The holidays are here!
Are you and your blog ready for this? Ok, you may not be ready – but it is a must-have that your blog is ready because we all know that the fourth quarter matters!
Now, I’m not going to lie to you. Quarter four is when most bloggers get “blogger-burnout”. You are tired – you have been busting your a$$ all year on this blog.
Maybe you aren’t seeing the results that you thought you would by now. Holidays are stressful, you are tired and frustrated and alas; burnt out.
In fact, I know a lot of bloggers that take the entire month of December off. My goal for next year is to do the same because guys, blogger burnout is very real and it sucks. My other goal is to re-read the absolute best book I’ve found about planning out your year – The 12 Week Year.
HOLIDAY TIP: Save yourself some valuable time by repurposing your blog content while you’re spending time with your family and enjoying that much needed time off from your blog!
It’s no wonder that people are so jaded by the end of the year!
But if you plan right, quarter four can be a game changer for your blog. This is the time of year that people have problems that need solving. They are stressed and looking for answers, and they are motivated to make changes for the new year.
Not only will seasonal posts bring you tons of extra traffic, but the perfectly-timed seasonal opt-in can boost your email list and get you started off to a hot start for the new year.
Here are 3 seasonal lead magnets that will be sure to grow your email list:
#1. Planners
Planners are a great opt-in! Think of the most common resolutions: lose weight, get more organized, save money. Planners hit all of those points because most have meal planning sections, and budget sections in addition to the monthly and weekly planner layout. You can also personalize this to your own niche by adding sections that your audience won’t be able to resist.
Planners also make great paid products, so another option is to pull out certain pages are your lead magnet and sell the planner as a tripwire. Unsure what a tripwire is or how it makes you money? Check out this article.
Not sure where the heck to start with making a planner? I just ran a workshop on designing a planner and you can check out the entire video replay in our design library under “Tutorials”.
We also have a planner design worksheet in the resources section to help you get off to the right start! You can get access to our library at the end of this post 🙌
#2. Challenges
Again, consider the most common resolutions people generally make. You can even poll your facebook group or email list to find out what resolutions they are thinking about. Design a challenge that is related to your niche to attract your target audience!
In the health niche? Come up with a 5-Day Health Living or 5-Day Weight Loss Challenge. You will naturally attract those looking to live a healthier lifestyle. In addition, you will help people and grow your list all at the same time!
#3 Gift Guides
A gift guide is the perfect opportunity to leverage the holidays. Not only can you make a PDF style gift guide and use it as an opt-in, you can also use the opportunity to sell your own products or affiliate products. Growing your list, making money, and helping your audience be more organized for their holiday shopping? Win-win-win.
Side note: We actually have an editable gift guide template in our resource library already designed for you! Just pop in your products, add descriptions and you’re done!
Worried about the Amazon “no links in a PDF” rule? Make a page on your blog and include all your Amazon links there with numbers that correspond to the gift guide. Add a section or page of your gift guide that says something along the lines of, “Want the links for these products? Visit www.yourblog.com/linksforholiday to check it out!” (BTW- I included that page in the gift guide template 😊)
That way, the link will go to your website and not Amazon. Plus, you are still getting them excited about the product in your gift guide without violating Amazon’s TOS. Most other affiliates are okay to put the link right in your PDF guide.
I’m totally serious when I tell you that fourth quarter is a huge opportunity.
Not only when it comes to traffic but also when it comes to income and growing your list. Never forget that the money is in the list, it’s SO important.
Plus, if you plan this out ahead of time, you can set yourself up for some awesome passive income while you put your feet up and take December off. Blogging can be a rollercoaster. It can absolutely send you through all the emotions in just one day.
Blogger burnout is no joke and I don’t want you to give up.
Pick one of these opt-ins and start making it happen! You would be surprised at the energy boost a successful opt-in can give you!
GET YOUR PLANNER REPLAY NOW AND WATCH AS I DESIGN A PLANNER IN CANVA FROM START TO FINISH
Just fill out the form to get access to our design resource library and check out the tutorials section. Not only will you get our planner replay, but you will also be able to access all our free templates, tutorials, and resources.


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Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. I don’t promote products I don’t use and love and truly believe will benefit you as my reader.
This content is a true gem, Kara. I am pinning it now. I was thinking of what holiday giveaways I should do for my brand. This is very helpful.
Really motivating and informative,thanks for sharing. Will sûre use the gift guides,I may be late this year but then, next year is not too far away.
This is a great post! I love the idea of the gift guide. I would have never thought of this and I’m looking forward to using this idea in the future. Thank you for sharing!