You know that feeling when you’re staring at a blank page, the cursor blinking with the smug confidence of a used car salesman, as you try desperately to write a social media post (or even just a smart hook) that doesn’t sound like it was written by a robot having an existential crisis?
That’s overthinking in action.
When I wrote philosophy papers in grad school, I often found myself completely paralyzed by overthinking. I thought the goal was to write something iron-clad that no one could object to (and in my defense, that’s how our professors taught us to think about our writing), so I would research endlessly, chasing down threads of ideas and finding contrasting views until I was obsessively questioning every sentence I tried to write.
It wasn’t until I started ghostwriting business books that I discovered a different approach. I learned to embrace the messy first draft, to test my own ideas by sharing them before they felt “ready,” and to trust in the iterative process of refining ideas through feedback.
But there is one area where I still struggle with overthinking: marketing my business.
Today I want to tell you about a book that changed everything (or at least I think it will change everything), Simple Marketing for Smart People by Billy Broas.
It’s the best book I’ve read this year and the best book about marketing I’ve ever read (and I’ve read a lot of them). It’s also a perfect example of what I call an “airplane book” – concise, focused, and designed to be consumed in one sitting. I devoured the entire thing in about four hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
The Problem with Smart People Marketing
Here’s Broas’s core insight: Smart people complicate marketing because they love complexity. We’re naturally drawn to nuance, depth, and sophisticated thinking. That’s what makes us good at what we do (and, unfortunately, really good at overthinking things).
But effective marketing requires simplicity and clarity.
For me, this was a lightbulb moment. Perhaps I’ve been making marketing harder than it needs to be. It’s not that I think I need to be on every social media platform, show up at every local and virtual networking event, or get the wording exactly right on my website. I understand the value of simplicity and clarity in some aspects of marketing.
Still, I’ve definitely wasted time asking questions that I couldn’t answer at the moment or questions that distracted me from the needle-moving work. I’ve paid for courses that taught me about specific marketing strategies before I had done the real (harder) foundational work to understand my audience.
Sound familiar?
The One Question That Makes Marketing Simple
I love the simplicity of Broas’s approach. He says successful marketing comes down to expertly answering one brilliant question:
“What does my prospect need to believe in order to buy?”
That’s it. That’s the question that cuts through all the complexity, all the overthinking, all the marketing tactics that keep us spinning our wheels.
Instead of getting lost in the weeds of marketing channels and tactics (what Broas calls “downstream marketing”), we need to focus first on the beliefs our prospects need to hold before they’ll ever consider buying from us (“upstream marketing”).
How I’m Using This Approach: My Case Study
As soon as I read the book, I dropped everything and did Broas’s Core Messaging Worksheet to identify the beliefs my prospects need to hold before they’d buy my Bionic Writing program (where I help business owners write their books using AI tools).
The first installment of this program is the AI Tonifier course and it starts May 14th, 2025.
Yeah, I was all gung-ho about this bootcamp course I bought last week to help me learn how to run Facebook ads, until I read Simple Marketing for Smart People and realized I needed to do this exercise first.
Here’s a glimpse at my worksheet:
What my prospects currently believe:
- They want to DIY their books
- They believe AI can help, but also worry it might be “cheating”
- They worry that what they write won’t be as good as other books
- They overthink their books (and everything else)
- They believe a book will enhance their credibility and help them find clients
- They worry that writing with AI will make them sound generic
What they need to believe (in the awareness stage):
- Their biggest problem is overthinking their book
- Overthinking will lead to a worse outcome
- AI can help them write a better book faster
- They can write with AI and still sound like themselves
- AI isn’t cheating—it’s a tool, like spellcheck or grammar checking
What they need to believe (about my solution):
- This approach works for non-writers
- It’s not overly complicated
- They’ll maintain 100% creative control
- My solution offers the best balance between DIY and done-for-you services
- My process makes writing a book less painful
- They’ll see a return on their investment (ROI)
This exercise was eye-opening. Instead of starting with the hooks or tactics I should use, I’m now focused on making the case for these critical beliefs through my content.
A Simple Approach for Overthinking Smart People
Here’s the beauty of Broas’s method: it doesn’t ask you to master 50 different marketing tactics. Instead, you focus on building beliefs through a simple claim/proof model:
- Make a claim related to a belief your prospect needs to hold
- Provide proof using ethos (authority), pathos (emotion), or logos (logic)
For example, if I want my prospects to believe “AI can help you write a better book faster without sounding generic,” I might:
- Make the claim directly in a LinkedIn post
- Prove it by sharing before/after examples of AI-written content with and without my tone file method
- Include a testimonial or a story about a client who used this approach successfully
No fancy funnels. No complex automation. Just clear claims backed by solid proof, delivered through whatever channels make sense for your business.
Okay Broas, so you’re telling me all I need to do is make an argument? Great. That’s actually something I know how to do.
Applying This to Marketing Your Business Book
If you’re writing a business book, this belief-building approach is especially powerful. Many authors make a critical mistake: they wait until their book is finished to start thinking about marketing. (Okay, if that’s you, and you’ve already published your book, then you can use the claim/proof model to sell your book.) But the truth is, effective book marketing begins the moment you start writing—or even before.
Here’s how to apply the belief-building framework to marketing your book, while you’re still in the writing phase:
Start with the End in Mind
Ask yourself: “What does a potential reader need to believe to buy my book?” Common beliefs might include:
- This book addresses a problem I actually have
- This problem is urgent/important enough to solve now
- This author’s approach is different/better than others I’ve seen
- The time investment in reading this book will pay off
- This book contains actionable advice, not just theory
Work these beliefs into your book by incorporating the claim/proof model wherever you can.
Market While You Write
As you write your book, create content that builds these critical beliefs:
- Share chapter excerpts that directly address reader pain points
- Post “aha moments” from your research or writing process
- Create mini case studies that prove your approach works
- Document your own journey implementing the solutions you teach
Yep. You’ve got to share these half-baked ideas before you feel ready. This does double duty: it builds momentum for your book launch AND helps you refine your message based on audience feedback.
Leverage Your Content Ecosystem
Your book doesn’t exist in isolation—it’s part of your overall content ecosystem. Use the claim/proof model across platforms:
- LinkedIn/Social Media: Make claims related to your book’s core beliefs and provide brief proof points
- Email Newsletter: Share deeper stories that build emotional connection to your approach
- Podcast Appearances: Discuss the contrarian views or unique insights from your book
- Blog Posts: Expand on specific beliefs that require more detailed explanation
Rather than treating these as separate marketing activities, see them as coordinated belief-building opportunities.
Focus on Transformation, Not Features
The most successful business books don’t sell information—they sell transformation. Use Broas’s approach to clearly articulate:
- What readers currently believe about your topic
- What you need them to believe to embrace your solution
- How your book bridges that gap
For example, instead of marketing your book as “10 strategies for better workplace communication,” focus on the belief shift: “Most workplace communication strategies fail because they ignore emotional barriers. My book shows you how to identify and dismantle these barriers first, making all your communication efforts more effective.”
This framework eliminates overthinking because it gives you a clear focus for ALL your marketing efforts, from your book’s title to your launch strategy.
The Relief of Simplicity
The most powerful part of Simple Marketing for Smart People is how much mental space it frees up. When you know what beliefs you need to build, content creation becomes almost effortless. You’re no longer shooting in the dark—you’re methodically building the foundation for sales.
If you’re an expert who’s been overthinking your marketing (like I was!), I highly recommend grabbing a copy of SMFSP. It’s a quick read that will fundamentally change how you think about connecting with your ideal clients.
Your Turn: Stop Overthinking Your Marketing
I hope this blog article sends you running to buy this book, but I’ll bet you’ve got a lot on your plate. At the very least, I hope you’ll take a moment to answer two questions: What’s one belief your prospects need to hold before they’ll buy from you? And how might you make a claim and provide proof for that belief?
If you’re ready to stop overthinking your book project too, let’s chat. My AI Tonifier course might be just what you need to get that book out of your head and into the world. And if one-on-one is more your style, I’ve got you covered!
P.S. I’m not affiliated with Billy Broas in any way—I’m just a genuinely enthusiastic reader who found his approach transformative for my business.