The #1 rule of marketing in 2026

Our reading notes on Gary Vaynerchuk

• The Mid-Funnel is the Biggest Opportunity in Marketing

  Vaynerchuk discusses Wine Library with Jon Evans and connects relevance to the period between noticing a business and deciding to buy. Someone who knows a shop exists may still be unable to choose a bottle for dinner. Answering that middle question gives organic material a job beyond announcing an offer.

• An Unconventional Content Marketing Strategy: Getting 7M+ Views

  Vaynerchuk follows a substantial piece of content into shorter pieces distributed across different platforms. Community reactions supply material for subsequent decisions, including how to title a piece. The figure in the headline belongs to the author’s case, where an established audience and a production team were already in place.

• Why You Need to Forget Your “Mistakes” and Focus on Your Next Thing

  The episode listing describes Vaynerchuk’s conversation with CRWD founder Ryan Chen about paying people to try products, visit a store and give feedback. For someone planning a sampling day, that raises two separate questions. Did someone take the free sample, and did the experience give them a reason to look for the product again?