What advice would you give
speakers on social media?
I see speakers at various conferences who
try to book gigs for the most money possible. On the flip side, I give away most
of my best content on my video blog. I’m
very big on giving away the honey for free.
My biggest piece of advice is to know what
you’re talking about. If you’re talking about
something with a broad scope, narrow it.
For example, I don’t talk about the Internet
Your latest book is The Thank
You Economy. Define the
“Thank You Economy.”
I used the big word “economy” because
I think that websites, the Internet,
social networks and social media are
revolutionizing the world. I can create
an opportunity to speak in Colorado
or Sweden by sitting in my office right
now. That wasn’t even close to being
possible 15 years ago.
days. VaynerMedia is exploding, so I’m
in deep operations right now.
You’re not video blogging as you
once were. Do you see a new up-and-coming medium that people
will use to consume information?
Being mobile, but that’s obvious. If speakers are very advanced, they may consider
having an app. If I were speaking full-time,
I would have a full-fledged app right now.
What would be a successful
app for a speaker?
Probably an app that is a library of
content, but also creates a clever
opportunity like “pass this on to
someone.” Mostly, it’s about being 99
percent awesome and 1 percent creating a hook that will create more
business opportunities.
“Thank you” represents being gracious,
listening and giving a crap.
as a whole. I talk about social media trends.
I don’t talk about business trends; I talk
about social media trends. Then, start
putting it out there for free.
I’m an improv, shoot-from-the-hip
kind of speaker. I know many speakers who use slides and things like that.
Speakers should always evolve. I’m able
to speak so much because I’m always
updating my content, but I know a lot
of speakers who use the same keynote
a year later. Using your community
on social networks really can help you
develop new content. Put stuff out
there. Try it out on your virtual focus
group and see what sticks.
“Thank you” represents being gracious, listening and giving a crap. Being
a good person, a good brand, and being
someone who cares has never been
more valuable.
You describe yourself as a
“ridiculously hard worker.”
What’s a typical day in your life?
About half the day is networking,
meeting with clients, building the business, and building the brand, and then
probably about 10 hours a day of hardcore execution for VaynerMedia. I’m
building a business. We’ve gone from
15 to 65 employees in the last 100
You signed a 10-book deal with
HarperStudio for $1 million with
high royalties. Who approached
who on this new model of
publishing?
In 2008, I gave a Web 2.0 talk. When
I came off stage, I met with publishers,
including Harper, who wanted to sign me
based on that one talk. My tip to speakers
is never to write a book without a contract. Speaking is an amazing way to get
a book deal. So, put time into your craft
