“Giving T_esday: all that’s missing is U!”

Listen, I write decent subject lines, but how was I gonna try to compete with brilliant Giving Tuesday content like this? 👆

So hello from WEDNESDAY! It’s nice up here on this humpiest of days.

Has your inbox recovered from the pre–Black Friday emails?
The actual Black Friday emails?
The Plaid Friday emails? (Yes, that’s a thing.)
The ragey Buy Nothing Day emails?
The Small Business Saturday emails?
The “holy shit Cyber Monday is COMINGGGG” emails?
The Cyber Monday emails?
The LaSt ChAnCe eVeR tO ScOrE tHiS pRiCiNg emails?
The totally predictable sale-extension emails? (I see you, ModKat.)

I am tired. And I kinda do this for a living.
Bae Laura Belgray’s Instagram post from Thanksgiving Day says it all:

Let’s bump back to Small Business Saturday.

Technically, 99.9% of businesses are small businesses.
(Which makes me think we need a new definition.)

It’s make-or-break time for a lot of small businesses, including folks scrambling to make end-of-the-year sales goals in unsexy businesses that sell pretty un-giftable brain matter. 🧠

And they don’t just need your money. They also need non-monetary support — in ways the big brands generally don’t.

• They need your social media likes, follows, comments, and shares.
• They need you to show up to their events (in person and online) — and bring a +1.
• They need email subscribers who love to forward messages to their friends.
• They need your glowing reviews.
• They need your personal business referrals.
• They need to be on the tip of your tongue when someone is looking for media quotes, podcast guests, and other subject-matter experts.
• They need cheerleaders 📣

It’s not an ego thing. It’s a visibility thing. A social proof thing. A “hey, I like you and want you to succeed” thing.

And by the way… They do need your money.
What’s your support-a-small-biz love language?