What 20 Years of Seth Godin’s Blog Teaches Us About Marketing, Leadership, and Success

Seth Godin writes a blog post every single day. And he's done this for decades.

His posts are usually short and thought-provoking, blending philosophy with practical advice. For marketing executives and business leaders, Godin’s wisdom offers timeless principles that tend to remain relevant long after they're written.

So let's explore Seth's 5 most profound insights – culled from over 20 years of daily blog posts - to help you lead with purpose and create marketing that truly matters (and drives you more business, of course).

1. Earn Permission and Trust Before You Market

Seth Godin famously champions “permission marketing” – the idea that you must earn the privilege of your audience’s attention instead of intruding on it.

Rather than blast out ads or emails to people who never asked, Godin urges marketers to treat attention as precious. As he puts it, respect is the best way to earn their attention. When you communicate only with those who’ve raised their hand to listen, your message is welcomed, not ignored.

“Real permission works like this: if you stop showing up, people complain, they ask where you went.” - Seth Godin

2. Serve the Smallest Viable Audience

In a world of big data and mass marketing, Godin offers a counterintuitive strategy: go small. He suggests starting with “ten people who trust you/respect you/need you…” and serve them incredibly well.

If those people love what you offer, they’ll become your advocates and “each find you ten more people." This is how ideas spread – not by aiming at everybody at once, but by winning over a tiny audience first and letting word of mouth multiply your impact.

“You can no longer market to the anonymous masses. They’re not anonymous and they’re not masses. You can only market to people who are willing participants. Like this group of ten.” - Seth Godin

So stop the spray-and-pray approach, identify the smallest group that would really benefit from your product or idea, and obsess over delighting them.

This principle also means being customer-centric. Solve their problems, fulfill their desires. “Don’t find customers for your products; find products for your customers.” By focusing on your core believers – your “tribe” – you ensure your marketing is relevant and your business is solving real needs.

Paradoxically, by narrowing your focus you increase your impact – that small tribe will amplify your message far beyond what any generic ad campaign could achieve.

3. Be Remarkable or Be Invisible

Godin says that to stand out, you must do something worth noticing – something remarkable. “Remarkable doesn’t mean remarkable to you. It means remarkable to me. Am I going to make a remark about it? If not, then you’re average, and average is for losers,” Godin writes. Playing it safe and trying to blend in will doom you to be ignored.

Remarkability isn’t just about flashy stunts, though. Godin warns that “Being noticed is not the same as being remarkable. Running down the street naked will get you noticed, but it won’t accomplish much."

True remarkability comes from genuinely extraordinary products, services, or ideas that provide real value and make people sit up and talk about you (in a good way). In a landscape of ordinary “cows,” you need a purple cow (my favorite book by Godin) – something truly remarkable that stands out.

Godin encourages embracing the edges – to be the biggest, fastest, simplest, or most extreme in some category. That often requires the courage to take risks and defy industry norms. Not everyone will appreciate your bold approach, and that’s okay. “Your goal isn’t to please everyone. Your goal is to please those that actually speak up, spread the word, buy new things…” By thrilling the few who matter (your target niche and early adopters), you create a ripple effect.

4. Get Damn Good at Storytelling

Facts and features alone don’t win hearts. Godin says that great marketing is rooted in great storytelling. What does that mean? “A great story is true. Not necessarily because it’s factual, but because it’s consistent and authentic,” he explains. In marketing, truth is about authenticity – aligning your story with who you really are and what your audience cares about.

According to Godin, effective stories share a few key traits:

• They make a bold promise: “Great stories make a promise. They promise fun, safety or a shortcut. The promise needs to be bold and audacious. It’s either exceptional or it’s not worth listening to.” Your marketing story should offer a vision that captivates your audience – something exciting or meaningful that grabs their imagination.
• They are trusted: Trust is incredibly scarce, and people won’t believe your story until you’ve earned credibility. “No marketer succeeds in telling a story unless he has earned the credibility to tell that story.” This ties back to permission and authenticity – you can’t fabricate a legend about your brand; you must live it and prove trustworthy through actions.
• They are subtle and allow involvement: “Great stories are subtle… allowing people to draw their own conclusions is far more effective than announcing the punch line.” Godin suggests not over-explaining. Invite your audience to participate in the story, to see themselves in it. People love to “connect the dots” and become part of the narrative.
• They match the audience’s worldview: Perhaps most importantly, “Great stories are rarely aimed at everyone… The most effective stories match the world view of a tiny audience – and then that tiny audience spreads the story.” Rather than trying to change someone’s mind outright, great marketing stories resonate with beliefs the audience already holds. Your story should make your ideal customer feel seen and understood – “the best stories agree with what the audience already believes and make the members of the audience feel smart and secure." When you achieve that, those people will eagerly share your story with others like them.

5. Lead by Taking Responsibility

Beyond marketing tactics, Seth Godin often speaks to personal leadership – the mindset required to drive change in your organization and industry. His core message: leadership is a choice, not a title. To be a leader, start by leading yourself.

“If you had a manager that talked to you the way you talk to you, you’d quit. If you had a boss that wasted as much of your time as you do, they’d fire her.” - Seth Godin

We often sabotage ourselves in ways we’d never tolerate from others. Great leaders overcome this by holding themselves to a higher standard.

One of Godin’s popular blog posts, “Freedom and responsibility,” highlights how freedom in our work lives is earned by accepting responsibility. He writes, “When in doubt, when you’re stuck, when you’re seeking more freedom, the surest long-term route is to take more responsibility.”

Instead of waiting to be granted authority or blaming constraints, step up and own the outcome. Volunteer for that project, admit and learn from your mistakes, make decisions and stand by them. Over time, people will give you trust and freedom commensurate with the responsibility you’ve demonstrated.

For marketers, this principle is a call to lead within your role. Don’t wait for perfect conditions or permission to innovate. If you see an opportunity to improve customer experience or launch a bold campaign, take initiative. Yes, that means shouldering the risk – but that’s what leaders do. Godin’s concept of the “linchpin” is relevant here: make yourself indispensable by going beyond your job description and leading where you are.

TL;DR (Bringing It All Together)

These five insights from Seth rise to the top for their enduring relevance. They remind us that effective marketing isn’t about tricks or trends – it’s about human-centric principles:

• Respect your audience and earn their permission.
• Focus your efforts on a passionate few rather than the indifferent many.
• Stand for something remarkable so you’ll stand out.
• Communicate through compelling stories that people want to share.
• Step up as a leader by taking responsibility and forging genuine connections.

Adopting these principles isn’t always easy. And they may feel counterintuitive in a quarterly-results-driven environment. But that’s exactly why they’re so powerful – they’re long-term strategic truths in a field often obsessed with short-term hacks.

In the spirit of Godin’s blog, try making a small change today that aligns with one of these principles. Over time, these shifts can lead to a marketing strategy and company culture that aren’t just effective, but truly exceptional.