How to Plan a Q1 Content Strategy That Actually Supports Your 2026 Goals

If your goals for 2026 are bigger than what you did in 2025, but your plan is to do your marketing the exact same way… you're setting yourself up for a harder year than it needs to be.

In this solo episode, Jeremy breaks down how to plan your Q1 content so it actually matches your growth goals: not just one "New Year" email and hoping for the best, but a clear plan for newsletters, social content, and campaigns that warm your audience up and then give them a reason to buy.

📌 Episode Topics

• How nurturing your list earns the right to sell
• Why consistent social and email content matters before offers
• How to plan around what's actually happening in your clinic
• Four Q1 campaigns that work
• How to tie campaigns to real timing—not random sales blasts

🧠 Before You Plan: Two Big Questions

1. Have you been nurturing your list?
   If you haven't been sending consistent emails or posting useful content, you haven't earned the right to sell yet. You'll see:
   • Low response to your "New Year" offers
   • List burnout and deal fatigue
   • More unsubscribes every time you promote
2. What's actually happening in your clinic in Q1?
   Look at January–March and ask:
   • Are you hiring a new staff PT?
   • Raising rates?
   • Moving locations?
   • Adding a new service or program?
   Those moments should get priority for your sales campaigns. Don't burn your big "sales bullet" too early and then struggle to fill a new PT's schedule later in the quarter.

✉️ Nurture First, Then Sell

If you ran open enrollment in Q4 and then went silent… you can't just pop back up in January with "New Year, New You" and expect big results.

Jeremy's rule of thumb:

• Send at least 4 nurture newsletters in a row (weekly or biweekly)
• Then you've earned the right to make an offer to your list

Two Newsletter Styles That Work

• Block-style newsletter:
  • Short clinic story or update
  • Repurposed post content
  • Curated insights (Huberman, Attia, run/PT content)
  • Patient win or case highlight
• "60-second" newsletter:
  • Quick brain-dump style
  • One tight lesson or insight
  • Easy to consume on mobile

One isn't "better" than the other—whichever you'll be consistent with is the right one.

Social Media Nurture

• Post educational, top-of-funnel content consistently
• Don't disappear for weeks and then show up only to sell
• Your social feed should build trust long before you ask someone to buy

📅 Q1 Campaign Planning: Start with the Calendar

Once you've answered the two big questions above, plan Q1 in this order:

1. Block out clinic events:
   • New hires
   • Rate changes
   • Service launches
   • Location changes
2. Decide where your "sales bullets" go:
   • Save the biggest offer for the moment that matters most (e.g., filling a new PT's schedule)
3. Layer in proven quarterly campaigns: see below

🎯 Four Proven Q1 Campaigns That Work

1. New Year, New You Campaign (Early January)

A classic & effective campaign when your list is warmed up. Position PT as the support system to help people actually stick with their new year goals—not just gym memberships.

Typical offer structure:

• $50 evaluation or re-entry session
• 10% off packages

2. Resolution Rescue Campaign (Late Jan–Feb)

Often the best Q1 performer:

• January motivation fades
• People realize they can't fix aches on their own
• Copy should speak to frustrated resolution-makers

This campaign works because you're emailing the person in the moment and the copy feels like it's written for them today.

3. CrossFit Open Campaign

If you serve CrossFit athletes or are inside a box:

• The CrossFit Open usually runs in Feb
• Run emails and social content tied to the weekly Open workouts
• Position your clinic as the recovery support they need to survive the next WOD

4. Spring Race / Marathon Training Campaign

For clinics near large spring races (e.g., Boston Marathon):

• Runners are in peak training in Jan–Mar
• Email and posts should speak to training aches, recovery, and performance
• Don't wait until April when it's too late

🏁 Bonus: New Staff PT Campaign

If you're hiring in Q1, a "Meet the new PT" campaign gives you:

• A reason to sell
• Fresh stories and posts to share
• A focus on filling someone's schedule

You can combine this with the Resolution Rescue copy so the offer feels timely and targeted.

🗓 Why You Need to Plan This Now, Not in January

If you wait until:

• The first week of Jan to write your New Year emails, or
• The end of January to plan your Resolution Rescue drip,

…you simply won't get them done. Clinic life is too busy.

Your content plan should be drafted before:

• Holidays hit,
• Christmas rush begins, and
• You're in full reactive mode.

🤝 Want Help Building & Executing the Plan?

This is exactly what we do at Patch:

• Help you decide which campaigns make sense for your clinic
• Write and sequence your emails and social content
• Line it all up so your Q1 actually launches on time

👉 Book a free strategy call with our team — we'll walk through what makes sense for your quarter.

If you want a bigger 2026, you need a bigger Q1. And if you want a bigger Q1, you have to plan now, not repeat last year's playbook.