A year of creator partnerships, month by month
How we plan a creator program for a consumer brand: what happens each season, when to seed and brief for each moment, and the dates food, home, family, outdoor, pet and wellness brands plan around in 2027.
How the year runs
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Plan
September to November, for the year ahead
We agree the moments, the budget split and the measures with you, confirm the ambassadors for the year, and seed product for January while the holidays are still in flight.
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Winter
December to February
New Year routines publish. Product ships for spring cleaning and garden starts, and Easter briefs go out.
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Spring
March to May
Spring cleaning, Easter and Mother's Day publish. Product ships for summer, and the first quarterly review happens.
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Summer
June to August
Grilling, travel and back to school publish. Holiday creators are briefed and holiday content gets filmed.
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Fall
September to November
Fall content, Thanksgiving and gift guides publish, holiday drafts are approved, and planning starts for next year.
The 2027 calendar
Each month lists the moments consumer brands plan around and what's happening behind the scenes. Dates are fixed holidays or follow their rules. Retailer events are left undated because each retailer announces its own.
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January
- New Year routines and resets
- Organizing and storage
- Meal planning and lighter cooking
- Winter walks and cold-weather gear
Behind the scenes: New Year content seeded in November goes live. Product ships for game day and Valentine's Day, and spring cleaning briefs go out.
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February
- The Super Bowl and game-day hosting
- Valentine's DayFebruary 14
- Lunar New Year cooking and gatheringsFebruary 6
Behind the scenes: Game-day and Valentine's content publishes. Product ships for spring cleaning and garden starts, and Easter briefs go out.
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March
- Spring cleaning
- Seed starting and garden planning
- Easter baking and hostingEaster is March 28
Behind the scenes: Spring cleaning content publishes. Product ships for grilling season and Mother's Day. First quarterly review of the ambassador group.
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April
- Earth DayApril 22
- Planting and yard work
- First camping and hiking trips
Behind the scenes: Garden and Earth Day content publishes. Product ships for summer camping and Father's Day.
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May
- Mother's DayMay 9
- Memorial Day and the start of grilling seasonMay 31
- End of the school year
Behind the scenes: Mother's Day and grilling content publishes. Product ships for July 4 and camping, and back-to-school briefs go out.
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June
- Father's DayJune 20
- Summer break, travel and road trips
- Peak grilling and outdoor cooking
Behind the scenes: Grilling and Father's Day content publishes. Product ships for back to school. Second quarterly review, and holiday planning starts.
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July
- Independence Day cookoutsJuly 4
- Camping, lake days and hot-weather pet care
- Retailer summer sales events, on dates each retailer announces
Behind the scenes: July 4 and summer content publishes. Holiday creators are briefed and product ships to them.
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August
- Back to school: lunches, routines and dorm rooms
- Late-summer harvest and canning
Behind the scenes: Back-to-school content publishes. Holiday content is filmed. Product ships for fall baking and Halloween.
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September
- Labor Day weekendSeptember 6
- Fall baking and comfort cooking
- Fall home refresh
- Hunting and fishing seasons, which vary by state
Behind the scenes: Fall content publishes. Holiday drafts are reviewed. Product ships for Thanksgiving and gifting. Third quarterly review and next year's plan.
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October
- HalloweenOctober 31
- Cozy home and cold-weather prep
- Early holiday sales events, on dates each retailer announces
Behind the scenes: Halloween and fall content publishes. Holiday content is approved and scheduled.
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November
- ThanksgivingNovember 25
- Black Friday and Cyber MondayNovember 26 and 29
- Holiday hosting and gift guides
Behind the scenes: Thanksgiving content and gift guides publish. Product ships for New Year routines. Next year's ambassadors are confirmed.
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December
- Hanukkah, Christmas and holiday bakingChristmas is December 25
- Gifting, including gifts for pets
- New Year's EveDecember 31
Behind the scenes: Holiday content publishes. New Year content is filmed. Year-end review and renewals.
Lead times
The windows we work to, counted back from each moment. Short-form content can move a little faster, while YouTube content benefits most from going out early.
| Moment | Seed product | Send the brief | Publish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most seasonal moments | 8 to 12 weeks before | 6 to 8 weeks before | 1 to 3 weeks before |
| Holiday gifting and hosting | 12 to 16 weeks before | July or August | Early November to mid December |
| A new product launch or retailer | 6 to 10 weeks before shelf date | 4 to 6 weeks before | From shelf date, in waves |
| Retailer sales events | As soon as you plan to take part | Approved and ready before dates are announced | Inside the event window |
The reasoning behind these windows, with sources, is in our note on a seasonal creator calendar for consumer brands.
Planning questions
When should a consumer brand start planning holiday creator content?
In July or August. We brief holiday creators in late summer so content can be filmed in early fall and reviewed before November, when gift guides and hosting content start to go live.
How far ahead should product be seeded before a moment?
Eight to twelve weeks for most moments, and twelve to sixteen for the holidays. Creators need time to use the product before they film, and a draft review needs time on both sides.
How should we split a creator budget across the year?
Weight it toward your two or three biggest selling moments and keep a steady base of ambassador content between them. For example, a brand that sells most in summer might put around half of its creator budget into May, June and July, and use the rest for ambassadors and seeding in the quieter months.
What if our category has one big season?
Use the quiet months to seed, test and build the shortlist, so the big season starts with creators who already know the product and an audience that has seen it before.
Should our creator calendar follow our retailers' calendars?
Yes, wherever you can. Your buyer's dates for resets, promotions and features matter more than any national holiday, so we put those on the calendar first and fit the seasonal moments around them.
How many moments should a year include?
For an ambassador program, four to six. Seeding sends and one-off integrations can fill in around them, as long as each moment still gets proper product, time and a brief.
Do creators post on exact dates?
We agree a posting window of a few days rather than a single date. It gives creators room to post when their audience is around and still lands inside your moment.
What happens at a quarterly review?
We look at how each creator's content did against the moment's goal, what their audience said and how the work went. Then we keep, swap or add creators and adjust the next quarter's moments.
Can we start partway through the year?
Yes. We start with the next moment on your calendar and plan the rest of the year around it.
What do you need from us to plan the year?
Your launch and shelf dates, the retailers you sell through, the products you want to push in each season, any claims guidance from your legal team, and a rough budget.