August: Holidays + social media ideas
Sigh. August.
It’s giving “end of summer.”
It’s giving “back to school madness.”
It’s giving “burnout.”
Most brands phone it in this time of year, but you're not most brands, are you? You're here because you know "good enough" isn't actually good enough, especially when everyone's scrambling for attention before fall hits.
The good news? You don't have to reinvent the wheel (or pull out your hair) to keep your audience engaged.
The trick? Don’t just post “Happy [insert holiday here].” Tie it back to your brand, your audience, or your mission. Below, we’ve rounded up nine August holidays plus specific post ideas by industry to help you create relevant, creative, actually-worth-posting content.
Let’s go:
AUGUST 2 — National Coloring Book Day
For creative brands or education: Share a free downloadable coloring page related to your brand or industry. Maybe your logo, a key product, or an inspiring quote.
For any industry wanting to be hilarious: Okay, this definitely needs to have the right audience (and the right organization). If your CEO, president, or the like is a good sport and enjoys starring in social media content, here’s the pitch: Turn their headshot into a coloring page and caption it something like, “We heard it’s National Coloring Book Day! We hope filling in this coloring page brings you as much joy as [name]’s smiling face does for us every day. (Looking forward to my annual review next week, btw, [name]).”
AUGUST 3 — National Friendship Day
For any business with a community focus: Celebrate your clients or collaborators! Shout out a few partners or customers who make your work better.
For service-based businesses (e.g., life coaches, therapists): Share a lighthearted post about the importance of having a strong support system, like friends, family, or professional guidance.
For product-based businesses: Run a "tag a friend who deserves this" giveaway.
AUGUST 8 — International Cat Day
For any industry (especially if you have an office cat): Share photos of your team's feline overlords (ahem, "pets").
For pet-related businesses: Obvious win! Share cat care tips, feature adoptable cats from a local shelter, or run a "cutest cat" photo contest.
AUGUST 9 — National Book Lovers Day
For coaches or consultants: Share your favorite book that helped you in your business or personal growth journey. Ask your audience for their recommendations.
For any industry: Grab a video of your CEO or president talking about their favorite book(s). People eat that stuff up.
AUGUST 16 — National Tell a Joke Day
For healthcare or wellness brands: Short video of a “laughter is medicine” moment with your team’s favorite dad jokes.
For any industry: Everyone loves a good industry-related pun. If it’ll make your audience go “Oh, brother” and roll their eyes, your work here is done.
AUGUST 17 — National Nonprofit Day
For nonprofits or mission-driven orgs: This is your moment! Share a quick story or stat that shows why your work matters, then include a clear call to action for donations or volunteer sign-ups.
For any industry that supports nonprofits: Use your platform to spotlight a cause you care about, like a local nonprofit you partner with, share why it matters to you, and encourage your audience to learn more.
AUGUST 26 — National Dog Day
For any industry (especially dog-friendly offices): Feature your team's canine companions. Bonus points for "dogs in the office” pics.
For pet-related businesses: Highlight adoptable dogs, share training tips, or run a photo contest.
AUGUST 26 — Women's Equality Day
For women-owned businesses or those focused on empowerment or social impact: Highlight a trailblazing woman in your industry (could even be yourself! You deserve a shout-out, too, queen).
For any industry: Share a quote from an inspiring female leader or talk about how your company supports women in the workplace. Keep it authentic to your brand.
AUGUST 29 — College Colors Day
For education or alumni associations: An obvious fit! Promote alumni events, scholarship drives, or just pure school spirit.
The takeaway:
Don’t stress about inventing new content from scratch. These August holidays are already teed up and waiting — you just need to connect the dots between them and what your brand actually does.
Want help turning these ideas into content? That’s literally what we do. Let’s chat.
