Think Like Hallmark: How to Write What People Feel

After a month like Tishrei, every Jewish organization has more photos, moments, and memories than they know what to do with.

The meals. 

The music. 

The crowds. 

The decor. 

All beautiful. All are worthy of recognition.

But when it comes time to post, what connects isn’t what we “did.” It’s what people “felt.”

The Hallmark Lesson

Hallmark writers don’t sell cards. They give people words for what they already feel.

That’s why their lines land and their cards sell. Because behind every card is a person thinking, “That’s exactly it; that’s what I meant to say.”

And that’s what our communities are looking for, too.

Not another recap. Not another reminder.But words that name their own gratitude, pride, and connection.

What It Looks Like in Jewish Marketing

When we tell our stories like Hallmark does, our content shifts from announcement to acknowledgment.

Then, use these three steps:

1. Listen for the message. Go back to the thank-yous, the texts, the feedback. Find the words people already used — those are the real headlines.

2. Name the feeling. Ask: What did this moment make people feel? Joy? Belonging? Pride? Gratitude? Choose one emotion and let that guide your caption or headline.

3. Write it as if you were handing someone a card. Skip the recap. Write the line that would make someone say, “That’s exactly how I felt.”

You don’t have to guess what connected with your community because they already told you. The answers are already in your texts, WhatsApp messages, in your hallway hellos, in the way people lingered a little longer before they left.

It’s in the text from a parent who said, “My child came home singing the songs all night.”It’s in the thank-you text that said, “I didn’t realize how much I needed that night until I was there.”

It’s in the smile, the handshake, the quick “thank you” whispered on the way out.

Those are your unwritten cards and the inspiration waiting to be brought to life.

Instead of: “Hundreds joined for our Simchat Torah celebration!”

Try: “When hundreds danced together, it reminded us that Jewish joy doesn’t fade, it multiplies.”

Instead of: “Families enjoyed a delicious community Sukkah dinner.”

Try: “Under the same Sukkah 'roof', strangers became friends. That’s the real story.”

We’re still sharing the exact moment — but now, it feels like something more.

Our job is to notice feelings, recognize them, and give words to the feelings they can’t quite say.

That’s how we move from self-promotion to connection.

Why Self-Promotion Doesn’t Work

Self-promotion fails because it asks people to look at us instead of seeing themselves in the story.

When every post says “we did,” “we hosted,” or “we created,” it reminds people that they were the audience and not the participants.

But the goal of Jewish marketing isn’t applause. It’s belonging.

People don’t join because they’re impressed by what we accomplished; they belong because they feel something that reflects who they are or who they want to be.

When we shift from saying “Look what we did” to “Look what this made possible,” the story stops being about us and starts being about them.

When We Care Enough to Give Our Very Best

Because when we care enough to give our very best, our best words, our best intentions, our best listening, people will naturally feel it.

And they stay connected not because of the program itself, but because of what that program helped them feel.

The Takeaway

Good marketing will inspire emotion because it reflects it by naming what's already there. 

So as you plan your next recap post, think less like a promoter and more like Hallmark:

You’re not in the greeting-card business. You’re in the business of giving words to what people already feel.

That’s where the connection begins and where community grows.