After an unusual, but successful, #GinADayMay 2020, the original and biggest gin-themed social media challenge is back for its third year running! Despite, or perhaps as a result of last year’s lockdown, it was gratifying that makers reported increased engagement as a result of #GinADayMay and heartening to hear other participants not only enjoy taking part but also, and consequently, making new friends, learning new skills and getting to know the gin community better.

As we ease out of lockdown over the next few weeks and months, the road ahead for hospitality is still a long and challenging one so I hope #GinADayMay will serve to support and celebrate the entire industry. The focus will remain, as ever, on our favourite juniper-based spirit and the wonderful gin community, but with prompts such as Cheating On Gin (day 15) and Bar (day 17 when UK indoor hospitality is scheduled to reopen) I hope you’ll find opportunities to sing the praises of other areas of the drinks industry too. If you’ve taken part before you’ll know what to do, so take a look at the prompts above, or better yet, save my post on Instagram, and get your thinking caps on. If, on the other hand, this is all new to you, keep reading.

What is #GinADayMay?

#GinADayMay is, essentially, a fun and light-hearted celebration of gin in the form of a 31-day social media challenge. The aim is to promote and build the gin community online while encouraging collaboration, communication and creativity and helping participants find new accounts to follow (as well as hopefully gaining a few new followers for themselves). For those of you in the business, it will provide you with a valuable opportunity to showcase your brand and spirits (or those you admire) when everyone is looking at and engaging with the same hashtag.

Why should you take part?

Mainly to have fun! Although there are other reasons too. If you’re running out of ideas or content, then joining a social media challenge such as this one can offer inspiration and can also help you get into the habit of posting regularly. It’s a great way to find new accounts to follow and will hopefully win you some new followers of your own as well. And finally, with brands sharing product launches and hosting competitions last year, taking part is also a great way to keep in the loop.

In 2019, #GinADayMay’s inaugural year, in excess of 4,000 images were posted on Instagram using the #GinADayMay hashtag, averaging at approximately 135 posts a day. 2020 saw a significant increase in engagement with approximately 6,500 posts and, with your help, I hope 2021 will be even bigger and better still!

How do you take part?

To take part you need to post a picture, or video, on your Instagram and/or Twitter account that relates to the daily theme (as listed above with weekends highlighted in bold) and include the hashtag #GinADayMay. It’s up to you when and how you take part; you certainly don’t have to post everyday and you don’t have to worry if you miss a day here and there.

The most important thing is to be creative. Take day 4 for example: Bathtub. Taking some inspiration from last year’s images, you could post a picture of your gin collection in the bath. Or you in the bath enjoying a gin. Or your favourite bathtub-style gin. Or a cocktail served in a mini bathtub! Your post is more likely to stand out if you try something a little bit different, so think outside the box. And don’t forget to look at other people’s posts too and comment on the ones you like; it all helps build and support both your profile and our gin community online.

What next?

The challenge starts on 1 May but it’s never too early to start planning your content. If you need some inspiration check out my recap of #GinADayMay 2020. You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter for regular reminders and remember, the more people who join in, the more fun it will be, so tell your friends, share the prompts and follow the hashtag.

During May I will promote and support participants by sharing a selection of images in my Instagram stories and retweeting posts on Twitter. At the end of May, I will post an image you can share to celebrate successfully completing the challenge and also encourage everyone to share their best nine. Finally, and most importantly, please remember to drink responsibly.