Content Rules

Today, the new book by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman
Releases: Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business.

Content Rules is part of my New Rules series and I wrote the foreword to the book.

Here is the Content Rules companion site to learn more.

"Marketing is about publishing great content."

How many times have you heard a statement more or less like this? Tons, right? I know I've said probably a thousand times myself! By now every marketing professional and entrepreneur on the planet understands this fundamental truth. We don't need convincing.

But what the many content-marketing experts have failed to do is tell us how to create that content.

What, exactly, should I do?

In my experience, the art and science of creating content had never been adequately explained to marketers. Perhaps you would build a Web site and spend a bunch of cash on the design. But the best that the designers could do with the content was put in some filler text.

Okay, then what? You stared at "Lorem ipsum" for days not knowing what to write and then defaulted to some gobbledygook-laden drivel about your products and services. Ugh.

There is a better way.

Ann and C.C. show you how!

Throughout Content Rules, Ann and C.C. show how to construct interesting and valuable information using many of the same skills that journalists and storytellers use. They show how to identify an audience, how to develop a distinct point of view and voice, and how to construct a narrative that is exciting and engaging.

Content Rules includes many success stories from consumer brands, B2B outfits, government agencies, and other organizations—together with "ideas you can steal" from each. (Love that part).

When I created the New Rules Social Media Book Series with John Wiley & Sons, I said that it was essential to have a book about how to create killer content. And I knew just the people to do it.

Ann and C.C. are storytellers, journalists, and marketers. In my opinion, that's the perfect combination of skills and expertise to identify and deliver rules that we can all use to create killer blogs, podcasts, videos, e-books, Webinars, and more.

Ann Handley @MarketingProfs is the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs, an educational resource for marketers with nearly 400,000 subscribers. She also writes for American Express OPEN Forum, Mashable, and The Huffington Post. Previously, Ann was the co-founder of ClickZ, one of the first sources of interactive marketing news and commentary.

C.C. Chapman @cc_chapman is the Founder of Digital Dads, "where a Dad can be a guy." He is also the creator and host of of the widely popular Managing the Gray podcast and is also a member of the Media Hacks and Cast of Dads podcasts.

I've followed the work of both Ann and C.C. with keen interest for nearly five years, learning from them as they pave the way forward to new forms of marketing. They must have more than a thousand blog posts, hundreds of videos, and dozens of articles between them.

Now, in one place, you have access to their greatest hits.

Comments

[C.C. Chapman]

Thanks for being part of this book from the very beginning! Your support and guidance is always appreciated and your friendship means the world to me.

[Tony Faustino]

Thank you for this timely reminder of the release of Content Rules. I'm a huge Anne Handley Fan, and a Premium Member of MarketingProfs because of the outstanding educational content her team creates for marketing professionals of all levels. I first remember learning about Content Rules from reading Anne's June 2010 post from Annarchy. I immediately added it to my Amazon Wish List months ago. Please excuse me now as I hustle over to Amazon to seal the deal. Congratulations Anne and CC! I can't wait to start studying what I know will be a valuable resource in my marketing library.

[Ann Handley]

Thank you, David! We couldn't have done it without you. Or done it as well, for that matter.

[Mauriceverrelli]

Glad to see other marketers and authors are picking up where you left off and continuing the dialog.

You are what you publish - and you seem to have a great balance between promotion and valuable content.

Keep up the good work

Maurice Verrelli

[David Meerman Scott]

Tony and Maurice - Thank you. It really is a great book - hope you like it.

Ann & C.C. -- Enjoy this time! Your first book only comes out once.

[Amber Avines]

David, I'm expecting my copy of Content Rules to arrive in the mail any day. If it's half as valuable as I've found your books to be, I'm gonna love it.

Amber @wordsdonewrite

[David Gordon Schmidt]

Look forward to reading it. I've been a B2B "content guy" since before the internet, and it's very exciting what you can do now with targeting and disseminating good information, as a key marketing tool. Hopefully, you discuss the new "content farms" with keyword-laden, plaigerized-but-altered-enough content on quasi-educational sites designed merely to provide in-bound links...i.e. the difference between this practice and building a true information network and coalition.

[David Meerman Scott]

Thanks Amber.

David -- you're right about those crap content farms. I hate them.

[Oliver Cheatham]

Sounds like it'll be a great book. I'll order it today. Seems like it'll be a great book to recommend to my clients.

Another reason why I enjoy following your blog David. Thanks

[Christina Pappas]

This is a book I cannot wait to read!! I, like a majority of marketers, know there is value in producing great content (and not that regurgitated gobbledygook stuff) but its not easy! After trying out copywriters, struggling to come up with topics and then actually write the stuff (once I figured out it was better to come from me) is a daily challenge for me.

[LaTonya Johnson]

Hi David-

Awesome post! I am definitely going to purchase the book, and follow the authors more closely. THank you for the referral.

[Michelle Golden]

Really looking forward to reading this book. Huge Ann & C.C. fans, and love what you're doing with the series. Thanks for all you do to improve our content world! :)

[Debbieweil]

Huge congrats to Ann and C.C. (and David!). Can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

[KrishnaDe]

Congratulations Ann and C.C.

And thanks David for the book series - the content of which rules too!

[Tendering Software]

Congrats to Ann and C.C for this book issue. The books subject is great. This is the common issue today that how should our content be for the blogs etc. Have you also written how to get more traffic to our blogss..?

[aluminium kozijnen]

Congrats.. I will read that content rules book.. Thanks for sharing this book..