The holiday season is a stressful, content-filled time for social media copywriters. With sales, gift guides, and holiday themed content galore. The issue? Well, not everyone celebrates just Christmas. That’s one of the main reasons why it is the holiday season.
I am extremely lucky to have an internship where I write copy for the marketing team for a collection of restaurants, online shops, and a cocktail class brand that gives me an amazing experience as well as being a resume and portfolio builder. But the catch is that while we are marketing gift guides and seasonally themed products, I need to be diligent on maintaining a collective and inclusive copy that encompassed all races, religions, creeds, etc.
Not everyone celebrates Christmas. That’s a fact. Especially in a diverse city such as Asbury Park, NJ, there are tons of people from different ethnicities and of different religions. The copy I write cannot just be something like “Santa is coming early this year.” It’s ignorant and biased to focus solely on Christmas. But, it is also extremely difficult to make fresh content when it seems like the only word I can use is “holiday.”
Here’s a guide to help with any copy writers like myself, influencers, or people just looking for how to be inclusive in captions.
It doesn’t have to be just “holiday”
I love the internet, especially Google’s ability to do virtually anything I search. Thesauruses and synonym generators are built right into Google. Get a little creative and use words like “celebrations,” “feasts,” “festivities,” or even “jubilees” to be put in place for the word “holiday.”
Spotlight the products and gifts
Gifts are universal. They do not need to be just in reference to giving gifts for Christmas. Gifts are given during Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, etc. Focus your content on the idea of gift-giving for that special someone, friends, and family.
Reference the season’s weather
Being a copywriter for a restaurant during a pandemic makes it so easy to describe being cozy at home with takeout/delivery food. I usually paint a picture: The snow is falling, the heater is on, and you’re wrapped in a blanket binging your favorite show with our tacos. This is something that is regional. Even if Jersey doesn’t get as much snow as it used to, it’s still something we can all relate to.
Hone in on the idea of family and friends
This is a little more difficult now that we are in a pandemic and we should be social distancing to the best of our ability. But, this is a perfect time to talk about FaceTime, Zoom, remote gaming, etc all while enjoying your company’s product. For me, it can be something as easy as “share a margy for virtual happy hour.”
Good luck on your posts!