Unicorns and rainbows and wishes, oh my!
To make your future an reality, you need a plan!
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 328
If you’re wondering why no one’s beating a path to your door, it might just be because you have no idea what you’re writing about.
It’s important to understand that if you bounce from one subject to another, with no clear vision of what you’re writing about or who you’re writing for, you’re unlikely to make much progress.
So you need a plan.
Wishing for it won’t make it a reality.
Every single day, thousands of business owners, freelancers, and aspiring creators sit down at their desks, stare at a blank screen, and perform a sacred ritual.
They close their eyes, take a deep breath, and wish.“I wish my next blog post goes viral.”“I wish this video brings in ten new clients.”“I wish people would just magically discover my brand.”Then they type out a rushed, half-baked thought, hit "Publish," and wait for the magic to happen.
Spoiler alert: It won’t.
Wishing is a fantastic mechanism for blowing out birthday candles. It is a catastrophic mechanism for building a brand.
If your current marketing strategy relies heavily on "hope," you aren’t running a business—you’re playing the lottery with your time.
Here is why raw desire is a terrible substitute for a content creation plan, and how to actually build a machine that delivers results.
The Anatomy of the "Wishful Thinker"
We’ve all been there.
You have a burst of sudden inspiration.
You write a brilliant piece of content. It gets a few likes, you feel a rush of dopamine, and then … absolute silence for the next three weeks because you "got busy."
When you create content without a plan, you suffer from three distinct ailments:
The Feast or Famine Cycle: You publish like crazy when you're inspired, and completely vanish when you're stressed or tired. Your audience quickly forgets you exist.
The "What Now?" Panic: Spending two hours staring at a blinking cursor every Tuesday morning because you have no idea what to talk about.
Zero ROI: You measure success by vanity metrics (likes and retweets) instead of actual business outcomes (subscribers, leads, and sales).
Why a Plan Beats Passion (Every Single Time)
Passion gets you started; a plan keeps you alive.
A content creation plan isn't a straightjacket that stifles your creativity. It’s the infrastructure that frees your mind to actually be creative.
A plan forces you to ask the hard questions:
Who am I talking to?
What problem am I solving for them?
And where do I want them to go after they finish reading?
How to Build a Plan That Actually Works
You don't need a 50-page corporate manifesto.
You just need a system.
Here is the framework to transition from a wishful thinker to a strategic creator:Define
Your Pillars: Stop trying to talk about everything.
Pick 3 to 4 core topics that you want to be known for.
If it doesn't fit into those pillars, don't publish it.
Map the Journey: Content shouldn't exist in a vacuum.
Every piece should serve a purpose.
Are you building awareness, educating a lead, or closing a sale?
Plot out your content at least two weeks in advance.
When Tuesday morning rolls around, you shouldn't be wondering what to write—you should just be executing.
Batch Your Production: Don't write, edit, and design a post all in one sitting.
Dedicate one day to writing three articles, another day to designing graphics, and another to scheduling. It protects your cognitive energy.
The Bottom Line
The internet is crowded, noisy, and ruthlessly competitive.
The creators and brands who win aren't luckier than you, and they aren't necessarily more talented.
They are simply more disciplined.Stop wishing for an audience. Stop hoping the algorithm smiles upon you today.
Build a plan.
Show up consistently.
Give your audience undeniable value on a predictable schedule.
That is how reputations are built, and that is how businesses grow.
The wishbone will never replace the backbone.
Time to get to work.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
Feel free to follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn
P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: Revisiting your old stuff …
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.