Recently, Joe Pulizzi, founder of Content Marketing Institute and author of many books on the topic of content marketing, asked if I would read and provide an early review of his new book, Content, Inc. The book, which is expected to be available on Amazon early next week, is the second edition and does not disappoint. In fact, just the opposite - it motivates and inspires.
“Anyone leading the growth of a startup, new product or break-out division of a large enterprise business should hit pause on their execution, have their entire team read Content, Inc.”
-Rebecca Geier
Below is my review, which I’ll be posting on Amazon when the book goes live. But it’s so good, I didn’t want to wait to share my rave review with the world. Congrats Joe, and thank you!
Amazon Review by Rebecca Geier:
Joe had me at the Introduction. His simple, quick style of writing drew me in fast and his personal story and transparent style affirmed I was reading the truth of one man’s content - and personal and business - success story. And I was inspired and motivated to keep reading and dive in to understand the Content, Inc model.
The meat of Content, Inc is devoted to explaining the 7-step methodology to implement a Content, Inc. model. The steps are easy to follow and apply, and the style Joe uses to explain concepts is familiar, clear and filled with stories that illustrate how others have successfully applied the steps in the model across industries. Each chapter also includes simple exercises to put the concepts into action, so it becomes not only a valuable reference but also a working draft of your own Content, Inc. model.
As Joe explains each of the steps in the Content, Inc. model, I found myself taking notes, making new slides for next week’s team meeting, and thinking of new ways to help our startup team get more focused. Joe emphasizes and explains repeatedly the importance of focus and slings challenges at readers, such as “Think of yourself as the trade magazine for your industry”. We marketers can’t hear it enough times - focus, focus, focus. As I explained in the first chapter of my book on positioning, Say No to Grow, Joe similarly recommends “Go small to go big. Companies…are afraid the niche will be too small to monetize…Most failures occur because the entrepreneur goes too broad and not narrow enough.”
Joe also includes relevant references to research and other books’ that underscore the concepts that underpin the Content, Inc. model steps. For instance, in explaining what he means by the content tilt, his name for the critical importance of content differentiation in step #2, he quotes Peter Thiel, author of Zero to One: “Businesses should ‘figure out something that nobody else is doing and look to create a monopoly in some area that’s been underdeveloped’…There are alot of businesses talking about the same things in the same way. Sameness will never break through the clutter.”
Anyone leading the growth of a startup, new product or break-out division of a large enterprise business should hit pause on their execution, have their entire team read Content, Inc. and put their plan to the test. It will shift your mindset and set you up for much greater success that you dreamed possible.
