Coming up
What to post through the summer holidays
Through the summer holidays, parents aren't buying a coffee, they're buying a solved afternoon. Sell the calm hour, not the cup.
Sat 24 Jul 2027the date 300 days to gofrom today 14 daysthe run-up
Pick your days and we write your own guide. Your first plan is free.
Pick your days below. Nothing is made until you say.
The run-up
Every day between now and then that is worth a post
Not one a day. These are the ones that do a job. What each is for is underneath it.
Sat 10 Jul 14 days before Say what you solve, not what you sell Post the problem you fix, 'a calm hour while the kids are happily busy', not 'coffee and cake'. In the holidays, parents are buying relief.
Write this one →
Wed 14 Jul 10 days before Give them a reason to return Six weeks is a long stretch. A small free thing, a babyccino, a colouring sheet, a biscuit for the under-tens, turns one visit into a habit.
Write this one →
Sat 17 Jul 7 days before Show it works for families A photo of children happy and parents relaxed says more than any 'family friendly' label ever could. Show the calm; don't just claim it.
Write this one →
Wed 21 Jul 3 days before Keep a wet-day answer ready Not every summer day is sunny. 'Rain stopped play? space, games and warm drinks in here' is the post a stuck parent screenshots.
Write this one →
Sat 24 Jul The day Post the offer plainly, all summer One clear message you can repeat each week, what's on, what's free, why it's easy. Over six weeks, steady beats a clever one-off.
Write this one →
How many days will you post?
4
4 days, all free.
Your days
Jul 10 14 days to Summer holidays Saturday 10 July Say what you solve, not what you sell
Jul 14 10 days to Summer holidays Wednesday 14 July Give them a reason to return
Jul 21 3 days to Summer holidays Wednesday 21 July Keep a wet-day answer ready
Jul 24 Summer holidays day Saturday 24 July Post the offer plainly, all summer
The day itself is always one of them.
Written for · from About you
About you + a customer to write for
Your first plan this year, of 4 free. Nothing is posted anywhere.
The 99p pack: four more days on this plan. Paid once with a card. No account, no subscription.
Your plan · Halloween · 4 days Otley Barbers at Halloween Four days spread across the run-up, the day itself in. Each one is written for a barber in Chapel Allerton, and each one is a thing to think about while you work that day.
Kept on your profile Oct 11
20 days to Halloween Sunday 11 October · day 1 of 4
Suggested time · Sun 6 to 8 pm i Say it is coming
- One line, no photo: "Something is planned for the 31st."
- Photograph nothing yet. The wait is part of it.
- While you work: which dad would ask for a spooky colour spray for the kids? Note the name.
Why Sun 6 to 8 pm: Dads plan the week on Sunday night, after bedtime.
Everything on this card goes with it to What should I post?
Oct 17
14 days to Halloween Saturday 17 October · day 2 of 4
Suggested time · Sat 9 to 10 am i Show it half-made
- The pumpkin in the window before it is carved.
- The kids' cut offer half-written on the board behind you.
- While you work: ask two Saturday dads if they would book the 31st.
Why Sat 9 to 10 am: Saturday dads book the morning of, from the school car park.
Everything on this card goes with it to What should I post?
Oct 25
6 days to Halloween Sunday 25 October · day 3 of 4
Suggested time · Sun 6 to 8 pm i Show the proof
- The first kid with the Halloween colour, from behind, with the cape on.
- The chair by the window with the carved pumpkin on the counter.
- While you work: count the Saturday slots left and write the number down.
Why Sun 6 to 8 pm: Same slot as day one: they saw the first post here.
Everything on this card goes with it to What should I post?
Oct 31
Halloween day Saturday 31 October · day 4 of 4
Suggested time · Sat 8 am and 4 pm i The day itself, twice
- Morning: what is still free today, with the opening time in the picture.
- Late afternoon: the last of it, "two chairs left till six".
- While you work: one photo of the busiest moment for next year.
Why Sat 8 am and 4 pm: The morning post catches the planners, the afternoon one the ones who forgot.
Everything on this card goes with it to What should I post?
Want more days? The 99p pack adds four to this plan.
The idea most businesses miss
Sell the benefit, not the product
Theodore Levitt's famous point is that people don't want a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole, they buy the result, not the thing. In the holidays a parent isn't buying a babyccino, they're buying twenty minutes of peace. Sell that, the solved afternoon, the calm hour, and the coffee sells itself.
Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business School economist · Marketing Myopia, Harvard Business Review, 1960
Questions
The questions people ask
- When exactly do the summer holidays start?
- It varies, late July in England and Wales, often earlier in Scotland, and set locally besides. So say 'all summer' rather than a date and you're right for everyone.
- I'm not a family business.
- Then sell the other side: the holidays empty offices and free up adults. 'Quieter mornings, take your time' is a summer post too.
- Won't giving things away just lose me money?
- A babyccino or a biscuit costs pennies and brings in a paying adult, often more than once. It's the cheapest door-opener you have.
The other dates worth the effort
Mon 31 May 2027 Spring bank holiday 246 days to go It's half-term as well as a bank holiday, a whole week of parents needing somewhere to take restless kids. Be the easy plan, not the effort. 5 posts to make →
Mon 30 Aug 2027 Summer bank holiday 337 days to go It's tempting to post 'summer's nearly over' with a sad face, do the opposite. It's the last long weekend, so make it the best one. 5 posts to make → Everything else The whole calendar
The rest of this year and all of next, with the British ones in the right place.
Open the calendar →