Hello and welcome to our list of April observances and unique author branding and content ideas for your monthly author marketing plan.
Without a regular connection to readers, you’re just another book on the shelf. Take the time to make yourself stand out by using our monthly observances and tips to create interesting content with your own unique twist.
This is part of excelling with your author branding!
Timely content that uses popular and trending search terms and hashtags 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 that your fans and followers have ways to connect with you on a more personal level is as powerful as speaking about your genre and topic.
How to Use My Content Ideas
Below are holidays and just plain wacky and fun April Observances for 2021.
I’ve also included a few content ideas and angles to help spark your creativity and help you wrap your mind around how to work them into your author branding.
Not all of 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!
There are always a lot of holidays around food, drink, and cooking, so get ready to share recipes or tag local fave establishments and ask followers to share theirs. The same goes for activities: this is a great chance to take selfies and/or to share a bit about yourself outside of being a writer.
These also open up opportunities for you to make recommendations for products – no, not official ads, but again, people love to follow someone who’s a great resource. Think outside the box to come up with ways you can help people out and make their lives easier or more exciting.
Things to Keep in Mind
ALL of your posts should encourage your fans and followers to respond, chime in, share their feedback, insight, stories, etc. Don’t forget to work that angle: let them know you want to hear from them!
Also Remember
Your goal is to encourage engagement – never post flat content; be creative with how you pull others into the conversation and offer ways for them to easily engage.
If you feel a little guilty about the lack of promotion planning you’ve done so far in 2021, use this list as a productive kick in the rear. Commit to writing some form of content every day and use it on social, for your blog, in your newsletter – get creative!
Giving yourself a bar to reach is the first step to upping your author branding game.
Kick-off a great year of book marketing and promotion by grabbing our Monthly Book Marketing Planner from the Free Resources and Downloads section at the end of this post.
Do polls, giveaways, fan art contests: remember to make it about your readers – not about you – and you’re guaranteed to see better engagement.
If you need some additional support on how to translate these ideas into actual content and posts, consider signing up for email coaching with me and we’ll get personal!
Getting Started with Content Ideas
Check out these month-long observances. Several offer opportunities to support a cause close to your heart by sharing stories, raising awareness, and/or giving your followers ways to donate money, time, and love to your favorite issues.
National Poetry Month – This would be an amazing month for promoting a poetry book.
Keep America Beautiful Month
Lawn and Garden Month
National Pecan Month
International Guitar Month – Show some love to your fictional band, maybe a virtual tour.
National Welding Month
Stress Awareness Month
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
National Humor Month – Have a rom-com or maybe a joke book? Take advantage and share bits and pieces this month.
Multi-Day Celebrations
April 4 – April 10 – National Library Week – Make sure to give a shoutout to those wonderful librarians.
Week 2 – Garden Week
Week 3 – Organize Your Files Week
Week 4 – National Karaoke Week
Week 4 – Administrative Assistants Week
Daily Observations for April
April 1
April Fool’s Day
International Fun at Work Day – It’s crazy to think a year ago so many had just begun working at home and a lot found that fun and more manageable. If you’re still working from home, share how you keep it from getting boring. Share pictures and stories of your “co-workers” (kids or animals).
National Burrito Day
April 2
Children’s Book Day – Hans Christian Anderson’s Birthday – If you have a children’s book, today is your day to highlight that. Do a promotion, games, contests, anything to get your readers interacting with you.
Good Friday
National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
Reconciliation Day
April 3
Paraprofessional Day – I love these because it is the perfect opportunity if you have a character in this field. Make today about them. Post as them for the day or write a letting from them.
Don’t Go to Work Unless it’s Fun Day
Find a Rainbow Day
April 4
1984 Day
National School Librarian Day
Easter Sunday
Hug a Newsman Day
April 5
National Dandelion Day – This would be a great day to showcase a cover with dandelions on the cover or even special meaning in your story.
Deep Dish Pizza Day
Go for Broke Day
April 6
National Library Workers’ Day
Sorry Charlie Day – Have a lovable character that got rejected but maybe found a happy ending? Showcase them today.
Plan Your Epitaph Day
California Poppy Day
April 7
National Library Outreach Day
Caramel Popcorn Day
No Housework Day – Get your readers on board with this. Find out what their worst chore is and tell them a great book to read while avoiding housework.
International Beaver Day
World Health Day
April 8
Draw a Picture of a Bird Day – This is another great day to showcase a beautiful cover.
Zoo Lover’s Day
April 9
Name Yourself Day – Share with your readers why or how you selected your pen name. Share your process for naming your characters. Find out if your readers have favorite character names from your books.
Winston Churchill Day
April 10
Golfer’s Day
National Farm Animals Day
National Siblings Day – Maybe you have a series based on siblings. Write a special scene with them and share it with your newsletter subscribers.
April 11
Barbershop Quartet Day
Eight Track Tape Day
National Pet Day – Take today to showcase your pets or any pets in your books. Make it interactive and invite your readers to share their pets.
National Teach Children to Save Day
April 12
D.E.A.R. Day (Drop Everything and Read) – Beverly Cleary’s Birthday – I mean the title says it all! Get your readers talking and find out what they’re reading. Or maybe the books that sparked their love for reading.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
National Licorice Day
Walk on Your Wild Side Day – Another great way to get interactive with your followers. Find out their wildest story. Anything that compares to a scene you’ve written?
April 13
International Plant Appreciation Day
National Peach Cobbler Day
Scrabble Day
April 14
International Be Kind to Lawyers Day
Ex-Spouse Day – Maybe you have a character that is divorced, you could tell a story from the ex’s perspective.
International Moment of Laughter Day
Look up at the Sky
National Dolphin Day
National Pecan Day
April 15
National High Five Day – Give your readers and followers a virtual high five! Make sure to let them know how much you appreciate them – you couldn’t do this without them.
Rubber Eraser Day
Take a Wild Guess Day
That Sucks Day
Titanic Remembrance Day
World Art Day
April 16
Celebrate Teen Literature Day
Mushroom Day
National Eggs Benedict Day
National Stress Awareness Day – Do you have a self-help book? Today would be a great day to do a promo, maybe share a few tips.
April 17
Bat Appreciation Day
Blah, Blah, Blah Day
Herbalist Day
Husband Appreciation Day – Highlight the fictional husbands that you have written about. Find out what your readers would like to see in the future.
Record Store Day
National Cheeseball Day
April 18
National Columnist Day
International Juggler’s Day – I think many of us are multitasking jugglers. Share some tips on how you make it all come together.
April 19
National Garlic Day
National Hanging Out Day – Hang out with your readers in your group or set up a zoom call with your newsletter readers.
April 20
Chinese Language Day
Look-Alike Day – Do you have a story with twins? Or maybe you’re a twin. Find out if any of your followers are a twin or ever just had that one friend they always dressed alike with.
Volunteer Recognition Day
April 21
Administrative Professionals Day – Thank that special someone that works behind the scenes. Invite your followers to give them special thanks.
April 22
Earth Day
National Jelly Bean Day
Take Your Daughter to Work
April 23
Shakespeare’s Birthday
Lover’s Day – Romance authors, you should be here for this one! Do something special from one of your favorite couples. Make some bonus content with a flashback of them or where they are now.
Take a Chance Day – Encourage new readers to take a chance on you. Or maybe you have a character that leaped and can encourage readers.
World Book and Copyright Day
April 24
Pig in a Blanket Day
April 25
East Meets West Day
National DNA Day
World Penguin Day
April 26
Hug an Australian Day
National Pretzel Day
Richter Scale Day
April 27
National Tell a Story Day – You do this most days but make it an extra special day. Maybe share what made you fall in love with writing. Or get a story started on a social media post and have your followers join in to keep it going. You could even put it in your newsletter afterward.
Morse Code Day
National Prime Rib Day
Babe Ruth Day
April 28
International Astronomy Day
Great Poetry Reading Day
Kiss Your Mate Day
April 29
International Dance Day
National Shrimp Scampi Day
National Zipper Day
April 30
Poem in Your Pocket Day
Arbor Day
Hairstyle Appreciation Day – There are a few different choices for engagement on this one. You can choose growing up vs now. Maybe even beginning of 2020 to now – what happens when we have to be our own stylists. Make sure to make it fun and get your readers involved.
International Jazz Day
National Honesty Day – Talk to your readers about doing honest reviews that include constructive criticism.
National Raisin Day
The Takeaway
Remember, being an author demands creativity, and it also demands authenticity when developing a marketing plan to support your author branding.
Coming up with unique content ideas for authors as part of your marketing plan is a great way to take your success seriously, without taking yourself too seriously! And these April observances should really help.
Resources and Free Downloads
Monthly Book Marketing Planner
5 Ways to Solidify Your Indie Author Branding (Infographic)
How to Market a Self Published Book in 2021: Creating a Plan You Can Stick with in the New Year!
Check out KM Weiland’s site for great author tips and resources
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