Coming up
What to post for Valentine's Day
A Sunday this year, so couples mostly celebrate on the weekend just before; keep the day for the low-key ones.
Sun 14 Feb 2027the date 140 days to gofrom today 14 daysthe run-up
Pick your days and we write your own guide. Your first plan is free.
Pick your days below. Nothing is made until you say.
The run-up
Every day between now and then that is worth a post
Not one a day. These are the ones that do a job. What each is for is underneath it.
Sun 31 Jan 14 days before Post the plan two weeks out The organised bookers move first, so put your offer up early, the set menu, the bouquet, the table for two. Give the keen ones something to lock in.
Write this one →
Thu 4 Feb 10 days before Show the actual thing A photo of the real bouquet or the table laid, not a heart graphic. People reserve what they can already picture themselves being given.
Write this one →
Mon 8 Feb 6 days before Speak to the one who left it late A gentle 'not sorted anything yet? we've got you' speaks to the people who still haven't booked, often a bigger crowd than the organised, and your real market.
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Thu 11 Feb 3 days before Say what's nearly gone If tables or bouquets are running down, post the count. A real number nudges the ditherer in a way no amount of romance will.
Write this one →
Sun 14 Feb The day Two windows on the day Morning for the flowers-and-breakfast crowd, late afternoon for the after-work dash. That second post rescues everyone who forgot until five o'clock.
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How many days will you post?
4
4 days, all free.
Your days
Jan 31 14 days to Valentine's Day Sunday 31 January Post the plan two weeks out
Feb 4 10 days to Valentine's Day Thursday 4 February Show the actual thing
Feb 11 3 days to Valentine's Day Thursday 11 February Say what's nearly gone
Feb 14 Valentine's Day day Sunday 14 February Two windows on the day
The day itself is always one of them.
Written for · from About you
About you + a customer to write for
Your first plan this year, of 4 free. Nothing is posted anywhere.
The 99p pack: four more days on this plan. Paid once with a card. No account, no subscription.
Your plan · Halloween · 4 days Otley Barbers at Halloween Four days spread across the run-up, the day itself in. Each one is written for a barber in Chapel Allerton, and each one is a thing to think about while you work that day.
Kept on your profile Oct 11
20 days to Halloween Sunday 11 October · day 1 of 4
Suggested time · Sun 6 to 8 pm i Say it is coming
- One line, no photo: "Something is planned for the 31st."
- Photograph nothing yet. The wait is part of it.
- While you work: which dad would ask for a spooky colour spray for the kids? Note the name.
Why Sun 6 to 8 pm: Dads plan the week on Sunday night, after bedtime.
Everything on this card goes with it to What should I post?
Oct 17
14 days to Halloween Saturday 17 October · day 2 of 4
Suggested time · Sat 9 to 10 am i Show it half-made
- The pumpkin in the window before it is carved.
- The kids' cut offer half-written on the board behind you.
- While you work: ask two Saturday dads if they would book the 31st.
Why Sat 9 to 10 am: Saturday dads book the morning of, from the school car park.
Everything on this card goes with it to What should I post?
Oct 25
6 days to Halloween Sunday 25 October · day 3 of 4
Suggested time · Sun 6 to 8 pm i Show the proof
- The first kid with the Halloween colour, from behind, with the cape on.
- The chair by the window with the carved pumpkin on the counter.
- While you work: count the Saturday slots left and write the number down.
Why Sun 6 to 8 pm: Same slot as day one: they saw the first post here.
Everything on this card goes with it to What should I post?
Oct 31
Halloween day Saturday 31 October · day 4 of 4
Suggested time · Sat 8 am and 4 pm i The day itself, twice
- Morning: what is still free today, with the opening time in the picture.
- Late afternoon: the last of it, "two chairs left till six".
- While you work: one photo of the busiest moment for next year.
Why Sat 8 am and 4 pm: The morning post catches the planners, the afternoon one the ones who forgot.
Everything on this card goes with it to What should I post?
Want more days? The 99p pack adds four to this plan.
The idea most businesses miss
Make the choice, so they don't have to
Barry Schwartz showed that too many options don't free people, they freeze them, and leave them less happy with whatever they finally pick. A panicky Valentine's buyer doesn't want a list of forty ideas; they want one good one. Offer a clear set menu, a single ready-made bouquet, an obvious answer, and you rescue the ditherer instead of adding to the noise.
Barry Schwartz, psychologist and author of The Paradox of Choice · The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, Ecco/HarperCollins, 2004
Questions
The questions people ask
- I'm a barber or a salon, Valentine's isn't really my thing.
- It's the day before the date. 'Book in before the weekend and look the part' is a Valentine's post that sells a cut, not a rose.
- Everyone posts hearts and roses. How do I stand out?
- Show your actual thing with your actual price on it. The real bouquet beats a hundred generic hearts, because someone can imagine handing it over.
- We're not a fancy restaurant.
- Good, 'no fuss, just a lovely meal and a table by the window' is exactly what a great many couples actually want.
The other dates worth the effort
Sun 7 Mar 2027 Mothering Sunday 161 days to go Mothering Sunday isn't about you, it's about the person trying not to let their mum down. Make them the one who got it right. 6 posts to make →
Tue 9 Feb 2027 Pancake Day 135 days to go Pancake Day is a reminder the whole country shares on the same morning. Your only job is to be the easy answer when they think of it. 5 posts to make → Everything else The whole calendar
The rest of this year and all of next, with the British ones in the right place.
Open the calendar →