Years ago, my friend Cyndi introduced me to a genius hack to keep a daily diary. She bought a book-sized planner that had enough room on each date to scribble a few lines. Instead of writing only upcoming appointments or plans, she would record highlights at the end of each day — a memorable moment, something funny, a new recipe she tried, an important thought.

I loved this approach, because it took the pressure off to fill multiple blank pages every time you wanted to record something.

I’ve been keeping journals since I was 10. Even then, I would make big commitments to myself to write every day, and when I inevitably failed, I would apologize. To my diary.

"Dear Diary, I’m sorry I haven’t written in you in sooooooo long! You must be wondering what happened at Sam’s sleepover. Let me tell you.”

Who did I think I was apologizing to? Why did I think that the diary had a sentient brain that could wonder things??

As I got older, the journal entries (I decided around 8th grade that “diary” was too frivolous and uncool) became more frequent and detailed, as I chronicled every single aspect of my dramatic interior life. I kept it up through high school, and sporadically but passionately throughout college.

After that, I began to channel my journal-writing into more polished personal essays and other types of writing as it became my profession. But I realized after a while that recording regular life was still necessary. It helps me process, helps me clarify what I think and feel. It’s also so helpful as source material for those carefully constructed essays.

So when Cyndi showed me her planner-as-journal method, I went straight to Paper Source on my lunchbreak and overpaid for a lovely new Rifle Paper Co. spiral-bound planner and complementary LePen markers in turquoise and purple.

Eventually, of course, I’d skip a day, then a week, then find myself sitting at the kitchen table flipping through my phone, trying to remember which day I went for happy hour at the new brewery and which day I cried at work so I could write it down and fill up the boxes.

And then when it became too much of a mental burden, I could have just started again on a new date, let the blank pages lie.

But I couldn’t. Instead, I abandoned it entirely.

Being a failed completionist is not the same as being a perfectionist. It’s not that I feel pressure to do it perfectly. It’s that once I miss one — a newsletter edition, a yoga session, an early wake-up — I feel like a failure and struggle to restart.

Ok ok ok, what does this have to do with content marketing?

A lot, actually.

Because here’s the thing: consistency IS important. But if you set the bar too high and/or make completionism more important than value, you’ll struggle to maintain it.

For me, the planner-as-journal didn’t work long term because I often just wrote random stuff to say that I did it, to see the nice cursive-covered pages. I never went back and reread what I wrote.

In other journals, I wrote when I felt like I had something to say, or something to figure out, or something I knew I wanted to remember. Those are the entries I’ll go back to and read to remember a part of my life.

The unending blank pages still feel intimidating sometimes. But I’ve found the happy medium solution: an undated planner.

My sister gave me this Moleskin planner for Christmas, and I’m giving it a go for basic calendar planning and reflection. It allows me to keep track of simple, day-to-day moments if I want to, without having to see blank spaces when I skip a day or week or month.

This is what a content marketing strategy requires — a format that allows for longterm consistency.

Practically, that means that you can’t necessarily be on every channel. I’ve advised clients to completely abandon platforms they can’t dedicate enough resources to keep up.

Not every brand has the budget, or need, to be on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Pinterest, Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, Substack, Discord, TikTok, YouTube — Yelp, for crying out loud.

When I started this newsletter, I intended for every biweekly edition to feature an interview with a fellow B2C content professional. I love these interviews, but producing this content is quite labor intensive. I will be keeping that format, while adding others — essay-style newsletters like this one, or updates I think my subscribers care about.

I don’t just welcome feedback, I salivate for it. PLEASE tell me what you think. A lot of junk lands in our inboxes these days, and I hope you find some value in this newsletter.

We’ll continue to cover:

• B2C content marketing — how it’s evolving, dissecting trends, talking to experts

• How storytelling and original reporting/research can boost your brand

• Pictures of my dog

What I’m writing/watching/reading/cooking

Because a marketer is only as good as their creative inputs

PERSONAL ESSAY 📝 I wrote about my disastrous childhood parasailing adventure for Business Insider. (Once again, sorry Aunt Susan!)

TV SHOW 📺 “Paradise” on Hulu. It combines all the things I love about limited series television: political drama, 90s music covers, end-of-the-world scenarios, murder mystery, James Marsden, thriller vibes with a strong emotional undercurrent. (Episode 7 is not for the faint of heart, nor for those with lifelong recurring nightmares about giant tsnuamis, but some of us watched it anyway, ok?) It’s getting a second season, which I was skeptical about until I finished season 1. I’m here for it.

FICTION 📖 The Night We Lost Him, Laura Dave’s follow-up to “The Last Thing He Told Me.” I’m not finished yet but would still recommend. It’s a novel about family secrets with a central mystery driving the action.

COOKING 🍽️ This Alison Roman recipe for Lemon Dill Turkey Meatballs with Orzo. The best turkey meatballs I’ve ever made, but here are the mods: 1️⃣ Sear the meatballs in a hot pan with olive oil, set aside, then use white wine to deglaze before continuing with the rest of the sauce. 2️⃣ I don’t love fennel seeds so I used coriander and celery seed instead. 3️⃣ You can sub Worcestershire sauce or capers for the anchovies. 4️⃣ Add about ¼ cup of breadcrumbs to hold the meatballs together. 5️⃣ You only need one and a half cups of liquid for the orzo, and I used chicken broth instead of water.

Work with me

I’m continuing to refine my offerings and sharpen the zone of intersection between what I like doing best, and what I’m best at. A few areas are emerging:

Writing, editing, and repurposing original research reports and white papers. Do you have data you need to wrangle into something valuable AND fun to read? Or existing reports you want to repurpose, but don’t know how? I’d love to chat. I have space for one new client in April! I’ve done this for B2B and B2C clients.

Coaching writers to help refine ideas and pitches or get unstuck. I offer 45-minute Content Problem Solving sessions for $125. This is perfect for writers who have an idea they need to crystalize into an outline or pitch, or who want some real-time editing help on a draft.

Helping leaders (from CEOs to content marketing directors) figure out the right content mix, building content ecosystems, sourcing editorial talent, etc. If you or your brand would benefit from journalistic-style, original content that builds trust and drives loyalty, get in touch!

You can find more about my services and view my portfolio on my website, or follow me on LinkedIn.

A little parting joy

Trust me. Just watch it.

Thanks for reading Sleight of Brand! Read past issues and subscribe here, and reply to this email to tell me what else you’d like to see in upcoming issues! 💌