They Ask, You Answer

The book that turned a swimming pool company into the most trafficked pool website in the world, built entirely on the principle of answering customers’ real questions with radical honesty.

Why Start Here

Marcus Sheridan’s pool company was on the verge of bankruptcy during the 2008 housing collapse. With no marketing budget left, he made a simple decision: he would write articles answering every question his potential customers were actually typing into Google. How much does a fiberglass pool cost? What are the problems with fiberglass pools? Who are our competitors? The questions that most businesses dodge, Sheridan answered openly. Within months, his website traffic exploded. Within a few years, River Pools became one of the largest pool installers in the United States.

They Ask, You Answer captures that approach and makes it applicable to any business. The core idea is disarmingly simple: your buyers have questions, and if you are the one who answers them honestly and thoroughly, you become the most trusted voice in your industry. Sheridan calls this “the Big 5,” the five content categories that drive the most traffic and revenue for any business: pricing and costs, problems and negatives, comparisons, reviews, and best-of lists.

What makes this book stand out from other content marketing books is its focus on culture, not just tactics. Sheridan argues that content marketing fails when it stays inside the marketing department. It works when the entire company, especially the sales team, embraces a philosophy of teaching and transparency.

What to Expect

A practical, 352-page guide written in a conversational style. Sheridan draws heavily on his own story and client examples to illustrate each principle. The revised and updated edition includes guidance on video, AI-driven search, and how to integrate content with sales. No jargon, no academic theory. This is a book by a business owner for business owners.