The short answer
Diwali is the biggest content week of the year for Indian creators. The content that performs is personal and useful: your home getting ready, real family moments, honest gift guides, quick DIY decor and recipes. For earnings, raise your rate card for the festive window, pitch smaller and local brands that book late, and line up post-Diwali deals before the rush ends.
Which brands spend on creators during Diwali
| Category | Share of festive creator budgets (2025) |
|---|---|
| Consumer durables | 28 to 32% |
| Fashion and beauty | 20 to 24% |
| FMCG | 15 to 18% |
| E-commerce | 12 to 15% |
| Fintech | 8 to 10% |
| Auto | 6 to 8% |
Qoruz's suggested creator mix for brands was about 60% regional micro and nano creators, 30% metro mid and macro creators, and only 10% big names[1]. Last year, brands like Meesho worked with creators from Tier 2 cities such as Indore, and some Tier 2 and Tier 3 creators reached tens of millions of organic views[2]. In plain words: you don't need a million followers to get a festive deal.
25 Diwali content ideas by niche
Lifestyle and family
- Diwali cleaning ‘before and after’ in 30 seconds
- What my family actually does on Dhanteras
- Diwali at home vs Diwali in the hostel or abroad
- Rating every sweet my relatives brought
- Bhai Dooj gift reactions
Fashion and beauty
- Five Diwali looks from one saree or kurta
- A long-lasting festive makeup test through a whole puja and dinner
- Budget vs premium festive outfit under ₹1,000 and ₹5,000
- Get ready with me for Lakshmi Puja
- Hair and jewellery styling for small budgets
Food
- 10-minute sugar-free sweets for diabetic family members
- Leftover mithai recipes for the day after Diwali
- Regional Diwali dishes from five states
- Homemade gift hamper under ₹500
- Testing viral Diwali recipe hacks
Tech, finance and business
- Should you buy gold on Dhanteras? Coins, ETFs and digital gold explained simply
- Is the Diwali sale price really lower? Price-tracking a few products
- Best gadgets to gift parents under a set budget
- How small shop owners can use WhatsApp for Diwali orders
- A no-cost EMI explainer: what's free and what isn't
Home, DIY and NRI creators
- Rangoli in five minutes with household items
- Balcony lighting makeover on a small budget
- Explaining Diwali to my American coworkers
- Celebrating Diwali in the US: where to find diyas, sweets and temples near you
- Diwali video call with family across time zones
A posting calendar from now to Bhai Dooj
| Date | Post | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 28 to 31 Oct | Cleaning, decor prep and gift guide | Reels or Shorts, a carousel gift guide |
| 1 to 4 Nov | Recipes, outfits and DIY decor | Reels plus one longer YouTube video |
| 5 Nov | Dhanteras explainer or shopping haul | Reel and stories |
| 6 Nov (Dhanteras) | What we bought and why | Stories through the day |
| 7 Nov | Get ready with me and final decor | Reel |
| 8 Nov (Lakshmi Puja) | Real family moments, minimal editing | Stories, one evening Reel |
| 9 to 11 Nov | Leftover recipes, Bhai Dooj, ‘what I'd do differently’ | Reels and a recap carousel |
Diwali dates come from the 2026 panchang: Dhanteras on 6 November and Lakshmi Puja on 8 November[5]. If many of your followers live abroad, schedule key posts for their evening too.
How to still land a brand deal this late
Big national brands usually lock Diwali creators by September. That doesn't mean the money is gone. Online festive sales are forecast to grow 25 to 29% in 2026, with the growth coming from more orders[6], which keeps smaller sellers looking for quick reach right up to Diwali.
- Pitch local brands in your city: sweet shops, boutiques, salons, jewellers, restaurants and home decor stores.
- Offer a quick-turnaround package: one Reel plus three stories delivered within 48 hours.
- Sell post-Diwali slots now: wedding season, winter fashion and New Year campaigns.
- Add 15 to 30% to your normal rate for festive dates, in line with the market[1]. Charge extra for usage rights and paid ads on your content.
- Ask for 50% advance from brands you haven't worked with before.
Want festive and New Year deals managed for you?
Retales connects creators with brands for festive, wedding season and New Year campaigns. We negotiate fees, put every deal in a written contract and handle follow-ups, and our editing team can help with Reels, Shorts and thumbnails when your calendar is full. We're headquartered in New Delhi and work with creators across India.
Sources
Every statistic in this article comes from one of these publications. Links open the original source in a new tab.
- 1Influencer rate cards surge 15-30% as brands spend ₹700 crore this festive season Festive influencer spend, rate card increases and category split of budgets.
- 2Tier-2 creators took the lead in festive-season influencer marketing How brands used Tier 2 and Tier 3 creators in the 2025 festive season.
- 3From mega to micro: how nano creators are making it big this festive season Festive engagement rates by creator tier: nano up to 3.93%, micro 1.79%, mega 0.48%.
- 4ASCI's Guide for Social Media Influencers What to disclose and where to place the label on each platform.
- 5Diwali 2026: complete 5-day guide with dates Dhanteras 6 Nov, Lakshmi Puja 8 Nov, Govardhan Puja 10 Nov, Bhai Dooj 11 Nov 2026. In the US, UK and Canada the last two can fall a day earlier.
- 62026 Festive Outlook Forecasts ₹1.50 to 1.55 lakh crore of online festive sales in 2026, up 25 to 29% on 2025, driven by more orders rather than bigger baskets.
This article is for general information and isn't financial or legal advice. Figures are as published by each source on the date shown.