15 books for better storytelling and product positioning skills

If you're looking for how to get better at product positioning or tell better stories, here's a reading list.

These books will help you in product marketing, but also any role where you have to explain products to customers. They cover topics across product positioning, storytelling, and copywriting. I’ve grouped them by how I’ve found them personally useful, and that’s not always the same category of the book itself.

Why so much on copywriting? Writing is thinking, and so good writing leads to good positioning and storytelling strategy.

These recommendations are not in any particular order. Links are to Amazon for convenience, but none are affiliate links – just good reading.

Storytelling & Product Positioning

1. Storyworthy

2. How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling

   • From The Moth, a group that’s been around since 1997 teaching storytelling and also hosting a radio show. Good lessons on how to tell stories from a personal perspective and bring an audience through the journey with you. Not from a business point of view, but the principles apply.

3. Building a Storybrand

4. Science of Storytelling

5. Made to Stick

   • How to get people's attention and tell stories that people remember.

6. Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win (April Dunford)

   • Useful for understanding how the type of storytelling that works for marketing doesn’t necessarily serve your sales team. This will help you figure out how to work across the organization a little better, and not get stuck in a marketing team echo-chamber by accident. If you don't already follow April, do yourself a favor and subscribe to her newsletter on positioning.

7. Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It (April Dunford)

8. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (Simon Sinek)

   • It’s not about what you do, it’s why you do it. From a narrative perspective, this is a good gut check. You can also just watch Simon’s famous TED talk for a quick version. If you like this, read Infinite Game next.

9. Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind

Copywriting & Clear Messaging

1. 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing: Proven Professional Techniques for Writing with Style and Power

2. Scientific Advertising: 21 advertising, headline and copywriting techniques

3. Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: And Other Tough-Love Truths to Make You a Better Writer

   • Good writing serves the reader, not the writer.

4. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

5. Everybody Writes: Your New and Improved Go-to Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

6. Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose

   • Former copywriter from Mailchimp. Very concrete examples and tactical advice on everything from tone to brevity. Written within the last decade, so the scenarios are easier to relate to than some of the classics above which are a bit older.