Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk: Book Summary, Review & Notes
An in-depth summary of Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk, with the jab and right hook framework, native content, real quotes and how it compares to similar books.
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This is an in-depth book summary, notes and highlights of Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk. Published in 2013 by Harper Business, it became a New York Times bestseller and applies his social media thinking to 5 platforms with real examples of posts.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook in 3 sentences
- Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook argues that brands win on social media by giving value again and again before asking for a sale.
- The jabs are posts that entertain, inform or start a conversation, and the right hook is a clear call to action.
- Gary Vaynerchuk shows how to tell that story in each platform's own format on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr, with examples of posts that worked and posts that failed.
Key takeaways
- Jab more than you hook. Posts people enjoy build the relationship and the reach you need when you do ask.
- You still have to throw the punch. No fight is won on jabs alone, so make the call to action when the moment is right.
- Content is king, but context is God. The same message has to be reshaped for each platform and each moment.
- Make content native. Match each platform's look, design and tone instead of posting the same thing everywhere.
- Think in micro-content: small pieces of information, humor or commentary that react to what people are talking about today.
- Pair micro-content with community management. Replying and engaging is half of the job.
- A good right hook is simple, built for mobile and true to the platform it appears on.
- Tell stories, not just information. People want infotainment, and information wrapped in a story stands out.
Who should read Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
- Small business owners who post on social media but struggle to turn it into sales.
- Social media managers who publish the same post on every network.
- Marketers who learn best from annotated examples of real brand posts.
- Creators who want a simple rule for balancing value posts with offers.
- Readers of Crush It! who want the tactics that come after the mindset.
- Anyone writing short-form copy who wants to sharpen it.
Who might not enjoy it
- Readers who want advice for today's platforms. The book dates from 2013, when Tumblr and Google+ mattered far more than they do now.
- People who prefer argument to examples. Much of the book walks through screenshots of brand posts.
Popular quotes from Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
Content is king, but context is God.
The line the book is best known for.
No matter who you are or what kind of company or organization you work for, your number-one job is to tell your story to the consumer wherever they are, and preferably at the moment they are deciding to make a purchase.
Marketing as storytelling, placed where the customer is.
But while it's true that you can't land a solid right hook if you don't set up the punch with a series of good jabs, it's also true that no fight has ever been won on jabs alone. Eventually, you have to take your shot.
Value first, then the ask.
Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.
His checklist for a single post.
It's extremely hard to create a trending hashtag and bring people to you. It's far better to listen, find out what's trending, and bring yourself to the people.
Join conversations instead of trying to start them from scratch.
Today, entertainment and escapism are prized above almost anything else. Consumers want infotainment, not information.
Why a story beats a plain fact.
It took thirty-eight years before 50 million people gained access to radios. It took television thirteen years to earn an audience that size. It took Instagram a year and a half.
How fast attention moves to new platforms.
How Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook compares to similar books
Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
The case for building a business on a personal brand and a passion. Published in 2009. It is about mindset, while Jab is about the posts themselves.
The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk
Why caring about customers at scale pays off in the social media age. Published in 2011. It explains why engagement matters, and Jab shows how to do it platform by platform.
Contagious by Jonah Berger
Why some ideas and products catch on, organized around 6 principles. Published in 2013 by a Wharton marketing professor. It is research-based and broader than social media.
Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
What makes ideas memorable, from simplicity to stories. Published in 2007. It helps with the message, while Jab is about adapting that message to each network.
Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
A 7-part framework for clear marketing messages that cast the customer as the hero. Published in 2017. It gives you the core story, and Jab shows how to tell it in small pieces.
Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
Share your process online so people can find you. Published in 2014. It is aimed at creative people rather than brands and has no sales framework.
About Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk was born in 1975 in Babruysk, then part of the Soviet Union, and moved to New York with his family in 1978. He grew his father's liquor store into Wine Library and started Wine Library TV, a daily wine show on YouTube, in 2006.
In 2009 he co-founded the agency VaynerMedia with his brother AJ, and he is chairman of VaynerX. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook followed Crush It! and The Thank You Economy, and later books include Crushing It! and Twelve and a Half.
FAQs about Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
The questions people most often ask about Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk.
It is a 2013 book by Gary Vaynerchuk about social media marketing. Its idea is to give value in many posts before asking for a sale, and to shape every post to fit the platform it appears on.
A post that gives your audience something without asking for anything back, such as entertainment, useful information or a conversation. Vaynerchuk describes jabs as the value you provide and the ways you show appreciation.
A call to action, such as a sale, a coupon or a signup. The book says the best right hooks make the ask simple, are built for mobile and respect the style of the network they appear on.
The title is not a strict ratio. In a later post, Vaynerchuk said jabs earn you the right to ask but do not guarantee a sale, and that you have to be okay with not landing the right hook.
Good content is not enough on its own. The same idea has to be reshaped for the platform, the format and the moment, or people will scroll past it.
Content made to fit a platform's own look, design and tone, so it feels like it belongs there. The book argues that native content is what gets people to act, not just to notice.
Small pieces of information, humor, commentary or inspiration that you create often, even daily, in response to what people are talking about. The book pairs it with community management.
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr, each with examples of posts that worked and posts that did not. It also touches on other networks of the time, including Google+.
On Facebook, posts that get engagement tell the platform people care about your brand. Vaynerchuk argues that this means more of your community sees your offer when you finally post one.
The principles of giving value, matching each platform and making simple offers still apply. The platform details are from 2013, so read the examples for the thinking rather than the tactics.
Crush It! from 2009 makes the case for building a business on a personal brand. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is the tactical follow-up about how to write and post content that sells.
It opens with the storytelling idea behind jabs and right hooks, then works through the platforms one at a time. Most chapters include annotated screenshots of real brand posts.
An entrepreneur and author who grew his family's wine store into Wine Library, hosted Wine Library TV and co-founded VaynerMedia with his brother AJ in 2009. He is chairman of VaynerX.
Harper Business, an imprint of HarperCollins, published it on November 26, 2013. It became a New York Times bestseller.
Navid Moazzez
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Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
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