If you wait for the crowd, you are already late.
The Rise phase is that quiet but powerful period when attention starts building, people begin thinking about an event or season, and the smartest businesses quietly move first. This is where you lock in attention, loyalty, and revenue before your competitors even start planning.
Below is a complete guide you can use for any seasonal wave: holidays, summer, back to school, local festivals, tourist season, sports seasons, tax time, even wedding season.
1. Why the Rise Phase Matters
Most businesses only wake up when everyone is already buying. By then:
- Ad costs are higher
- Customers are already watching someone else
- Stock is harder to source
- Social feeds are flooded with similar offers
In the Rise phase, demand is still forming. People are not yet overwhelmed, which gives you three powerful advantages:
1. Cheaper reach
Ad platforms usually get more expensive as more advertisers jump into the same theme or season. If you start your campaigns a few weeks earlier, your cost per click and cost per thousand impressions often stay lower because fewer people are competing for the same audience.
2. Stronger engagement
When people are still in planning mode, they are more open to ideas. They save posts, join waitlists, ask questions, and compare options. This is the perfect time to:
- Educate them
- Position yourself as the obvious choice
- Collect emails and phone numbers
3. First-choice loyalty
The first brand that helps someone plan often becomes the brand they stick with. If you are already in their inbox, DMs, or saved posts before others show up, you are no longer “one of many” – you are the familiar, trusted option.
The Rise phase is where positioning happens. The Peak phase is where you cash in on that positioning.
2. Spot the First Signs of the Rise
Every season, event, or buying wave has early signals. Your job is to learn how to see them sooner. Here is where to look.
1. Seasonal searches begin climbing
Use tools like:
- Google Trends
- Your website analytics
- Search terms in your ads account
Watch for keywords related to:
- “Holiday gifts near me”
- “Prom dresses”
- “Summer camp for kids”
- “Halloween events”
- “Tax preparation help”
Even a small, steady rise in searches tells you that people are starting to think, plan, and compare.
2. Locals start posting about upcoming events
Keep an eye on:
- Local Facebook groups
- Neighborhood apps
- Instagram stories and TikToks about “coming soon” events
Examples:
- Parents talking about “back to school shopping”
- Locals discussing a summer festival
- People asking which pumpkin patch is best
These are early hints that the wave is starting.
3. Shops and influencers begin teasing products
Larger brands and local influencers usually move before everyone else. Watch:
- Early window displays
- “Coming soon” posts
- Sneak peek reels and stories
If they are teasing, it means they see the Rise approaching. This is your signal to move, not to wait.
4. Community calendars release early notices
Check:
- City or county event calendars
- School calendars
- Chamber of Commerce pages
- Local news event listings
As soon as the dates are public, you can reverse engineer your Rise phase. For example:
- Event date: October 31
- Peak demand: around October 25–31
- Rise phase: late September and early October
3. Prepare Your Inventory and Offers
You do not want to generate early attention and then run out of stock or have nothing clear to sell. Use this phase to quietly set your foundation.
1. Plan stock based on past trends
Look at:
- Last year’s sales around the same season
- Which products or services sold out first
- Which items people asked for but you did not have
Then decide:
- What to order more of
- What to remove or simplify
- What to bundle together
If you are a service business, “inventory” is your time. Decide in advance:
- How many holiday photo sessions you can handle
- How many homes you can decorate
- How many consulting calls you can offer
2. Create early bird bundles
Reward people who commit early. Examples:
- “Book your holiday cleaning by October 15 and get a free fridge clean”
- “Preorder your Thanksgiving dessert box and get a bonus mini pie”
- “Reserve your fall mini photo session and get one extra edited image”
Early bird bundles:
- Fill your calendar ahead of time
- Give you cash flow before the peak
- Help you forecast stock better
3. Build a preorder or waitlist page
Even a simple page with:
- A headline
- A short description of what is coming
- A simple form for name, email, and phone
- A note like “Early access list, limited spots”
This lets you:
- Capture interest the moment it appears
- Talk to people directly instead of hoping they see your posts again later
- Launch to a warm, ready audience during the Peak
4. Start Light Teasing Content
During the Rise, you do not need to shout “Huge sale”. You just need to let people know something exciting is in motion.
Content ideas that work early:
- Short behind the scenes videos of you preparing
- Packing sample boxes
- Testing decorations
- Reviewing your new menu or product samples
- Polls and questions
- “What flavor should we add this year: peppermint or caramel”
- “Are you team early-bird shopper or last-minute sprinter”
- Countdowns
- “We are 21 days away from revealing our holiday box”
- “12 days until our early booking list opens”
- Soft hints
- Photos of wrapped boxes without labels
- Close-up shots of textures, colors, or ingredients
- Short texts like “It is almost time” or “You will want to be early this year”
You are not trying to get a purchase yet. You are trying to:
- Train people to pay attention
- Make them curious
- Encourage them to follow, subscribe, or join a list
5. Launch Early Engagement Activities
Now you are ready to collect contact details and build committed attention, not just likes.
1. Run a small giveaway to collect emails
Keep it simple and close to what you actually sell. For example:
- “Win our first holiday dessert box of the season”
- “Win a free mini photo session”
- “Win a free home declutter session before the holidays”
Entry methods:
- Join the email list
- Answer a short question in a form
- Tag a friend and fill a quick link in your bio
You now have people who:
- Care about your offer
- Are willing to hear from you
- Can be invited to early access before the peak
2. Invite VIPs to sign up for early access
Create a small group of “insiders”. This could be:
- Your best past customers
- People who always engage with your posts
- Local partners and friends
Offer them:
- First chance to book
- Limited spots only
- A small bonus such as a free add on, extra time, or priority scheduling
This builds loyalty and makes them feel valued, not just sold to.
3. Offer a “coming soon” discount code
You do not have to open the full sale yet. You can share a code that will work when the sale starts. For example:
- “Join the list now and receive a code for 10 percent off when our holiday bookings open”
- “Everyone on the early list gets free gift wrapping when the cart opens”
This moves people from “interested” to “waiting on purpose”.
6. Collaborate Before Everyone Else
In the Peak phase, local makers, influencers, and venues are flooded with requests. In the Rise phase, they still have time and bandwidth to think creatively with you.
1. Partner with a local maker, vendor, or shop early
Ideas:
- Coffee shop x bakery dessert box
- Salon x photographer holiday glam and photo day
- Home cleaner x organizer pre holiday home reset
Reach out early with a clear idea:
- What you will do together
- How you will split revenue or leads
- How it helps their customers too
2. Swap early shoutouts
Instead of waiting for a big launch, start gently:
- Share each other’s behind the scenes content
- Tag each other in stories
- Mention the upcoming collab without full details
This way, when the full offer opens, both audiences already know something special is coming.
3. Join community pages while they are still quiet
Early in the season, community pages and groups are still in planning mode. They often allow:
- “What are you planning for the holidays” threads
- Vendor roll calls
- Polls and Q and A posts
Show up early with value:
- Tips
- Checklists
- Simple advice related to your field
You become a trusted helper before you ever post a direct promotion.
7. Measure What Gains Traction
The Rise phase is the perfect testing ground. You can see what people react to before you lock in your final offers.
Here is what to track.
1. Which posts get saves
Likes are nice, but saves are stronger intent. Saves usually mean:
- “I want this later”
- “This is useful”
- “This is something I might buy”
Compare content types:
- Which teaser gets the most saves
- Which behind the scenes clip people save for later
- Which poll or tip post stays active longer
Use this to shape your main products and main messages.
2. Watch early page visits
Check your website analytics or link click stats:
- Which products or services people are viewing
- Which blog or landing pages they read more
- Where they drop off
If your “holiday bundles” page sees a lot of early views, you know where to focus your launch energy.
3. Study audience polls and responses
Ask simple questions:
- “What is your biggest stress about this season”
- “Do you prefer bigger bundles or smaller grab and go options”
- “What time of day is easiest for you to book”
Their answers should shape:
- Your final offers
- Your booking times
- Your package sizes and pricing
Do not guess when your audience is literally telling you what they want.
8. Your Rise Phase Checklist
You can print this, keep it near your desk, and reuse it all year for every seasonal wave.
Step 1: Mark your season or event
- Write down the event date or main peak period
- Count backward 3 to 8 weeks, depending on your industry, to define your Rise phase
Step 2: Watch for early signals
- Check Google Trends and your own search data
- Scan local groups and community pages weekly
- Note when influencers and big brands begin teasing
Step 3: Prepare your base
- Review last year’s sales and bookings
- Decide what to stock more or less of
- Create early bird bundles and limits
- Set up a simple preorder or waitlist page
Step 4: Start soft content
- Post one behind the scenes piece each week
- Run one fun poll or question related to the season
- Add small hints and countdowns
Step 5: Build early engagement
- Launch a small giveaway to grow your email list
- Invite VIPs and past clients into an early access list
- Share a “coming soon” bonus or discount code
Step 6: Reach out to collaborators
- List three local partners you could work with
- Message them with a simple collab idea and clear benefits
- Begin early shoutouts and shared posts
Step 7: Measure and adjust
- Note which posts get the most saves and replies
- Watch which pages or offers get the most early clicks
- Use polls and replies to refine your final offers
If you follow this checklist, your Rise phase stops being random and starts becoming a system. Each season, you will:
- Lock in attention earlier
- Fill your calendar sooner
- Arrive at the Peak with a warmed, ready audience instead of starting from zero
Once you master the Rise phase, every big season becomes less stressful and more profitable, because you are not chasing the wave. You are already on it before anyone else.