for one day, what’s the first thing they would say to you? #NationalPetMonth

  • 20 April: 

My friend told me I look like [insert famous person’s name here] and I’m not sure whether it’s a compliment or not? 😂 who is your famous lookalike? #LookalikeDay

May social media holidays 2020

  • 5 May: 

If it wasn’t for my [subject] teacher, I’d never have become the [job title] I am today. [Write about how your teacher transformed you]. Thank you, [teacher’s name]. Did a teacher change you? #ThankATeacherDay is a lovely excuse to show your gratitude 🙏

  • 12 May: 

Describe your brand in the form of a limerick – go! #NationalLimerickDay

June social media holidays 2020

  • 8 June:

To celebrate #BestFriendsDay, we’re giving away [insert appropriate giveaway here] for you and your bestie to enjoy. Just tag them in this post and follow us for the chance to win 🤞

  • 26 June: 

Ahh, #NationalWritingDay. Which one book inspired you to become a writer yourself? Mine is [insert book recommendation and how it changed you]. 

July social media holidays 2020

  • 17 July: 

Describe your day using just three emojis. Mine are: 👩‍💻🐈☕

#WorldEmojiDay

  • 24 July: 

Who is excited for the #2020SummerOlympics? It starts today! 🤸 What’s your favourite sport to follow? 

August social media holidays 2020

  • 25 August: 

Hands up if you’re as obsessed with #TheWizardOfOz as we are? The film turns 81 today! To celebrate, we’re giving away a limited edition Emerald City print 🌈 tag a friend who’d love it – more tags give you more chances of winning! And don’t forget to follow our page ☝️

  • 31 August: 

There’s no better day than #WorldBlogDay to start your own blog. Whether it’s for your small business or just for fun, drop me a DM & I’ll help you think of a name for it. One day only, free of charge 🖊️

September social media holidays 2020

  • 3 September:

Is there anything more exciting than fresh, lovely #BackToSchool stationery? We think NOT ✏️ head over to our site for 50% all stationery – and don’t forget to tag us in your #StationeryHaul pics!

  • 30 September: 

It’s that time of the year again – #InternationalPodcastDay! What are you obsessed with? I need more recommendations for my list of must-listens! 

October social media holidays 2020

  • 1 October: 

This #WorldCoffeeDay, have a coffee on me! I’ve preloaded this @Starbucks card to treat you – my AMAZING followers – to a fresh brew. Use the hashtag #CoffeeOnNina so I can see all your happy, caffeinated faces! ♥️ 

CASE STUDY: Marketing goddess Amy Porterfield has a genius step-by-step guide on how she shared a Starbucks coffee with her social media followers. 

  • 10 October: 

If you’re not okay, you’re not alone. For #WorldMentalHealthDay, we’ve created this video to help you be kinder to yourself when life feels overwhelming.

CASE STUDY: LADbible’s UOKM8? social campaign, aimed at raising awareness of mental health issues among men, reached over 38 million young people. It was relevant, human and spoke to one of the most vulnerable audiences affected by mental health and suicide in their own language.

November social media holidays 2020

  • 21 November:

What can I watch now that [insert TV series here] has finished? It’s #WorldTelevisionDay and I’m craving a good Netflix binge! 📺

  • 28 November: 

#SmallBusinessSaturday is such an important day. Drop a link to your page on this post and we’ll share our favourite product of yours in our stories 💌

December social media holidays 2020

  • 18 December: 

We’re very much embracing #UglyChristmasJumperDay here at [insert business name]. Are you in on the fun? Show us ya jumpers! 

  • 21 December: 

Joyous #WinterSolstice, my lovelies. To escape the Christmas madness, I’m spending the day in my happy place – [insert a place that makes you feel calm]. What about you – where do you flock for much-needed you-time? 

These are just a handful of hashtag holidays for the year ahead. Download my free 2020 social media calendar for ALL of them in one beautifully presented printable PDF.

free social media holidays calendar 2020

Let me know if there are any other CORKERS that need adding. If I spy any more, I’ll update my subscribers in my weekly newsletter.

Happy planning, wonderbeam!

x

future living room

WELCOME TO THE YEAR TWO-ZERO! What now?

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Soooo much to talk about right now, People Of The Future. And that’s what we’re in now. The Future.

No flying cars or self-lacing shoes that trot over to you when you call them (Belinda, Beatrice, embellish my hooves immediately!). 

But we do have Google Home – which I currently use for fart noises, finding out who famous people are married to, and timing my poachies perfectly.

REFLECTION TIME.

2019 will be remembered for: 

  • Killing Eve being the best thing on the telly in donkeys

Villanelle in pink dress

  • the impeachment of an apricot-skinned US president
  • five years more of his British alter-ego in power
  • Baby Yoda 💖

What about 2020? 

What will this year be remembered for, for you?

If there’s one thing the last decade taught us, it’s to expect absolutely anything.

But there’s one thing we do have control over. And that’s our own little corner of the world. 

It’s our thoughts. Our feelings. Our actions. Our goals. Our relationships. Our businesses. Our creativity. Our boundaries. Our dreams.

Last year, I woke up in sheer panic at the nightmare of having to get a ‘real’ job, after an agency I was writing freelance for lost two clients and my income plummeted. 

I read more than ever. Paid thousands for courses, classes and insights from experts. I ploughed everything into reshaping my online business in line with my heart. It was when I worked with the calming, enlightening creative coach Ruth Hoskins that I had the biggest *aha* moments. The biggest was creating a copywriting masterclass for her Chemistry Classroom programme.

ruth hoskins creative coach
Ruth Hoskins – creative coach and actual Earth angel.

I’d never thought I could coach because I had so little faith in myself. I was riddled with Imposter Syndrome – convinced I was a fraud. But after discussing a lack of joy in my creative life (what was once my biggest love, writing, had become a budget pay-per-word monotony) Ruth worked with me to help me see my potential.

She had enough faith in me for both of us – and it was infectious, pushing me into a new creative realm. I started working with clients who I genuinely clicked with – creative women with a burning desire to do more with their talents and, like me, find more freedom in their lives and business.

I’m still copywriting, but my 2020 dream is to help more women create their own authentic words for business. Selling without feeling sleeeeeazay.

I now work with passionate creators who want to succeed with their business by attracting more of the perfect clients.

Who feel overwhelmed when it comes to writing About Mes, blog posts, website copy, newsletters, product pages and thumb-halting social media copy.

Who haven’t figured out how to project the voice in their head into a word document.

This year, I’m taking everything I’ve learnt and breaking it down into The Copy Maven – a copywriting programme for creative women, like you, make more money authentically. 

You’ll learn how to:

  1. Clear your mind & heart so you can reach a place of authentic creation
  2. Discover your unique archetype with your own personal tarot pack, then use its deep psychic power in your messaging
  3. Tune into the deeper, more humanly compelling side of your dream client, making them feel seen in return
  4. Empathise with your dream client by becoming their EOS (Educated Older Sister)
  5. Harness new ideas and tell compelling stories authentically
  6. Make more sales in a conscious, responsible and meaningful way, genuinely addressing the needs of your client
  7. Learn the most powerful writing formulas to shine like a beacon, drawing clients to your light and selling your services without feeling sleazy
  8. Prepare blog and social content for the month ahead using my simple pre-made plan
  9. Kill the fluff and sharpen your words with my editing checklist
  10. Grow your own monster mailing list that does what it’s meant to – sell.

When you unlock all of this, you’ll see why marketing is a deeply influential cultural art form. Even if you’re not a writer, you can harness it with a creative heart. I promise you – it’s a craft you can hone and I’ll show you how. 

The need for personality-led branding today is phenomenal. Start-ups don’t have to button-up to gain trust and your tone of voice should be more than simply “warm and friendly”. 

Likewise, your copy can be more than loose screeds of chattiness. You’re still selling, at the end of the day. So, you need a strategy. You’re not a cliche – so neither should your copy be. 

Of course, you can pay a copy expert to write it all for you. 

presenter pointing at himself

But crafting your own copy is more empowering, sustainable & will save you thousands and serve you throughout your creative life. 

Be yourself on purpose

What you create mirrors who you are and words can project that more than any other art. 

I’ll be launching my course in the first quarter of this year and I can’t wait for you to see it. Be the first to hear about it – and nab introductory STEALS – by signing up to my mailing list.

If there’s one thing you can control this year – it’s the messages and energy you send out into the world.

By joining my newsletter (which is completely free, by the way) you’ll also receive weekly copywriting formulas, tips and things I think you’ll like. Like this cat who is absolutely wounded by this birthday cake…

cat birthday cake fail

Happy New Decade, Past, Present & most of all, FUTURE YOU.

Love Nina x

dolly parton

“Be yourself on purpose”: 19 things I’d tell 19-year-old me

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Figure out who you are. Then do it on purpose.

That’s my favourite quote of all time and has been ever since I read it about a decade ago.

Do you know which famous philosopher said it?

Not Gandhi. Not Aristotle. Not Voltaire.

Dolly Parton. 

She wrote ‘Jolene’ and ‘I Will Always Love You’ in the same bloody night, then turned down ELVIS when he asked to cover the latter. 

She opened an Imagination Library, mailing free books to children in the UK and beyond every month to inspire a love of reading.

She’s astonishingly smart, soulful, brave, kind, beautiful, hilarious and has a voice made of angel babies, honey and Tennessee sunshine (even if she describes it as ‘a cross between Tiny Tim and a nanny goat’ herself).

The woman is a supreme being and we should all follow her approach to life. She writes the best advice, in simple, from-the-heart language we all understand and feel. 

Now we’ve got that gushing downpour of Dolly-admiration out the way, I’ll get on with the post.

77018148_2366899746892095_5801106451468386304_n

You’ve probably noticed the ‘then and now’ 10-year challenge on social media. Sure you have.

Everyone is sharing photos of themselves from 2009 – all Gwen Stefani eyebrows and hair so over-processed it looks like a coir doormat – shot at the official Myspace angle using a Nokia 33potato. 

It got me looking back at old photos of me a decade ago – a student living in a crummy house in Sunderland. I wore rubber outfits in an all-girl rock band, drank red wine for dinner and dressed my male housemates in my clothes most nights.

Fucking miracle I left with a First, wasn’t it?

So, once I’d had a cry-laugh at my tragic dress sense and synthetic cobalt hair extensions, I started thinking about what the Nina on the right would say to the Nina on the left.

Here’s what I’d tell her. It’s also the stuff I want my sisters to know now – and every single woman learning to be her truest and bestest self, ever.

  1. Hello! You goddess! You will get absolutely NOWHERE comparing yourself to others. Pack it in.
  2. Fuck being small. Never let anyone make you feel bad for being yourself. You already know who you are, so be it even more. Be like Dolly. BE IT ON PURPOSE.
  3. Know your boundaries and act on them with integrity – in your work and in your relationships. Yes it’s awks and yes, it’s not the fastest, easiest or most fun way to navigate life. But it will stop you from starting a war within yourself and it will keep you sane 🙏🏼 Thank you for this golden lesson, Brene Brown.
  4. Don’t waste a second of your exploding existence worrying about what has not yet happened. Whatever it is, you’ll overcome it.
  5. Be remorseless with your kindness.
  6. Human evil makes up a small percentage of this world. It will try to break you. And for a time, you will feel broken. You will be so angry you will be on fire. You will crave justice, every single day. But it will pass. You will find yourself again. You will heal. In the words of the resilient Katie Piper in this wonderful interview with Fearne Cotton ~ they can NEVER take your soul.
  7. It’s okay to focus on yourself. Be as consumed in your work as you want to. Travel where you want to. Live where you want and love who you want.
  8. The precise tragedies, fuck-ups and feelings you’ve experienced are the building blocks of you. Unpacking all of this, having a good look at it, then stacking it back again will be hard, but wonderfully freeing for you. Knowing who you are is magic.
  9. You can remove people from your life if they bring darkness into it. Do it whenever you wish. You’re in charge. You’re the CEO of your own life. Hire, sack, promote, demote. Stop letting the guilt and toxicity of others sneak into your kind head and heart.
  10. If you’re grateful, you literally can’t be anxious. It sounds like a fart-on right now, but start making a gratitude list. Three things a day is a good start. Watch your brain change.
  11. Let yourself be a fanny. So what if you pronounce something wrong. So what if you splash water on your crotch. So what if you’re tagged in a photo that makes you look like Ludo from Labyrinth. When you finally let these things happen, you can breathe again.
  12. You’re never ever obliged to be in a relationship that doesn’t make you happy.
  13. Stop burying, start talking. Find your voice, be vulnerable and you’ll find contentment, regardless. Therapy will save your life.
  14. You cannot take drugs or binge-drink for much longer without feeling dark & empty & scared inside. Lemmy was an exception. You, however, will end up with your old schoolmate putting your knickers on for you in a luxury spa. Put down the Jack.
  15. Always prioritise friends over men. They’re the ones who will be there with drop-everything love and ultimately, help you live happier & longer.
  16. Throw away all your uncomfortable knickers. Especially those horrors with the runaway elastic.
  17. Be prepared for everything to change, at any time.
  18. When you’re completely and utterly overwhelmed – apple core in your throat, chest strings pulled tight, stomach in knots – have a bath, tidy your room, write a list and go to bed before 11pm.
  19. Find another bra to wear with that dress, babes. Better still, don’t wear one at all 😘

Marketers have a habit of being clinical with their messaging. But if it doesn’t have meaning, it doesn’t have anything.

To find this meaning, you must escape your mental cul-de-sacs and find your unique soulful voice.

With these nuggets in mind, we can dig deep into our psyche, discover who we are – who we’re meant to be – and give the lingering whiff of self-doubt a swift boot up the arse. 

We can make ourselves b i g ~ reeking of power and clarity and gratitude and our own signature stardust scent. 

We can shrug off the Imposter Cloak (and the ill-fitting underwear) and believe in ourselves.

We can be vulnerable and brave, pushing through the irrational fear of not being good enough.

We can finally share our message. Shall we?

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