016: Navigating the Labyrinth: Challenges and Strategies in Podcast Marketing for "OnlyFounders"

Anne and Matt unpack the brutal, often overlooked reality of growing a podcast: from Apple’s infuriating review process to why even marketing pros hate promoting their work—plus, they share actionable strategies (live recordings, social repurposing, email tricks) and their hard-earned belief that sustainable growth is less about virality and more about showing up, consistently. Anne opens up about the "spammy" legwork of begging for reviews, while Matt compares early marketing to "eating glass," but both stress that persistence (not perfection) is the key to turning listeners into a community.

🚨 Stuff You'll Want to Remember:

• "It’s like finding an Easter egg in a photo" — Anne (on Apple Podcasts’ clunky review UI, which requires scrolling past all episodes to leave feedback)
• "Apple uses the velocity of reviews in a very short time period since release as a key signal for early success" — Matt (explaining why quick, thoughtful reviews matter more than slow ones)
• "Marketing is a necessary evil" — Anne (admitting she dislikes it despite her marketing degree, preferring to "help clients thrive" over promotion)
• "Good marketing is a marathon, not a sprint" — Anne/Matt (debunking the myth of "overnight viral success" in favor of steady, boring effort)
• "Many with 'flashy entrances' fizzle out because they lack the underlying 'habit' and deep content for longevity" — Matt (warning against chasing trends over building lasting value)
• "We treat social content like a drip email campaign—reshare successful posts even to stories for multiple impressions" — Anne (her secret to maximizing social reach without constant new content).

💣 Sh*t Only Founders Say:

• "The Apple Reviews process is so cumbersome—you have to navigate past all episodes just to find the review section" — Anne
• "I hate marketing..." — Anne
• "Reposting isn’t spammy; it’s how you get multiple impressions. Successful posts go back to stories repeatedly" — Anne (defending her "drip email" approach to social media)
• "The review process is a gatekeeper—only the podcasts people truly love get the visibility boost" — Anne (framing Apple’s friction as a filter for quality).

📡 Where to Find Us:

• Anne → Fix & Form - LinkedIn
• Matt → ChipBot - LinkedIn