The original and the biggest gin-themed social media challenge is back for its fourth year running! Always intended to be a bit of fun, it’s also an opportunity to support and promote the drinks industry in what continues to be a challenging time. For many producers still struggling with the impact of Brexit and Covid, increased energy costs present another challenge for them and yet another reason for us to rally round.

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 (May 21st and also World Whisky Day) and Bar (May 7th) I hope you’ll find opportunities to support and celebrate 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, and turn on notifications, on Instagram – and get your thinking caps on. If, on the other hand, this is all new to you, keep reading or watch this little video from last year.

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, 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 a similar number were also shared in 2021. With your help, I hope 2022 will be even bigger and better still!

How do you take part?

To take part you need to post a picture, video or reel 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 21: Cheating on gin. Looking at last year’s images, there are a lots of ways to feature your other favourite tipple; and I particularly love the creativity with which @ilgin.it and @thetealbar conveyed the concept! 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.

^{Clockwise from top left: @ilgin.it, @tristan.jorgensen_, @willowwilson, @thetealbar}

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 one of my recaps here. 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.