Shane Snow is many things: bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and co-founder and chief creative officer of Contently. He’s been called a “wunderkind” by The New York Times and a “digital maverick” by Details, and GQ describes his work as “insanely addicting.”
In a nutshell, he’s a go-to guru on content strategy and the future of digital. That’s why we’re so excited to have him as a keynote speaker for Spark 2016, our annual digital marketing conference!
To sate your content marketing curiosity in the meantime, we’ve compiled an essential Shane Snow pre-Spark reading list.
Here are 11 of Shane’s must-read articles and inspiring marketing quotes!
1. State of Content Marketing 2016: The Tipping Point | Contently
“Storytelling can be a powerful force for good or evil, and we—consumers of content, creators of stories, and businesses hungry for results—need it to be good.”
2. An Incredibly Dorky Look at Each Presidential Candidate’s Technology Stack | FastCompay
“I am comfortable saying right now that some of the biggest winners of this election — and probably many future elections — will be the software companies selling to everyone. In a war with many opponents and escalating weaponry, it pays to be an arms dealer.”
3.The Problem With Best Practices | FastCompany
“Best practices don’t make you the best. They make you the average of everyone else who follows them.”
4. Start Creating More Engaging Content: Contently’s Co-Founder Shane Snow Explains How | Forbes
“We talk a lot about content, but we often forget that story is the root of what makes content memorable. You have to think about stories pervading everything you do.”
5.The Biggest Threat to a Growing Company’s Culture | FastCompany
“What’s much more effective than hammering in process and incentives? Making work purposeful and fun.”
6.Shane Snow Shares the Story Behind His Eight-Figure Storytelling Empire Contently | AdAge
“Brand journalism is a stupid term. It’s information entertainment. It’s education.”
7. What We learned From Sending 1,000 Cold Emails | FastCompany
“Important people may be busy, but the same principles for winning their trust and attention apply to the most to least busy person you’re emailing. Be personal, and do your homework.”
8. This Post Will Make You A More Effective Communicator In 90 Seconds |
“The #1 tip for asking better questions? Cut them off at the question mark.”
9. Branded Content: Is It Better to Own or Sponsor? | AdAge
“It’s probable that the most successful content programs will always contain a mix of owned and sponsored. And while both media and advertiser make out well in this model, the real winners are consumers.”
10. Millennials and Media: Why Brands That Don’t Publish Are in Big Trouble | Contently
“Whether we millennials are all entitled assholes has yet to be empirically proven. But the data shows that people’s expectations around media and advertising does indeed change based on the technology they grow up with.”
11. This Surprising Reading Level Analysis Will Change the Way You Write | Contently
“We should aim to reduce complexity in our writing as much as possible. We won’t lose credibility by doing so. Our readers will comprehend and retain our ideas more reliably. And we’ll have a higher likelihood of reaching more people.”
Have these marketing quotes inspired you to learn more about the future of content strategy? Head to the Spark website at spark.trackmaven.com to register!