One of the best motivational speeches I’ve heard came not from a business event or even a TED conference.
It came from the Academy Awards stage. Matthew McConaughey’s three-minute acceptance speech for the Best Actor Oscar delivered a life lesson that has stuck with me for the last decade.
McConaughey shared three things he needs every day: Something to look up to, something to look forward to, and a hero to chase.
Who he chases might surprise you. At 15, he chased himself at 25. When he turned 25, his hero became Matthew at 35. Now that he’s 55, he’s (presumably) chasing Matthew at 65.
The point? He’ll never catch his future self. But he works every day to become someone worth chasing.
That lesson isn’t only about personal growth and setting high standards for yourself. It’s also one hell of a mindset for marketing and content creation. I talk about it in this video, or keep reading for even more detail.
Why playing it safe isn’t worth it
People have explained content marketing as “brands operating like a media company.” That’s no longer a clever way to describe just one part of marketing.
It’s the lifeblood of modern marketing itself.
But, if your content doesn’t give your audience someone — or something — to chase, you’re not lighting a spark. And if you don’t light that spark of inspiration, you’ll lose people in the endless noise of competitors clawing for their attention. They’ll never care enough to stick around.
Unfortunately, most marketing content today is boring. Safe. Vanilla.
Many content teams churn out how-to and FAQ content to game the search algorithm. Others focus on hot takes designed to “go viral” for five minutes.
Teams are so pressed for popular content that they fail to focus on meaningful work.
Safe, dull campaigns don’t just fail to inspire — they cost more money. Studies show that you’d need to add tens of millions to your budget to match the performance of a well-thought-out, exciting campaign.
Playing it safe is also a fast track to losing your edge. Consider the content about generative AI coming from the biggest technology companies. It should build excitement and spark inspiration, right?
The titles grab attention (10 Ways AI Will Revolutionize Your Marketing Today, How to Use Strategic AI for Quick Wins in Marketing, etc.).
But then you click through, only to find 500 words of throat-clearing before the article finally gets to the meat — which turns out to be the same 10 tips you’ve already read in four other articles.
Sure, some of the advice might be useful. But does any of it make you pause and think, “Wow, this company helps me understand where the world is heading, and I’m inspired to explore where I fit in?”
Probably not.
I’m not saying how-to content, foundational industry insights, or helpful advice shouldn’t be part of your strategy. This content has its place.
But spending all your time answering frequently asked questions prevents you from imagining answers to the questions no one has asked yet.
And that’s a mistake — because vision (not repetition) inspires audiences to ask new questions.
A practical approach to expanding your visionary content
So why do businesses struggle with true thought leadership, visionary, or even out-of-the-box content ideas?
Many businesses just see it as too risky. It’s easier to write about what’s already popular. You know it’ll get clicks, likes, and even a few conversions.
But when you only create content for the here and now, you lock yourself into a short-term mindset, and your audience sees you as a commentator, not a guide.
They might follow your advice, but they won’t follow your brand. You risk becoming irrelevant as the conversation moves on.
Here’s the good news: You don’t have to choose between practical and inspiring content. You can do both.
Creating visionary content doesn’t mean abandoning practical content. You simply need to strike a balance between the two.
In doing so, your brand becomes the guide who says, “Here’s what you can do today — and here’s where we can go together tomorrow.”
Try these suggestions for incorporating more visionary work in your content plans:
Think in horizons
Divide your content strategy into three horizons:
- 1: Now (60%): Practical, actionable “how-to” content that solves immediate problems
- 2: Next (20%): Forward-looking insights on trends emerging in the next few years
- 3: Beyond (20%): Big, bold visions of what the future could look like in 5 to 10 years
Visionary content shines in Horizon 3 (Beyond) and strengthens Horizon 2 (Next) by setting the stage for near-term trends.
When these horizons work together, your strategy becomes more cohesive — meeting your audience where they are today while showing them where they could go next.
Make it about your audience
Visionary content shouldn’t be about your company’s goals — it should be about your audience’s dreams.
Ask yourself:
- What does our audience want to achieve in 10 years?
- What’s holding them back today?
- How can we help close the gap?
If you can align your vision with their aspirations, you’re not just creating content — you’re building trust.
Bridge big ideas with action
Creating visionary content doesn’t mean you can’t offer steps your audience can take right now. Vision without action is just daydreaming. Give them clear, tangible actions they can take today.
For example, if you’re writing about the future of remote work, recommend tools or habits they can adopt now to prepare for the shift. If you’re describing a world transformed by sustainable energy, offer tips for how they can start reducing their carbon footprint today.
Connecting the future to the present makes your vision feel real and within their grasp.
Back it up with progress
This one is my favorite tip. Great visionary content doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s not so abstract that nothing exists to support the vision.
Pair your big ideas with stories of real progress — whether it’s your company’s successes, industry breakthroughs, or inspiring examples from other companies or markets. Show your audience that the future you’re describing isn’t just possible — it’s already happening.
For example, I worked with a small B2B software company in the well-trodden marketing analytics industry not long ago.
At first, the team felt everything that could be said about marketing measurement had been said. And when they started thinking about some visionary application of analytics, the ideas sounded like the promise of flying cars: daring, futuristic concepts with little detail on how they’d work.
So, the team changed gears. Instead of leaning into buzzwords like “real-time intelligence,” “AI,” or “predictive analytics,” they set a new vision. They imagined a future in which traditional analytics — dashboards, visualizations, and data sets as we know them — simply didn’t exist.
In this vision, the technology works quietly in the background, transforming raw data into actionable insights without human intervention or interpretation. No dashboards, no charts — just pure intelligence delivered when and where it’s needed.
You’ll be their (idealized) mirror
Great visionary content reflects your audience’s inspired, idealized future back to them. That’s the heart of giving your audience someone or something to chase.
Because your brand created that reflection, you’re not just part of the noise — you’re their partner on the journey.
If you do it right, you’ll never fully catch the future you’re chasing — and neither will your audience. But that’s not the point.
The point is to keep reaching, keep building, and keep inspiring things worth striving for.
It’s your story. Tell it well.
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:
Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute