Seasonal promotions
Six moments a year
Most solo artists either over-promote (everything is 20% off, all the time, so nothing is) or under-promote (announce nothing, watch the seasonal traffic go to competitors). The right answer is roughly six big moments a year with specific mechanics: not generic discounts.
The calendar
February (Valentine's)
Pamper-yourself / partner gift
- Audience
- Existing clients buying a self-gift; partners buying for their significant other.
- Mechanic
- Gift card promo (buy $100, get $20 bonus). Couples-spray promo (book two, $10 off each).
- Discount
- Bonus on gift card OR bundled $10-15 off per service for the couples flow
- Lead time
- Announce 14-21 days ahead. Run through Feb 14.
March-April (Spring break)
Pre-vacation glow
- Audience
- Anyone traveling for spring break + the wedding-season run-up.
- Mechanic
- Pre-vacation tan + aftercare-kit add-on bundle. Or a packaged 'spring break prep' set (tan + brow tint + lash fill).
- Discount
- 10-15% off the bundle vs paying a la carte
- Lead time
- Announce 21-28 days ahead.
May (Mother's Day)
Mothers + bridal-party kickoff
- Audience
- Gift-buyers + the start of peak wedding season.
- Mechanic
- Mother-daughter spray package (both book, $20 off per service). Bridal-party booking link prominent on every page.
- Discount
- Mother-daughter bundle 15%; bridal-party group rate per /help/bridal-pricing-2026.
- Lead time
- 14 days before Mother's Day.
June-September (Wedding season)
Sustained bridal + event tan
- Audience
- Bridal parties, wedding guests, pageants, formal events.
- Mechanic
- Bridal-party booking flow front-and-center on the booking page. Add a separate 'wedding guest' service line at 5-10% off the standard rate.
- Discount
- Standard bridal pricing (see /help/bridal-pricing-2026); 5-10% off for non-bride wedding guests booking 5+ days out.
- Lead time
- Permanent through the season; ramp up landing-page emphasis in May.
August-September (Back to school)
Refresh + routine restart
- Audience
- College students returning to campus; parents resuming routines.
- Mechanic
- Standalone 'fresh start' service (tan + brow tint + lash fill). Or a returning-client retention nudge (use the win-back automation).
- Discount
- Refresh-bundle 10-15%; refer-a-friend $25 mutual credit.
- Lead time
- 10-14 days before Labor Day.
November-December (Holidays)
Pre-event + holiday-glow + gifting
- Audience
- Everyone with a December event + gift buyers (couples, families).
- Mechanic
- Gift card emphasis (top of booking page hero). 'Holiday party prep' service bundle. Last-minute slot wave 5-3 days before Christmas + New Year's Eve.
- Discount
- Gift card bonus ($100 → $20 bonus); bundle 10-15% off; no discount on last-minute slots.
- Lead time
- Gift cards: launch Nov 1. Holiday-party slots: announce 21 days ahead. Last-minute wave: 5-7 days ahead.
Three rules of thumb
- Discount on bundles, not on the core service. Discounting your standard tan from $60 to $48 trains clients to wait. Bundling tan + brow tint at $80 vs $90 a la carte rewards the bigger basket.
- Announce with lead time. 14-28 days for most moments. The exception is last-minute wave promos (5-7 days) targeting still-open slots.
- Use the channel mix. SMS for the loyal book; Instagram Stories for the next ring; a goldenhour campaign email for full reach. Each channel hits a different sub-audience.
How to run one
- 01Create the promo code in Settings → Promo codes. Set the dollar amount + the start + expiry dates.
- 02Draft an SMS + Instagram caption + email subject in Campaigns. Use segment filters to pick the right cohort.
- 03Schedule the send for ~7am local in your busiest business day of the announce window.
- 04Track redemptions in Reports → Promo codes. Anything over 10% redemption rate is healthy; under 5% means the offer didn’t resonate.