Rand Fishkin, Cofounder & CEO of SparkToro, breaks down the value of audience research and the nuances of optimizing for engagement with our president, Steve Gilman.
What if chasing engagement is actually holding your brand back?
In the second part of our episode with Rand, we unpack the disconnect between what marketers chase and what actually drives growth. From SparkToro’s origin story to the dangers of vanity metrics, Rand shares hard-won insights on why brands that focus solely on engagement often miss the bigger picture.
We also dig into how most companies fail at audience research, the seductive pull of algorithms, and the uncomfortable truth about why great products still struggle to break through. Whether you’re a marketer, founder, or brand leader, this episode is a reminder to question the status quo—and make more intentional choices about how (and why) you show up.
