1 min read
What a good birthday message actually says
Skip the template. Name one specific thing about the year they just had, and the message writes itself.
"Happy birthday, hope you have a great day!" is not a bad message. It is just a message anyone could have sent to anyone. The ones people remember are the ones only you could have written.
One specific thing
Think about the year they just had. A move, a new job, a hard season they got through, a hobby they finally started. Name it. "Happy birthday — I still can't believe you ran that half-marathon" is shorter than most templates and lands ten times harder.
Then one forward-looking line
Add something about the year ahead: a plan you want to make together, a hope for them. It turns the message from a receipt into an invitation.
Specificity is the entire trick, and it takes about as long as a generic line.
If you keep notes about people as the year goes on, the specific thing is already waiting for you when the reminder arrives.
