in ,

31 Books Every Content Marketing Beginner Should Read

Content marketing is a complicated area of marketing. Some think content is king, some think other areas of marketing are key, but they all agree that content is VERY important. If you want to jump into the world of content marketing, then these are the books we recommend.

Each of the book on this list is suggested by a Fupping contributor. 

This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com and other Amazon websites.

#1 Growth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday

This book serves as a written proof from an authority, for those cases where you wish to think and do outside the conventional box and encounter top brass resistance.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Ron Zed from investing.com

12 points
Upvote Downvote

#2 Trust Me, I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday

This book is a must for reading if you seek to broaden your professional horizons and better understanding the game. It also serves as a written proof from an authority, for those cases where you wish to think and do outside the conventional box and encounter top brass resistance. Place this book on your desk and use it to prove your point.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Ron Zed from investing.com

#3 Crypto Copywriting Secrets by Ben Settle

Ben is a master of copywriting, and despite the fact this book is more geared towards sales letter copy, it still touches on the fundamentals of writing and, most importantly, structure. The structure he outlines can be applied to most mediums and makes the perfect base for landing pages.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Alex Wright from Clicky Media

#5 The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan S. Kennedy

This is again centered around sales copy but contains actionable tips that can be carried over to content marketing. For example, it talks about identifying audiences, targeting their pain points & motivators, and how to create highly relevant, engaging content for any market.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Alex Wright from Clicky Media

#6 They Ask You Answer by Marcus Sheridan

The premise of the book is that more than anything, people are looking to purchase from a trusted source. Through personal examples and step-by-step process, the author shows you how to become the most trusted source in your industry or in your market. Sheridan's approach is the perfect balance of inspirational and practical, especially when you are just starting out. 

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Ross Black from Simple Box Storage Containers

#7 How Customers Buy…& Why They Don’t by Martyn R. Lewis

In this book readers will learn:

  • Five essential components of the market engagement strategy
  • Get inside the customer’s mind: Unlock how buyers actually think
  • Six elements of the customer buying journey DNA
  • Different World: How today’s buying journeys have drastically changed from the past, and why it matters to marketing beginners
  • No Sale? What to do when customers aren’t buying your products or services
  • Stop solving the wrong problem: Research shows that most customers do “get it”, they understand the value and ROI of offerings

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Mallory Campoli from Smith Publicity

#8 Triggers by Joseph Sugarman

This is one of my all-time favorite marketing books, because he tells you exactly what are some of the triggers that motivate people into taking action. In other words, he tells you how you can use the power of psychology to influence consumer behavior.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Andreea Dobrila from Gloria Food

#10 The Cuttlefish Marketer by Scott East

The Cuttlefish is a fish that has the ability to blend into his surroundings. But unlike most fish that use this ability as a defensive strategy, the cuttlefish attacks prey that comes to close. That is the type of marketer that Scott East is - agile, nimble and always looking for advantages so he can pounce. East is ready to share his concepts that are being utilized to shift from the lumbering business strategies of old to the nimble, real-time techniques necessary in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing business climate.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Ashley Pontius from News & Experts

#11 Content Marketing: Think Like a Publisher by Rebecca Lieb

This book by Rebecca Lieb can help you better use words, pictures, and other multimedia to increase engagement with customers. The book details how to think about what you want to say, where to best say it, how often to post, and how to tell if you’re accomplishing what you set out to accomplish. 

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Nate Masterson from Maple Holistics

#12 The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.

It's quite an old book but it provides examples throughout which makes it easy to understand. It lays out all the essentials of grammar, as well as some key rules that will make your writing style more succinct and enjoyable to read. Simple tips like always using the active voice and cutting redundant words like 'there is' and 'there are' can really have a transformative effect. Stephen King recommends this book too, so you know it's good.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Louisa McGrath from Rebrandly

#13 Grammar Rules by Craig Shrives

Grammar Rules is a great book, teaching readers to go back to the basics of grammar, while also tackling the dreaded apostrophe rules and many other copywriting pet peeves. This book is great for beginners, but also to use as a reference when you do land a content job; you can continue to learn and let your writing flourish.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Katie Derrick from Africa Travel

#14 Copywriting by Mark Shaw

This book is great at understanding copywriting from a marketing perspective. Of course, to be a good writer you need to have creativity, an avid love for words and writing itself, but this book encourages you to craft clear, concise copy with such ease.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Katie Derrick from Africa Travel

#15 Purple Cow by Seth Godin

This is the basis for marketing in my opinion. Purple Cow is more than just a business book because it teaches how advertising has changed. Today, the key to content marketing is to be different from your competitor's in order to gain attention. Consumers are tuning out ads and marketing more than ever due to the sheer overload of info on social media. Unless you learn to become the 'purple cow', your content will be overlooked. This is the secret my friends, and we have only Seth Godin to thank.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Zach Pittman from OrionsGuard

#16 Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi

I would recommend this book, as it focuses on how to create the content your customers actually want to see and to read. The book presents guiding principles to develop a successful content marketing plan. It may include blogs, podcasts, content applications, online videos, digital magazines, etc. The facts provided in every chapter of the book contain valuable information on content marketing for beginners. The book will be also interesting for more experienced content marketing specialists.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Illia Termeno from Extrabrains

#17 Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

This book reveals secrets that will help you make the benefits of your products or services clear to your customers. One of the most important questions answered in the book is how to create an effective brand story. No matter how much experience you have in the field of marketing, StoryBrand will give you a new perspective on how to grow your business.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Illia Termeno from Extrabrains

#18 The Story Factor by Annette Simmons

The book demonstrates how to create a story based on your experience and imagination. Influencing and convincing customers is an important issue of content marketing. Providing data and facts is not enough – people need to trust you. I would recommend this book for content marketing beginners, as well as for the specialists who want to deepen their knowledge in marketing and brand management.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

 Contributor: Illia Termeno from Extrabrains

#20 Everybody Writes by Ann Handley

Everybody Writes is a manifesto for telling better stories and truly engaging with the reader. And it will help you think differently about creating content for a variety of outlets from your own website to social media and email—each one requires a slightly different approach. 

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Rob Marsh from The Copywriter Club

#23 10 Skills for Effective Business Communication by Jessica Higgins

Provides guidance on everything from interview strategies to high-stakes negotiation tactics, so that everyone who desires to improve their communication skills can benefit from the book. Equal parts research and actionable advise, the book provides effective strategies from the world’s most successful professionals and applies it to common workplace scenarios.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Katherine Fleischman

#24 Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

This book is excellent for anyone who's had to deal with not knowing what to write or not being happy with their writing. It offers candid and sometimes hilarious advice on writing and telling a great story. It outlines how to overcome writer's block, get past crappy first drafts and find a passion in writing. Excellent for anyone whose work includes a lot of content creation and writing. 

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Ryan Knoll from Civil Hair

#26 Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy

As I suspect is the case in most successful post-schooling attempts to learn and develop that those of us doing our best adulating take on in our copious free time, so often the best source of knowledge on any given topic is not necessarily a how-to or self-help book specifically on that material or about that field.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Adam Giffi from Alexander Mann Solutions

#29 One Plus One Equals Three by Dave Trott

These books take a much wider view than just advertising work though - he takes vignettes from history, the news and his own experience and works them into very short parables to clearly illustrate principles of persuasion, problem solving and the different ways to present and look at ideas. 

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: James Mawson from Handsome Genius

#30 Neuromarketing by Patrick Renvoise

It's a quick read because the authors do a good job of practicing what they preach. They have lists and rhymes for helping the reader remember important points, which are strategies for speaking to the old brain. They outline a basic pattern for creating a marketing message: 1. Identify the pain, 2. differentiate your claims, 3. demonstrate the gain and 4. deliver to the old brain. This formula is amazing because it helps the marketer create a message that their target will actually listen to. 

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Rex Kimball from Mirex Marketing

#31 Top of Mind by John Hall

In this book, John Hall emphasizes that Person to person communication is still at the core of lasting success. the top-of-mind philosophy can be boiled down to a single goal: “If you can get the right people to think of you at the right times, you can accomplish great things.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the link below:

Contributor: Mark from Lasting Trend

This post was created with our nice and easy submission form. Create your post!

Written by Taegan Lion