I recently reviewed Gini Dietrich's new book"Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age (Que Biz-Tech)" for online PR magazine Behind the Spin. (If you missed the piece, head over to Behind the Spin and have a look here, it will get you excited about this post.) In my review I conclude that the book is "a great read for people starting their PR careers, but also for those who want to understand the collision of old and new communications channels and the power of digital".

I really enjoyed reading the book partly because of the way it was written. Gini has a very clear, but also attention-grabbing style of writing, which you must have noticed if you've been reading the Spin Sucks blog. (If not, start now!)

And so while scrolling the pages on my Kindle, I made notes of the passages I really liked, which turned out to be a pretty long collection of quotes that I want to share with you.

Below are my favourite attention-getters and learnings from Gini. I hope you enjoy them!

"We are bombarded all day long, every day, with so many “spun stories,” we end up with the perception you have to spin the truth, leave out uninteresting facts, or downright lie for that kind of attention."

"Business is personal. We buy from people we like and trust."

"While sex may sell the first time, it’s a good product or service that sells the second time, and it’s the trust you build with each customer each subsequent time that keeps them coming back."

"The only way to build trust and slowly chip away at the bad feelings the general public has about organizations is to develop relationships and provide valuable educational information."

"Passion is the first step in telling your story in an engaging and valuable way.

"Fiction—both writing and reading it—is an underused tool for becoming better at storytelling. If you produce content, reading fiction is not a nice-to-have—it’s a necessity."

"Part of what makes fiction so compelling are twists or turns you weren’t expecting. We enjoy the surprise and delight, even if the revelation is sad, because we like the feeling of being let in on a secret. Your organization’s story should share something unexpected with customers and prospects."

"If you want to always be safe from changes Google makes to their algorithms, the only way to do it is through really good content. You need to have a marathon mentality. You can’t just go out and get—and stay—on the first page of Google."

"Ask yourself one very important question: Why is it that we all hate spam, self-serving newsletters, and the “me, me, me” found on most websites—but when we get to work and sit at our desks, we create the exact stuff that drives us crazy personally?"

"There are two new kids in town. One is named owned media and the other is shared media. And together with their brothers, paid media and earned media, they’re shaking up the PR landscape."

"What this means is, as you converge your media efforts by combining social, content, advertising, and media relations, you can connect with your customer no matter where they are."

"Where earned media relies on instinct and gut, owned media relies on math and science."

"The curtain has been pulled back now, and the only way to participate in the conversation is by being transparent: You’re opening yourself up to criticism and feedback."

"In today’s 24/7/365 digital world, brand development happens constantly."

"An organization’s reputation, today, is only as good as its search results."

"No matter what you say and do, if your operations and the customer’s experience don’t match your messaging, no amount of talk will undo that."

"The experience your customers have with you should be the same in person, on the phone, online, and on your social networks. If it’s not, they’re more than willing to express their disappointment with you—and your brand."

"Social media is unkind. If you lie, you will be found out. Every time. It isn’t like the old days where it would take years for someone to figure out what’s really going on. With all the information we have at our fingertips, you will be found out quickly, and your story will spread like wildfire."

"It’s far worse to be found out later than to attempt to ignore it to begin with. And, when you’re transparent about your blemishes, an amazing thing happens: Your community comes to your defense."

"When you’re managing an issue so it doesn’t become a crisis, it’s important to remember that often, it’s not the content of the story that matters, but who tells it first. When you tell your story, you have the best opportunity to stay in front of it. Take the punch to the nose. It may break, but it will heal."

"It’s amazing how two little English words work as well as they do: “I’m sorry.” Not “I’m sorry, but...”—just “I’m sorry.” When you address the problem head-on, you have the opportunity to tell the story from your point-of-view, to say you’re sorry, and to provide solutions."

"Take your corporate hat off and think like a human being. No one wants to be talked to in corporate jargon or be showered with pre-approved PR messages. Be understanding, listen, and make things right. Don’t act like a robot that can only repeat one or two messages."

"Write content that makes human beings happy. Not only should it be valuable, informative, educational, and engaging; you have to write so search engines can understand you have authority on the topic, without overkill. "

"Great companies don’t lie. They don’t steal. They don’t cheat their employees. They don’t become greedy. They don’t allow people to behave badly just because that generates a lot of revenue. Great companies stop and listen to criticism. They commit to getting better, they set goals and a vision larger than themselves, and they truly behave better. When all of that happens, the storytelling is easy."

"Devoting a bit of time toward nurturing human relationships is a hundred times better than sending your company’s news release to 1,000 journalists—and not getting a single bite."

"Building relationships takes time. It’s a give-and-take. A marathon, not a sprint."

"Your website must provide the WIIFM—what’s in it for me—for your customers and prospects."

"Sometimes we just want to be heard."

"The investors who support your business are important to keep in mind, but they don’t buy from you. They don’t guarantee your growth. They don’t tell their friends and family about you. Ironically, they aren’t always the best judge of what your customers want. This is how business has been done, but the distance between numbers and people makes it easier to dismiss what customers really want."

"Customers buy from you, therefore they are your shareholders. The future of communications is to begin treating them as such."

"Customers are the only path to profit."