Indecision when picking a book needs to be fought with
Narration
Clarity of Speech
How clear and understandable was the voice? 6/6
Fluency
Were there any gulps, voice jumps? Recording interruptions? The higher the score – the less interruptions. 6/6
Expressing Emotions
How much does it sound as if the narrator was really there?
How attached is he to the sentiment in the story?
And how well does he transfer the emotion to the reader? 7/7
Plot
Is there a storyline? How connected is one Idea to the one before it?
Answer: The framework is presented in a step-by-step order, and it’s a marketing, non-fiction book, so it should definitely count as a plot (Although some chapters within the parts are interchangeable, they don’t come out of the blue, but within context). 10/10
Heading Distribution
When I read the heading, can I recall the contents?
Answer: 17.5 of 24 headings (One of them I remember only it’s first part). 7/10
Drive For Implementation
How much does the book push you to apply it’s contents?
Visuals
Does it use images or other resources to transfer it’s message?
Answer: The audiobook did refer to many resources on the CMI website, but there is no built in PDF.
3/6
(The rating is for the audiobook. The E-book has a lot of images)
Direct Calls to Action
How often does the author prompt you to apply the ideas in the book?
Answer: The book could use more direct calls to action in my opinion, although the content is most definitely application geared. 4/6
Providing Actual Specific Details
Can you actually apply the Ideas in the book without additional resources?
Answer: You can and I did (See main blog post). Though I did not apply everything, it seems quite applicable. Still, Marketing Made Simple made more of an impression on me 🙂 6/7
Examples
How often are examples provided to explain a point, and how well do they portray the ideas?
Answer: There was nothing that I felt was unclear 10/10
Content
How interesting/useful was the content?
Answer: Since it is quite specific to content creators, there is much to learn. Although much of it is already repeated in other books, Joe puts it out clearly, and one can definitely feel he’s a pro in the niche. 25/30
Final Rating
Narration – 20/20
Plot – 10/10
Heading Distribution – 7/10
Drive for Implementation – 13/20
Examples – 10/10
Content – 25/30
Final Rating – 81/100
The biggest reason content marketing fails is because it either stops or isn't consistent.
Freebies/PDFs
Sources
Images
1. Content Inc. Book Cover (Joepulizzi.com)
2. Joe Pulizzi (Joepulizzi.com)
3. Checker flags (Pixabay.com)