Content ideas for Autumn 2024

How to use this guide

This pick ‘n’ mix guide is packed with inspiration and ideas for your marketing efforts over the autumn period, from September to November 2024.

For each month, I’ve prepared an event calendar, which might inspire a post, promotion or tie-in. I’ve included links where possible, so you’ll find all the information you need, including themes and full event details.

Please double-check the 2024 dates and that the events are still going ahead before you invest time and money on marketing.

There are also three seasonal content themes for each month, which you should be able adapt for your brand and your audience.

Remember, your content should be about helping rather than selling, so make sure it’s customer focused with a clear What’s In It For Me (WIIFM).

This is an evolving post that I return to and update every year. For advance notification of updates, make sure you’re following me on LinkedIn.

If you need more ideas, you’ll find plenty in my blog post:
111 Blog post ideas to benefit your business.

*Denotes events held on the same dates every year.

Content ideas for September 2024

Autumn-landscape-panorama — ^{Image by Robert_C at Pixabay}

September 2024 event calendar

Month-long events

1st* — World Alzheimer’s Month
1st* — Blood Cancer Awareness Month (UK)
1st* — Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
1st* — Oddfellows Friendship Month (UK)
1st* — Organic September (UK)
1st* — Sleeptember (UK)
1st* — Sourdough September (UK)
1st* — Urology Awareness Month (UK)
1st* — Vascular Disease Awareness Month (UK)
1st* — Walk Together for Bowel Cancer Month (UK)

Week+ long events

2nd — Know Your Numbers Week, for blood pressure (UK)
2nd — National Payroll Week (UK)
6th — Heritage Open Days (UK)
9th — Fairtrade Fortnight
15th — Balance Awareness Week (UK)
16th* — European Mobility Week
16th — Orchid Male Cancer Awareness Week (UK)
16th — Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Week (UK)
16th — National Coding Week (UK), starts third Monday in September
16th — Jeans for Genes Week (UK)
16th — Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week
20th — British Food Fortnight
23rd — National Eye Health Week (UK)
23rd — Fire Door Safety Week (UK), date TBC
23rd — FSC Forest Week, for the Forest Stewardship Council (UK)
23rd — International Week of Happiness at Work
23rd — Organ Donation Week (UK)
23rd — World Reflexology Week
23rd — Bike to School Week (UK)
29th — Shetland Wool Week (UK)

Days

4th — 60 years since Scotland’s Forth Road Bridge, near Edinburgh, officially opened
5th* — International Day of Charity
6th* — National Read a Book Day (UK)
7th* — World Salami Day
7th — International Vulture Awareness Day, first Saturday in September
8th* — International Literacy Day
9th — Pension Awareness Day (UK)
10th* — World Suicide Prevention Day (UK)
10th — 10 years since the first Invictus Games were held in London
13th* — International Chocolate Day
13th* — Roald Dahl Day (UK)
13th — World Sepsis Day
15th* — World Lymphoma Awareness Day
15th — International Dot Day, for creativity, TBC
15th* — International Day of Democracy
16th — EveryWoman Day (UK)
16th* — International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
18th — National Fitness Day (UK)
18th — 10 years since Scotland’s independence referendum
19th* — International Talk Like a Pirate Day
19th — Youth Mental Health Day (UK)
21st* — International Day of Peace
21st* — World Alzheimer’s Day
22nd* — World Car-Free Day
23rd — 5 years since travel company, Thomas Cook, collapsed, leaving 150,000 holidaymakers stranded
23rd — 50 years since the BBC launched Ceefax
25th — International Ataxia Awareness Day
25th — World School Milk Day, last Wednesday of September
26th — World Copywriters’ Day
26th* — European Day of Languages
26th* — World Contraception Day
27th — World’s Biggest Coffee Morning (UK)
27th — World Tourism Day
28th — World Rabies Day
29th* — Thank You #HiddenHeroes Day (UK)
29th — World Heart Day
30th* — National Sporting Heritage Day (UK)

September 2024 content ideas

1. Do something for charity

September 5th is the International Day of Charity. So why not do something to help your favourite charity and write a blog about it? Helping charities

Volunteer your staff or services to help with a charity project or event
Hold a fundraising event
Donate money to fund a project and write an article to show what your donation helped the charity to achieve
Give learning opportunities or apprenticeships to disadvantaged or underprivileged young people and document the process in a blog
Run a challenge or competition, charge people to enter and donate the profits to charity
Write a post to promote the charity you’re supporting, talk about the work they do and why it’s so important — tell your audience how they can help too.

2. Christmas countdown for marketing

In marketing circles, the start of autumn is the countdown to Christmas, so it’s a good time to start your Christmas preparation posts. Depending on your brand you may have one or several posts planned in the run up to Christmas.

Create a Christmas gift guide
Plan your Christmas special offers
Compile ideas and inspiration for Christmas: home decoration, recipes, time-saving, food preparation, party planning.

3. Winter break ideas

As summer comes to an end, your audience will be thinking about their next break. If you can make it relevant to your brand, give them some inspiration.

City breaks: destination ideas, city guides, restaurant recommendations, most popular tourist attractions, best cultural experiences, hidden gems that are off the beaten track
Winter activity holidays: skiing, snowboarding, sledging, ice fishing, whale watching, trekking, snow mobiles
Themed breaks: Christmas markets, reindeer rides, northern lights, winter snow, winter sun
UK breaks: destination ideas, Christmas markets, winter customs and events.

Content ideas for October 2024

Row-of-pumpkin-lanterns — ^{Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay}

October 2024 event calendar

Month-long events

1st* — ADHD Awareness Month
1st* — Black History Month (UK)
1st* — Breast Cancer Awareness Month (UK)
1st* — The Big Draw Festival, TBC
1st* — Charcot-Marie-Tooth Awareness Month, TBC
1st* — Inktober
1st* — National Cholesterol Month (UK), TBC
1st* — Go Sober for October (UK)
1st* — Lupus Awareness Month (UK)
1st* — International School Library Month
1st* — Stoptober, to quit smoking (UK), TBC
1st* — Unblocktober, to fight plastic entering our seas (UK)
1st* — International Walk to School Month
1st — Wear it Pink, for breast cancer (UK), TBC

Week-long+ events

1st — National Vegetarian Week
2nd — Back Care Awareness Week (UK)
4th* — World Space Week
5th — Family Learning Festival (UK)
7th — National Curry Week, (UK)
7th — Dyslexia Awareness Week (UK)
7th — National Hygiene Week (UK)
7th — National Work Life Week (UK)
9th — National Braille Week (UK)
9th — Baby Loss Awareness Week (UK)
14th — Recycle Week (UK)
14th — UK Coffee Week
16th — Better Sleep Week (UK)
26th — International Brain Tumour Awareness Week
30th — Diwali begins

Days

1st* — International Coffee Day
1st* — International Day of Older Persons (UK)
1st* — World Vegetarian Day
3rd — National Poetry Day
4th* — World Animal Day
4th — World Smile Day, first Friday in October every year
5th* — World Teachers’ Day
6th* — National Badger Day (UK)
7th* — World Habitat Day
9th* — World Post Day
10th — World Mental Health Day
10th — World Sight Day
10th* — World Porridge Day
11th* — International Coming Out Day
11th* — International Day of the Girl Child
11th — World Egg Day, second Friday in October
12th — World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
13th — National No Bra Day (UK)
13th — International Sceptics’ Day
15th* — Global Hand-washing Day
15th* — Global Wave of Light, for baby loss
16th* — World Food Day
16th* — Restart a Heart Day
17th — Conflict Resolution Day, third Thursday of October
17th — International Credit Union Day
17th* — International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
17th — World Values Day
18th* — Anti-Slavery Day (UK)
18th — Wear Red Day, against racism (UK)
18th* — World Menopause Day
19th — Apple Day (UK), weekend closest to the 21st
19th — International Gin and Tonic Day
20th* — World Osteoporosis Day
21st* — National Reptile Awareness Day
25th —World Pasta Day
25th — International Champagne Day
27th — National Sleep-in Day (UK)
27th — British Summertime Ends (UK)
31st — Halloween

October 2024 content ideas

1. Preparing for winter

It may only be October, but it’s a good time for your audience to plan ahead for the colder months and make sure they and their homes are prepared.

Winter home prep: insulation, boiler, heating system, radiators, fire/chimney, smoke detectors, draughts and air leaks, roofs, gutters, outside lighting etc
Winter garden prep: trimming and pruning, storing furniture and pots, shed/greenhouse maintenance, salts for paths and driveways, repair broken/dangerous steps and paving slabs
Winter vehicle prep: battery, tyres, anti-freeze levels, oil, screenwash, lights, kit to carry in case of emergency
Personal care for winter: medicine cupboard essentials, hair/skin care, foot care, joint care, colds and flu, keeping warm, staying active, healthy foods and drinks
Winter clothes: latest fashions, warmest outerwear, best non-slip footwear, skiwear, sunglasses.

2. Halloween

Halloween is known for wickedness and mischief, so it’s a good time to write about bad things. Here are some ideas:

Buyer beware: scams, swindles, hoaxes, rip-offs
Bad behaviour that loses customers, such as poor etiquette, spamming, aggressive selling and poor customer service
Shocking mistakes people are making that are preventing them from achieving their goals
How to recognise the signs of bad clients and troublesome customers
Scary statistics that show your audience why they should/shouldn’t be doing something in their business.

3. End of British Summertime

UK clocks go back one hour this month, giving people a whole extra hour of time. So you could talk about some of the things that can be achieved in an hour. There are lots of themes for this, depending on your brand, but here are some ideas:

Teach them how to make something
Show them how to make a plan or prepare something in advance
Host a one-hour course where they can learn something valuable
Host a practical class, in person or online
Help them write a blog post or schedule some social media posts
Encourage them to do something they might have been putting off
Take them through a how-to to demonstrate a new technique.

Content ideas for November 2024

Autumn-leaves-panorama — ^{Image by geralt at Pixabay}

November 2024 event calendar

Month-long events

1st* — Lung Cancer Awareness Month (UK)
1st* — Mouth Cancer Action Month (UK)
1st* — Movember, for men’s health
1st* — National Novel-Writing Month (UK)
1st* — National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (UK)
1st* — World Vegan Month

Week-long events

4th — National Pathology Week (UK)
4th — International Stress Awareness Week
4th — Green Careers Week (UK)
4th — Talk Money Week (UK)
4th — Lifelong Learning Week (UK)
11th — Anti-Bullying Week (UK)
11th — World Nursery Rhyme Week
11th — Sugar Awareness Week (UK), TBC
14th — National Pizza Week, TBC
17th — Road Safety Week (UK)
18th — Book Week, Scotland

Days

1st* — World Vegan Day
2nd — National Stress Awareness Day (UK)
3rd — World Sandwich Day
5th — Bonfire Night
7th — International Stout Day, every first Thursday of November, TBC
8th* — World Radiography Day
9th* — World Freedom Day
13th* — World Kindness Day
14th* — World Diabetes Day
18th — Children in Need
19th* — International Men’s Day
19th* — World Toilet Day
20th — World COPD Awareness Day
20th* — World Children’s Day
25th — White Ribbon Day, for violence against women (UK)
21st* — World Television Day
21st — Carers’ Rights Day (UK), TBC
29th — Black Friday
30th* — St Andrew’s Day

November 2024 content ideas

1. Christmas countdown for customers

For many of your customers, the start of November starts the countdown to Christmas, so anything you can do to help will be appreciated.

Update customers on your festive season opening hours, delivery dates, last chance dates etc so they can make sure they’re prepared — you can follow this up with a series of reminder posts on social media
Create a Christmas checklist to help your customers with planning, workload, shopping etc.

2. Stress Awareness Day

November 2nd is National Stress Awareness Day. This could be a great opportunity to help your customers by:

Showing them how what you offer can make their lives less stressful
Giving them hacks and tips to make their work/lives more manageable
Talking about healthy vs. unhealthy ways of dealing with stress
Write about the benefits of exercise and taking more time outside
Compile a list of helpful stress-management resources.

REMEMBER, you can also visit the website to see what the 2024 theme is and write a post based around that.

3. Recycle an old blog

Articles that are more than three years’ old are often out of date and need a refresh, so why not recycle or repurpose an old blog and republish it?

Here are a few ideas on how to do it:

Update the article with the latest information and statistics
Expand the article with more information and add more value
Add new voices and industry insights
If it’s an image-based article, update the images to show the latest trends and styles
Rewrite it to show how things have changed since you published the original article.

Want to add an event?

My aim is to build a comprehensive calendar of UK and international events. If there’s a great event that’s missing and you’d like me to consider including it, please get in touch with the details and official website.