Why December Is the Most Honest Month in Marketing?

December has a funny way of exposing things.

Not in a dramatic way. More like a quiet, uncomfortable honesty.

Email open rates tell the truth. Ads either work or they really don’t. Social posts stop getting polite engagement from people who were never going to buy anyway.

And honestly, I kind of love it.

Because December strips marketing down to what actually matters.

People are tired. Founders are closing loops in their heads. Coaches and consultants are mentally halfway into next year. No one wants to be “nurtured.” No one wants another last-chance offer with a snowflake slapped on it.

So what’s left?

In December:
– People unsubscribe faster
– Attention is selective
– Polite engagement disappears
– “Just checking in” emails get ignored

No one is here for filler.
If your message isn’t clear, it doesn’t get a pass because it’s festive.|
If your offer relies on urgency, it exposes that immediately.

The Emails That Work in December Are Surprisingly Simple

Every year, I see the same pattern.

The emails that perform best are not:
– Cleverly themed
– Over-designed
– Packed with urgency

They’re:
– Calm
– Direct
– Honest about what they’re asking for (or not asking for)

Sometimes the best-performing emails don’t even sell anything.

They just sound like they were written by a real person who understands where the reader’s head is at.

And the ones that flop? They usually feel like they were written because “we should send something.”

This is also why I think branding shows its real strength right now.

When someone has a clear sense of who they are, who they’re for, and what problem they actually solve, their marketing doesn’t panic in December. It just… continues.

The same goes for email lists.

Smaller, Trusted Audiences Win in December

This is especially true with email.

I’ve seen:
– Smaller lists outperform bigger ones
– Simple newsletters beat complex funnels
– Thoughtful messages get more replies than promotion

I’ve seen newsletters with a few hundred subscribers outperform massive lists simply because the relationship was real.

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If you want more grounded thoughts on email, ads and marketing that respects attention, you can subscribe to my email lists.

And if this way of thinking feels aligned with how you want to approach marketing next year, we can always talk.