Welcome to our list of February observances and content ideas for your monthly author marketing plan!
I hope 2019 has already kicked off strong for you and you’re committed to making this year one of your most successful yet – because we can help you do that.
If you haven’t downloaded our Monthly Book Marketing Planner yet you can grab that free here!
Remember, without regular connections to readers, you’re just another book on the shelf (literal or virtual) they have no vested interest in…so take the time to make yourself stand out by using our monthly observances and tips to create interesting content with your own unique twist.
Another great reason to bookmark this author marketing resource? Timely content that uses popular and trending search terms, is a great way to enhance your visibility and improve SEO in a very simple way.
And what’s really key: content ideas don’t always have to stem from your genre or topic.
When it comes to author marketing and building a brand, ensuring fans and followers have ways to connect with you on a more personal level is equally as powerful as ensuring you also make time to really speak to your genre and topic.
How to Use My Content Ideas
Below are holidays and just plain wacky and fun February Observances in 2019.
I’ve also included a few content ideas and angles to help spark your creativity!
Remember, not all these are worth an entire blog post or article, but nearly all of them can be turned into a fun or thought provoking social media post or blurb in your newsletter – so it’s like getting triple the ideas!
Keep in mind, nearly all your posts should encourage your fans and followers to respond, chime in, share their stories, etc. so don’t forget to work in that angle. I mention it as part of my recommendations occasionally, but please know that encouraging engagement is always the goal – so never post “flat” content, always get creative with how you can pull others into the conversation, and easily.
And if you’re feeling a little guilty about the lack of promotion planning you’ve done so far this year, use this list as a productive kick in the rear, commit to writing something for each of the holidays listed, use it on social, for your blog, in your newsletter – get creative – but giving yourself a bar to reach is the first step.
Monthly Observances for February 2019:
- American Heart Month
- An Affair to Remember Month
- Black History Month
- Canned Food Month
- Creative Romance Month
- Great American Pie Month
- Love Your Library Month
- National Bird Feeding Month
- National Cherry Month
- National Children’s Dental Health Month
- National Grapefruit Month
- National Weddings Month
Lots of great things to celebrate this month, but since we’re all authors I’m going to really encourage you to go all out for Love Your Library Month. Do anything you can to support your local library, from sharing their events on your social, signing up to support special events and classes, or volunteer your time if they can use your help. Most libraries love to support local authors whenever they can, so get friendly with the staff and take your local exposure to the next level!
Week-long Celebrations for February 2019:
1-7 Children’s Authors and Illustrator Week – If this is you get in touch with your local library now to see if you can get involved, even if it means volunteering the read in the children’s section a few nights!
3rd Week International Flirting Week – Romance authors, this is a great time to give some in-depth introductions to your male characters, and call out which famous actors you have in mind once your book becomes a movie. Wink, wink.
Getting Started With Content Ideas
1. No Politics Day – Amen! Let’s focus on something other than politics or hard news, fill social media up with positivity and creativity!
2 Take Your Child to the Library Day – What was the last great event you took part in at your local library? Better yet, if you’re a children’s book author connect with your local library ASAP to see if you can participate or volunteer this week!
2 Ground Hog Day – Make a prediction and create a poll for your followers.
3 Feed the Birds Day – This day was created to help our feathered friends in chilly environments stay fed for the winter, spread the word and snap some photos to share.
4 Thank a Mailman Day – Send out reminders to your followers and give yours a special shout out.
5 Chinese New Years – If you celebrate definitely share in your favorite traditions.
6 National Chopsticks Day – Oh wow my thoughts go to food of course, stir up something good, food is something we can all get behind, right?
Time to Get Creative with Your Author Marketing
7 Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbor Day – This is just too funny, post a great neighbor story.
7 Send a Card to a Friend Day
9 National Pizza Day – So much to discuss here, everything from sharing favorite dough recipes to debating whether pineapple should be allowed as a topping. Have fun with it.
11 Make a Friend Day – Do something fun with this, call out fans of your page and ask them to introduce themselves, even better if you have a special surprise for a few random participants.
11 National Inventors Day – Could you choose your most favorite invention?
12 National Lost Penny Day – There are lots of ways to celebrate, share some inspiration with fans and encourage them to share how they’re taking part! Things to do today:
- Seek out lost pennies. Make a game of it. Be sure to include the kids in this scavenger hunt.
- Flip a coin (a penny) to help you make decisions today.
- Donate your pennies to a good cause.
- Roll up and cash in your horde of pennies.
- Start a penny collection.
- Throw pennies in a fountain and make a wish.
- Give someone a penny for their thoughts.
- Take a few pennies and buy some penny candy.
13 Get a Different Name Day – This is exciting, share your alter ego name and personality!
14 Valentine’s Day
14 Library Lovers Day – Take a moment to send your local library a shout out, share an upcoming event on their page, and ask fans to share their favorite childhood memory of visiting the library.
Just Keep Writing Social Media Content
15 Singles Awareness Day – If you’re single let it be known loud and proud, perhaps you can even share what you love about your singlehood.
15 Susan B Anthony Day – This woman spent her life pushing women’s right to vote and equal rights for women, do something special to honor her, especially if you have a strong female following.
17 Random Acts of Kindness Day – This is something we should all get behind. Do something, share it, encourage others to get involved, and let’s make the world a better place, even for just one day.
18 National Drink Wine Day – Well if we must! I assure you there are thousands of fun memes you can share today.
18 President’s Day – Name your favorite president and why!
20 Hoodie Hoo Day – On this winter day, people go out at noon, wave their hands over their heads and chant “Hoodie-Hoo!”. Chase away the winter blahs and keep this fun holiday alive and well.
20 Love Your Pet Day – As if we need another excuse to blow up our feeds with pet photos? Challenge accepted.
22 Be Humble Day – While I’m always a big proponent of shouting your author achievements from the rooftops, instead call out a fellow author that you admire or follow and thank them for all their hard work. Keep the chain going.
22 International World Thinking Day – Originally created by the Girl Scouts in 1926, this day has expanded to encourage women to take stock of all the wonderful women in their lives.
22 National Margarita Day – Share your favorite recipe! Bonus if you’ve got one for guacamole too.
22 Walking the Dog Day – Again, cute animals break the internet, so share a picture of your favorite fur friend on a walk. Join a friend if you don’t have a dog. Bonus points if you share of video of the much-loved yo-yo trick!
February Has Almost Wrapped
23 International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day – I’d say this would be a fun day to share your canine-approved favorite treats for other dog lovers to try out. Your followers’ dogs will thank you.
23 Open That Bottle Night – “It’s five o’clock somewhere!” In all seriousness though, this holiday was created to encourage people to slow down and spend some quality time with a friend of loved one catching up over a bottle of wine or champagne.
24 National Tortilla Chip Day – Didn’t I already hand out bonus points for sharing your best guacamole recipe earlier this month? I always have a plan…
24 Oscar Night – Post your top picks and get followers to weigh in or participate in polls. And remember, it doesn’t have to be just about movies, there’s so much to discuss on the red carpet too.
25 Pistol Patent Day – If you’re a fan of the 2nd amendment here’s a perfect opportunity to speak up and celebrate your rights.
26 Tell a Fairy Tale Day – Who better to tackle a creative writing prompt than a professional author? Plan ahead to share a short story, an original fairy tale of your own making! I assure you fans will be thrilled.
27 No Brainer Day – I share a ton of “no brainer” book promotion tips on my blog so use today as inspiration to tackle all those simple tasks you’ve been putting off.
The Takeaway
Remember, being an author demands creativity, and it also demands authenticity.
Coming up with unique content ideas as part of your author marketing plan is a great way to take your success seriously, without taking yourself too seriously! And these January observances should really help.
Have plans for a fun take on any of these ideas? Share below in the comments!
I’d be honored if you share this with your friends! I’ve even made it super easy for you with the ready-made tweets below.
Click to Tweet: Are you prepared for National Tortilla Day? Find out how you can use it and other fun holidays and observances in your author marketing in this post from Penny Sansevieri @bookgal #bookmarketing #amwriting https://bit.ly/2DpGTdD
Click to Tweet: Your author inspiration awaits. Find out what National Margarita Day, Love Your Pet Day, and No Brainer Day have to do with marketing your book. via @bookgal #bookmarketing #amwriting https://bit.ly/2DpGTdD
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