Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World

by Gary Vaynerchuk

The New York Times bestselling author and social media expert returns with hard-won advice on how to connect with customers and beat the competition by mastering social media marketing

When managers and marketers outline their social media strategies, they often plan for the "right hook"-their next highly anticipated sale or campaign that's going to put the competition out for the count. Even companies committed to jabbing-patiently engaging with customers to build the relationships so crucial to successful social media campaigns-still yearn to land the powerful, bruising swing that will knock out their opponent or their customer's resistance in one tooth-spritzing, killer blow. Right hooks, after all, convert traffic to sales. They easily show results and ROI. Except when they don't.

In the same passionate, street-wise style readers have come to expect, Gary Vaynerchuk is on a mission to improve marketers' right hooks by changing the way they fight to make their customers happy, and ultimately to compete. Thanks to the massive change and proliferation in social media platforms in the last four years, the winning combination of jabs and right hooks is different now. Communication is still key, but context matters more than ever. It's not just about developing high-quality content, but developing high-quality content perfectly adapted to specific social media platforms and mobile devices-content tailor-made for Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Tumblr. A mash-up of the best elements of Crush It! and The Thank You Economy with a 2013 spin, here is a blueprint to social media marketing strategies that really works.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Social Media, Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, Self Help, Buisness

195 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2013

About the author

Gary Vaynerchuk is the ultimate businessman. Born with an entrepreneurial spirit, Gary is a proven investor and advisor in the world of startups, and now an expert on the Fortune 500 world, through is work as CEO of Vaynermedia, a social media marketing agency. Having two bestsellers under his belt doesn't hurt either.

Thirty-three years ago, Gary got his start in business by ripping flowers out of people's yards and selling them back. Years later, he would use that savvy to grow his family's wine store from $3 to $45 million in just a few short years by launching WineLibrary.com, one of America's first wine websites. Fast forward to now, and he's continued to use that same business savvy, along with his brother, to build VaynerMedia, a new breed of agency that helps Fortune 500 companies like GE, PepsiCo, Hasbro and the New York Jets find their social media voices and build their digital brands. Along the way Gary launched a stratospherically successful internet wine show, written two bestselling books, and beaten Dr. Oz in basketball.

Reviews

[Katie Breen Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a chance to catch some Marietv.com and she was interviewing Gary about his new book. I'll be honest, he was new to me and I almost turned the video off because I just don't have much time to read books right now unless they will help me write mine, or can help me with developing my healing-base business. Holy crapola, I'm so glad I didn't turn off the video. In fact, I watched it and then downloaded the book to my Nook.

This was the first book in a long time I simply couldn't put down, and read all the way to the end. I was both educated and entertained at the same time. I love that when I read it, I felt like the author was sitting in the room telling me all this stuff rather than just reading it in a book. There were lots of LOL moments when my husband kept asking what I was reading.

Gary's no-nonsense descriptions of the various social media sites and how to use them is INDISPENSABLE! Not only did I garner information to use for my business, but also for a non-profit that I work with.

The examples given with the good, the bad and the ugly as to why posts worked and didn't work....just mind-boggling. As you look at the example and read his description you sit there saying to the book "of course!"

I finished the book today and already plan to go back to re-read it regularly as I develop my social media presence.

If you have a business and utilize social media or are planning to - this book is a MUST for your library. I'm definitely a new fan and if you aren't - you need to be. This is one of those books when you say "holy crap, this guy is brilliant!"...seriously. Great book!!
#lovedthisbook

[MissUnderstoodGenius · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are an inexperienced social media/ digital marketer, you will find this book useful. While Gary does make some very good (and obvious) points, anyone that has experience in the space will find them elementary. The author seems to have a good understanding of how the diff social media platforms have a certain "vibe," and I'm sure his suggestions will be effective. He also has a lot of examples of good and bad business posts to the platforms. However, I got lost with the boxing analogies!!

This book certainly had some valid and thought provoking points - To sell your product on the Internet is more than a website, one has to be able to navigate the different social media platforms and if you are selling something (even if it is yourself as a personality), you have to stand out and that's what the author sets out to do and to a large degree, the author covers as much as possible (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc)...but it would have been nice to have seen a few examples that weren't BIG/well known companies.


Would I recommend it?
I will give it a pass. I'd recommend The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Kabani.
Ah..and the author's constant reminder of his other books and how good they were and go read it - was annoying.

[Paulo Ribeiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worried about good content and bad writing? Not the case. Minimalist, straight to the point writing, amazing content.

This book is brilliant. I have to say, this time, Gary found a sweet spot - he got it right.

The main problem with the first two books were the writing - even though the content Gary brings up is great, you can tell that by following his videos around - the writing was not okay, a little repetitive and tiring.

In this book, no, my friend. The writing is light, straight to the point, being even enjoyable. And the concepts he brings are brilliants and results-oriented. He takes the reader by hand and show how to do it right in social media.

It's a must, a fucking must.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great, no nonsense, straightforward book on how to write cracking social media posts. Lots of advice and examples and tips on what to do and what not to do. I found really useful. 👍

[Nada Elshabrawy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit outdated now, but generally nice.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the premise about getting your story out there in a noisy world. However, the book read as an extension of the author's brand more than discussing good content online.

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read in English but the review is being written in Bahasa Indoneisa

For the sake of my job sebagai Head of Social di salah satu perusahaan copy writing di Surabaya, selain karena buku ini memiliki judul dan penampilan yang unik, ternyata banyak ilmu yang bisa didapat dan berguna untuk para admin di luar sana.

Kalau kamu tertarik dengan dunia pemasaran digital terutama yang berhubungan dengan media sosial, buku ini sangat cocok untukmu. Dengan bahasa yang tidak berbelit-belit dan disertai contoh studi kasus nyata, aku rasa pembaca menjadi semakin peka dengan segala macam media sosial yang melakukan pemasaran. Siapa tahu malah bisa mengkritik seperti apa yang dilakukan oleh Vaynerchuk di dalam buku ini.

Untuk ulasan lengkap, sila mampir ke Shiori-ko

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author’s attitude is so off-putting that I could barely get through this. The arrogance, the condescension...this was a painful read. Having had no familiarity with the author before this, I watched an interview after I finished the book to see if his public persona matched his writing. It definitely did. Skip this one if you don’t like insufferable arrogance packaged as humor.

[J.F. Penn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be interesting. Be useful. Be inspiring. Be visual. Be generous. Some of the wisdom of Gary V which he shares by analyzing the social media posts of various brands. Particularly good on visual marketing. Better in print as very visual.

[Sachin Prabhakar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary is back at it with another break-down of what works in the world of social media. The focus in this book is on micro-content and the power of true caring for the customer, EVERY SINGLE TIME!
Jabs is the lightweight pieces of content that benefit your customers by making them laugh. Hook is the call to action. You have to keep jabbing on all the social media platforms until you are finally ready to land the hook. The key point being that the jabs differ from platform to platform. Each platform has its native speak and the content has to be suitably designed.
The book delves into some of the popular and upcoming platforms at the time of publishing and takes us through the basics of the algorithms, native speaks, and examples, where Gary highlights some great and not-so-great uses of the platform. He also peppers it with how he would have done it differently which provides a nice nudge for the creative juices to flow.
The core message of the book is to keep people entertained with micro-content based on the platform that you are on. The idea should always be to give, give, give…, ask. The book had some crucial technical points to get one reeled in, however, a framework for a common strategy to use in the world of social media would have helped, if something like that can even be designed.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Gary Vee, but I hadn't planned on reading this book. "Thank You Economy" was a little meh for me after "Crush It" so it took me seeing him in interviews with Marie Forleo and Chase Jarvis to realize I needed to read JJJRH. They were so complimentary of the content that I felt compelled to buy and read it. Glad I did.

Like I said in my review for Simon Sinek's book "Start With Why", as a newbie, I need you to show me how to get from A to B to C before I'll be able to see the path from A to C. Gary breaks down today's major social media platforms, explaining what kinds of content works for each and what the demographics are like so that I could understand what I should be doing. There were loooots of examples, which are an especially useful learning mechanism for me. It's a pretty short book and a really easy read with a ton of actionable info. It didn't hurt that I heard Gary narrating in my head the whole time. :) Enjoyed this one more than I expected.

[Carol Kolceski · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK so I loved this book! I haven't read a lot of books on social media so I thought this would be a great one for my book club "Business-Related Books For Success"! Gary Vaynechuk really stresses the importance of micro-content on social media! What is so cool about this book is that he fills the pages with sample posts that are excellent as well as lame as hell! His reviews on company's social media posts are hilarious! He lost me at "See you later, Alligator"! So funny Gary!

Great Quote from Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: "Every year, the world becomes a little smaller, a little more social, a little more connected. Creating content that allows us to share our experiences, thoughts, and ideas in real time is becoming an intrinsic part of life in the twenty-first century (in fact, it's getting to the point that were making a statement when we don't share or choose not to connect)."

If your business is on social media, this is a must read and you will have fun with it!

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because I have a small business and I wanted to know what I should be doing on social median AND I wanted to know how to do it. Gary does a good job of evaluating some existing ads on Twitter, etc. And he has some good ideas. However, however told me how to do it. For example, someone favored a tweet I did. How did he do that? I had to have someone tell me what DM was and how to do it. I guess Gary assumed all his readers knew how to do all the social media activities. Not so. I would have liked a couple of paragraphs on each media style, just what is done and how it is done.

[Abeer Abdelhamid · Rating 3 out of 5]

هذا الكتاب هو النسخة العربى من كتاب "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World" وليس مجرد ترجمة له حيث ان هناك بعد التعديلات والاجزاء التى تم اضافتها على الكتاب بقلم حاتم الكاملي

مشكلة كتب التسويق بصفة عامة والنسويق الالكترونى بشكل خاص ان القواعد التى تنطبق او تناسب مجتمع قد لا تناسب بنفس الدرجة مجتمع اخر.. فقد نجد فى مواطنى دولة ما ان الفيسبوك هو اهم موقع للتواصل الاجتماعى لديهم بينما فى دولة اخرى الفيسبوك لا يحتل نفس الاهمية بل تويتر.. لذلك لا يمكن ان نأخد ذلك بعين الاعتبار
كذلك خصائص كل مجتمع وما يهمه غير مجتمع اخر وهنا ت��ضح اهمية دراسة السوق بشكل متعمق

الكتاب باختصار يؤكد انك لكى تحقق النجج فى التسويق على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعى هو المحتوى المناسب للمنصة المناسبة ويستغرق فى شرح كل منصة

المشكلة الثانية التى تواجه كتب التسويق على مواقغ التواصل الاجتماعى هو التغيرت الكبيرة التى تطرأ على تلك المنصات فالمعلومة التى يذكرها الكتاب بالأمس قد تتغير بالكامل بعد اسابيع لذا لابد ان تكون ملم بتلك التغييرات اول بأول ولا تأخد المعلومة على انها امر مفروغ منه
طبعا بما ان الكتاب كان اصدار 2013 والتعريب كان سنة 2018 لذلك اى شخص يعمل بالمجال سيلحظ ان هناك الكثير من التغييرات التى طرأت على المعلومات الواردة بالكتاب

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about marketing right on social media. The author does a fantastic job of explaining what works and what doesn't with actual examples of social media jabs and right hooks.
We have gleaned so much information from this book about marketing our business and personal accounts. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to make a statement on social media with their business.

[Dr. Tobias Christian Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover, the content, the conclusion. A “classical” book for social media to learn how to use it. A good book for: intermediates.

[Stefii Matei · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was nice, Gary has a distinct sense of humor that makes you feel good. The information consisted of some solid principles that still stand today.

The downside was that the book is pretty old and in the world of social media where everything changes overnight, some of the information was obsolete. Well, this is on me. I picked up an old book expecting to find new insights.

It was not a bad book and I don't think I wasted my time. It was an easy, relaxing read. But if you want to find relevant information for todays social media marketing, look somewhere else.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is getting increasingly hard for companies, big and small, to tell their story in this noisy, chaotic, social media world. This book attempts to make that task a little easier.

Most companies are on social media because it is "expected," or because their competitors are already here. But they have little, or no, idea as to how to do it the right way. Perhaps the biggest rule is to Create Interesting Content. Give people a reason to visit you on Facebook or Twitter more than once. Post something funny, or something that makes the reader think. Later, you can ask for their money ("Buy Our Stuff"). It should be obvious that the link included with the request for your customer's money should go right to your website's ordering page, not the main page. Make it as easy as possible for people to buy your stuff.

What works on Facebook will not work on Twitter or Instagram, nor should it. You need to get creative and tailor your posts to each site. The author spends much of the book looking at actual marketing campaigns, from big and small companies, on various social media sites. He explains exactly how Company A got it right, Company B got it half-right, and Company C really shouldn't have bothered.

The days of a company choosing a motto or a face of the company, and using it everywhere for several months, are also gone. Don't be afraid to change your marketing often, even every day. If your Twitter or Pinterest approach is not working (there are ways to gather, and analyze, such information), dump it, now. It is not going to suddenly get better.

The author makes it easy in showing, instead of telling, how to do social media marketing. Even those companies who have yet to "get it," will be able to understand. This book is recommended for companies of all sizes; if your company is not already active on social media, why not?

[سامح دعبس · Rating 3 out of 5]

الكتاب يدور حول فكرتين رئيسيتين:
١- البيع ينبغي أن يحدث بالتدريج، وليس بإلحاح ومرة واحدة كما كان يحدث في السابق، وهذا يكون عن طريق نشر المحتوى المصغر والمستمر الذي يقدم فائدة أو متعة للمتلقين ولا يلح عليهم في طلب الشراء، بل كل ٤ منشورات مثلا تقدم محتوى مما يهم المتلقين يمكن نشر إعلان واحد.
٢- ليست كل شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي تعمل بنفس الطريقة، ولذلك يجب تخصيص كل شبكة بالمحتوى الملائم لها ولجمهورها. وكل فصل في الكتاب يتعرض لخصائ�� كل شبكة اجتماعية وكيف نستهدفها وأمثلة جيدة وسيئة على ذلك.

كما ترى، فهذه الأفكار متينة. لكن الكاتب استطرد كثيرا وكان يمكنه اختصار ما لا يقل عن ثلث الكتاب دون التأثير سلبا في إيصال الفكرة. فضلا عن أن الأمثلة التي ضربها على المحتوى تعرف منها وتنكر، وأظن تناول هذا الموضوع من وجهة نظر علم النفس سيكون أكثر موثوقية، لا أدري هل يوجد كتاب عالج هذه النقطة من هذه الزاوية أم لا.

مع أن المؤلف بدأ رحلته في ريادة الأعمال من يوتيوب لكنه لم يتعرض له في الكتاب، وما كان له أن يفعل ذلك.

الكتاب قديم، لكن الطبعة العربية أضافت فصولا للحديث عن منصات حديثة مثل سناب شات.

منصة تيك توك و قورا، منصات شابة، لم تذكر في الكتاب، وهذا مفهوم، لأن الكتاب قديم.

فصل لينكد إن جيد.

هل تغيرت نفسية وطباع رواد هذه الشبكات الاجتماعية منذ إصدار الكتاب؟ لا أدري.

الترجمة العربية مقبولة.

[Geoff Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary's latest book does a great job of presenting how to make social media updates interesting. His advice on community management, while martial in tone, is right in the sense that you need to nurture before you ask. Gary is one of the best marketers in the business, so his Ogilvy-esque take on updates is very interesting. More experienced social media marketers may find this to be pedestrian, but it never hurts to polish up.

There are some issues from a B2B marketing perspective. Gary classifies LinkedIn and Google+ as emerging networks, and questions the strength of Google+. Any B2B company not on LinkedIn right now needs to get on board ASAP. This is the professionals social network. There are plenty of people on G+, and it is a critical network for content creators to get their information indexed by Google.

[Laura Noggle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love "Crush It," by Gary Vaynerchuk, we've listened to this audiobook roughly 15 times in the studio ... This book ... Well, it's tough to write a book on social media and stay current ... Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is 2 years old, and it shows.

If you're clueless about social media, and media strategy for brands, sure, there are some useful tidbits. As someone very familiar with social media and branding, I found it mostly common sense and stuff I already knew.

Maybe if Gary V was reading it, I'd have liked it more (no audiobook yet).

Loved this quote however:

"Being cool has nothing to do with age; it has to do with how solid your identity is."
- Gary V, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook

[Aga Artka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pretty much sums it up: "Content is king, context is God and then, there if effort".

So quit looking for excuses and finding all that is wrong with various social media platforms. Gary Vee says get on the wagon now, and build your momentum. Figure out a native language of each of the platforms (he covers 9
big ones in great detail) and you will see results sooner than later. He shows you examples of good and not so great posts, analyzes them and provides enough detail that anyone could benefit, from a marketer to a business owner.

[Benjamin Ooi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book to start with when trying to advertise on big social media platforms. While it doesn't provide guidance as to how to advertise on these sites, it provides principles that marketers and business owners have to take note when doing social media advertisements.

In a very brief summary, the book mainly went through 5 big social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr. The marketing perspective taught by this book is that consistent microcontent (which the author calls them as "jabs") that does not encompass any sales purposes (e.g. advertise for the sake of making sales) helps tremendously in establishing a good relationship with the users of the platform. This will increase the effectiveness of a business's call-to-action advertisement (which the author calls them as "right hooks") in the future.

The 3 key concepts all that marketers and business owners have to take note are (1) content, (2) context, and (3) efforts. It is important to note that the content generated has to be differentiated while retaining your business' identity, relevant to the users of the platform (e.g. such as speaking in the same language of the platform), and plays to the strengths of the platform. For example, do not use an image that resembles a stock photo on Instagram as it will not naturally fit into and it does not have the same emotional appeal as the regular Instagram posts that are posted by the community. This is because a stock photo does not look natural and detaches from the everyday reality (I know this is debatable) captured by the Instagram community. Furthermore, since the many social media platform is highly saturated, it now takes a lot more effort for your voice to be heard among all the noises. Therefore, consistent effort and experimentation are required.

[Wendi Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

How teachers and other youth workers can use this book

The skills and concepts in this book are marketable and transferable. Start a club in which teens (under adult supervision) create social media posts to help promote your branch/organization/teen club – fundraisers, call for volunteers, recruit participants. This is a concrete, project-based application of technology. Kids can add the experience to their resumes and college applications and the NGO can use it to apply for grants. It’s win-win and free. Good luck holding those kids back!

REVIEW

“We have to remember to give, give, give before we ask.” (Vaynerchuk, 188)

Gary Vaynerchuk is fun, knowledgeable, and challenging - exactly how he wants you to design each social media post. Remember to include your logo on the pictures.

Vaynerchuk wants you to get people to LIKE your brand BEFORE asking them to buy your brand utilizing the unique characteristics of Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. Each chapter focuses on specific social media features, how people use it, what makes an effective and memorable post, and how to make a lousy one. Examples from multinational companies and celebrities: Victoria’s Secret, Mercedes, Jeep, Selena Gomez, and Katy Perry. Social media is the new, almost free advertising (employees gotta get paid but no million dollar ad placements). Entrepreneurs and small businesses can apply these principles. Quality photography is the one expensive but essential part. Mastering one medium at a time would be less intimidating than trying to do all well at once.

Excellent resource for high school or college media, influence, PR, and advertising classes.

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously, some of the content of this book is awfully dated and would benefit an updated edition. But not all of it.

I wanted to read Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook in 2021 to better understand the underlying philosophy of Gary Vaynerchuk' social media presence and what I got instead was a tactical overlook, which is... pretty great? By any means? The most valuable piece of insight I got from Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is the various nuances in what makes content "platform appropriate" and user friendly. The overriding philosophy here is akin to what a boxer does in the ring (hence the title): you have to prepare your audience to an exchange of value. You give little tiny bits in order to build a relationship and periodically, you go for the right hook and ask your follower for money. Obviously, there wasn't a 192 pages book to write about it, but Vaynerchuk knew that and offered a lot of great, still relevant examples of what works and what doesn't.

Social media added more functions since 2013, but they didn't really change in their essence. We go there in order to seek validation and entertainment, and if brands offer it they're going to get some bang for their buck. Not a mandatory read in 2021, but still a pertinent one nonetheless.

[Stephen Heiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immediate pros: strong message, beautifully-designed hardcover edition, excellent case studies

Immediate cons: was published in 2013 and is talking about a social media landscape that changes every 6 months. It's already, in parts, dated.

The message here is the same in almost all Gary Vee content: be authentic, be true to your brand, cultivate customers and followers using long-term strategy and time-intensive, non-scaleable tactics. Additionally, here he reminds you to respect the platform. Don't post something on twitter that obviously should be on Pinterest. The medium is the message. It's lazy to cross-post the same thing across every platform. The leaders in social media never do that.

"Retweeting nice things said about you to your entire consumer base has only one name. It's called bragging. Doing it nonstop is called obnoxious." (p. 108)

[Aria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was loaned this book as I've no formal background in marketing and my boss thought it'd be a good starting point, and it is a good starting point...just not for someone who already has some experience and have attended several other similar talks. As another reviewer MissUnderstoodGenius has put it, Vaynerchuk "makes some very good (and obvious) points, [though] anyone that has experience in the space will find them elementary".

I'm also not a fan of how long-winded/rambly the narrative gets. It might sound great when spoken but when reading? The overflowing amount of examples for just about every single point is just redundant and I can't help but wish this book is what it's trying to teach others: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the MBA style case study format. In my opinion, practical example of successes and failures are the best way to learn.
In general, nothing is groundbreaking for a frequent user of those platforms. However, it reinforces concepts and techniques (e.g., quality photos, short and straightforward text and audience-oriented content) that many use.

[Cyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for those who work in (or alongside) social media, especially those starting out. Mind you, if you've been working in social media for a while and you're not already across these concepts in your day to day work, you've got some catching up to do. Loved this book, very pragmatic and what I've been trying to tell people for years!!

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dated reading in 2019 (Vine and Google+ have gone the way of the Dodo) but a lot of the principles remain solid and direct. Been putting a few of these practices to work since starting the book and it certainly makes a difference and has been aiding my podcast. All in all, well worth the read.