| name | seasonal-campaign |
| description | Plans seasonal and holiday marketing campaigns with timelines, creative themes, and channel strategies. Use this skill when a user needs to plan a campaign around a holiday, seasonal event, back-to-school period, or any time-bound buying moment for their e-commerce or service business. |
| allowed-tools | Read Write Edit |
Seasonal Campaign
When to Use This Skill
- User wants to plan a holiday or seasonal marketing campaign
- User needs a timeline for a time-bound promotional event
- User is preparing for Black Friday, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or similar
- User wants to capitalize on a seasonal buying moment
- User needs creative themes and messaging for a seasonal push
- User asks about campaign calendars for upcoming holidays
Core Principle
SEASONAL CAMPAIGNS WORK BACKWARD FROM THE BUYING MOMENT — START WITH THE PURCHASE DATE AND REVERSE-ENGINEER EVERY DEADLINE.
Workflow
Phase 1: Define the Campaign Window
-
Identify the seasonal moment and its buying timeline:
- Impulse holidays (Valentine's Day, Mother's Day): buyers purchase 1-7 days before
- Planning holidays (Christmas, Back to School): buyers start 3-6 weeks early
- Event-driven (Black Friday, Prime Day): buyers browse weeks before, purchase day-of
- Seasonal shifts (Spring, Summer): gradual, no hard deadline
-
Set the campaign calendar:
- Teaser phase: build anticipation (2-3 weeks before)
- Launch phase: reveal the offer (1 week before to day-of)
- Urgency phase: last chance, countdown (final 48-72 hours)
- Post-event phase: follow-up, thank you, extended offer (1-3 days after)
Phase 2: Develop the Creative Theme
-
Choose a campaign theme that connects the season to the brand:
- The theme is NOT the holiday itself — it is the brand's angle on the holiday
- Connect to an emotion or desire the season amplifies
- Create a campaign name and tagline that work across all channels
-
Define the visual direction:
- Color palette additions or seasonal shifts
- Photography/graphic style adjustments
- Typography or design element changes
- Social media template modifications
Phase 3: Plan the Channel Strategy
- Map content to each channel with specific deliverables:
| Channel | Teaser Phase | Launch Phase | Urgency Phase | Post-Event |
|---|
| Email | Hint/save the date | Main offer reveal | Countdown/last call | Thank you + recap |
| Instagram | Story teasers, countdown sticker | Feed post + Stories + Reel | Story countdown, DM reminders | UGC reshare, results |
| Website | Banner update, landing page prep | Hero image swap, sale page live | Countdown timer, low stock badges | Sale ended page, next event teaser |
| Paid Ads | Awareness ads, retargeting warmup | Conversion ads with offer | Retargeting cart abandoners | Lookalike audiences from buyers |
| SMS | Opt-in for early access | Exclusive early link | Final 2 hours alert | Thank you, exclusive post-sale |
- Write the key messages for each phase:
- Teaser: curiosity-driven, no details
- Launch: clear offer, simple CTA
- Urgency: deadline + social proof + scarcity
- Post-event: gratitude + bridge to next engagement
Phase 4: Build the Timeline
-
Create a reverse-engineered timeline with hard deadlines:
- Content creation deadlines
- Design asset deadlines
- Email sequence scheduling dates
- Ad campaign launch dates
- Inventory/fulfillment preparation
- Website updates go-live dates
-
Identify dependencies and go/no-go gates:
- Creative assets must be approved before ad scheduling
- Inventory must be confirmed before sale page goes live
- Email list must be segmented before first send
- Landing page must be tested before paid traffic starts
Phase 5: Set Success Metrics
- Define measurable goals:
- Revenue target for the campaign period
- Email open/click rates by phase
- Conversion rate on the sale/landing page
- New customer vs. returning customer split
- Average order value during campaign vs. baseline
- Ad spend and ROAS target
Example 1: Mother's Day Campaign for a Gift Box Company
Input: "I sell curated gift boxes. Mother's Day is coming up and I want to plan a full campaign."
Output:
Mother's Day Campaign: "She Deserves the Pause"
Campaign Window: April 21 – May 12 (Mother's Day = May 11)
Theme: Giving mom permission to pause — not another obligation, but a moment of rest
Tagline: "Give her the one thing she never gives herself — a pause."
Timeline
| Date | Phase | Action | Owner |
|---|
| Apr 7 | Pre-work | Finalize gift box offerings (3 tiers: $45, $75, $120) | Product |
| Apr 10 | Pre-work | Photography complete — lifestyle shots of all 3 boxes | Creative |
| Apr 14 | Pre-work | Landing page built and tested | Web |
| Apr 14 | Pre-work | Email sequences written and scheduled | Marketing |
| Apr 16 | Pre-work | Ad creatives approved and uploaded | Ads |
| Apr 21 | Teaser | Instagram Story: "Something special is coming for the moms in your life" | Social |
| Apr 22 | Teaser | Email 1: "Mark your calendar — Mother's Day drops in 3 days" | Email |
| Apr 23 | Teaser | SMS to VIP list: "Want early access? Reply YES" | SMS |
| Apr 25 | Launch | Email 2: Full reveal with all 3 box tiers, hero images, CTA | Email |
| Apr 25 | Launch | Instagram carousel: each box tier with contents visible | Social |
| Apr 25 | Launch | Landing page goes live, site banner updated | Web |
| Apr 25 | Launch | Paid ads begin — conversion campaigns on IG and Facebook | Ads |
| May 1 | Mid-campaign | Email 3: Customer testimonial from last year + "Still deciding? Here's our bestseller" | Email |
| May 3 | Mid-campaign | Instagram Reel: unboxing video of the $75 box | Social |
| May 6 | Urgency | Email 4: "5 days left for guaranteed delivery by Mother's Day" | Email |
| May 8 | Urgency | SMS: "Last call — order by midnight for Mom's Day delivery" | SMS |
| May 8 | Urgency | Instagram Story: countdown sticker + "selling fast" | Social |
| May 9 | Urgency | Email 5: "Final hours — shipping cutoff is tonight at 11:59 PM" | Email |
Key Messages
Teaser email subject lines:
- "Something special is coming for May 11"
- "The moms in your life will thank you"
Launch email:
This Mother's Day, skip the flowers that die in 3 days.
Give her The Pause Box — a curated collection of self-care essentials she'll actually use. Hand-poured candle, loose leaf tea, linen eye mask, and a handwritten note from you.
Three sizes. One guarantee: she'll love it.
[Shop The Pause Collection]
Urgency email:
Orders placed after May 9 at 11:59 PM ET won't arrive by Mother's Day.
127 boxes shipped this week. The Luxe tier ($120) is down to 14 remaining.
[Order Now — Guaranteed Delivery]
Last-minute email:
Missed the shipping cutoff? We've got you.
Send a digital gift card in 60 seconds. She chooses her own box, and it arrives whenever she wants it. Sometimes the best gift is letting her pick.
[Send a Digital Gift Card — $45 / $75 / $120]
Success Metrics
- Revenue target: $18,000 (250 boxes)
- Email open rate: 35%+ (campaign average)
- Landing page conversion: 4.5%
- Cart abandonment recovery: 12%
- ROAS on paid ads: 4:1 minimum
Example 2: Black Friday Campaign for an Online Course Creator
Input: "I sell online courses and coaching. I want to do a Black Friday sale but I don't want to feel sleazy about it."
Output:
Black Friday Campaign: "Invest in Yourself Friday"
Campaign Window: November 17 – December 2 (Black Friday = November 28)
Theme: This isn't a doorbuster — it's the one time per year the investment in yourself costs less
Tagline: "The best deal this Friday isn't a TV. It's you."
Offer Structure
- Flagship course ("Scale to Six"): $497 → $297 (40% off)
- Course bundle (Scale to Six + Content Machine): $794 → $397 (50% off)
- Coaching upgrade: Add 2 coaching calls to any purchase for $150 (normally $400)
- No flash sales, no hourly drops — one clear offer, one clear window
Timeline
| Date | Phase | Action |
|---|
| Nov 3 | Pre-work | Write all email copy (7 emails) |
| Nov 7 | Pre-work | Record 2-minute video explaining the offer and why |
| Nov 10 | Pre-work | Build sale landing page with countdown timer |
| Nov 14 | Pre-work | Schedule all emails, prep social content |
| Nov 17 | Teaser | Email 1: "I do this once a year. Here's why." (story-driven, no offer details) |
| Nov 19 | Teaser | Instagram post: "Something's coming November 28. Save the date." |
| Nov 21 | Teaser | Email 2: "What my students accomplished this year" (results, no pitch) |
| Nov 24 | Early access | Email 3: VIP early access link (subscribers only, 48 hours early) |
| Nov 24 | Early access | SMS to subscribers: "Your early access is live" |
| Nov 28 | Launch | Email 4: "Invest in Yourself Friday is live" — full offer, video embed, CTA |
| Nov 28 | Launch | Instagram: carousel with offer breakdown + student results |
| Nov 28 | Launch | Sale page goes live publicly |
| Nov 29 | Social proof | Email 5: "73 people enrolled yesterday — here's what they said" |
| Nov 30 | Urgency | Email 6: "48 hours left — then the price goes back up" |
| Dec 1 | Final push | Email 7: "Last call — midnight tonight" |
| Dec 1 | Final push | Instagram Stories: countdown, DM "DEAL" for direct link |
| Dec 2 | Close | Sale page converts to waitlist. Price returns to full. |
| Dec 3 | Post-event | Email 8: "Thank you — welcome to the community" (to buyers only) |
Key Messages
Teaser email (Nov 17):
I don't do sales. You know this about me.
But once a year, I drop the price on my programs because I remember what it felt like to want to invest in myself and hesitate because of the cost.
November 28. That's all I'll say for now.
Launch email (Nov 28):
Today only happens once a year.
"Scale to Six" is $297 (normally $497). The full bundle with "Content Machine" is $397 (normally $794). And if you want 1:1 coaching, you can add 2 calls for $150 instead of the usual $400.
I'm not going to manufacture urgency. The sale ends December 1 at midnight. The price goes back up. That's it.
412 students have taken this course. Their average revenue increase in 90 days is $14,200. I'd love for you to be next.
[Enroll Now — $297]
Success Metrics
- Revenue target: $30,000 (100 enrollments across tiers)
- Email open rate: 40%+ for launch email
- Landing page conversion: 8%
- VIP early access conversion: 15%
- Refund rate: under 3%
Recovery and Fallback
- If the user does not know their seasonal moment, suggest the next upcoming holiday within 6-8 weeks and plan for that
- If the user has no email list, focus the campaign on organic social + one paid ad funnel to a landing page
- If the user cannot offer discounts, position the campaign around exclusive bundles, bonus content, or limited-edition items instead
- If the timeline is too tight (less than 2 weeks), cut the teaser phase and go straight to launch + urgency
- After 3 failed attempts to define the offer, stop and say: "Let's start with your bestselling product and a simple percentage discount. We can get creative on the next campaign."
Constraints
- NEVER include specific dates that will become outdated — use relative timing (e.g., "6 weeks before the holiday")
- NEVER plan more than 8 emails in a single campaign — audience fatigue kills conversion
- Every campaign must include a post-event phase — the sale ending is not the end
- Urgency must be REAL — actual shipping cutoffs, actual inventory limits, actual price increases
- Always include a "missed the deadline" fallback (gift cards, digital delivery, waitlist)
- Minimum campaign structure: teaser (2 touchpoints), launch (2), urgency (2), post-event (1)
- All timelines must work backward from the buying moment, not forward from today
