4 content ideas for October (inspired by awareness days)

September 29, 2022

Stuck for ideas for social media? Here’s 4 content ideas for October that use awareness days.

In this episode of the Courageous Content Podcast, which you can also read as a blog, I’ll share four ready-to-go content ideas for October. Use them as inspiration for social media posts, blogs, newsletters, podcasts…whatever content you create to promote your business.

Here’s the awareness days I cover:

ADHD Awareness Month (October)

World Smile Day (October 7)

Clean Up Your Virtual Desktop Day (October 17)

Checklist Day (October 30)

In my episode on how to turn awareness days into content (without being cheesy, cliched or sounding like everyone else online), I shared 3 approaches you can take to turning awareness days into content – do have a listen if you haven’t already – but here’s a quick summary.

Literal
Theme-Based
Metaphorical

If you have my Courageous Content Planner, you’ll be familiar with the four styles of content I recommend (if not, here’s a summary).

News/trends: solves a problem and/or answers a question for your ideal customers/clients – that is timely and relevant at the time of publication

Inspire: reassures your customers/clients and inspires them to take action (including buying your product/service)

Community: nurtures your relationship with your audience

Educate: answers a question for your ideal customers/clients – that is timely and relevant at the time of publication

If you’re listening to this episode in the month during or before October 2022 share a link in the shownotes – use the code OCTOBER at the checkout to grab your Courageous Content Planner & Content Kit for just £67 (a saving of third on the headline price) – an exclusive offer for podcast listeners.

First off, a reminder that you don’t have to use awareness dates ‘literally’. If a date doesn’t feel super relevant to your business – you can take a more thematic approach. So, for example, October is ADHD month and you don’t have to have ADHD to use the date to inspire content ideas.

For example, one of the key challenges for people who have ADHD is around executive function e.g. planning/organisation. Another is impulsivity i.e. acting without thinking – which can be both a blessing and a curse.

ADHD Awareness Month (October)

To create news/trends post you could share a new tool/app or resource that helps with organisation/planning (ADHD related or otherwise).

Sharing a relatable story, quote or meme about being organised (or not). Or a time you acted impulsively – or resisted doing so – and how it worked out would make a great inspire post.

If you have ADHD you could share a meme/quote about how ADHD can be an asset rather than a problem.

One of the easiest ways to create community content is to ask questions. For example, you could ask: ‘What’s your favourite procrastination activity?’

To create an educate post, share specific tips on organisation/planning e.g. how to finish every task you start or ensure you leave yourself enough time to complete projects.

Sharing tips/strategies on dealing with ADHD that are relevant to your business (e.g. office/desk organisation that helps keep focus, useful to-do lists, or clever hacks for finishing what you’ve started) could be a very useful piece of educate content.

World Smile Day (October 7)

To create a news/trends post, you could create a ‘list’ post e.g. [INSERT NUMBER] films/books/TV shows that will make you smile in [INSERT MONTH/SEASON]. Remember news/trends content needs to be timely/relevant (hence added in the month/season/time of year).

Or you could create a ‘reasons to smile’ post e.g. [INSERT NUMBER] reasons to smile [INSERT SEASON/MONTH] if you’re [CALL OUT IDEAL CUSTOMER/CLIENT].

Community content is all about conversation and connection – so you could ask a question about what makes your community happy. Remember though that you need to make it as easy as possible for people to respond. A question like ‘what makes you happy?’ is too open – most people would have to think too hard to answer it. A question like ‘Share a song that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face’ is far more likely to get a response.

Inspire content you could share a relatable story/anecdote about smiling in the face of adversity. Or a time you had to pick yourself up after a difficult experience.

Or you could inspire people to invest in your product/service by creating a post like this:

Why my [INSERT PRODUCT/SERVICE] will make you smile if you’re a [CALL OUT IDEAL CUSTOMER/CLIENT].

A ‘reasons to smile’ post could also work as news/trends content. [INSERT NUMBER] reasons to smile [INSERT SEASON/MONTH] if you’re [CALL OUT IDEAL CUSTOMER/CLIENT].

For example: Reasons to smile if you’re going through a messy breakup (yes there are some)

Educate content is all about answering your ideal customers/clients questions and/or solving their problems. Depending on your business/brand, it may be possible to take a ‘literal’ approach here.

If you’re a dentist for example: ‘how to create the perfect smile’ or ‘how to feel less self-conscious about smiling when you first get braces fitted.’ If you’re a photographer: ‘how to smile naturally in photos’ – without or ‘should you smile in your LinkedIn photo?’

Googling phrases that relate to the theme is a great way to get ideas by the way. I Googled ‘Should you smile’ and got – should you smile at your dog, should you smile in interviews…and even ‘should you smile at a monkey’? Try it and see what comes up that relates to your business brand.

If you really can’t find a link, here’s some fill-in-the gaps educate style ideas on this theme:

[INSERT NUMBER] ways to stay positive if you’re [INSERT CHALLENGE/OBSTACLE]

How to keep smiling when [INSERT CHALLENGE/OBSTACLE]

[INSERT NUMBER] things that are guaranteed to make you smile when [INSERT CHALLENGE/OBSTACLE]

Clean Up Your Virtual Desktop Day (October 17)

If it’s relevant to your business, you can literally create content on how to clean up your desktop (God knows mine needs it!). If not, take the theme of cleaning up/improvement.

Here’s some fill-in-the-gaps post ideas/prompts for you.

News/trends

[INSERT MONTH/SEASON] ideas for cleaning up/improving your [INSERT SOMETHING YOUR IDEAL
CUSTOMERS/CLIENTS WOULD LIKE TO IMPROVE – VIRTUAL OR OTHERWISE]

1️⃣ [IDEA 1]
2️⃣ [IDEA 2]
3️⃣ [IDEA 3]

Add 4 & 5 if necessary

Inspire

Share a relatable/inspiring story/experienced about something (or someone) you removed from
your life that had a positive effect

Community

Is your computer desktop tidy or organised?

Share a pic of your computer desktop and ask our community to share theirs

Educate

Warning signs you shouldn’t ignore if you’re a [CALL OUT IDEAL CUSTOMER/CLIENT] who wants to [INSERT DESIRABLE OUTCOME]

[SIGN 1]
[SIGN 2]
[SIGN 3]

Add 4 & 5 if necessary

[INSERT CALL TO ACTION]

Checklist Day (October 30)

Creating a list post about lists is an easy way to create a news/trends post. For example:

[INSERT NUMBER] checklists every [CALL OUT IDEAL CLIENT/CUSTOMER] should make in [INSERT MONTH/SEASON].

Sharing a relatable/funny quote/meme about lists is a great way to create an inspire post. For example as an ADHDer, I am terrible at creating (and sticking to) lists.

If you have my Courageous Awareness Days Content Kit, by the way, there is a session specifically on how to find shareable quotes/memes.

If you Pre-Ordered my 2023 Courageous Content Planner & Content Kit it was one of the bonuses with your order.

To create a community post, you could simply ask: are you a list maker or a list breaker?

OR: I mostly make lists about _________________________

Educate content is all about solving problems and making life easier for your community. So here’s a template you could use for this date.

[INSERT NUMBER] checklists you should create today if you want [INSERT DESIRABLE OUTCOME]

By the way, if you liked those fill-in-the gaps post ideas (or any of the ideas I shared) there are 1000+ of them in my 2023 Courageous Content Planner & Content Kit – which will save you a ton of time and money on your content.

If you’re listening to this episode in the month during or before October 2022, use the code OCTOBER at the checkout to grab your Courageous Content Planner & Content Kit for just £67 (a saving of a third on the headline price) – an exclusive offer for podcast listeners.

Need more ideas on how to use awareness days to inspire content ideas for your business?

Here’s some non-cheesy ways to turn awareness days into social media posts.

PLUS 3 myths about using awareness days in your content and Common mistakes business owners make with awareness days.