They Ask You Answer Review: The Content Strategy That Builds Trust and Drives Sales
Marcus Sheridan's They Ask You Answer is the definitive guide to inbound marketing done right. Here's how radical transparency became my secret weapon.
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Why Most Content Marketing Fails
Most businesses create content about what they want to talk about, not what their customers need to know.
Marcus Sheridan learned this the hard way. In 2008, his pool company was on the brink of bankruptcy. He couldn’t afford ads, so he started answering questions. Every question potential pool buyers asked.
One article, “How Much Does a Fiberglass Pool Cost?”, has generated over $5 million in revenue. It still ranks #1, years later.
That’s the power of They Ask, You Answer.
The Core Philosophy
The premise is simple:
If your prospects are asking it, you should be answering it. On your website.
Not just the easy questions. The hard ones too:
- How much does this cost?
- What are the problems with your product?
- How do you compare to competitors?
- What are the best options in the market?
Most companies avoid these questions out of fear. Sheridan argues that’s exactly why you should answer them. The companies that control the conversation win.
The Big 5 Content Types
These five topics drive the majority of purchasing research:
1. Cost & Pricing
“How much does [your service] cost?”
This is the most searched question in almost every industry. Yet most websites avoid it. When you answer it thoroughly (including factors that affect price), you:
- Build trust immediately
- Pre-qualify leads
- Position yourself as transparent
2. Problems & Negatives
“What are the problems with [your solution]?”
Counter-intuitive, but addressing your weaknesses builds massive credibility. When you honestly discuss limitations, buyers trust everything else you say.
3. Versus & Comparisons
“[Your solution] vs. [competitor’s solution]”
Buyers WILL compare. If you don’t control that narrative, someone else will. Create honest comparisons, even if sometimes you’re not the best fit.
4. Reviews & Ratings
“Best [product/service] for [use case]”
Become the trusted reviewer in your space. When you honestly evaluate options (including competitors), you become the go-to resource.
5. Best-of Lists
“Best [solutions] in [location/category]”
Curate the best options, including yourself. Your honesty in including competitors builds trust.
Implementation: What I Do Differently Now
After reading this book, I overhauled my content strategy:
For My Agency
- Published a detailed pricing page (traffic increased 340%)
- Wrote “When NOT to hire a marketing agency” (our most-shared article)
- Created competitor comparison guides (high-converting leads)
For Clients
- Start every engagement with a “Big 5” content audit
- Train clients to see sales questions as content opportunities
- Build content calendars around buyer questions, not keywords
The Assignment Selling Concept
One of the book’s most powerful ideas: use content in the sales process.
Before every sales call, I send prospects specific articles:
- “What to expect working with us”
- “Our pricing philosophy”
- “Questions to ask any marketing agency”
This does three things:
- Pre-qualifies prospects (bad fits self-select out)
- Shortens sales calls (they arrive educated)
- Establishes expertise before we even talk
The Honest Criticism
This book is not about tactics. If you want quick SEO hacks or content templates, look elsewhere.
It’s also repetitive. Sheridan really wants you to understand the philosophy. By the third case study making the same point, you’ll get it.
Finally, implementation requires organizational buy-in. This isn’t a marketing department initiative. It’s a company culture shift. That can be hard to sell internally.
Who Should Read This
- Business owners tired of content that doesn’t convert
- Marketing leaders looking for a sustainable strategy
- Sales teams drowning in unqualified leads
- Anyone competing against bigger brands with bigger budgets
If you believe that trust beats tricks, this book will validate and systematize your approach. I use these principles across every branding and content project I take on.
Where It Fits in Your Reading
I recommend reading this AFTER Building a StoryBrand and $100M Offers:
- StoryBrand teaches you how to message (make customer the hero)
- $100M Offers teaches you how to package (create irresistible value)
- They Ask, You Answer teaches you how to attract (build trust through content)
Together, these three books form a complete marketing philosophy.
The Bottom Line
They Ask, You Answer goes beyond content strategy. It’s a business philosophy. It takes courage to answer hard questions, consistency to keep creating, and patience to wait for compound results.
But when it works, it works at scale. Content created once continues generating leads for years. Trust built through transparency compounds over time.
For me, this book turned content from a “should do” into a competitive advantage.
Rating: 4/5. Essential reading for long-term content strategy. Docked one star for repetitiveness, but the core ideas changed how I run my business.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a business philosophy where you become the most trusted voice in your industry by honestly answering every question buyers have, including the uncomfortable ones about pricing, problems, and competitors.
Cost/pricing, problems/negatives, comparisons, reviews, and 'best of' lists. These five topics account for roughly 80% of the content that influences purchasing decisions in most industries.
It's actually MORE effective for B2B. Complex purchases require more research, and buyers spend 70% of their journey online before talking to sales. Being the trusted information source gives you a massive advantage.
Expect 6-12 months for significant organic traffic growth. The methodology is about building trust over time, not quick wins. But the compounding effect is powerful. Content created years ago continues driving qualified leads.
