Doug Messel

Category: Book Reviews

  • Five Great Books That Guide My Approach to Content Marketing

    Five Great Books That Guide My Approach to Content Marketing

    It’s no secret that the best writers are often avid readers. One of the most frequent pieces of advice you’ll hear from writers of all stripes is that you should always be reading. But when it comes to content marketing, the influences are a little different. I’m always reading—I’ve made note of resources I visit on a regular basis—but as a former literature student and a creative writing major, I just really like books.

    I’ll admit that before I got into agency life, I didn’t read a lot of books about marketing. Definitely not about writing for the web. I was just kind of winging it. I didn’t really care about keyword research or density or search volume. And I couldn’t even begin to tell you about Google Analytics. But a few places have given me some mandatory reading to do. And as it turns out getting some homework—even as an adult—can help you learn a thing or two. Here are a few of my favorite books about writing for the web, marketing, time management,  and creativity in general.

    Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

    Here’s a little secret about how I approach content marketing: I look at what competitors are doing. A lot. I look at how they’re phrasing things. What they’re talking about. Where they’re ranking for topics.

    And then I try to steal as much of what they’re doing and make it work for me (and my clients). 

    It’s not plagiarism. It’s working smarter. And one of the places that I’ve learned the importance of doing that kind of creative pilfering is in the Austin Kleon book Steal Like an Artist. I recently picked up the tenth anniversary hardcover copy of the book, and it’s just as vital and fun as I remember.

    Steal Like an Artist is a fast read, owing to Kleon’s decision to make it a physically square book, but also because he’s a writer who draws. Each page is packed with usable advice, but there are also plenty of fun doodles and scribblings to take in. Kleon’s an expert on creativity and a great follow on Instagram for insights into how he works. If you’re looking for a person to help guide you to good things to read and think about, his newsletter is an excellent place to start.

    Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug

    Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug focuses on the intersection of usability and making things easier on the person navigating your website. It’s ostensibly a text geared more for web designers and developers, but I’m a firm believer that content marketers and writers should have a good understanding of how things need to be laid out on a page for maximum effectiveness. 

    I’ve worked in spaces where the designer just kind of makes decisions about where content lives and how much space it gets. I’m a firm believer in the idea of collaboration during the design process as opposed to giving one person the baton and asking them to run ahead. If you’re not thinking about how users will actually read and interact with your content, you’re not doing a good enough job as a writer.

    Letting Go of the Words by Ginny Redish

    I’m wordy. I know it’s a problem. And I have a hard time stopping. But one book that helped me understand why it’s important to give as much information in as short a period of time is Ginny Redish’s Letting Go of the Words. This book has been around for ten years, but it’s jam packed with useful information about how to structure content for maximum impact for SEO.

    One of the things I liked the most about this book when I read it a few years ago is that it’s a fast read, even though it’s a pretty dense tome. You’ll find lots of clear examples of content (both good and bad) as well as explanations why the examples work (or don’t). Don’t let the price tag put you off: even though SEO changes constantly, a lot of the rules in this text are still standard best practices today.

    Start With Why by Simon Sinek

    Disclaimer: I used to hate Simon Sinek. Just utterly despised him. And a big part of that is due to a video that was making the rounds a few years ago about how coddled Millennials were. But if you dig into Start With Why (or the TED Talk that shares its primary thesis), you’ll find a lot of great insights about why and how companies succeed or fail based on vision and purpose.

    This one may not have a lot to do with the nuts and bolts of content marketing, but it’s an inspirational text for anyone who owns a business (or, if you’re like me, trying to get one off the ground). 

    Deep Work by Cal Newport

    I’m easily distracted. I will stop writing at least once every 15 minutes to look at my phone for another five, or to see if any new updates have been posted to one of the dozen websites I visit throughout the day for news and commentary. I’m not great when it comes to self control, but I’m trying to get better. A big part of that is reading Deep Work by Cal Newport.

    Now I don’t necessarily know if I agree with all of Newport’s thoughts on social media, distraction, and focused work. Sometimes he comes off as a little sanctimonious, especially when he reminds the reader (frequently) that he’s never had a social media account and was forced by his wife to get a smartphone after much arguing against it. But if you’re someone who struggles with concentration, this one is worth a read. And if getting away from social media piques your interest, his follow-up Digital Minimalism is a good one to read, too.

    Find a book you’re excited about finishing.

    One common theme in all of these books is that they were things I either couldn’t put down, devoured quickly, or simply wanted to finish reading. If you’re looking for a resource to help you level up your business or find some personal growth, there’s no shortage of books out there. There are honestly probably too many. But the ones listed above have been really helpful to me as I work with my agencies and clients.

    What books have you found most helpful as you build your business? Which ones would you suggest to someone trying to build an agency? Leave a comment with your favorite and link to it—preferably from your favorite local store.


    Want to learn more about my content marketing process and how I can help you turn around your blog program for as little as $5,000? Shoot me an email.

    I’m part of the affiliate program at Bookshop.org. Purchasing any of the above books through the links I’ve provided here will earn me a small commission.

  • Book Review: Goodbye, again by Jonny Sun

    Book Review: Goodbye, again by Jonny Sun

    It took me a lot longer than I wanted it to, but I was finally able this weekend to sit down and finish reading Jonny Sun’s book of essays, Goodbye, again. To be fair, it also took me longer than I’d planned to pick it up, but that’s mainly because I kept getting distracted by other things. But I’ve made a renewed push to read more this summer (and fall, hopefully), and this book sat on my bedside table for the past month or so waiting to be finished.

    Jonny sun's goodbye again sitting on a sideboard table

    Something I really enjoyed about the book is its vulnerability. Sun writes on a variety of subjects in this book, from grief to loneliness to joy, all buoyed by his uniquely identifiable sense of illustrations. The whimsy of his previous book—and the Twitter persona that spawned it—takes a backseat to earnest reflection.

    There’s a lot of good stuff to read in here, from meditations on what it would be like to experience the end of the world to essays about caring for plants. One of my favorite pieces is one near the latter part of the book, where Sun talks about the sense of place; of feeling discomfort in your old haunts, and even with your old people. The essay is called Removing, and the opening paragraph talks about something I’ve struggled with in recent years:

    “One difficult feeling to fight when I am preparing to leave a place I love is the one that says that once I do, everyone will be totally fine without me, that everything will go on as if I hadn’t existed at all, that I am not a necessary part of whatever the place is, that I can just slip away before the party ends and no one will even realize that I’m gone.”

    This feeling endures and encompasses all manner of things, from leaving home to changing jobs. In fact, I recently explored the idea of going to a different company, and I made it far enough in the process that it felt like a decision that I’d have to make sooner or later. But the opportunity fell through. And even though it fell through, the people I was leaving behind made it abundantly clear that I would not be forgotten, which quite frankly would’ve made it all the easier to stay.

    Something else that I really enjoy about the book is that each essay—or meditation—is fairly short. You can pick the book up and read a few entries over lunch or in the checkout lane at the supermarket, if that’s the way you choose to read. Or you could plow through the entire book in the course of a day. It’s a brisk read, and even the longer entries (of which there are a few) don’t feel like a slog.

    My one complaint about Goodbye, again is the lack of a table of contents or index. There are pieces in this book that I know I’d like to return to someday, and yet I have to hunt for them. But that could also be part of the joy of reading; while looking for the Removing essay, for example, I came across a couple of short paragraphs that were lovely to reread. 

    All told, I’m glad I read the book when I did. Coming out at the tail end of the pandemic, Sun’s essays provide a lovely bit of reflection. There’s a reason that his TED talk on loneliness and forging connections has been viewed by millions, and it’s because the things he says and writes resonate with people.

    They certainly resonated with me, which is why I’d be glad to recommend Goodbye, again to anyone seeking a short-ish book that is packed with lovely thoughts, feelings, and even a little bit of advice on caring for plants.

    You can buy Goodbye, again from several major retailers, although I recommend you do so from Bookshop, Indiebound, or your own favorite local bookstore.