What should your Pongal content calendar look like?

A festival content plan does not need to be a big document. A small seller can run one from a single page, as long as each week has a clear job. Here is a gentle structure you can bend to your own schedule.

Fix your dates first

Take the festival date from a calendar, since it changes every year. Then write down your last order date and the day you stop shipping before the festival. Everything else hangs off these. If you are not sure how to set them, how to announce festive shipping cut-off dates is a good guide.

I am not stating exact dates or what customers will buy, and your calendar should be built from your own facts.

A week-by-week outline

Count backwards from your cut-off. Adjust the number of weeks to fit your own timeline.

• Early weeks, the warm-up. Show the products you will focus on, behind-the-scenes making or packing, and ask a question in stories so followers tell you what they want. This is research as much as content.
• Middle weeks, the offer. Present your festive range, a hamper or a bundle, with a clear price and photos. Post a reel that shows what is inside, and answer common questions in a story.
• Final weeks, the reminder. Repeat the cut-off date, show dispatch happening, and highlight any items running low. Be honest about which are almost gone.
• Cut-off day. A clear last call, short and plain.
• After the cut-off. Thank customers, show parcels going out, and say when new orders will ship.

A simple posting rhythm

Do not try to post daily if you cannot sustain it. Pick a rhythm you can keep, such as a few feed posts and several stories a week. See how often should a tiny seller post on Instagram for how to think about this, and how to keep an Instagram content calendar simple for a layout.

Use WhatsApp alongside Instagram

Your WhatsApp list is likely your warmest audience. Send one announcement of the range, one reminder before the cut-off and one last call. Do not send more than people will tolerate. Our post on how often to send a WhatsApp broadcast helps you judge.

Keep your store in step

Make sure your store matches what you post. If you announce a hamper, it should be listed and priced. In Varchas Stores you can keep festive products in a drop with a status that you update as stock moves from In stock to Selling fast to Sold out, so the store tells the same story as your posts. Also check that the announcement bar mentions your cut-off.

Leave room for the unplanned

Plan roughly two-thirds of your posts and keep the rest free for customer photos, delays, or a sudden sell-out. If something goes wrong, say so quickly; communicating festival and weather delays explains how.

Review after

When the festival ends, note which posts brought questions and orders, using how to tell which Instagram post brought an order. Keep that note for next year, since it is more useful than any template.