Pull Off a Year-in-Review Campaign People Will Actually Share

The other day, I came across this tongue-in-cheek post while idly scrolling: “Spotify should send a halftime report. Tell me in July what my Wrapped is looking like and how much work I have left to do to turn this thing around.” Considering I’d just jokingly voiced how embarrassing my Wrapped was going to look this year after the hundreds of minutes I’ve spent clicking the replay button on Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” that post was a total read.

Spotify’s Wrapped feature, which delivers a personalized breakdown of users’ listening trends from the year, still holds the top spot when it comes to most engaging year-in-review content — so much so that many of us, jokingly or not, are already anticipating what our 2024 Wrapped is going to look like in the middle of the summer. And the format is so successful that even its many imitators have gained traction. Other music streaming platforms like YouTube Music and Tidal eventually released their own versions, and even non-music brands, like the fitness app Peloton, followed suit.

It’s no wonder these year-end user-generated content campaigns have garnered such positive feedback; they are endlessly shareable, and users love personalized experiences. But, of course, creating your own highly individualized wrap-up could be a huge undertaking, depending on both your industry and how much customer data you have access to. Here’s how to implement the spirit of these highly personalized year-in-review reports in your own EOY campaigns.

Plan your year-in-review content now

The earlier you start planning your year-in-review campaign, the more intentional it will feel for your audience. That doesn’t mean you need to get it ready to publish now — after all, there’s still plenty of the year left to go, and you don’t want your review to feel incomplete. But starting now gives you ample time to research what you want to include in your review and create a workable outline to flesh out come late November or early December fully.

Starting as soon as possible is especially important when culling data from different sources. You’ll want to set parameters for all stakeholders to adhere to, such as sticking to data from a set period of time (perhaps January 1 to October 31 of this year). Your proprietary data is a great place to start. For instance, marketing and engineering can give you customer and user insights, and finance can give you detailed spending reports.

Shopify is a great example of a B2B brand breaking down high-level data into a digestible year in review that’s relevant to the goals of its base. And with a combination of written content, video, and data visualizations, Shopify’s Commerce Trends report gives users a choose-your-own-adventure experience — while still remaining aesthetically consistent and without being overwhelming.

Personalize your recap for your audience

A year-in-review report is a great opportunity to encourage prolonged engagement and brand loyalty. It’s a place to share the value you’ve provided for your audience — not brag about your revenue numbers. (Though an internally shared wrap report with company-wide wins isn’t a bad idea, either!)

And even if you’re not putting together an individualized experience, you can still tailor your wrap-up to your target audience. A brand-wide year in review can still feel personal for users by focusing on their favorite, most-purchased, or top-reviewed products, or industry trends and insights that will affect their purchasing decisions in the year ahead.

You could even create a year-end recap that hones in on geographical location, age group, college students, or some other demographic. Google’s Local Year In Search allows users to access the year’s search trends in their hometown, or anywhere they feel like searching. This is a strategic way to provide a personalized customer experience without creating an individual-specific breakdown.

One of my personal favorite examples of year-in-review content (which I look out for every December) is the New York Times’ “Best Books of the Year” hub. Not only does it provide a roundup of its top book reviews from the past year, but it also provides breakdowns by genre. Users can select which sections to read based on their own interests.

Highlight your best work — while boosting traffic

Finally, a year-in-review can be a strategic way to share your brand’s best work from the past year, whether that’s blogs, research, graphics, etc. — and boost traffic to that content while you’re at it. A retrospective can help generate a sense of “playing catchup” among your audience. Below is a great example from New York’s The Cut: by highlighting their “most-read” stories, they can play off of their readers’ sense of FOMO (and deliver them excellent content at the same time).

You can also choose to repurpose existing content in a different format. For instance, if your data security firm has published lots of research this year, you could highlight the top findings in a quick-hit video or infographic for social. Or, if you have been keeping a blog filled with consumer finance content, you could create a landing page hub linking to these blog posts, positioning them resources for anyone looking to improve their finances in 2025 and beyond.

When to avoid a year-in-review campaign

Of course, year-in-review content might not always make sense. Every business owner knows that there are good years and bad years — and if there aren’t enough positives to share, it might not be worth dwelling on the negatives.

Also, if you are considering providing individualized year-end recaps to your audience, be careful about what data to focus on. Facebook ran into hot water when its “On This Day” feature started reminding people of bad memories, like sharing an announcement about the death of a family member. You want your wrap-up to be something customers look forward to, not dread.

Finally, avoid bait-and-switch tactics here. One reason Shopify is such a trusted name in the ecommerce space is because of its credibility as an industry expert. Its Commerce Trends report isn’t peppered with CTAs to get started with the platform — it simply sticks to the facts and what’s actually important to its target audience.

Ask the Content Strategist: FAQs on year-in-review campaigns

How can smaller businesses with limited data resources create year-in-review content?

Smaller businesses can focus on key metrics and customer feedback they do have, even if it’s less comprehensive. Highlighting a few significant achievements or trends can still engage their audience.

What tools can be used to gather and analyze data for a year-in-review marketing campaign?

There are various tools available, such as Google Analytics for web traffic, CRM software for customer insights, and financial software for revenue tracking. These tools help streamline data collection and analysis.

How can a year-in-review report be promoted to maximize engagement?

Promoting the report through email newsletters, social media, and on the company’s website can increase visibility. Collaborations with influencers or industry partners can also help reach a wider audience.

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