The 6 Best Books on Content Marketing I’ve Ever Read

1. Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath

This book is older than my career. And while the popularity of content marketing has surged in recent years (and plenty of things have changed) the basic premise of this book remains as relevant today as it ever did. ‘Made to Stick,’ by Chip and Dan Heath covers what makes some things “sticky” (or memorable) and others not so much. Since we all aspire to make our content memorable and to have it resonate, the principles here are incredibly useful. I also found this a really easy read. It was published in 2007. I first read it in 2010 and it’s one I go back to every couple of years. Well worth a read for new and experienced content marketers alike.

2. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

It may seem a tad dramatic to declare a book “life changing.” But I think it’s justified here. Again, this isn’t a book specifically about content marketing. Instead, it’s a book by an expert in psychology on what persuades humans to say yes to things. Lots of times in content marketing, we’re looking to persuade and influence. Sometimes we’re creating content designed to convince, convert and sell and it’s really easy to see how the principles of persuasion can be put to use here. Sometimes, we’re pitching our content ideas to journalists too and having the ability to write persuasive pitch emails comes in really handy. My copy of the older version of this book is pretty well worn. Probably a good excuse for the new expanded one.

3. Content Inc by Joe Pulizzi

Joe Pulizzi’s book on content marketing, “Content Inc,” is about building your whole business around content and doing so in a really quite financially efficient way. It’s very practical (like so much of the content the author publishes online too) and is again very easy reading. It offers insight into tools to help you get featured in press (HARO and similar platforms) and information on social listening tools and how to use them. So it’s not all abstract ideas on content marketing, but instead highly practical information you can start to apply to your work the same day.

4. Making Numbers Count by Chip Heath and Karla Starr

This is the second time Chip Heath has featured in this list. As well at co-authoring “Made to Stick,” he also co-authored “Making Numbers Count.” This book is one I found incredibly useful. I spend a lot of time on content that is data heavy – content assets and pieces that are made up of research and figures. And let’s be honest, number heavy data can be boring and tricky to read. This book gives you really practical advice on making numbers matters to humans – explaining them in ways they relate to, understand and care about. And I apply the learnings from this book daily in my own content marketing efforts.

5. The PR Masterclass by Alex Singleton

I have never had a PR role. I still describe myself as being someone who does not do PR. But the reality is that if you’re doing any sort of content marketing activity that requires pitching something to journalists as part of it, then you do need some PR skills. Alex Singleton’s book, “The PR Masterclass,” really is something of a masterclass. Many of the practical tips and advice he dispenses within the book go back to more traditional forms of PR but the principles largely still apply. This is a really useful book for someone embarking upon the intimidating world of PR for the first time ever as a part of their content marketing job.

6. Atomic Habits by James Clear

The way everyone was banging on about this book, I felt like I *had* to read it. But then I was almost certain that I’d be let down by the overhyped nature of it. But I was wrong. It lives up to the hype and some. Atomic Habits isn’t a content marketing specific book per se. But it has had such a profound impact on my content marketing work insofar as how it has helped me overcome my worst habit: procrastination. The reality is your content marketing work is going to be awful(ly non existent) if you’re sitting messing around on phone or doing pretty much anything else in the world apart from the work itself. So overcoming procrastination and building great habits has been essential to me. James Clear’s approach to micro habits and making small changes has been really impactful.

Other Content Marketing Books

I’ve read some great books that didn’t make this list (some ideation books for example that were high practical but quite difficult to read). But these are the 6 books that have the best and most positive impact on my content marketing work. And yes, I know this is far rom an exhaustive list. So if you’ve a suggestion for one I’ve not read yet, drop me a message. Always open to heading new reading recommendations.