We asked some marketing pros what are the best PR & marketing books, and some answers came back.
Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5WPR nominated his own book – “For Immediate Release”, telling us that it’s a hands-on guide for pr pros to learn about the ins and outs of the PR industry. We agree and highly recommend it.
Meanwhile, James M Chittenden, Small Business Consultant and FounderOne Click said, “”The Public Triumph; Public Relations for the Strong and Those Who Want to Be” was his favorite, noting Quite often, entrepreneurs do not know how to publicize themselves. It isn’t enough to start a business, establish a website and wait for the phone to ring. The Public Triumph was written by an entrepreneur who previously served as a Marine Corps public affairs officer who also trained recruits at boot camp. So this is boot camp in a book, and this aggressive approach will help your business get on the map.”
Allan Borch said, “The first one is a classic, Joseph Sugarman’s The Adweek Copywriting Handbook. Not inspiring from a philosophical sense, but Sugarman’s book 5 ideas and 7 axioms have resonated with copywriters for decades and have opened the door for those who want to learn how to write marketing copy and be successful at it. The second one is a more recent release by marketing guru Seth Godin. Entitled The Icarus Deception, In his lauded book, Godin takes a hint from Greek mythology, pushing readers towards thinking radically outside the box and moving forward without a map — critical skills for any marketer looking to get ahead. There’s an emphasis on conventional wisdom, conformity and fitting the mold are a surefire path to mediocrity.”
Stacy Caprio of AcneScar.org said, “A great digital marketing strategy book is “Trust Me I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator” by Ryan Holiday. Holiday includes incredible stories of his own experiences with creative viral, online marketing strategies and gives readers a blueprint how they can achieve similar results. It’s a great blend of case studies and real life examples combined with practical how to advice and a must read for any business person or marketer looking to explode their growth online. One key takeaway from the book to go viral and be picked up by big news stations is to start pitching your story and getting it in small local stations, and start a viral effect where you keep pitching and help the story get naturally picked up by bigger and bigger news outlets.
The book is best for someone with a small budget who wants to create their own viral online marketing campaigns.”
John Stieger, Director of Cintrifuse named two books – he said, “For PR – Damage Control by Eric Dezenhall – Most PR books are very idealistic in their worldview. In reality there are always constituencies who see you as a means to an end, their livelihood depends on being an adversary. Dezenhall is really clear eyed about the cause and effect relationships in managing issues and crises, a unique and valuable perspective.
Marketing – How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp – Despite the focus on data and research that has come of age lately many marketers still have very utopian views of how marketing works. Byron Sharps research and writing is both challenging to that ideal and hugely influential. Great data based perspective on what it is that makes a brand and how they contribute to business results.”
We recommend all of them.