We know that seasonal sales are important for retailers, and depending on their product niche, the holidays have the potential to bring brands anywhere between over a quarter to over a third of their annual sales.

One clever way to increase your blogger income during the holidays is by featuring products in carefully curated gift guides. Think of them like the online alternative of the Argos catalogue at Christmas; online gift guides help buyers easily find the perfect gifts for their loved ones.

But as a blogger, how do you take advantage of the holiday bumps in spending? How do you get your gift edits in front of your perfect audience?

Online holiday gifting is starting early this year. Don’t miss the boat.

In 2020, over 45% of people said they would be looking for gift guides to inform their purchases during the Christmas holiday season. I’m sure we’re not going to forget that in Christmas 2020 in the UK we were all forced to stay inside; unable to hit the high street or give gifts in person.

But the trend of using online shopping over hitting the busy high street has continued in 2024. Thanks to advancements in user experience, delivery and customer service, online gift shopping is still a growing and trusted method for gift giving throughout the year, not just at Christmas.

The reality of supply chain issues, staff shortages, and the cost of living crisis in the UK is forcing people to start Christmas shopping earlier than ever due to having to spread the cost. So, it’s never been more important to get your holiday gift guides sorted early so you can influence your audience’s purchasing decisions.

Your guide to blogger gift guides to increase your holiday income

In this article, we’ll highlight the benefits of publishing gift guides, plus step through the most important and necessary steps to create your strategy whilst adding a sprinkling of inspiration and creativity along the way.

So let’s get started. Here’s what we’ll cover in this article:

• Online holiday gifting is starting early this year. Don’t miss the boat.
• Your guide to blogger gift guides to increase your holiday income
• What is a blogger gift guide?
• What are some examples of gift guide themes?
  • Top tip: GO NICHE!
• When do bloggers publish gift guides?
• How long should I feature a product in a gift guide?
• What are the benefits of publishing gift guides?
• How to write a gift guide – what content should I include?
• How do I promote my seasonal gift guides?
• How do I earn income from my gift guides?
  • Method 1: Find brand partners using manual brand outreach
  • Method 2: Find brand partners – WITHOUT the outreach
  • Method 3: Become an affiliate
• Now you’re ready to publish your gift guides

What is a blogger gift guide?

A blogger gift guide is a specially curated list of products that a blogger recommends buying online. A gift guide is usually centred around a certain type of person, an event or awareness day, a season, or a common interest.

Blogger gift guides are especially popular pieces of content to create around the commercial holiday seasons such as Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What are some examples of gift guide themes?

Here are 20 examples of gift guide themes to spark some inspiration (or to steal – feel free):

1. 15 thoughtful gifts for primary school teachers under £10
2. 20 eco-friendly gifts for bridesmaids
3. 25 birthday gifts for inquisitive 5-year-olds
4. 30 books for science-loving teens
5. 35 advent calendars for children under 10
6. 40 digital gifts for overseas family and friends
7. 10 sustainable Christmas jumpers for Christmas jumper day
8. 15 personalised notebooks for teachers for the autumn term
9. 20 best subscription boxes for kids who love exploring
10. 25 sporty gifts for football-mad kids
11. 30 vegan serums for over 40s
12. 35 Christmas gifts for dads
13. 40 Thanksgiving keepsakes to thank hosts
14. 10 rucksacks for preschoolers
15. 15 advent calendars for families
16. 20 gifts for gardeners
17. 25 digital gifts for gamers
18. 30 eco-friendly toys for 2-year-olds
19. 35 best bargains from Small Business Saturday
20. 40 Black Friday deals to grab for Christmas

Top tip: GO NICHE!

In our experience, the more niche the gift guide, the better chance you’ve got of being seen by your perfect audience. A broader gift guide like ‘30 Christmas gifts’ would be a better idea for more established blogs that reach a high level of regular and returning traffic.

To illustrate that a little bit further, if you’re looking to promote an edit of children’s books about the planet this year, work those products into gift guides such as:

• 10 Christmas stocking fillers for space-mad children
• 24 affordable gift ideas for science-loving children this advent
• 5 children’s books about planet Earth to give this Christmas
• 15 books to give 10-year-olds for Christmas

Say you’re a jewellery fanatic and you’re looking to feature your favourite products in a wide range of gift guides to bring income and inspiration all year round. Working on gift guide themes like these 4 examples below might help you on your mission:

• 10 statement necklaces for spring brides
• 15 affordable friendship rings to gift your best friend
• 20 keepsake jewellery gifts for Grandparent’s Day
• 25 silver earrings ideas for mums this Mother’s Day

When do bloggers publish gift guides?

There are so many opportunities throughout the year to get featured in gift guides. By no means is this an exhaustive list but here are 14 popular ones:

1. Valentine’s Day
2. Mother’s Day
3. Father’s Day
4. Grandparent’s Day
5. End of the school year (thank you to teachers and caregivers)
6. Back to school
7. Halloween
8. Thanksgiving
9. Black Friday
10. Small Business Saturday
11. Cyber Monday
12. Advent
13. Christmas
14. New Year’s Eve

Lots of bloggers also build gift guide campaigns around awareness days such as:

1. World Mental Health Day
2. International Women’s Day
3. Earth Day
4. World Friendship Day
5. Playday
6. Organic September
7. ….And even National Cheesecake Day!

Publishing your collection of gift guides with plenty of time to take advantage of the elevated search traffic around that time is a great strategy to reach your target audience at the exact time they have the cash to spend and the intent to purchase.

How long should I feature a product in a gift guide?

Typically, products will feature in a gift guide until the next instance of the event or season. For instance, if you feature products in a gift guide for Thanksgiving, it’s likely they’ll be in it until next Thanksgiving when you update the gift guide by removing out-of-date content.

That’s not to say that you can’t feature products in a gift guide indefinitely. As long as the product is readily available over the years then it’s fine to feature the product for as long as you see fit.

Another strategy to take advantage of longevity is to ask the brand/retailer for a trackable link that earns you a commission for sales you introduce through your gift guide.

What are the benefits of publishing gift guides?

1. Commission
2. Revenue
3. Freebies
4. Organic traffic

Publishing gift guides can be a seriously good investment of time. Bloggers will typically bring in commission, revenue and freebies for featuring products in their gift guides, so it’s in your best interest to promote your gift guides to your loyal audiences who already trust your recommendations.

How to write a gift guide – what content should I include?

Firstly, take your time on the content of your gift guide. Producing gift guides can be ever so slightly repetitive, so clear time in your diary and get your head down! You’ll reap the rewards later.

Say you’re featuring your 10 favourite advent calendars for families; start by explaining why you’re publishing the gift guide with a punchy intro, then take your readers through the reasons why you included each product.

If you’re new to producing sales content, don’t stress about it, be authentic. My offbeat tip for you – catch a show on QVC and grab some tips on how they sell products to their audience.

Include the best, most crisp and attractive images of each product and include a clear call to action.

How do I promote my seasonal gift guides?

Spoiler! Unless your blog is very successful, just pressing publish on your content isn’t going to earn you much income. Here are some ideas for promoting your gift guides:

1. Use e.v.e.r.y free platform you can find to promote your gift guide
2. Take advantage of social networks
3. Share in friends and family WhatsApp groups
4. Add banners to your content in your blog sidebar
5. Drop your links in Facebook groups
6. Get other bloggers to share your guides, and do the same for them

How do I earn income from my gift guides?

Well, I’m glad you asked! There are various ways to strike up brand partnerships, but here are three tried and tested methods:

Method 1: Find brand partners using manual brand outreach

A rather l.a.b.o.r.i.o.u.s way to find brands to strike up gift guide agreements with is to search the internet for brands and retailers who match your ethos and contact them with your idea to collaborate. You’ll then spend time negotiating costs and terms, and agree on a mutually beneficial partnership. Be prepared to set aside several weeks for this process to run its course, and make sure you have the time to execute the strategy to its fullest so that you can reward your hard work with increased income and partnerships.

Method 2: Find brand partners – WITHOUT the outreach

Did you read method 1 and then cry “there must be an easier way to find brands to feature in my gift guides?” Use Get Blogged to save time on method one and be enjoying a pumpkin spiced latte by the fire toasting your elevated holiday income quicker than you can mutter ho ho ho.

On Get Blogged, we now feature brand gift guide campaigns where bloggers can pitch for fantastic opportunities to monetise their gift guides. We bring the opportunities to you so you don’t have to find them!

Earn more income from your gift guides now.

Method 3: Become an affiliate

If it’s instant cash you want, affiliate partnerships are probably not going to be your bag. But picture this; what if you could earn passive income year after year without having to do a lot? Sounds interesting, right?

To earn income from your content throughout the year, being an affiliate is a great strategy. Strike up affiliate partnerships with brands like Etsy, Not On The High Street, and loads of others, and promote their products in your gift guides to earn you a commission.

Now you’re ready to publish your gift guides

We’ve covered pretty much everything there is to know about producing gift guides to earn holiday income. Gift guides are a great way to showcase your favourite products and recommendations to your audience all year round, so get started now to take advantage of the opportunity!