Adam’s Daily Post

Too much ‘planning’ kills good ideas.

Here’s why.

What we’re working on now is a byproduct of:

• Sitting on the couch open-minded
• Playing with reality in your mind
• Being open to new ideas
• Trying one of them

Then people start ‘planning’.
“Who cares what I’ll learn tomorrow, I’m doing this anyway.”

We stop asking “what if”.
And “what if” is the seed from which all creativity flows:

• The tests we run
• The products we build
• The campaigns we make

Plan less.
Ask more.

Watch what happens to your work.

When I don’t write my ideas down on paper:

• I lack tactile memory retention
• I find that my thoughts lack depth
• I can’t ‘flip back through thoughts’
• I want to ‘polish’ ideas vs ‘have’ them
• I doodle less (doodling helps me think)
• I don’t sketch (writing apps don’t like that)
• I don’t meditate on my words (typing is fast)

And that’s a problem.

I wonder if this contributes to why so much marketing (or products) feels boring, sterile, lifeless, void of personality.

If it’s been a minute since you tried paper… Give it a shot. You might reconnect with a part of yourself long forgotten.

Worrying about the algo kills your creativity & reach.

But focusing on your people means you’ll:

• Make what they actually want
• Make it how they want to receive it
• Make it a great experience for them
• Make great relationships/fans from that
• Learn how to improve it with real feedback
• Learn how to make it profitable (if you choose)

Isn’t that better?

(So stop worrying 🫶)

A fun way to stay focused is to swap two words around:

Distracted, and Destructive.

“Sorry, I got distracted” becomes, “Sorry, I got destructive”.

“I need some distraction” becomes, “I need some destruction”.

“I’ve been distracted in my work” becomes, “I’ve been destructive in my work”.

Funny how the latter is more indicative of what happens when we get distracted by shiny things, guru ideas, and trendy topics.

You have permission to ignore them all, and do your wonderful thing.

We’re all hoping you’ll stay the course. And we can’t wait to see what you’ll make because of it.

Just because everyone else seems to write in ‘killer hooks’? It doesn’t mean you have to. A reputation for creating great work worth seeking out is a viable alternative.

Just because everyone else seems to use particular tools, frameworks, best-practices or ideologies? It doesn’t mean you have to. A commitment to the result and the outcome over the ‘productivity theology’ is a viable alternative.

Just because everyone else prioritises certain lifestyles or goals? It doesn’t mean you have to. A life enjoyed your own way is a viable alternative.

Do it your way. Those who might disagree will see only a monument to your way, standing in the place where you proved them all wrong.

Great marketing is NOT omnipresent.

It focuses on:

• Being only where your people are
• Showing up how they’d like to see it

So in this week’s newsletter:

• How to do that
• Charlie Bennett drops wisdom
• Sedgwick realises he’s a cartoon 🤯

Drops in a few hours at https://theproductoon.com.

You may be totally over-thinking marketing.

Stop complexity/overwhelm by:

- Listening more (buyers know what they want to see & how) - Deciding faster (committing to your ideas vs deliberating) - Building better (‘minimum viable’ won’t impress anymore)

Then one of two things happens:

1. It works great, so you lean into it
2. It misses, you learn why, then go again

Don’t be afraid to listen, decide, and make amazing things.

(Even while you work it out, you leave a trail of ‘amazing’ behind you)

What’s the best ad ever made?

Here’s a hint:

• It didn’t appeal to everyone
• It didn’t dazzle you with cleverness
• It didn’t need a flash sale or ‘killer offer’

Here’s what folks miss.

The “best” ad differs for everybody:

• It knows WHAT they want
• It knows HOW they want to see it
• It’s remarkable to them specifically

It’s the difference between the ad everyone talks about,
And the ad that your target market still thanks you for.

Gurus tell us to seize attention.

But great brands don’t do that:

• iPhone launch: the media frenzies on its own.
• Cool new card game: spreads via word-of-mouth.
• New season of ‘your show’: you were already waiting.

Which sounds better to you:

1. Be the loudest, noisiest ‘player’ in the room?
2. Be the one people are excited to tell others about?

Choosing #1 is easy up-front, hard over time.
Choosing #2 is hard up-front, easy over time.

Buyers don’t want a ‘killer offer’.

All they want is:

• Something to really enjoy
• Something to look forward to
• Something to solve their problem
• Something they feel is just for them

Solve ’em in reverse-order:

• Get to know them
• Know what they want
• Know how they want it - Put on an amazing show