Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business

"Content Rules" is Almost Perfect!

Content Rules is a relentlessly upbeat guide to developing content for the Internet. The authors not only stress that "content is king" online; it's also queen, jack, ace, and most of the rest of the deck. Content Rules will show you how to find content in every corner of your organization, package it in every conceivable format, and syndicate it throughout the universe. Pretty impressive.

The Theory

The authors begin by laying out 11 "content rules," then expanding those in the following nine chapters. This is the "theory" portion of the book; as theory goes, it's very easily digested. The authors stick to the conversational tone they advocate in Rule #4: Speak Human.

Highlights in the theory section of the book include:

1) Creating a content publishing schedule, especially the checklist for things to do each month on page 60. It's a good template by itself for an online marketing game plan.

2) Six characteristics of a good case history, signature article, or customer success story (pages 72-73).

3) What to look for when hiring a writer (pages 85-88).

4) A terrific business-to-business (B2B) chapter with a concise list of questions to ask about your customers on pages 125-126, along with a table used to analyze the results on page 128.

The How-To

The second section of the book is labelled "How-To," but in one of the few weak spots, it starts off very badly with the Blogging chapter. How can you get through a blogging how-to without mentioning WordPress once?

But the authors immediately rescue the how-to section with a great chapter on Webinars. It's full of details, software recommendations, examples, and sage advice. I love the tip, for example, that putting a video on the registration page for a seminar increases conversion five-fold.

Most of the rest of the how-to section is good, especially areas where the authors shine: ebooks and case studies. I really like HubSpot's Rebecca Corliss' top 10 tips for producing a Web TV show (pages 203-205).

One Big Caveat

I started by saying that this book is almost perfect. The biggest oversight is the mainstream media. Almost all the content is aimed at consumers, yet many of the best results the campaigns pull are when they get picked up by the major media.

Page 20 lists four objectives for an online marketing campaign. It needs a fifth: to engage in dialogue with the mainstream media in your field. How to attract and dazzle the media should be considered in all the content programs covered in the book.

The major media still has major impact. One of the most important results from a blog is not the loyal following it builds, but how that following gives the blog the voice of authority with the major media, leading to coverage, which supercharges results.

Conclusion

With that one exception, "Content Rules is excellent." Hopefully, this book will convince many senior executives that online PR is about content, not traffic tricks or SEO gimmicks. Hopefully, readers will invest in a long-term strategy of accumulating a wide variety of compelling content rather than using stunts to briefly spike their numbers. Congratulations to Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman on a significant contribution to the canon of online marketing.

Steve O'Keefe is co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of SixEstate Communications. He has taught Internet PR at Tulane University since 2001, as well as courses for Stanford University, UCLA Extension and PRSA, among

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Good enough for audio and ebook

I am a through about 75% of the audio book. It has helped generate enough ideas that I decided I need the nook version for reference.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

What is wrong with the pricing model on this book?

A hardback copy at $14.55 and the NookBook price is $14.97? I do not understand how a product with no manufacturing and minimal delivery cost is higher than the hardback version. When I contacted B&N Customer Service, I was told "Barnes and Noble does not control the pricing of ebooks. Publishers control the pricing of digital books." But when I called the publisher, Wiley, I was told (multiple times) that Barnes and Noble is responsible for setting their own prices on ebooks. All the while, if I was a Kindle customer, I could buy the ebook for $9.99. What's up Barnes and Noble? Are you trying to take advantage of the very customers that hitched their horse to your wagon with the Nook? Argh!

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Smart guidebook on how to create quality online content

On the Internet, a brand new start-up, even a one-person shop, can compete directly and quite favorably with the biggest Fortune 100 companies - as long it offers superior online content. Today, consumers find the products and services they want by using search engines. Your goal is to create engaging, compelling, and memorable content - blogs, videos, podcasts, and websites - that people like, link to, and pass on to others. This can help your material show up on the first page of search engine results - even ahead of material from huge corporations. Internet content expert Ann Handley and online marketing expert C.C. Chapman use helpful guidelines and detailed case studies to teach you how to plan, create, and publish online content that will engage your prospects. getAbstract recommends this straightforward, informed explanation of what makes online content great, how to produce it and where to publish it in cyberspace.

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