As your jack-o-lanterns wilt on the porch, shift into the next holiday season with a fresh approach. Leave the giant inflatables and stock images in storage. Instead, spend time planning marketing and communications that connect with audiences in authentic, heartfelt and interactive ways.
Seasonal moments like the holidays, weather transitions, community events and calendar year-end offer timely, relevant opportunities for meaningful campaigns and storytelling.
Our team shares five seasonal storytelling strategies to help you spark connection in the months ahead.
1. Skip the Shiny Paper
Audiences are putting more trust in real stories and people, rather than polished and overly produced content.
This happy season is an easy theme for fun, engaging elements like polls, quizzes and community challenges. Audiences are drawn to stories they can be part of.
Examples could be an Instagram Stories poll asking people for their most memorable gift-giving (or receiving) experience. Or provide a list of five milestones for your organization this year and ask readers to rank them in order of impact.
After gathering this information, you can share the responses in a blog or video. People will enjoy reading what others have to say, especially if they responded themselves.
2. Gift Little Moments, Often
People interact with organizations across various channels. So, try this approach: Rather than using the same big story on all platforms, create micro-narratives. These short stories are channel-specific and connect to a larger theme. People will likely encounter the stories in multiple places, building a deeper connection to your brand.
How it works: Choose one seasonal theme for the next few months. Then identify two or three platform-specific story pieces. Each piece should feel natural to its channel and still tie into the overall narrative.
Micro-narrative examples include a LinkedIn article about a nonprofit’s impact for the year, an Instagram Reel showing holiday event setup or a Facebook carousel of city staff preparing for winter weather.
3. Tie a Bow That Pulls the Story Together
The micro-narratives make it easy to create a seasonal story arc. With a story arc structure, you can build excitement and increase engagement before and after the main event (e.g., Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve).
Plan content in three phases, turning a one-off campaign into a story arc: the lead-in (4-6 weeks ahead), the peak (main time period) and follow-through (post-event or season). Your audience will join you in the seasonal story journey.
4. Package With Care
Stories that tie to community impact, values and sustainability continue to trend highly with audiences. When stories resonate, you build trust and transform one-time transactions into lasting, loyal relationships.
The upcoming season is a peak opportunity for stories of reflection, giving and appreciation. Share your organization’s community involvement this year — and include why it matters. Invite others to share their giving-back stories and why it’s meaningful to them.
5. Share the Unboxed Moments
Visually rich storytelling attracts and keeps audiences. Candid images of real people having real experiences will strengthen your campaigns in a season when we’re interacting more with others.
Apply design elements such as warm textures, color palettes and holiday graphics that support the seasonal story without feeling like stock images. A consistent design concept will strengthen and connect each piece of the story arc.
Every gift has an intention tucked inside. As you plan your holiday stories, set yours: Growth? Engagement? A community moved to give and gather? When you know the outcome you’re wrapping for, the storytelling becomes magic.
Red Chair Recap
Great stories don’t just land — they linger. From strategy to visuals to community-driven campaigns, JayRay helps brands wrap messages with heart so they’re unwrapped, remembered and shared.