Seasonal topics are a great way to connect with pet parents through your pet service blog. Seasonal blog topics are easy to write about, and pet parents find them relatable because they answer their most immediate questions.
Seasonal topics are both timely and evergreen, which makes them a simple, long-term investment for your pet care blog. They are timely because as the weather changes, so do pet care needs. They are evergreen because the same seasonal care questions come up year after year.
When you write a seasonal blog post, it can be used again in future years. You can repurpose a seasonal blog post by taking the previous year’s post, writing a new intro, refreshing your perspective, swapping out or updating the highlighted tips, and ending with an updated call to action. Basically, tweak last year’s seasonal post in slightly different words and with a new desire to connect and encourage.
To help you get started with seasonal posts related to pets, I’ve brainstormed five topics per month that are seasonally inspired. You can use these topics or let them inspire new topics for you.
January
- Safety tips for walking your dog in cold weather.
- How to prepare your fish aquarium for a winter power outage.
- Cold weather pet grooming tips.
- Encouraging one New Year commitment to your pet.
- How to prepare for pet care during bad winter weather, like a blizzard, ice on the ground, or long-term power outage.
February
- Recipe for a safe, simple, homemade pet treat to say, “I love you.”
- Planning a romantic mid-winter getaway? Get your pet sitters lined up.
- Five ways to show your pet you love them; and how telling your pet you love them and letting them feel that you love them is good for them, how it helps you both.
- If your pet wrote you a valentine, what would it say? Then invite your reader to respond with what their pet would say to them.
- What are 10 things you love about your pet? And invite the reader to come up with their own list about their pet. Kids can get in on the fun too!
March
- How to protect animals outdoors in high winds.
- How to prep a tornado safety plan to include your pets.
- Reminder and ways to get your pet ready for flea and tick season.
- Dog grooming tips for spring.
- When is outdoor water (streams, etc.) too cold for dogs?
April
- How to make rainy day walks more enjoyable for your dog.
- Flower and plant allergies/toxins common to cats or dogs.
- Advice for how to keep a neutral temperature setting for your pets at home during the day, while the outside temperature goes up and down one day to the next; include advice about places for pets to get warm or cool off inside your home, and how often to check on them.
- Be careful to keep Easter candy away from pets.
- Advice for pets getting stung by insects, and how to minimize this happening.
May
- How to keep pets safe from coyotes that are rearing young and active in spring-summer, if present in your local area; if not, discuss another local spring-summer predator or danger like poisonous snakes, etc.
- Ways to celebrate and honor your dog-mom friends on Mother’s Day.
- End of school, holidays, lots of activity, everyone is busy—don’t forget to line up pet sitting.
- How to manage dog walks with frequent thunder and lightning storms.
- Thunder care options for dogs.
June
- Are fruits and vegetables important for your cat, dog, or other pet? What’s helpful, warnings, how to give, when, etc.
- Tips for traveling with your pet.
- Swimming pool dos and don’ts for dogs.
- How to keep your pet cool in summer.
- June wedding? Creative ways to include your pet (or not!), even if it’s just in a photo.
July
- How to keep your pets calm on the Fourth of July.
- Dogs at the beach? Yes, no? Advice?
- How to create more outdoor shade for pets.
- How to help pets stay cool when the AC gives out.
- Tips for finding pet-friendly hotels for summer travel.
August
- Pets and picnics.
- Adjusting to pet care during back-to-school schedule.
- Pets and classroom show-and-tell.
- How to help your youngster learn pet care.
- Simple pet care chores for kids of different age levels and different types of pets.
September
- Pets and family weekend camping.
- Enjoying time outside with pets.
- Helping kids juggle school, activities, and pets, including quality time with pets beyond basic food and water.
- Tips for sharing pet care routines in a family.
- Prepping for cold weather pet care.
October
- Beware of pets and poisonous insects or reptiles when fallen leaves start piling up.
- How to keep pets calm on Halloween.
- To costume or not to costume pets.
- Safety tips for dog walking after dark.
- Keeping Halloween candy away from pets.
November
- How the seasonal time change may affect your pets.
- Helping pets navigate Thanksgiving crowds and kids.
- Any Thanksgiving treats that are safe for dogs or cats to eat? Pumpkin. Green beans without seasonings. Sparingly.
- Do you have all your winter pet supplies and plans in place?
- Take time to be thankful for your pet.
December
- Line up holiday pet sitters early.
- Cute and safe gift ideas for kids to give their pets.
- Don’t overindulge your pets with treats on Christmas; their digestion is the same every day of the year.
- Making a Christmas tree ornament with a pet photo.
- Keeping your indoor Christmas tree pet-safe—and tips on making an outdoor tree safe for pets and local birds.
Those are a few examples of seasonally related pet care topics that can be used and repurposed year after year. Keep this list handy for future reference. Add new topics as you feel inspired throughout the year.
An effective pet service blog will have a good mix of pet-focused topics; seasonal topics will be a part of that mix. Seasonal themes can fill your need for both timely and evergreen posts. And if you’re drawing a blank on your next blog topic, you can always fill in with something seasonal, at any time of the year.
Here’s a simple starting point for this week:
- Choose a current seasonal topic from the above list.
- Create a simple bullet-point outline for that topic.
- Fill in the details you want to share with pet parents.
- Schedule your post, and your blog is ready to go.
- Repeat with a seasonal topic for the following month.
If you need help with a seasonal strategy, with writing your new blog posts, or with refreshing and repurposing your older blog posts, please feel free to contact me.
Janet Eriksson 