25+ Holiday Blog Post Ideas for Handmade Soap & Cosmetics Businesses

Whenever I talk about or teach about blogging for business, the big question is always, always, always...

What do I write about? I don't know what I should post.

The holiday season gives soapmakers tons of holiday blog fodder, and it's the perfect time to line up some quick and easy holiday blog posts alongside your normal holiday promotions. Before we dive into a ton of holiday blog post ideas, here's a couple things to think about before you get busy blogging:

Consider your target market first and foremost. 

A lot of people shop with makers because they like to get to know the person behind the products, and feel warm & fuzzy by supporting someone following their dreams, putting their skills to work, and creating beautiful products. Holiday blog post ideas that give your customers a little behind-the-scenes access are aces for any soapmaker. However, some holiday blog post ideas aren't going to turn the key for your target market. For instance, if your target market is a single professional woman who hates cooking, they aren't going to dig a blog post about your favorite christmas cookie recipe.

Start publishing sooner rather than later.

Publishing 45 days in advance of the big holiday season is more successful and gives Google (and other search engines) time to check out and index your content. But it's never too late: even publishing a week before the holiday will give you access to a good chunk of the holiday search engine traffic. Plus, it's important to remember that blog content is usually evergreen: you can reshare all the blog posts you write this holiday season next year, if they're still relevant!

Product & Brand Based Holiday Blog Post Ideas

When you are blogging for your business, your posts shouldn't be about you 24/7, but these types of blog posts are easy to whip up and are definitely better than nothing. Plus, they can be useful for making sure your customers can find the information they are looking for!

1. Holiday Shipping - Compile all of your shipping information into a handy dandy blog post or create a couple posts about your shipping practices, such as the postal services you use, if you offer rush shipping or insurance, what the shipping deadlines are to get a gift in time for the holidays, what's included in an order/how you package an order, if you ship gifts directly to their recipient (without an invoice or with gift wrap), etc.
2. Special Releases/Limited Editions - Tease or release limited edition products/holiday releases in a blog post (or two, three, etc.). Talk about the inspiration behind the product, show off what's in progress, or write about who it would be a perfect gift for. Silvia from SoapJam does a smashing job of telling the story behind her handmade soaps and showing them off.
3. Behind the Scenes - Pull back the curtain and show off how your studio looks preparing for the holidays, the holiday decor you put up in your office, or how you prep for the holidays. People love to get a little peek behind the scenes!
4. Gift Wrapping - If you offer gift wrapping, show off what it looks like and how to get your hands on it when ordering a product. I very rarely order gift wrapped products because I'm not sure how it looks, but the few times I've pulled the trigger, it's because I knew exactly what I was getting!
5. Live Events - Write a post about each of your upcoming events, and help promote them by talking about any show specials you might have, what products you'll be offering, what other vendors will be there, what activities or special events will be happening, where the event is located, or if there's an entrance fee, raffle, door prize, etc.
6. Featured Stockists - Help your retailers move your products off the shelves and into customer's shopping bags by writing posts about each stockist, what products of yours they carry, what other brands they have in stock, if they have any specials or holiday events, where they are located, etc.
7. Putting a Face to the Name - I love nothing more than getting to see the actual people behind a brand, and the holidays make it even more fun to do a little meet and greet. Snap a photo of each person behind the brand in a santa hat, ugly Christmas sweater, or other holiday themed attire. Ask each person to dish on their worst holiday gift ever received, their favorite holiday song, or best holiday memory.
8. Charity Driven - If you donate product to a non-profit or are active in a cause, write about it! Tis the season for giving, and it's the perfect time to talk about how you make a difference in the world with your customers' support.
9. Gift Guides - People love it when you make their shopping efforts just a little bit easier! Put together a gift guide featuring your products and talk about who they are good gifts for. Better yet, create holiday gift collections by rounding up some of your favorite complimentary products made by other makers to include alongside a product or two of your own. Be specific and aim for a niche with your gift-giving focus for maximum impact, i.e., "Holiday Gift Ideas for Yogis" or "The Best Holiday Gifts for the Hipster in Your Life."
10. Collaborations - If you've worked on a collaborative project with another maker, write a post about the collaboration, with behind the scenes or gift giving ideas. Haven't collaborated with anyone else? I bet you know of another maker who creates awesome complimentary products, so write a blog post about how one of your products and one of their products work well together and show a little love. (For instance, a glass soap dish from BPR Designs that matches up with the design of one of your soaps!)

Getting to Know You Holiday Blog Post Ideas

Get a little personal by answering one of these questions in a blog post. Make sure that before you dish it out, that it aligns with your target market! Maybe you can tweak it or reframe it to make it work. ;) For instance, tie a story back to a lesson you learned or a product it inspired. Or wrap it back up around your company or your processes, such as the holiday songs you listen to in your studio or how your town celebrates the holidays and inspires your creation process.

1. What's a great tell-it-over-and-over story about the holidays from your childhood? It can be funny, embarrassing, sad, etc. See if you can tie a story from your childhood to running your business, the products you make, or who you are today.
2. What are some of your favorite holiday memories? Share photos of the season from your past, family photos (with their permission, of course), holiday decor, Christmas trees, cookies, collections, etc.
3. What is one of your family's holiday traditions? Talk about those traditions you love (or hate) and why.
4. What is important to your family during the holiday season? If you have kids, talk about what you hope they learn or remember from the holidays. If you volunteer or participate in a special event, write about those experiences.
5. Where are some of your favorite places to head for the holidays? If you always go to a specific relatives or spend the holiday on vacation, share where you go and why you love it, and any must-see places/restaurants/events.
6. What's the best or worst gift you've ever received? Tell the story of opening it, or if there is a backstory, etc.
7. How do you get through the holidays? If you love the season, write about your favorite things about the holidays. And if you get super stressed, blog about how you unwind or stay sane. (Opportunity to bring in your products here, maybe?!)
8. What are some of your favorite holiday songs or Christmas carols? Create a playlist or round up some YouTube videos of your favorites to share. Or put a spin on it and feature the most annoying Christmas songs or the ones that make you cringe when you hear them!
9. What are other people's favorite/least favorite parts of the holidays? Interview your kids, your employees, your customers, or even your pets, and dish on what they love or what drives them batty during the holiday season.
10. Do you have any holiday collections? I know tons of people who collect Christmas tree ornaments, if that's you, write about your obsession collection and your favorite pieces.
11. Is there anything non-traditional that you do during the holidays? For example, our little family doesn't do gift exchanges or big extravagant dinners. Each of our kidlets score a new set of PJs, a book, a movie, and some snacks. We celebrate the holidays by reading and watching movies together in our new pajamas, devouring sugary holiday treats.
12. Does the place you live do anything special for the holidays? Give your readers a little tour of your hometown for the holidays, like the lights they put up on Main Street or that neighborhood that always goes all out.
13. Do you have a favorite holiday book, movie, or story? Share what makes it so special for you, and how you enjoy it every year.
14. Do you have a letter to santa from your childhood that you can share? Or maybe a spin on the idea of a Dear Santa letter but for your biz or from the perspective of being a mom/dad? All I want for Christmas is...
15. What's your favorite scent of the holidays? You know, the pumpkin spice craze and the popular holiday scents are great territory for blog posts, especially as a bath and body product maker. ;)

DIY Based Holiday Blog Post Ideas

If your target market is full of the crafty peeps that troll around Pinterest, these are the types of holiday blog post ideas that you really want to sit up and pay attention to!

1. Recipes - Holiday themed recipes are all the rage on Pinterest, everything from the best Christmas pudding to the tastiest holiday sugar cookies get pinned up for inspiration. If you have a go-to favorite holiday recipe, whip up a blog post featuring the delicious dish.
2. Decorations - DIY home decor is a hot commodity for the holidays, whether it's wreaths, garlands, table runners, candle holders, stockings, or centerpieces. See what's out there and if you can make it better, or try your crafty hand at whipping up something new. It's even better if you can create something that ties to your products!
3. Handmade Gifts - From teachers to neighbors, the holiday season is the one time of year that people go on a DIY gifting frenzy. If you are handy with graphic design, you can offer up printable graphics or labels to go with your products ("We wash you a Merry Christmas" gift tags?) or templates for cards, letters to santa, etc. If not, you can put your skills and expertise on the table with melted snowman bath fizz powder, reindeer poop lip balm, or glittery snow inspired sugar scrub. (And you can plug your own holiday products if the DIY is just too much to handle!) Or maybe a way to recycle the packaging you use by cleaning it out and getting crafty? (Snow globes?)
4. Activities for Kids/Toddlers/Homeschooling - If you are a parent, you know how much kids delight in holiday crafty projects and activities. And if your target market is full of mamas of young kiddos, they'll be happy you posted! Share your favorite ways to pull the holiday season into your home with little hands involved.
5. Other Crafts - From DIY gift wrap to Christmas cards, there are a slew of holiday crafts you can sink your teeth into.

Tis the Season Holiday Blog Post Ideas

Put a spin on some traditional holiday themes and sayings to brainstorm new holiday blog post ideas that will be on point and perfectly timed. Here's a few ideas to get you started, no matter how cheesy they are:

1. 12 Days of Christmas - Create a 12 Days Of series, like twelve days of new releases, product features, or customer feedback, or take it to your target market with a challenge or personal postings, like twelve days of gratitude or random acts of kindness.
2. Santa's Little Helpers - Blog about who or what are your little helpers behind your biz, whether that's people, software, apps, equipment/tools, ways to get inspiration, etc.
3. Deck The Halls - Besides the obvious home decor route, maybe you can write about decking the bathroom with decadent bath goodies or the beautiful scents that fill the halls.
4. Naughty or Nice  - Round up your products and deem them naughty or nice (and why), or talk about skincare habits or routines that are naughty or nice for healthy glowing skin.
5. Three Wise Men - Maybe you have products inspired by gold, incense, and myrrh, or you have some stellar advice that three wise men would share.
6. Tis the Season -
7. Grinch or Scrooge - Write about ways to NOT be a grinch or scrooge this holiday season, or how your products aren't the scrooge or grinch and what awesome benefits they deliver.
8. Letters to Santa - Feature some of your customers' letters to santa, or write your own with a spin.
9. Checking His List Twice - Maybe you check your invoices twice before you package an order, or there's a holiday prep list for your biz you can dish on.
10. Reason for the Season - Write about your reason for your season, or how to find peace or gratitude within the holiday season. Name your products the reason for the season.
11. Santa's Workshop - Show off your workshop, and how you delve into the holidays, or talk about different ways for your readers to rock their own "santa's workshop" like gift wrapping techniques or tricks to keep the holiday decorations tidy (tangled christmas lights, anyone?)

Need some more holiday blog post ideas?

I love turning to keyword searches for blog post inspiration, so I rounded up some popular keywords that are searched during the holiday season. Since I can't predict the future (unfortunately!), each keyword on the list shows how many searches the keyword had last November and December. Maybe you'll have a little holiday post idea revelation by checking them out:

Click here to view over 250 holiday inspired SEO keywords!

I hope you found some blogging inspiration for the holidays! If you create a post with any of the ideas listed here, please let me know in the comments so I can read up!