Marketing Growth, Psychology & AI. Best Uncharted Posts from 2024
Dark social controls 77% of real business. Your competitor's ugly product is crushing yours. Steve Jobs fired his star marketer 5 times. These are the stories I couldn't stop thinking about in 2024.
Looking back at 2024, I covered everything from product psychology to botched marketing hires, from dark social strategies to why being "better" isn't enough.
If you missed any major posts this year or just want to revisit the highlights, here's what resonated most with founders, marketers and builders.
Startup Growth & Marketing That Works
Alright, let's start with growth.
Growth Principles Smart Founders Are Stealing from Seth Godin
After two decades in startups, Iāve watched teams burn through cash trying to fix whatās actually a strategy problem.
The Positioning Playbook Behind Silicon Valleyās Biggest Startup Successes
Apple was "computers for rebels," Amazon was "all your shopping in one place," Netflix was "no more late fees." Meanwhile, you're workshopping "disruptive AI-enabled solutions." Stop. Here's how real positioning works.
The Most Dangerous Thing in Startups? Your Marketing Plan.
Your competitor just launched while you were perfecting your go-to-market slides. Their UI is uglier. Their copy is worse. They're eating your lunch.
Using Dark Social to Drive Startup Growth
77.5% of actual business happens in DMs and WhatsApp groups you'll never see. Your social media dashboard is lying to you. Here's the truth.
Why Some LinkedIn Posts Explode (While Others Flop)
The algorithm's not your friend. But it can be your enabler.
The Psychology Behind Better Products
But growth isn't just tactics. Here's how understanding human behavior changes everything.
Using Nudge Theory for Explosive Startup Growth
Small strategies, big results. Hereās how to shape customer behavior and increase conversions.
How to Use Behavioral Economics to Accelerate Your Startup's Growth
Behavioral economics isnāt just theory. Itās your competitive edge. Learn practical techniques to understand your customersā mindset and turn casual browsers into loyal buyers.
The āBetter Productā Myth Thatās Killing Your Startup
Built a better product? Great. But 98% of startups fail not because theyāre bad but because theyāre just ābetter.ā
How Smart Colour Choices Can Increase Your Brandās Growth
Colors arenāt just aesthetics, theyāre psychology. Use them to make your brand memorable, culturally relevant, and growth-ready.
The Chaos of Startup Life
Now for the stories that kept me up at night. The hard lessons every founder and startup marketer faces.
Imagine Getting Fired 5 Times by Steve Jobs and Having the Resilience to Keep Coming Back
Steve Jobs fired the same marketer 5 times and she kept coming back. That's either Stockholm Syndrome or genius. Let's find out which.
The $150K Marketing Hire That Failed
āI just fired our head of marketing,ā a founder told me over coffee. "$150K gone in four months." Hereās what went wrong.
Community & Marketing Content That Converts
Building something meaningful isn't just about products.
How to Build a Must-Read Newsletter That Drives Growth
Learn the strategies that took The Hustle from scrappy startup to multi-million-dollar acquisition.
Founder Interview Series: How Philip Hofmacher Grows a Community
Building a startup is a grind. Adding a community? Thatās a whole new game.
Founder Interview Series: Volv The Innovative App Dubbed 'TikTok for Smart People' Backed by Snap
Volv curates the most interesting, viral, and important content, delivering it in 9-second articles with AI designed for todayās attention economy.
Marketing Metrics That Don't Suck
Forget vanity metrics. Hereās how to focus on the numbers that actually drive growth.
The Future of Tech, Marketing, and AI
Finally, let's talk about what's coming. AI and no-code aren't just buzzwords anymore.
I Built an App Without Writing Code And You Can Too (Hereās How)
I ran an experiment: building and deploying an app without typing a single line of code. It worked.
How Virtual Influencers Are Changing Marketing Forever
Meet Lil Miquela. Sheās got 2.5M Instagram followers, collabs with BMW and Prada, and sheās as real as a flying pig.
Defy the AI Blandness
AI makes everything look good. Hereās how to stand out by unleashing creativity and embracing imperfection.
The Only Moat AI Can't Copy in 2025
When AI makes everyone look good, taste becomes everything. Hereās why thatās your biggest edge.
Looking back at 2024, I'm reminded why I write these newsletters.
Startups aren't about polished success stories. It's about surviving the collision between what VCs want and what customers actually need.
Thanks for being part of this chaos.
Here's to a 2025 where we fail faster, learn cheaper, and maybe ā just maybe ā build something that matters.
Martin
P.S. Been playing U2's "New Year's Day" on repeat. As an Irish expat in Dubai, it hits different this time of year. Itās all about fresh starts and new beginnings.