An Interview With Andy Crestodina…

I wrote my second marketing book, How To Build A Kick-Ass Advertising Agency in 2023. It drove my consultancy. I included one expert interview.

I am posting this evergreen interview with Andy Crestodina for three reasons.

One, it remains a highly relevant interview. Do what he says.

Two, Andy continues to be one of the smartest and most prolific marketing content thinkers and publishers. Learn from him. By the way, he has 132,000 LinkedIn Followers.

Three. I am writing my fourth book and know that books still make sense. This time, it is about everything a Baby Boomer (75,000,000 of them) needs to know about their end game (I also think of it as an exit plan). Lots of well-researched advice, delivered fast. Especially a fast, to-the-point strike-zone read for the ADD generation.

Below are some Andy thoughts on the value of writing your own book (not a 100% ChatGPT book).

Valuable insights from Andy, even in this uber-digital year.

Andy.

Andy Crestodina is CMO and Co-Founder of Orbit Media, an award-winning 55-person digital agency. He has 24 years of experience in analytics, SEO, content strategy and visitor psychology …and 2.4 years of experience in AI. Andy has applied his expertise in SEO and conversions to drive both visibility and lead generation for 1000+ businesses since 2001.

Here is the 7th edition of Andy’s book: Content Chemistry, 7th Edition:: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing (A Practical Guide to Digital Marketing Strategy, SEO, AI, Social Media, Email Marketing, & Analytics)

The Interview.

Peter: There are so many advertising, digital, and content development agencies. How do you use your book to stand out?

Andy: A way to differentiate is by being the most helpful, informative, generous brand. When I started publishing blog posts 15 years ago, I quickly figured out that the lifespan of a blog post is short, that the value you’re putting out in the world is not very durable, and that I could get greater value from this work I was putting in if I was more strategic about it and applied more forethought. So early on, I put out this hypothesis: If you think ahead and write an outline of everything you know on a topic and then blog into those topics, write articles about each of those subtopics, then you will end up with having not just a list of topics and a bunch of articles, but you’ll have a table of contents and a half-written book.

It’s partly differentiation. It’s partly a sales tool because we send it to prospects, and it makes us look and feel different. So strategically, it’s a good strategy because it’s efficient, and it solves a problem, and it supports the bottom of the funnel. It supports sales. That’s basically it.

Peter: I agree that books create differentiation. What other advantages do you get from the printed word?

Andy: In the digital world there’s a Back button in front of the reader. A book delivers more of a captive audience. If you can hook them and get them into a printed book, they’re reserving more of their time and attention for you than in other formats. There are no notifications, there’s no distractions. This book doesn’t do anything else. And the fact that it’s so visual means that we stopped making an electronic version of it. It’s print only. So, I’m really looking for that quality time with the reader, for the chance at better attention and intimacy.

Peter: How does the book work into your overall marketing program?

Andy: The book supports sales goals. And prospects are the ultimate target audience. They’re the most important target audience. But it also supports marketing goals. It leads to lots of speaking engagements, it leads to conversations like this one, it leads to interviews on podcasts, and it creates a lot of exposure.

Books are a differentiated format. Anyone can write a blog post, hit publish, and it goes live. But there’s only a smaller percentage of those of us that are willing to take the time, like you’re doing, invest all of that research and writing into something bigger.

Peter: How do you promote the book?

Andy: The book is sent directly to prospects after meetings. So that’s the number one way it gets promoted. The book also is promoted on our website and has been a popular textbook at universities. The book is in my introduction when I give presentations. We do at least one or two webinars a week. This morning, I was interviewed for a podcast. I was asked, “How can people find you?” I say orbit media.com, and I’ve put all my best into one book called Content Chemistry. You can find it anywhere. It ends up in my introductions, in my interviews,

amplified through all of my normal activity. So, what you just heard was, there’s not a specific marketing strategy to promote the book, but we get more value out of all of our visibility because the book is included in everything we do.

Peter: What are your thoughts about being a guest on other people’s shows—podcasts, for example—versus doing your own?

Andy: Anybody can have a podcast. I’ve done that as a data-driven marketer. It’s a black hole. There’s so little data and feedback you get on podcasts. There aren’t good reports for it. It’s just an act of faith. Even if you’re very, very efficient with the production, it’s frustrating to know what it’s doing for you.

You rely on anecdotes. Oh, I heard you on that thing. So, my podcast strategy is to be part of other people’s shows.

My blog post strategy is very similar. Early-stage content marketers two-thirds of their content should be on other people’s websites. Write for everybody. Write all over the place. I will never stop guest blogging.

It’s been part of my strategy for 10 years.