30+ Resources That Have Made Me A Better Marketer
- Jeremiah Ajayi
- Feb 11
- 8 min read
Every time I chat with a fellow marketer, whether they're just starting out or have been in the game for years, they ask: "What are you learning right now?"
Honestly? It's always hard to answer because I'm constantly learning something. My brain is basically a content sponge with commitment issues.
But I decided to compile a list of resources that have genuinely made me a better marketer and communicator over the past year. This ranges from the popular names everyone's talking about to more niche finds that deserve way more attention.
Fair warning: narrowing this down was painful as I had to cut so many favorites. But these are the ones I keep returning to, the ones that have actually shifted how I think about marketing, storytelling and strategy.
Hopefully, you get inspired by this list. Or not. Either way, here we go.
People Worth Following (and Why)
I've been following Chima since she made the bold move to leave the content mill where she was earning peanuts, and watching her evolve into a formidable force in the global content marketing space has been nothing short of inspiring.
On top of that, she makes you feel like you're sitting across from her at a coffee shop while she breaks down marketing frameworks. Her LinkedIn posts, for instance, read less like 'thought leadership' and more like letters from a friend who happens to be brilliant at all things content marketing.
Now, Toluwanimi—or Nimi, as I fondly call her—is an outlier on this list because her content is more communications-focused than marketing-focused. But she's someone whose work I always look forward to because her approach is delightful. She has this cute, "everything-is-going-to-be-alright," feel-good storytelling style that makes her videos easy to digest, insightful and worth bookmarking.
I recently read Amanda's new piece on framing and it reminded me exactly why I fell in love with her content in the first place. She has this gift for using storytelling and relatable examples to make complex marketing concepts feel obvious. If you're not reading her work, you're missing out on some of the clearest thinking in B2B marketing right now.
The other day, I was reading SparkToro's latest research on tracking AI visibility, and it was so good it inspired me to refine a study I was working on. That's the Rand effect. Whether it's video or written content, his work makes data feel human and insights feel urgent.
James breaks down frameworks, messaging hierarchies, and go-to-market strategies (via his newsletter, Marketing In Action) in a way that feels accessible without being dumbed down. That balance alone easily earns him a spot among my top favorite marketers, and his newsletter is one of the few I read immediately instead of letting it sit in my inbox for three weeks.
Ayomide writes about buyer enablement, which sounds boring until you read his stuff. He backs everything with examples and actual metrics. He's one of the few writers where I see their name and immediately stop what I'm doing to read, which is rare in an era where everyone's churning out content but few people are saying anything worth remembering.
This is another outlier on the list because she's not a marketer or even a comms specialist, and she doesn't write marketing-related content. But I love her work because reading her feels like watching someone think through problems with exceptional clarity, and that's a skill that translates to everything, including how I approach crafting messaging and structuring arguments in my own writing.
Tami and I first chatted when I interviewed her for an anonymous feature where she documented her income growth. She had just landed her role at Buffer and achieved an income that placed her as a top 1% earner in Nigeria, and she shared her experience so humbly and without holding back. Since then, I've been following her content, and that same expressive, no-BS nature shapes her current approach. If you want tips on the creator economy or need inspiration for how to position yourself authentically while building leverage, Tami should be your go-to. She's proof that you can be transparent about ambition without being obnoxious about it.
Luk's content is good ol' writing—you know, the kind that existed before AI slop became a thing. More importantly, his work is filled with gems I've applied to my consulting services and even my personal life. His post "Why Relying On Your Network Is A High-Risk Consulting Growth Strategy" hit me like a truck because it articulated something I'd been feeling but couldn't name. His insights on authority-building, positioning, and sustainable consulting practices are some of the most pragmatic I've encountered, and they've directly influenced how I think about building my own professional leverage.
From his days at Animalz, Ryan has always been one of those marketers I look up to and admire. Though his writing has evolved since then—he's moved from ideating conceptual frameworks to crafting detailed case studies and newsjacking trending topics—the quality has remained consistently high. His posts challenge assumptions, which is exactly what good marketing content should do.
Similar to Amanda and Rand, I can't help but include Tim on this list. He's been consistently excellent, but what I appreciate most are the podcast episodes he leads on the Ahrefs podcast. As someone obsessed with great conversations, Tim's interviewing style has earned him major points in my book. He knows how to pull insight out of guests without making it feel forced or overly scripted.
Peace has moved from marketing into founding her own thing (rivaaaa), but she remains a force in the African tech ecosystem. Her content—whether she's on a podcast, doing video, or writing—is a big reason why. Her ability to make marketing feel strategic yet human is something I aspire to in my own work.
This list won't be complete without Olabinjo, whose work I've closely followed since 2023. I first came across him on Twitter, then went down a rabbit hole and found his thoughts fascinating, especially his case studies. The deep dive on Flo's growth remains an all-time favorite.
Newsletters I Actually Read
This newsletter is an absolute favorite. The Omniscient Digital team uses vivid examples, metaphors, and analogies to drive their points across in ways that make every issue feel like a mini masterclass in content marketing. I've stolen more frameworks from Field Notes than I'd like to admit.
With AI, zero-click searches, and Google's algorithm updates happening at breakneck speed, SEOFOMO keeps me in the loop without overwhelming me. Essential if you work in SEO or content and don't want to spend three hours a day reading industry news.
This newsletter breaks down growth strategies with actual examples and frameworks you can use immediately, which means it's one of those newsletters where I highlight half the email because everything feels relevant to whatever I'm working on that week.
Kevin's newsletter sits at the intersection of SEO, growth, and product thinking. His deep dives are legitimately research-level quality (think 3,000+ word explorations of topics with original data and case studies).
Shane Parrish's newsletter is technically not a marketing resource, but it's made me a significantly better thinker, which has made me a better marketer. Every Sunday, I get mental models, decision-making frameworks, and insights from philosophy, psychology, and business all wrapped up in one beautiful email.
Podcasts That Don’t Bore Me
This podcast by Product Marketing Alliance (PMA) features conversations with product marketers about the messy, unglamorous parts of the job, including the politics, the misalignments, the launches that flopped. It's refreshing and relatable in ways that most marketing podcasts aren't.
Another solid PMM podcast that goes deep on strategy, messaging, and positioning without being too academic or too hand-wavy. The guests are consistently excellent, and the hosts know how to extract practical insights.
Understanding language, etymology, and how words evolve makes you a better communicator, full stop. On top of that, it's just fun to learn why we say things the way we do. If you care about writing—and if you're reading this, you probably should—this podcast will make you better at it.
Quick, witty, and keeps me informed on business news without requiring me to read a dozen articles or wade through paywalled content. Perfect for staying conversant on what's happening in the broader business world.
Andrew Huberman's deep dives into neuroscience, behavior, and performance have completely changed how I think about focus, creativity, and decision-making. If you want to understand why people behave the way they do—which, spoiler alert, is pretty essential for marketing—this podcast is gold.
Books I Keep Going Back To
Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
This book ruined me in the best way. Now I can't look at a "strategy deck" without asking: "Okay, but what's the actual strategy here?" Rumelt's kernel framework (diagnosis, guiding policy, coherent action) has become my mental model for everything from campaign planning to life decisions.
Obviously Awesome by April Dunford
The definitive guide to positioning, and I'm not exaggerating. April makes a complex topic feel straightforward and actionable, walking you through exactly how to position a product in a way that makes people actually care. I've returned to this book more times than I can count, and every time I do, I find something new that applies to whatever I'm working on.
Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
Yes, it's popular. Yes, everyone recommends it. And yes, it's still worth reading. The framework is almost too simple, which is precisely why it works. I use the BrandScript template for everything from landing pages to pitch decks.
Influence by Robert Cialdini
A classic for understanding the psychology behind persuasion, and it's still as relevant today as it was when it was first published. Cialdini breaks down the six principles of influence with examples that make the concepts stick, and once you understand them, you start seeing them everywhere—in marketing, in sales, in everyday interactions.
Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows
This book isn't about marketing at all, but it's fundamentally changed how I approach problems. Understanding feedback loops, leverage points, and system dynamics has made me better at diagnosing why campaigns fail and how to fix them sustainably.
The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli
A catalog of cognitive biases and logical fallacies presented in short, digestible chapters. It's endlessly useful for understanding why people (including yourself) make irrational decisions, and once you're aware of these patterns, you start catching them in real time.
Notable Mentions (The Weird, Wonderful, Useful Stuff)
A grounding thread that helped me stop panicking about AI and start actually learning it in a way that felt manageable instead of overwhelming.
This app has genuinely made me smarter about life and influenced how I approach marketing. It's like Duolingo but for learning concepts across philosophy, psychology, science, and history. Weirdly addictive.
If you're using AI tools for work (and you should be), this guide is gold. It's helped me create better prompts, build custom workflows, and generally get 10x more value out of Claude.
My attention span was cooked. I'd open a doc to write and immediately check Slack. Start reading an article and tab over to Twitter. This video helped me understand why that was happening and gave me practical ways to rebuild my ability to focus. Deep work is a competitive advantage now, and this helped me get it back.
This video completely reframed how I think about learning outside of work. I used to feel guilty for reading things that weren't "productive" or directly tied to marketing. This helped me see that building a rich intellectual life—reading widely, thinking deeply, making connections across disciplines—is the work. It makes everything else better.
This has been my favorite blog for the longest time, and it's still absolute gold even in 2026. Henneke writes about persuasive writing, copywriting, and communication with warmth, wit, and exceptional clarity. Her posts feel like having coffee with a brilliant friend who happens to be an exceptional writer, and her examples are so good they've influenced how I think about making abstract concepts concrete.
There you have it. These are the resources keeping me sharp, inspired, and occasionally up way too late because I fell down a rabbit hole and forgot time exists. If even one thing on this list makes you better at your job or just makes you think differently, then compiling it was worth the effort.
Now tell me: what are you learning right now? What's feeding your brain? I'm always looking for the next thing to obsess over.
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