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The New Rules of Marketing and PR book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
David Meerman Scott first published this book in 2007, when the idea that companies could speak directly to buyers without going through journalists or media buyers was still genuinely new.
David Meerman Scott · 2007 · 4h 45m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 12 questions
- 1.
Scott published the first edition in 2007. Which of his 'new rules' now feel like obvious best practices? Which still feel underapplied in your industry?
- 2.
What buyer personas does your organization currently serve, and how well does your content actually answer the questions those personas are searching for?
- 3.
Scott argues that most companies still publish promotional content instead of useful content. Why do organizations find it so hard to stop writing about themselves?
- 4.
The book advocates publishing directly rather than chasing press coverage. For your organization or product, what ratio of direct-to-media-mediated communication is right?
- 5.
Scott says companies should 'be the media.' What does that mean concretely for a company in your industry, and who in your orbit is doing it well?
- 6.
The content space is significantly more crowded than it was in 2007. How do you create content that is genuinely differentiated rather than just adding to the noise?
- 7.
What questions are your buyers typing into search engines right now that your organization is not answering with published content?
- 8.
Scott emphasizes news releases for search. How does your organization currently use news announcements, and what would change if you wrote them for buyers rather than editors?
- 9.
Thought leadership requires sharing expertise freely. Is there knowledge your organization protects that might be more valuable if published? What's the tradeoff?
- 10.
The book's framework assumes buyers are searching for solutions. What about buyers who don't know they have a problem yet? How does content marketing work for that scenario?
- 11.
Measurement is a recurring theme. What metrics does your team currently use to evaluate content, and how close are those metrics to actual buyer behavior and revenue?
- 12.
The book has been updated through many editions. What topics do you think a 2026 edition would need to address that the current version doesn't handle adequately?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for The New Rules of Marketing and PR?
Here are 12 book club questions for The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on content marketing, digital strategy, public relations.
How long should a book club discussion of The New Rules of Marketing and PR last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in The New Rules of Marketing and PR?
Content marketing, Digital strategy, Public relations, Audience building, Direct communication. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like The New Rules of Marketing and PR or questions for other book club picks.
