The Influencer Economy: How to Launch Your Idea, Share It with the World, and Thrive in the Digital Age Paperback – June 18, 2016

The Influencer Economy: How to Launch Your Idea, Share It with the World, and Thrive in the Digital Age Books that are written by authors who walk the talk and talk the walk are ones I pay close attention to. This is that kind of book.The author, Ryan Williams, through his own personal experience as a successful Podcaster, working at startups DigiSynd, Machinima, and even a stand-up comedian, interjects a lot of interesting anecdotes few could replicate. He's even found a way to carefully organize these sections into a launch-share-thrive framework - these same three steps necessary for success in the influencer economy.This book focuses on the inspiring stories of more than a dozen people who turned their passions into profitable digital empires, however, you don't have to be the world's next YouTube sensation to benefit from the lessons and tactics contained in each chapter. Some of the main themes I took away:- Get your idea out to the world- You won’t know how your ideas are perceived until you put them out there in front of people.- The journey is just as important as the end result.- Start creating and stop getting hung up in the details, like worrying about what people think.- Be an early adopter of technology.You don't have to read the book in succession, necessarily - I know I didn't. When I see Chapter called, "Capture Lightning in a Bottle" I couldn't resist heading over to Chapter 7, my favorite. And I was pleased to discover the author even lays out the action steps for writing a self-published book. So if you're like me and it's on your bucket list, then you'll appreciate how he's mapped it out the process in detail.

Just wrapped up this book. Loved it. I've read a lot of business books over the years and consume hours of content a day. I additionally run my own business and I am always looking for ways to grow my business and get creative with how I do so. This book shared with me something I never thought about before, using one platform as a prototype or minimum viable product (mvp) which will lead to another. The case Ryan uses is he started a podcast which led to the book. Genius. If he never did the one project, and just started using one platform instead of trying to perfection his messaging he wouldn't have grown into the next medium.I've thought to myself while reading this, what could I implement, because if we just consume information that's only half the battle. We create a lot of content ourselves (video + blog content), I'm mapping out platforms we can use to prototype our content. Facebook Live to get questions, then develop deeper in blog or maybe create a blog post and allow responses that we then dive deeper into. The concept of this is great and really has my head spinning.The Influencer Economy is an easy read that is loaded with material that is easy to understand from both the author and what seems like hundreds of use cases from other business folks. He guides us through the stories of people we have heard of and their experience in create communities, raving fans and turning that into a business. I Love This Book!!!

There are so many books that have one or two good nuggets you have to dig for in hundreds of pages. Not so for The Influencer Economy. Here’s the 3 reasons I’d highly recommend adding this to the front of your "To Read" List.First, the content: Ryan actually makes it enjoyable to read and learn the DNA of real influencers with his accounts of talking with dozens of incredible people that were some of the original online influencers. The stories are entertaining and kept me interested while I learned from them.Second, The Structure. Have you ever read a book and wondered where the author was going with this only to never find out? I was so glad this book was not like that. The way the book was structured is how all business book should be structured. It was complete with core lessons to learn from influencers who’ve done it and points of action to implement exactly what he’s teaching. It made it not only easy to read but easy to go back and reference.Third, The Author: It's easy to tell someone to do something but Ryan backs it up with his own experiences. I really appreciated the candidness of his stories about failure and success. He doesn't suggest anything he hasn't already done and takes the reader through his journey of starting a podcast to demonstrate that.If you’re just interested in the topic of influence or want to be an influencer yourself, make this book your manual!

I'm someone that has routinely made the same mistakes throughout my career, particularly with respect to launching my "side projects" or "pipe dreams." In particular, I was always worried about making sure I had everything exactly perfect before getting started. Worst of all, I worried constantly about how others would react once I got started... and eventually, after spinning my wheels and not making any real progress, I'd let the idea slip away.The Influencer Economy is exactly the kick in the pants I've been looking for. It succeeds where other "you can do it!" motivational books have failed me in the past thanks to it's practical, tactical, and straightforward advice. Moreover, when it comes to the digital age, we are all being forced to become our own personal brand, where we can't rely on just a single, long term gig to always be there. Instead, we need to prepare for an uncertain future by hedging our bets, and creating a foundation where we always have out networks to leverage as an "influencer," regardless of how big or small that foundation is.Essentially... this book helped me GET STARTED ALREADY. Now is the time.

After listening to a talk Ryan gave I was inspired to buy the book.It's beyond insightful book, Ryan lays out some fascinating insights and in an enjoyable way which is so rare for this type of book.I've read lots of books for my dissertation on all aspects of influencers and this is the only one I have actually recommended to colleagues as a must read.

The Influencer Economy is a great resource for someone looking to dive a bit deeper into the theories of influencer marketing. Ryan Williams does a great job of coupling simple and engaging explanations to real life examples and interview pieces. The Influencer Economy is a great quick read that includes a ton of recommendations for resources, stories, and ideas. Highly recommending supporting this work.

Really insightful book. Great value and new angles to consider.