RS365: Marketing that Actually Works Today

What happens to marketing when AI can create almost unlimited content, build software in days, and make it easier than ever for anyone to compete? In this episode of Rogue Startups, Craig Hewitt and co-host Colin Gray dig into what actually works in marketing today. They explore founder-led marketing, “personal brands” (and why that term makes Craig cringe), content strategy, YouTube, newsletters, podcasts, and the growing importance of creating content that carries a real human voice. Craig and Colin debate whether blogging still matters, why YouTube may be the strongest starting point for a new brand, and why podcasts are better at building trust than converting cold audiences. They also discuss the marketing FOMO that causes founders to chase every new platform, the value of in-person events, and how to build a content flywheel where one conversation can become videos, newsletters, blog posts, and social content. The conversation ultimately comes back to a simple question: when AI can produce endless content, what makes yours worth paying attention to? Resources and Links from This Episode: Produced by Castos Productions: https://castos.com/productions/ The Podcast Host: https://www.thepodcasthost.com/ Colin on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colinmcgray?originalSubdomain=uk Castos Free Tools: castos.com/tools Email me: podcast@roguestartups.com Find me on Twitter:   / thecraighewitt   LinkedIn:   / craig-hewitt-78386a66   Email: podcast@roguestartups.com Chapter Timestamps: 00:00 Why Marketing Is So Hard Right Now 01:44 How Podcasts and Content Actually Make Money 03:48 Why B2B Customers Churn 05:42 The Marketing FOMO Trap 07:32 Is Founder-Led Marketing the New Personal Brand? 09:31 Why People Buy From People 10:28 How to Figure Out What Makes You Different 11:42 Why Most Social Content Doesn't Work 14:11 The Problem With Copying Marketing Frameworks 15:06 Where Should You Start Building an Audience? 16:21 Why YouTube May Beat Google Search 18:09 Broad Content vs. Targeted Content 20:15 Can Blogging Survive AI-Generated Content? 22:24 Why Your Content Needs Your Voice 24:17 The Content Format That AI Can't Easily Replace 26:09 Why You Should Spend More Time Promoting Content 27:44 Why Most Automated Short Clips Don't Work 29:07 How to Make Better Short-Form Content 30:00 Turning Long-Form Content Into YouTube Segments 33:10 Building a YouTube-to-Newsletter Flywheel 35:18 The Easiest Way to Build Lead Magnets 37:01 Why Every Piece of Content Needs a Next Step 38:47 Why Podcasts Build Trust 40:01 The Marketing Power of In-Person Events 44:27 Colin's Next Content Strategy 46:25 Why Video Is the Highest-Fidelity Content 49:22 Can an AI Channel Stay Evergreen? 50:43 Is Paid Advertising About to Get Easier? 52:00 What Makes Paid Acquisition Actually Work? #Marketing #SaaS #AI #ContentMarketing