What happens when a college baseball player takes a swing at marketing? In the case of James Santore, it leads to saving a college baseball program, launching a sports tech powerhouse, and becoming the CMO of Rithmm—one of the fastest-growing apps in sports betting analytics.
In this episode of Marketing Tips, Ryan Atkinson sits down with James to talk about creative marketing strategies, scaling startups, and the power of thinking differently. From hitting #51 on the U.S. App Store to raising $3M in funding, James shares his playbook on how marketing can drive real business impact.
🔥 What You’ll Discover:
- How James saved his college baseball program through a viral marketing campaign (feat. Barstool’s Dave Portnoy).
- How Rithmm skyrocketed to #51 on the App Store—with no marketing budget at launch.
- Paid Advertising Secrets: The platforms, strategies, and biggest mistakes to avoid when scaling with ads.
- The Power of Influencer-Investors: How Kyle Kuzma became a lead investor and helped grow Rhythm.
- Why Every CMO Needs Gen Z Input: James’ #1 hiring tip to future-proof your marketing strategy.
đź› Resources & Links:
đź’Ą Actionable Takeaways:
- Think beyond traditional marketing. If a college baseball program can go viral, so can your brand—with the right strategy.
- Test, tweak, and scale your ads. Paid marketing works best when you refine what’s effective and drop what’s not.
- Leverage influencers strategically. The right partnerships (including investors) can amplify your brand in ways ads never could.
