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50 Must-Read Marketing Blogs You Should Follow
We set out to find 50 great marketing blogs – some you may have heard of but others that you probably haven’t. There is gold in this list.
Also Read: The best way to organize your marketing stack
But first, a few notes:
- These aren’t the 50 best marketing blogs of all time, just 50 really great ones. There are too many to choose from and I’m sure we missed a few. (Be sure to let us know your top picks in the comments.)
- We didn’t take frequency into consideration. That means some of these blogs don’t post often but when they do, pay attention.
- We listed some additional “obvious” reads – blogs that we think all marketers should be following – at the bottom.
- Are you interested in republishing this post? Email us to chat.
- Read last year’s list here.
- If the blog has an RSS feed, it’s linked from the Feedly icon. You can also add these marketing blogs to your Feedly account here.
Enjoy!
A Smart Bear
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@asmartbear
Jason Cohen, best know as the founder of WP Engine, writes a blog that will make you re-evaluate your marketing. It’s not frequently updated, but when it is Jason speaks from experience and never disappoints.
Must-read post: For Marketing Early Startups: Deep, Not Wide
ABC Copywriting
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@tomcopy
Great copywriting never happens by accident. As Nathaniel Hawthorne famously said, “Easy reading is damn hard writing.” The ABC Copywriting blog, run by copy wiz Tom Albrighton, is an essential resource for aspiring copywriters and content marketers.
Must-read post: The Illustrated Copywriter’s Dictionary
The Ad Contrarian
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@AdContrarian
Bob Hoffman, a well-known author, speaker and partner at Type A Group, has a blog that is both analytical and witty. His thoughts on marketing and advertising are truly contrarian (hence the blog’s name). In short, Bob keeps it very real.
Must-read post: What The Brand Babblers Don’t Understand
Andrew Chen
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@andrewchen
Great marketing blogs consistently teach you something new, and that’s what makes Andrew Chen’s blog so great. Many of Silicon Valley’s biggest stars look to Andrew for marketing advice, which makes it no surprise that his insights have been published in outlets like The New York Times and Wired. As a bonus, he runs a great forum that anyone can join.
Must-read post: The Law of Shitty Clickthroughs
Annielytics
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@AnnieCushing
We originally found Annie Cushing through her ridiculous must-have marketing tools Google Doc. When we needed some analytics guidance here at Vero, we remembered that Annie knows more about the subject than anyone in the world. So, we hired her to help us out – and she rocked. (Oh, so that’s how content marketing works!)
Must-read post: How To Clean Up Google Analytics’ Content Reports
Backlinko /
@Backlinko
The SEO world is home to more “soft” content than I can handle. In fact, I gave up reading SEO blogs for about a year until I discovered Brian Dean’s Backlinko, which is a breath of fresh air for search engine marketers.
(Brian even did a case study on Vero – check it out here.)
Must-read post: 17 Untapped Backlink Sources
Baremetrics
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@Baremetrics
Baremetrics founder Josh Pigford writes in great detail about his experience growing a startup, and it’s candor and content is absolutely fascinating. This blog is an easy read, with a lot there to learn and emulate.
Must-read post: How We Got Our First 100 Customers
Ben Settle
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@BenSettle
You won’t find marketing thoughts like Ben’s anywhere else simply because few people think this big. We think he would hate being labeled as a thought-leader, but it’s true. This blog is especially perfect for email folks, but all marketers should take a look.
Must-read post: Why I Don’t Format Emails for Smart Phones
BloggerJet
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@timsoulo
Tim Soulo does not disappoint, proving that he’s super smart when it comes to content and social.
Must-read post: How To Write Content Strategically
Builtvisible
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@Builtvisible
CEO Richard Baxter is one smart dude. Reading just a few of his posts on the Builtvisible blog will give you an idea of what it takes to build links, master SEO and create truly epic content.
Must-read post: Low Effort, Big Return Marketing: Quick Wins for SEO
Coelevate
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@bbalfour
Hands down, this is one of the best growth marketing blogs out there. Brian Balfour, Hubspot’s VP of Growth, is undoubtedly and ace when it comes to growth and user acquisition.
Must-read post: Growth Is Optional: 10 Reasons Why Companies Fail at Growth
Conversion Rate Experts
What good is content that doesn’t convert readers into users and customers? Conversion optimization is the catch that slows down most marketers. If you want straightforward advice on increasing conversions, this is a one-stop shop. Make sure you check out the podcast, too.
Must-read post: Conversion Killers: The Definitive Guide
ConversionXL
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@peeplaja
There is only one word to describe ConversionXL posts: detailed. Led by Peep Laja, this team shows you how to grow a business from soup to nuts with posts that are backed by hard data and years of experience.
Must-read post: 5 Uncomfortable A/B Testing Questions
Copyhackers
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@copyhackers
Joanna Wiebe’s blog is the epitome of content designed to convert. She seems to understand the difference between content creation and copywriting better than anyone, and her advice on persuasion and conversion is second to none.
Must-read post: How to Use Magic, Attention Management and Persuasion’s Darker Arts
Digital Marketer / @DigitalMktr
The brainchild of Ryan Deiss, the Digital Marketer blog encompasses all marketing topics and should be a staple of every marketer’s reading list. Of particular benefit is the data that the writers incorporate to demonstrate sophisticated and actionable marketing strategies.
Must-read post: The “Pixel Process”: How Digital Marketer Gets 81% More Leads and 38% More Sales From Paid Traffic
The Distance
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@distancemag
The Distance is a content project from Basecamp that details the inner workings of businesses that are at least 25 years old. It’s an interesting look at the (seriously) long-term strategies that help businesses get started and keep going.
Must-read post: The World’s Largest Laundromat
Gleam /
@gleamapp
Gleam is a tool aimed at helping businesses earn more subscribers and run competitions, and their blog is full of detailed posts that offer incredibly useful ways to grow your own business with their software. Whether you use Gleam or not, it’s worth checking out.
Must-read post: From 0 to 110k Instagram Followers In 5 Months: The Growth Story of Foundr
Goins, Writer
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@JeffGoins
Jeff Goins is a writer, above all. Whether you blog, tweet or write ad copy, Goins reminds us that writing is an essential skill for all marketers. Enjoy the posts and pay careful attention to the way Jeff writes – there’s a lot to learn on this blog, from style to psychology.
Must-read post: The Sleazebag and the Magician: A Tale of Two Marketers
Gregory Ciotti
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@GregoryCiotti
Gregory Ciotti runs marketing at Help Scout where he’s grown an audience of two million readers. On his personal blog, he reflects on lessons learned and offers advice on everything from hiring marketers to improving communication.
Must-read post: Make Your Writing More Meaningful
Groove
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@Groove
The Groove blog came to our attention when the company’s team first started documenting their journey to hit $100k in monthly recurring revenue. They’ve since passed that goal and are now on their way towards $500k – and the blog is still going, much to the satisfaction of their thousands of subscribers. Founder Alex Turnbull writes in great detail about the people, books, marketing blogs and strategies that inspire him, and recently he’s been featuring interviews with other founders about their own journeys to $100k.
Help Scout
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@helpscout
Customer support is itself a marketing practice, which is the primary reason this blog belongs on our list. The simple design, clear writing and insightful posts make the Help Scout blog irresistible.
Must-read post: The Customer Always Remembers
Hitenism /
@hnshah
Personal blogs tend to resonate more with us (which is why there are so many on this list), and Hiten Shah’s blog is a perfect example of where the personal meets the professional. He injects his years of experience into each short post, making for compelling reads time and time again.
Must-read post: You Don’t Need More Advice, You Need More Practice
iAcquire
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@iAcquire
Too many agencies blog because they feel they must, not because they have something to say. The iAcquire blog stands out for a number of reasons, not least of which are its in-depth posts, sharp design and, of course, Joel Klettke’s sarcasm.
Must-read post: How to Avoid Creating Ho-Ho-Horrible Seasonal Content
IMScalable
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@justinbrooke
Content marketers have a lot to learn from paid ad pros like Justin Brooke. His blog, IMScalable, covers all kinds of digital marketing topics, placing an emphasis on ads and retargeting.
Must-read post: How to Lose Money Fast with Retargeting
Inside Intercom
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@intercom
The Intercom appeals to a wide audience of marketers because it covers topics ranging from onboarding and retention to customer success and design. A collection of contributors ensures the blog always stays fresh and informative.
Must-read post: How to Show Customers the Value of Free
Instigator Blog
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@byosko
Ben Yoskovitz wears many hats: founder, investor and product specialist. His blog is a collection of thoughtful essays on marketing, product-market fit and other SaaS-specific topics.
Must-read post: “No Marketing” Isn’t as Impressive as You Think
John Egan /
@jwegan_com
John Egan is part of the growth team at Pinterest, so it goes without saying that he knows a thing or two about growth. Luckily for all of us, he shares that knowledge on his personal blog. If you want to know how one of the biggest websites in the world approaches growth, then this is the blog you should be reading.
Must-read post: The Growth Hacker’s Guide to Push Notifications
Jon Loomer
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@jonloomer
Facebook advertising can be complicated, but Jon Loomer has you covered. This blog, if nothing else, is super sophisticated. Check out his posts before you spend another dollar running Facebook ads.
Must-read post: The 4-Step Approach to Effective Facebook Ad Targeting
Matthew Barby
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@matthewbarby
As a consultant and columnist for some of the top brands in the marketing space, Matthew Barby has earned a reputation for thinking outside the box. He just gets it. Need proof? See the recommended post below.
Must-read post: How I Made It to the Front Page of BuzzFeed Twice, and How You Can Too
Mixergy /
@Mixergy
“The Mixergy Mission is to introduce you to doers and thinkers whose ideas and stories are so powerful that just hearing them will change you.”
Mission accomplished, Andrew.
Must-read post: How to Build an Engaged Community Online – with Ryan Hoover
Nathan Barry
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@nathanbarry
Entrepreneur, designer, author – Nathan Barry does it all. In addition to his blog, which is filled with in-the-trenches advice on growing a business, aspiring authors should also check out his book, Authority.
Must-read post: 9 Email Marketing Wins That Take Less Than an Hour
Neil Patel
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@neilpatel
A prolific blogger, Neil Patel also graces KISSmetrics, CrazyEgg and QuickSprout with his writing. Neil is legendary in the content marketing world, so be sure to soak in not just his content, but his approach.
Must-read post: How To Generate 20,000 Monthly Visitors Through Long-Tail Search
Nir and Far
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@nireyal
Nir Eyal is an expert when it comes to building sticky, habit-forming products. His take on marketing psychology is always fascinating and his Hooked Model has quickly become a conversation starter in marketing departments around the world.
Must-read post: The Psychology of Notifications: How to Send Triggers That Work
Occam’s Razor
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@avinash
It’s best to get information from someone who is as close to the source as possible. Avinash Kaushik is Google’s Digital Marketing Evangelist, making him about as close to one of the most valuable sources as possible. Especially helpful are his posts on analytics.
Must-read post: The Biggest Mistake Web Analysts Make…And How To Avoid It!
Percolate
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@percolate
Percolate is a badass marketing platform with a great blog to boot. A team of skilled writers contributes to this growing resource, so don’t miss another post (and spend plenty of time catching up on what you’ve missed).
Must-read post: What We Found When We Analyzed the Top 1,000 Posts on LinkedIn
Ryan Hoover
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@rrhoover
Maybe you’ve heard of a little site called Product Hunt, the baby of startup guru Ryan Hoover. The site’s blog serves as the hub of Ryan’s online world, and is the easiest place to learn about his ideas and advice – and is definitely worth a follow.
Must-read post: Do “Shitty” Work
SaaStr /
@saastr
What began as a single posting by entrepreneur Jason Lemkin on Quora has grown into a 750,000-views-per-month blog, for a reason: while the content is mostly SaaS-oriented, there’s plenty for everyone to learn here.
Must-read post: 5 Simple Ideas to Immediately Improve Your Conversion Rates
Shopify
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@shopify
Shopify understands every pain point that e-commerce marketers experience. The blog is designed to specifically address these issues, and they do a damn good job of it – making it what we think is one of the top e-commerce blogs out there.
Must-read post: Marketing Isn’t For You
Signal v. Noise
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@37signals
Most marketers are familiar with 37signals (now Basecamp). But if you aren’t, welcome to their blog Signal v. Noise, which just so happens to be the greatest repository of marketing and business writing on the Internet! To drive home just how good they are, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson have turned their blog into two New York Times bestselling books.
Must-read post: Some Advice from Jeff Bezos
Simo Ahava’s Blog
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@SimoAhava
You can learn a lot from a developer’s point of view on analytics and marketing. Simo Ahava’s blog is technical and sophisticated – the perfect blog for marketers who are ready to take growth seriously.
Must-read post: Track Content with Enhanced Ecommerce
Sixteen Ventures
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@lincolnmurphy
If you want to learn more about customer acquisition, churn reduction and other SaaS marketing strategies, Sixteen Ventures, authored by self-described marketing ninja Lincoln Murphy, is a gold mine. He gets very specific, so you’ll never walk away from a post wondering what to do next.
Must-read post: Engaging at Scale: The Secret to Automating Personal Emails
Startup Workout
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@kevinfleming
In world run amuck with soft, fluffy content, Kevin Fleming is fighting back. His marketing blog is full of in-depth, highly specific posts that cover the good, the bad and the ugly.
Must-read post: Traction List: 50+ Places to Promote, Validate and Grow Your Product or Startup
Sujan Patel /
@sujanpatel
You can find content marketer extraordinaire Sujan Patel’s work on every respectable marketing outlet on the web, (including Vero). His writings appear regularly in big pubs like The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur and Forbes, but this blog serves as his home base. If you want to see what hustle looks like, read and learn.
Must-read post: 35 Must-Listen Podcast Episodes for Entrepreneurs
SwellPath Blog
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@swellpath
The SwellPath blog does a good job at covering a wide range of marketing topics. From Chrome extensions for marketers to working with JSON structured data, all marketers can take something away from this blog.
Must-read post: Twitter Advertising for Direct Response Marketers
Tomasz Tunguz
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@ttunguz
Investor blogs are great because they focus on numbers. Tomasz Tunguz’s blog is analytical and forward-thinking, but he’s also a visual thinker, so the blog has plenty of charts and graphs explaining the rational behind his insightful posts.
Must-read post: The Compounding Returns of Content Marketing
Unbounce
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@unbounce
With a keen focus on landing page and conversion optimization, the Unbounce blog is a collection of thoughtful articles on fundamental Internet marketing principles. This marketing blog attracts smart contributors from all over the world, making for an exciting and well-rounded reading experience.
Must-read post: 6 Things I Do to My Landing Pages When My Conversion Rates Suck
User Onboarding
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@UserOnboard
Samuel Hulick’s name has become synonymous with onboarding. Case in point: his onboarding teardowns are exactly the kind of resources that seriously help marketers improve their own work.
Must-read post: How Evernote Onboards New Users
Vero
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@getvero
Yes, Vero. We’re good and getting better. Stay tuned for the smartest email marketing advice out there, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at our growing business and content marketing adventure.
Must-read post: 10 Counterintuitive Lessons We’ve Learned About Email Marketing
Videofruit
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@Videofruit
Bryan Harris’ posts prove he’s an innovative thinker and a great writer. His blog offers step-by-step instructions to grow your business, taking a a candid approach to business and marketing that we love.
Must-read post: How to Double Your Email List in 24 Hours (Case Study)
Zapier /
@zapier
If you’re interested in getting more work done in less time (and who isn’t?), the Zapier blog is fabulous resource. Their product enables users to save time and maintain efficiency, and this marketing blog backs it all up with great posts on productivity, automation and marketing.
Must-read post: 15 Editorial Tools to Help You Outline, Write and Edit (Better and Faster)
In case you need more, here are a few “obvious” marketing blogs that knowledge-hungry marketers should be following as well:
- Buffer
- Convince & Convert
- Copyblogger
- Duct Tape Marketing
- Econsultancy
- Hubspot
- KISSmetrics
- Marketing Land
- Marketing Profs
- Moz
- Search Engine Land
- Seth Godin
- Top Rank Blog
What’d we miss? Let us know in the comments.
Update: Here are some other great marketing blogs suggested by our readers.
Also Read: Email marketing – a beginner’s guide to getting started