Creators are moving up their holiday content calendars

Creator Playbooks // September 21, 2026 Creators are moving up their holiday content calendars By Gabriela Barkho Ivy Liu As a holiday season lover, content creator Devin Cordle is known to her over six million followers for posting about all things Christmas throughout the year.

This year, she says brands have taken notice and began reaching out for partnerships as early as July. This year, Cordle began laying the groundwork for her holiday content over the summer by posting hauls of fall decor and listening to Christmas music.

“You’re kind of pitching yourself to these brands, hoping they’ll notice and give you a brand deal [in time for the holidays]” Cordle said. Cordle is just one example of a creator increasingly strategizing with brands on holiday content long before shoppers encounter discounts and deals.

Sales are starting earlier and earlier, and with that, holiday-themed marketing campaigns are also kicking off earlier than ever before. Thanks to the introduction of fall sales events like Amazon Prime Big Deals Day, some customers are now doing their holiday shopping in October.

In turn, some brands now view August and September as a critical time to increase brand awareness, and even start making consumers aware of their holiday offerings. How creators are adjusting their content Cordle has some brand and retailer campaigns that are set to go live in the coming weeks.

While Cordle’s upcoming branded videos are still under embargo, she said last year sh e was able to secure holiday-focused content deals with Grinch x McDonald’s, Hallmark and CVS. This year, she is set to run similar campaigns on her social pages.

Nilou Ajdari, co-founder and head of talent at Currents Management, which represents Cordle, said many creator clients are moving their content calendars up to match up with brands’ promotional timelines. This year, Ajdari said, she received some of the earliest-ever requests for Q4 creator partnerships since the sales windows began to shift a few years ago.

“Starbucks is one example, where they reached out in July to get partners for their fall menu,” she said. Ajdari said that, even for brands waiting until October and November, they want the concept and creatives done and ready to go live as early as September.

She said this makes sense for big companies that have many hands involved in the production side of creator partnerships. How brands are building early creator campaigns Bedding brand Mellow Sleep has been strategizing by having creator affiliate partners, largely on TikTok, begin talking about the brand’s products way ahead of gifting season.

For example, in one video posted in late August, Hannah Bentley, one of Mellow Sleep’s top-selling affiliate partners, showcases the brand’s new espresso-colored comforter alongside her fall and Christmas decor. “We push our creators to be first in the market with holiday content, before anyone expects it,” Mellow Sleep co-founder Chad Keller said.

Keller said that the brand wants someone scrolling in October to stop and take notice. “That reaction is the point,” he said. “It’s slightly jarring, so people mention it, and that gets us word of mouth we didn’t pay for.” Mellow Sleep has a big presence on TikTok Shop. With that, Keller said, TikTok creators have to start promoting sales in early fall.

“This year TikTok’s holiday event starts November 14, which effectively sets the start date for everyone selling there,” he said. “You don’t really get a vote.” Keller said the company holds these early campaigns to a different conversion standard from the later Black Friday sales.

“That’s because content that doesn’t sell in September isn’t going to sell in November, it’s just going to cost more,” he said. However, early campaigns tell Mellow which creators, which hooks and which products deserve a budget in the weeks that actually matter. “We’d rather spend that learning in a cheap month than discover it during Cyber Week,” he said.

Meanwhile, Stellar Beauty Co. , a Gen Alpha-geared beauty brand targeting active teens, is leaning heavily into a paid influencer strategy starting this month through the holidays to promote the products in its holiday gift guides. Stellar Beauty Co. just launched in July.

Shortly after launch, the brand began specifically seeking out moms, tween and athlete creators to kick off content featuring gifting ideas. These campaigns, which begin going live this week, will feature a number of influencers who specifically make tween-focused product roundups Mallory Dorazio, co-founder of Stellar Beauty Co.

, said that as the brand learns from the category and what resonates with its customers, “We recognize that holiday success takes preparation.” “As a newer brand, we have to be intentional about building awareness, planning inventory, developing creative and creating opportunitie