They Ask, You Answer Book Review

They Ask, You Answer Summary: Discover how Marcus Sheridan's 'Big 5' content strategy helps businesses build trust, boost SEO, and drive organic growth through transparent marketing.

Liana Madova

Feb 06, 2025

Contents

They Ask, You Answer - Summary and Review The Origin Story Core Principles 1) The core principle : build trust through transparency 2) The Big 5 Content Topics 3) Assignment Selling Strengths and Limitations of They Ask, You Answer Implementation Guide Required Elements Recommended Tools Final Verdict

Many businesses today recognize the importance of marketing but often fail to use it effectively. What if one of the most powerful ways to grow your business was as simple as answering your customers' questions with relevant content?

This is exactly what They Ask, You answer by Marcus Sheridan proposes. More than a marketing strategy, it’s a complete business philosophy that transforms how companies attract, educate, and convert customers.

The core principle? Build trust by providing honest, transparent, and helpful content.

As Sheridan states, “Trust is the foundation of all business relationships. The more transparent you are, the more trustworthy you become.”

They Ask, You Answer - Summary and Review

The Origin Story

Marcus Sheridan is not just a marketing theorist. He was on the verge of bankruptcy with his swimming pool company, River pools and spas during the 2008 financial crisis. With limited advertising resources, he had to find a cost-effective way to attract customers.

His solution? Answering customers’ biggest questions directly on his website. The idea that actions speak louder than words comes through clearly in Sheridan’s words: 'If you don't show it, it doesn't exist. Saying "We have great customer service" is probably said by everyone in your industry. And if everyone says it, you can be sure it means nothing to the consumer — until you show it. He started publishing detailed content on:

Pricing and costs : Breaking down the real cost of pools, with transparency

Pros and cons of different pool types : Helping customers make informed decisions

Comparisons of various pool models : Providing objective insights into different options

The result? Within months, River Pools & Spas became the most ranked site on Google for pool-related searches, generating thousands of daily visitors and tripling revenue, all without paid ads.

This real-world success laid the foundation for They ask you answer, a methodology now embraced by businesses worldwide.

Core Principles

1) The core principle : build trust through transparency

Think like a teacher: Answer customer questions with depth and clarity

Customers expect valuable information before making purchasing decisions.

The opposite of They Ask You Answer is what Sheridan calls “Ostrich Marketing” —hiding information and avoiding tough questions.

The best businesses eliminate customers' fears and doubts, leaving only trust.And trust drives sales.

Sheridan makes a compelling case for customer-centric thinking : 'The moment you become obsessed with your customers' questions is the moment you start building real trust.’

2) The Big 5 Content Topics

Marcus Sheridan identified 5 key topics (the Big 5) that consumers research the most before making a purchase. Covering these topics builds credibility and boosts SEO rankings:

Pricing and Costs – Customers appreciate honesty. If you don’t talk about pricing, they’ll assume you’re hiding something. People like to have a rough idea of the cost before spending time learning about a product or service. Being upfront builds trust and keeps them engaged.

Problems – Every product/service has downsides. Addressing them directly builds credibility. Avoiding them destroys trust. When people buy, they worry about what might go wrong than what will go right. We think if we ignore the problem (or question) that it will go away, but it doesn’t. And ignoring it only destroys trust. Consumer ignorance is no longer a viable sales and marketing strategy.

Versus and Comparisons – People love comparisons.We love knowing the best, the worst, and everything between. Hundreds of thousands of comparisons are searched every single day.If you don’t create this content, your competitors will.

Reviews and Best in Class – Customers rely on rankings and peer opinions.Humans love knowing whom everyone else likes, hates and how they all stack up against each other, People are obsessed with reviews.Also discussing industry competitors (positively and objectively) enhances your authority.

These are the 5 main subjects consumers and businesses research the most whenever they’re getting ready to make a purchasing decision.

3) Assignment Selling

Sheridan introduces Assignment selling, a powerful concept where businesses use educational content to prepare prospects before sales meetings. This approach:

Saves time by ensuring leads are highly qualified.

Answers key objections before the sales call.

Moves prospects down the funnel faster, increasing close rates.

Teaching beats selling in modern marketing, as stated: "The most important marketing activity today is teaching, not selling.”

Strengths and Limitations of They Ask, You Answer

Strengths :

Easy to read : The author writes as if he’s speaking directly to you

Real-life success stories. Practical examples make the concepts tangible

Actionable inbound marketing strategy : Great for businesses serious about content marketing

Not too long : Straight to the point and highly engaging

Weaknesses :

Results take time : Content marketing is a long-term play

Requires company-wide buy-in : All departments must align for full impact

Effort-intensive : Producing consistent, high-quality content is challenging

Not ideal for all industries : Some niches may find it harder to implement

Implementation Guide

Required Elements

Full Team alignment : Leadership and key departments must embrace content marketing

Insourcing content creation : Employees should contribute to content as part of their roles.

A dedicated content manager : Someone must “own” the content strategy

Using the right tools : Content marketing requires powerful tools to track performance and SEO success

Recommended Tools

Inblog – Perfect for finding high-traffic topics, writing SEO-friendly articles, and tracking performance.

Ahrefs – Advanced SEO analysis, keyword tracking, and backlink research.

Ghost – A lightweight alternative to WordPress, ideal for SEO-focused blogging.

WordPress – The most popular CMS with extensive SEO plugins.

Final Verdict

If you’re serious about content marketing and want to attract more customers organically, this book is a must-read. Marcus Sheridan’s methodology is simple but requires commitment, patience and strategic effort.For those looking to implement this strategy efficiently, leveraging the right tools is crucial. If you want to master blog writing and SEO, check out our guide on how to write an effective blog post.

Sheridan's philosophy is summed up in his quote: 'In a world of information overload, clarity and honesty are your greatest competitive advantages.'

By combining They ask, you answer with powerful SEO tools, you can build trust, generate traffic, and grow your business, without relying on paid ads!

Ready to revolutionize your content marketing? Get your copy of They Ask, You Answer today and start generating more leads organically!

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