Ah, pride month, one of the many international events that can cause worry for companies no matter what industry you’re in. 

What do we post for pride month? How do we share our support? If we don’t change our logo will people think we are prejudiced?

So many questions and so little time to really get to the answers. But, we like a challenge so we’re going to put it as simply as possible. This means there won’t be any confusion or blurred lines on what to expect. 

Now, we can’t talk on behalf of a community as a whole. But as a marketing agency working with many different types of businesses, we do need to understand people and what they expect. So let’s look at the do’s and don’ts of content marketing during pride month.

How is pride month different from other national days?

We get the confusion that many people have surrounding pride month. Many times people ask what makes pride different to other national days or months. To understand this we need to have a little bit of a history lesson. 

Pride month, while known for its celebrations, parades, and parties, didn’t start off so joyful. In 1969 there were a series of riots and protests surrounding gay liberation. These riots took place over several days in June, because of events that occurred with a police raid at the Stonewall Inn. Forever referred to as the Stonewall riots, these events paved the way for pride marches to begin.  

The first marches were held in New York along with several other US cities, the purpose was to celebrate Christopher Street Liberation Day; it is considered a watershed moment in the history of the community. Reclaiming the days the Stonewall riots occurred helps the community remember those who fought for their freedoms and rights. 

This history surrounding the month of pride is really important and what makes pride month different from other national days.

Much like Black History Month, Remembrance, VE Day, and other pivotal historical events; pride month is a huge event for all those who are within the LGBTQIA+ community and beyond. This is why many companies make mistakes trying to show their support during the month of June. 

What content can you create to support pride month?

Knowing what content to create during pride month is really important. The key to any content showing support for the LGBTQIA+ community is how authentic and genuine the message is. 

It becomes very clear when brands just change their logo and whack out a post that says something like this; “We support the LGBTQIA+ community” or even “[insert company name] are allies’ ‘.

All of these examples lack heart and consistency with your company. So what can you create?

Show ways you have already supported the community, and highlight team members or experiences where you have positively impacted the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole. This shows real-life examples of your support and allyship. 

Make content that is genuine and relatable. To be honest, this is something you should be doing anyway. But during pride month it is key to show the genuine and relatable sides of your business. If you need to make it related to your services, think about how your services or products impact those within the community. 

For pride month you really need to focus on the people within the community and put your money where your mouth is. Give the community your space and platform to share their message and how you help or support them. 

Become that human first storyteller.

What content should you avoid during pride month?

We’ve briefly mentioned what you shouldn’t do above. Anything that doesn’t fall within your brand or company’s ethos. So don’t change your logo because you think it will get you some brownie points. This is the most common mistake businesses make during pride month and many people get the ick with it. Changing your logo just makes you look like you’re trying to blend in without putting in the effort. It’s disingenuous and it shows.

Don’t create a random product or service just because you can market it to the LGBTQIA+ community. Many companies feel the need to make limited edition pride month items, and some of it is ok. But for the most part, if it doesn’t fit your brand or your message, don’t do it. Again, it comes off as profiteering off of a community and that’s not a good look.

Now you know this history and what you should or shouldn’t post during the month of pride. The main takeaway for all businesses is simple; if it isn’t genuine, if it isn’t from the heart, don’t do it. Companies get more flack for “showing” artificial support than they do for not creating or announcing anything. 

Normally a call to action goes at the bottom of a blog, but it doesn’t seem right given the context of this blog. So we’re going to leave it out.