Land App Founder Interviews: A Marketing Gold Mine

Interviews with app founders can be a goldmine for your marketing efforts, offering unique insights and compelling stories that resonate with your audience. But where do you even begin? Forget generic blog posts; we’re talking about creating content that truly connects. Think you can’t land interviews with sought-after founders? Think again.

## 1. Define Your Target App Founder

Before you even think about reaching out, you need to know who you want to interview. Don’t just chase the biggest names. Instead, focus on app founders whose target audience aligns with yours. Are you marketing to Gen Z? Look for founders of apps popular with that demographic. Are you focused on B2B SaaS? Target founders of apps serving businesses.

Pro Tip: Start local. Atlanta, with its burgeoning tech scene around Tech Square and the Perimeter area, is a great place to find app founders. You might even find someone at the Atlanta Tech Village.

## 2. Find Contact Information

This is where many people get stuck. Don’t rely on generic contact forms. You need direct contact information. My go-to tool is LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It’s a paid service, but the ability to filter by title, company size, and industry is invaluable.

Once you’ve identified potential founders, use Sales Navigator to find their email addresses and phone numbers. You can also use tools like Hunter.io, but I find Sales Navigator to be more accurate.

Common Mistake: Sending generic, impersonal emails. Founders are busy. You need to stand out.

## 3. Craft a Personalized Pitch

Now for the tricky part: getting them to say yes. Your pitch needs to be short, personalized, and compelling. Start by referencing something specific about their app or their company that you admire. Show that you’ve done your research.

Here’s an example:

“Hi [Founder Name],

I’m a huge fan of [App Name], particularly [Specific Feature]. I’m working on a series of interviews with app founders about their marketing strategies, and I’d love to feature your insights. Your success in [Specific Area, e.g., user acquisition] is particularly impressive. Would you be open to a 30-minute interview?”

Keep it concise. Make it about them. And most importantly, tell them why their insights are valuable.

## 4. Prepare Thought-Provoking Questions

Don’t just ask generic questions like “What’s your biggest challenge?” Dig deeper. Focus on their journey, their marketing strategy, and the lessons they’ve learned.

Here are a few examples:

• “What was the biggest pivot you made in your marketing strategy, and what drove that decision?”
• “How did you identify your ideal customer, and how has that influenced your marketing efforts?”
• “What’s one marketing channel that you initially underestimated, and how did you change your approach?”
• “What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received about marketing an app?”
• “If you could go back and change one thing about your early marketing efforts, what would it be?”

Pro Tip: Send the questions to the founder in advance. This gives them time to think and prepare thoughtful answers, which will make for a better interview.

## 5. Conduct the Interview

Use a reliable video conferencing platform like Zoom or Google Meet. Record the interview for transcription purposes.

During the interview, be an active listener. Don’t just stick to your script. Follow up on interesting points and ask clarifying questions. Let the conversation flow naturally.

I had a client last year who insisted on sticking rigidly to their pre-prepared questions, and the resulting interview felt stilted and unnatural. Don’t make that mistake.

## 6. Transcribe and Edit the Interview

Once the interview is complete, you’ll need to transcribe it. You can use a transcription service like Otter.ai or Descript. These tools use AI to automatically transcribe audio and video files.

Once you have the transcription, edit it for clarity and readability. Remove any filler words or tangents. Organize the content into a logical structure.

Common Mistake: Publishing the entire transcript verbatim. Nobody wants to read a rambling, unedited conversation.

## 7. Craft Compelling Content

Now it’s time to turn the interview into a piece of content. You have several options:

• Blog Post: This is the most common format. Write a blog post summarizing the key insights from the interview. Include quotes from the founder to add authenticity.
• Case Study: If the interview reveals specific strategies or tactics, turn it into a case study. Highlight the problem, the solution, and the results.
• Podcast Episode: Use the audio from the interview to create a podcast episode. Add an introduction and outro to provide context.
• Video: Create a short video highlighting the most interesting moments from the interview. Add captions and graphics to make it engaging.

Pro Tip: Don’t just regurgitate the interview. Add your own analysis and insights. Explain why the founder’s advice is valuable and how your audience can apply it to their own marketing efforts.

## 8. Promote Your Content

Once your content is published, it’s time to promote it. Share it on social media, email it to your subscribers, and submit it to relevant industry publications.

Here are a few promotion strategies:

• Tag the founder and their company on social media. They’re likely to share it with their audience, which will expand your reach.
• Use relevant hashtags. Research popular hashtags in your niche and include them in your social media posts.
• Run paid ads. Use social media advertising platforms like Meta Ads Manager or LinkedIn Campaign Manager to target your ideal audience.

According to a recent IAB report, digital advertising revenue continues to grow year-over-year, highlighting the importance of investing in promotion.

We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm. We published a great interview, but we didn’t promote it effectively. As a result, it didn’t get the traction it deserved. Maybe we should have focused on nailing our press outreach.

## 9. Track Your Results

Use analytics tools like Google Analytics 4 to track the performance of your content. Monitor metrics like page views, time on page, and social shares.

Analyze your results to see what’s working and what’s not. Use this information to improve your future interviews and content.

## 10. Nurture the Relationship

The interview is just the beginning. Stay in touch with the founder. Share their content, comment on their posts, and offer your expertise. Building a relationship can lead to future collaborations and opportunities.

It’s not just about getting content. It’s about building connections.

Case Study:

We interviewed Sarah Chen, the founder of a meal-planning app called “PlateJoy” (fictional). We focused our questions on her early struggles with user acquisition and how she leveraged influencer marketing to overcome them. The resulting blog post, titled “How PlateJoy Grew Its User Base by 300% with Influencer Marketing,” generated over 5,000 page views in the first month and led to a significant increase in leads for our marketing services. This data helped improve our data-driven marketing.

A Nielsen study showed that content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing. And interviews are a great source for that content.

Interviews with app founders are more than just content; they’re opportunities to build relationships, gain valuable insights, and elevate your marketing. When you get them, remember to turn browsers into loyal fans. Don’t just take my word for it – try it yourself. Start today by identifying one app founder you admire and crafting a personalized pitch. The results might surprise you.