38 books for the startup marketer who wants to start their role strong (updated)
(Actual book collection).
I’ve got a problem.
My weakness? Marketing books.
It wasn’t until faced with the question, “Lucy, do these really bring you joy?!” that I realised just how much of a hoarding problem I have.
Despite this realisation, when looking over the book titles, I realised there’s a core set that have shaped my experience to date. I keep coming back to them.
I truly believe it is important to not just to read around your specialism, but to also get a better understanding of the context you’re working in. That’s why a lot of them are not just marketing focused.
I’ve written previously about how working as employee #1 in a startup environment is unlikely to be nothing like you’ve experienced before:
Your job role goes out the window from day one.
Your relationship with the founder(s) is complex.
Disruption and a chaotic environment can play havoc on your mental health.
The speed you’re expected to ship new products and learn new skills can be hard to get your head around.
The highs are REALLY high, and the LOWS are really low. Yet, despite all this - I love working in this capacity (and talking about it a lot, too).
And that’s why I think you need to expand the material you read.
The books that can help make it easier when you’re a startup’s first marketer.
If you’re working in a startup OR you’re thinking about joining one as an early stage employee, here’s my recommended reading list to give you a head start.
These titles have been recommended to me by fellow marketers and super interesting/ inspirational founders.
(Side note, they’re also the result of a few drunken late night Amazon purchases, which have turned out to be really useful).
The picture shows the titles, arranged into a beautiful colour scheme (my partner’s an Architect) which is pleasing on the eye, but difficult to find anything quickly or prioritise.
So, I’ve listed them by theme, and in each category, highlighted one or two titles I’d suggest looking at first if you’re stuck on time.
Books you need to read before starting out.
Focus: founder mindset:
The Startup Owner’s Manual - Blank, Dorf
Demand-Side Sales 101 - Bob Moesta and Greg Engle
Lost and Founder - Rand Fishkin
The Hard Thing about Hard Things - Horowitz
SPOTLIGHT:
The Startup Owner’s Manual
…is most probably one of the best books I’ve read if you want an insight into processes and detail. It takes you through each stage, how to validate hypotheses, the difference between on and offline businesses - you name it.
Lost and Founder
…is Rand Fishkin's book on how he and his Mother created Moz, and subsequently, tells the story of the ups and downs of being a founder. It’s candid; there’s a lot of transparency into things such as mental health and pay cheques.
That time I went all the way to BrightonSEO, hunted Rand down and asked him to sign my book. Which he did. Then I went home and Otto, our border terrier, ripped it all up.
Bad dog.
Books on customer discovery / research:
Lean Customer Development - Alvarez
The Jobs to be Done Framework - Bob Moesta (available as a book, but I’ve included the article that’s very useful)
SPOTLIGHT:
The Mom Test.
This is the go-to book for customer discovery. The premise is your Mum will tell you your business idea is great, but she has to ‘cos she’s your Mum. So how do you know if it’s actually a good idea?
The Jobs to be Done (JTBD) Framework.
Once you read about this theory, you can’t unsee it. Trust me. Developed in the 90s by Clayton Christensen and Bob Moesta, it assumes people hire and fire products to make progress in life. Here’s an example of how I applied JTBD to marketing for Bob Moesta himself.
Books on product lifecycle/marketing:
Sprint - Knapp, Zertskuy, Kowitz
Customer-Led Growth - Forget the Funnel
SPOTLIGHT:
Strategize.
I’ve included this because when you’re talking to customers early on, part of your role is to test guesses into actionable tasks. Part of which forms the MVP and what features not to include when releasing updates. This gives a good insight into product roadmaps etc - something that’s important as chances are, you’ll own a lot of this in the early days.
Customer-Led Growth.
The team behind Forget the Funnel put this together, helping organisations to operationalise marketing by using the Jobs to be Done framework. Whilst developed more for businesses with traction, it includes a number of useful ways to relook at how to build repeatable marketing around your customers. Fun fact, the startup I worked for was included as a case study in it. If you’re looking to understand it in relation to the growth of a startup, check out customer-led growth for startups.
Books on buyer psychology & user experience:
Ogilvy on Advertising - Ogilvy
SPOTLIGHT:
Hooked
…is a great book if you want to learn more about ways to increase the usage of your product. It gets into the mind of users, and suggests techniques to apply to create products people just don’t want to put down.
Books on subscription marketing (apply to SaaS):
Subscription Marketing - Janzer
The Automatic Customer - Warrilow
SPOTLIGHT:
Lean Analytics
…is possibly one of the best books I have read, especially if you’re looking for quick metrics and processes for a SaaS business.
I recently wrote about it in my post on How to map out your SaaS sign-up process.
Books on growth marketing:
(Note, I am not a fan of growth hacking per say, but growth marketing - YES).
Spotlight:
Anti-sell by Steve Morgan
This is a great book, and my favourite part of all is the chapter of finding good-fit clients.
Books on business, culture and purpose:
Books on strategy, positioning and tactics:
Good Strategy / Bad Strategy - Rumelt
Strategic Marketing - Drummond, Ensor, Ashford
Strategy - Harvard Business Review
Stand The F*ck Out: The No-Nonsense Guide to Positioning Your Business, Finding Your People, and Building a Durable Brand - Louis Grenier
SPOTLIGHT:
Absolutely Awesome
…helps to uncover the positioning issue you’ve got, and use it to your advantage to open up new market opportunities. I’ve also written about the concepts in previous posts, such as A lesson in startup positioning.
Stand The F*ck Out.
I’ve been a fan of Louis for yeeeears. You may know him for his podcast, Everyone Hates Marketers (a podcast I’ve always aspired to be featured on, don’t you know). His book is a brilliant way to really dig deep into who you are, what you stand for, and how to grow a sustainable and authentic brand that you’re happy to share (and not shudder at the thought of screaming about).
Do you have anymore to add? Let me know who and what I should add.
