What are the best marketing books?
To find out, I asked the speakers and panelists at Ahrefs Evolve, our conference in San Diego from October 13-15, which books they actually read and recommend.
Here are their recommendations:
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1. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
Author: Eric Ries
Recommended by: Travis Tallent
This is the blueprint for building results with fast feedback. Treat campaigns like experiments, ship smaller bets, measure learning, and iterate. It turns “failed” ideas into fuel for the next win.
As Travis says:
“It’s not your typical marketing book, but it makes you think in terms of systems and process and instills that progress is better than perfection. I use its methods every day in my role at Brainlabs.”
2. Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things
Author: Adam Grant
Recommended by: Heather Physioc
In Hidden Potential, Adam Grant challenges the idea of “natural talent.” He argues that success comes from habits, feedback loops, and environments that stretch your abilities: lessons every marketer can apply to creative and professional growth.
It’s exactly why Heather recommends the book:
It’s not a marketing book, but the one I read most recently that improved how I think about my work and approach problem-solving was Hidden Potential by Adam Grant, which argues that success is less about innate talent and more about how far you can stretch yourself by focusing on character skills, learning habits and systems that support growth. For digital marketers, it’s a reminder that long-term improvement comes from experimentation, feedback loops, and building a growth environment rather than banking solely on “natural gift.”
Author: Ahrefs
Recommended by: Patrick Stox
Patrick’s pick is close to home. The Ahrefs SEO Book is our comprehensive guide to mastering modern SEO, from fundamentals to advanced link-building and technical strategies.
As Patrick puts it:
“Marketing is just another form of sales. And SEO is one of the most scalable sales channels there is. This book shows you how to use it properly.”
4. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Author: Robert Cialdini
Recommended by: Dawood Bukhari
Few books have influenced marketers more than Cialdini’s Influence. It’s the cornerstone of understanding why people say “yes,” from reciprocity to social proof.
Dawood, who’s publishing a book on Digital PR, uses these principles daily in his work.
5. Product-Led SEO: The Why Behind Building Your Organic Growth Strategy
Author: Eli Schwartz
Recommended by: Sophie Brannon
Eli Schwartz reframes SEO not as a checklist, but as a strategic growth function tied directly to business outcomes. It’s a must-read for marketers who want to think beyond rankings and connect search with company strategy.
Sophie says:
This book takes you outside of what gets ingrained in you as a junior SEO as what is “best practice” and helps you to think more commercially particularly in SaaS / lead gen spaces. I always get my junior team to read this pretty early on to working with us so they think more about the business needs than just what’s right for SEO.
Author: John Kotter
Recommended by: Chris Schweppe
John Kotter’s management classic is about transformation and what it really takes to make change stick. For marketers leading teams or implementing new processes, it’s a timeless guide to creating momentum and aligning people around a shared vision.
7. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant
Author: W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne
Recommended by: Carrie Rose, Brandon Lincoln Hendricks
Blue Ocean Strategy is a manifesto for differentiation. It’s about finding opportunities where competitors don’t, and creating demand instead of fighting for it.
As Brandon says:
Most marketers are stuck fighting in red oceans: competing on the same tactics, same channels, same tired playbook. This book taught me to create new market space instead of battling for scraps in saturated ones. It’s why I went from executing SEO strategies to building AI-powered systems that amplify what great SEO already does. I’m not just optimizing anymore. I’m building the infrastructure that makes optimization scale without limits.
This book is strategy for people who want to lead markets, not follow them. It’s about creating value where competition becomes irrelevant.
Carrie agrees:
The question “is it better to be better, or better to be different” was answered for me. Being in a blue ocean, with a clear stand out differentiator made me think about marketing and business in a whole new light.
8. Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Practice and Principles
Author: Peter Drucker
Recommended by: Mark Schaefer
Peter Drucker’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship may be decades old, but its lessons still apply: innovation isn’t luck; it’s a process. Drucker’s thinking has shaped generations of marketers, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
As Mark says:
“An older book but his advice that should be embedded in every organization.”
9. Double Double: How to Double Your Revenue and Profit in 3 Years or Less
Author: Cameron Herold
Recommended by: James Norquay
Cameron Herold’s Double Double is equal parts playbook and pep talk. It’s full of practical, actionable ways to grow a business, from leadership habits to marketing strategy.
Here’s why James recommends the book:
It covers business growth, revenue generation and leadership tips, all very actionable advice. I went to dinner with the author Cameron in Sydney this year. It was a valuable experience.
10. The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less
Author: Richard Koch
Recommended by: Madhav Bhandari
Koch’s 80/20 Principle is simple but powerful: most results come from a small number of actions. For marketers, it’s a reminder to focus energy on the campaigns, channels, and ideas that truly move the needle.
As Madhav puts it:
It taught me to operate creatively with whatever I have in any situation, to work smart rather than hard, and to focus on the “big rocks” so the small ones take care of themselves.
In marketing, that means identifying the 20% of initiatives that drive 80% of the results. The 20% of SEO tactics that move 80% of the needle. The 20% of hires who deliver 80% of the impact. Even the 20% of my day where I get 80% of my productivity.
That way of thinking has helped me focus my energy in the right places and kept me from ever feeling overwhelmed—whether in marketing or in life.
11. The Copywriter’s Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells
Author: Robert Bly
Recommended by: Cyrus Shepard
Robert Bly’s classic is still one of the best introductions to persuasive writing. It’s straightforward, timeless, and filled with examples you can apply to any kind of marketing copy.
Cyrus puts it simply:
“If you can write well, you’ll do well in marketing.”
12. Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning So Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It
Author: April Dunford
Recommended by: John-Henry Scherck
April Dunford demystifies positioning and makes it practical. Her framework shows how to communicate your product’s value so clearly that customers instantly understand why it matters. It’s a must-read for anyone working in SaaS or B2B marketing.
13. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
Author: Peter Thiel, Blake Masters
Recommended by: Kevin Indig
Thiel’s Zero to One isn’t just about startups; it’s about thinking differently. It challenges readers to create something truly original rather than just competing on the same ideas, channels, or strategies.
14. Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation
Author: Steven Johnson
Recommended by: Ryan Law
Johnson explores where creativity really comes from, and why the best ideas emerge from connection, not isolation. It’s a book about the environments that make innovation possible.
Ryan says:
So much of marketing is trying to harness creativity and create novel, interesting things that help promote your product. This is the best book I’ve read on actually systematizing creativity and learning how to be creative on demand. My favourite quote: *“The trick to having good ideas is not to sit around in glorious isolation. The trick is to get more parts on the table.”
15. Human Centered Marketing
Author: Ashley Faus & Devin Bramhall
Recommended by: Devin Bramhall
Human-Centered Marketing explores a simple but powerful idea: marketing works best when it focuses on people, not funnels. It’s about empathy, creativity, and building community around shared ideas.
Devin, who co-authored the book, puts it best:
“Good marketing doesn’t start with what you want to say. It starts with how people feel and what they need.”
Final thoughts
Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman at Ogilvy Group, once tweeted: “The best books to read on advertising aren’t about advertising.”
You can see it’s true: most of the recommended books here are barely about marketing. Instead, they’re about something else: business, productivity, storytelling, psychology, and statistics.
Want to learn from our speakers in person? Grab your ticket to Ahrefs Evolve and join us for three days of talks, workshops, and conversations about the future of SEO and marketing.
