While tanned and oiled bodies glistening on exotic beaches, the comforting smell of freshly mowed grass, and the inevitable end of Summer define the highlights of August, we should acknowledge the fact that August is also the start of Calendar Season.

WHAT? Calendars? In August? We must be outside of our skulls! But no, we are not. As a matter of fact, if you’re thinking about releasing a 2024 calendar, it would do you well to follow along with these tips for planning, executing and marketing your calendar for optimal results.

… And if you think it’s too early to start thinking about a calendar 6 months before the New Year, think again. Planning and creating a calendar involves several key steps and here are a few basic you can follow:

1. Define your Calendar Theme (or Don’t): Your calendar theme or concept could be based on various topics such as recreations of famous photos, a bikini calendar, Moods, or any other niche that aligns with your audience’s interests. Or you could opt to simply build your calendar around your favorite social media photos – either option works and there is no hard and fast rule regarding concepts or themes. Do what feels good!
2. Choosing the Best Images: High-quality images are paramount to a successful calendar. If you’re shooting new content, talk to your photographer BEFORE your shoot – make sure he/she understands your concept and that you will ultimately have the rights to use the content in your calendar. If you are using photos you already have, make sure you get the hi-rez versions from the original photographer AND again, be sure you have the rights to use the photos in your calendar.
3. Consider the size and orientation of your calendar: The most popular sizes are 12×12 square and the 12×18 centerfold stye. These days, 98% of all photo shoots concentrate on social media friendly image sizes, which are vertically oriented. The 12×12 calendars require square photos which most photographers don’t shoot unless that orientation is requested. Based on our experience and sales data from the past 3 years, the 12×12 calendar is the more popular size and also note that the 12×18 variation comes with a slightly higher printing cost.
4. Include Important Dates: Identify and include important dates, holidays, or events relevant to you and your audience. This will make your calendar more engaging and definitely more personal.
5. Proofread and Finalize: Review the entire calendar for any errors or inconsistencies. Double-check dates, captions, spellings, and other details.
6. Print and Production: Determine the quantity of calendars you wish to produce – and don’t let your ego assist in that decision. It’s better to start small and re-order than to over-order up front.
7. Marketing and Distribution: Develop a marketing strategy to promote your calendar. Utilize online platforms, social media, email marketing, and other online outlets to reach your target audience. Consider offering discounts, bundling options, or partnering with other relevant influencers for cross promotion to boost sales.
8. Fulfilling Orders: Delivery to your buyers is not nearly as simple as you might think. Over the past few years, shipping has become a virtual nightmare full of lost shipments and damaged goods. Finding the right fulfillment partner will make your life 137X easier and in most cases, the fulfillment partner will handle customer service issues. Trust me, you’ll be thankful you followed this little tidbit of advice.

By following these steps, you can plan and create a calendar that appeals to your target audience while maximizing its sales potential.

Now, if you’re planning on shooting new content for your calendar, there’s quite a few moving parts and logistics you’ll need to account for:

1. Calendars go on sale long before January 1^st. At worst, you want your calendar to hit the shelves no later than October 15^th. You need to give your buyers time. You should also consider that international orders can take a while to process.
2. Theme, budget, wardrobe and location. In a perfect world, every model planning a calendar would have unlimited resources, but we know that’s just not the case. If you’re planning on shooting all new photos, nailing down your theme and budget is paramount, and only after you’ve reached those milestones can you start thinking about your wardrobe and location. These pieces of the proverbial puzzle may sound pretty straightforward, but I’ve seen many a calendar go off the rails because this group of items wasn’t constructed properly at all.
3. Give your photographer at least 2 to 3 weeks for photo editing. There’s a lot more to shooting a calendar than just showing up to a location and getting your photos taken. Photo editing can, and usually is, a painstaking process requiring a deft eye and ample time to massage the photos into the best version of themselves. 2 to 3 weeks is about average for 15 to 20 photos, but I’ve seen it take a lot longer. I would absolutely suggest talking about timelines with your photographer so that neither of you are surprised once the edit process gets started.

If you’re planning on shooting new content for your calendar, there’s quite a few moving parts and logistics you’ll need to account for:

1. Calendars go on sale long before January 1^st. At worst, you want your calendar to hit the shelves no later than October 15^th. You need to give your buyers time. You should also consider that international orders can take a while to process.
2. Theme, budget, wardrobe and location. In a perfect world, every model planning a calendar would have unlimited resources, but we know that’s just not the case. If you’re planning on shooting all new photos, nailing down your theme and budget is paramount, and only after you’ve reached those milestones can you start thinking about your wardrobe and location. These pieces of the proverbial puzzle may sound pretty straightforward, but I’ve seen many a calendar go off the rails because this group of items wasn’t constructed properly at all.
3. Give your photographer at least 2 to 3 weeks for photo editing. There’s a lot more to shooting a calendar than just showing up to a location and getting your photos taken. Photo editing can, and usually is, a painstaking process requiring a deft eye and ample time to massage the photos into the best version of themselves. 2 to 3 weeks is about average for 15 to 20 photos, but I’ve seen it take a lot longer. I would absolutely suggest talking about timelines with your photographer so that neither of you are surprised once the edit process gets started.

But wait! You really don’t have to shoot all new content.

Who doesn’t want to save time and money? Well, that’s easy enough, just don’t shoot new content.

For every photo you’ve posted on social media over the past year, odds are you have 5 to 50 additional photos from that same set that you didn’t post. USE THEM. The set has already proven to be well liked and chances are you need only pay to get them edited or retouched – that’s a far cry from having to go through the pains and expense of shooting all new calendar content.

No matter what, you’re only talking about needing 15 photos for a premium calendar, (Front and back cover, centerfold and 1 photo for each month). Surely you have 15 great photos in your library from this year that you haven’t posted yet.

Need more? We are available for $0 cost consulting for calendar and merch needs. Just reach out via email or DM and we’ll set up a zoom. Easy peasy and who know, one of us might learn something!