EP. 236: Tom Ruwitch - Why Your Marketing Repels Prospects Instead of Attracting Them
Release Date: 05/05/2026
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EP. 236: Tom Ruwitch - Why Your Marketing Repels Prospects Instead of Attracting Them
Test. Optimize. Scale.
Most marketing fails not because of the platform, the budget, or the targeting. It fails because the story is feeble. Tom Ruwitch is the founder of Story Power Marketing and Implementum. He co-founded Sports Huddle in the late 90s, growing it from 2 to 85 people in 18 months and raising $5.5M in venture capital before exiting. He then founded MarketVolt, an email marketing software and agency he ran for 19 years before selling in 2019. Today he helps businesses build story-powered content that attracts, engages, and converts. In this episode: Why most marketing repels prospects instead of...
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info_outlineMost marketing fails not because of the platform, the budget, or the targeting. It fails because the story is feeble.
Tom Ruwitch is the founder of Story Power Marketing and Implementum. He co-founded Sports Huddle in the late 90s, growing it from 2 to 85 people in 18 months and raising $5.5M in venture capital before exiting. He then founded MarketVolt, an email marketing software and agency he ran for 19 years before selling in 2019. Today he helps businesses build story-powered content that attracts, engages, and converts.
In this episode:
Why most marketing repels prospects instead of attracting them
The three E's: Empathize, Envision, Enable
The PLAN framework: Promise, Lesson, Anecdote, Next Step
Why boring, info-dump content is the number one headwind for business growth
The difference between brand marketing and direct response and why you need both
How the Honda Super Bowl ad added 225,000 Facebook followers in one week
How to build story-powered content at scale using AI without falling into the mushy middle
How storytelling applies to investment campaigns, capital raising, and community building
Download a free PDF of Tom's book Story Power Marketing: yourgiftfromtom.com/jason
More resources and free tools: storypowermarketing.com
Strategy, tech, and team: implementum.net
About Tom Ruwitch:
For nearly a quarter of a century, Tom has helped businesses attract leads, engage prospects, close sales, and maximize relationships. He founded MarketVolt in 2001, one of the earliest email marketing platforms and agencies in the industry, and ran it for 19 years before selling. He now leads Story Power Marketing, where he helps businesses discover, power up, and scale their core business story across every channel.
Follow Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomruwitch/
Check out his website: https://storypowermarketing.com/
About Test. Optimize. Scale.:
Hosted by Jason Fishman, Test. Optimize. Scale. is the podcast for entrepreneurs, marketers, and founders who want to grow smarter. Every episode breaks down the strategies, frameworks, and real-world lessons behind successful brands, campaigns, and capital raises.
Subscribe:https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalNicheAgency
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-niche-agency
Website: digitalnicheagency.com
CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
1:02 Tom's background: Sports Huddle, $5.5M raised, 85 employees in 18 months
3:25 Building one of the first email marketing agencies in 2001
5:30 The number one headwind for business growth: feeble content
7:47 Stop talking about yourself: putting the focus on the prospect
10:00 The three E's: Empathize, Envision, Enable
12:10 Using story to guide a prospect through a buying journey
13:00 The kitchen contractor and the mother-in-law story
17:52 How story-powered marketing works across digital channels
20:29 Using indirect storytelling to let prospects project themselves
22:00 Why the human brain connects with stories: the John Wick example
24:11 Where brands get it wrong with storytelling
26:18 Stop overcomplicating it: the biggest storytelling mistake
27:30 Branding versus direct response: the Goodyear Blimp problem
29:20 What good direct response marketing actually looks like
32:01 Community building and storytelling in investment campaigns
34:14 The Honda Super Bowl ad and 225,000 new followers in one week
40:06 The PLAN framework: Promise, Lesson, Anecdote, Next Step
44:00 The executive coach delegation story: before and after done right
48:49 How to test and optimize your stories over time
52:12 How story powers content at scale
56:09 Eugene Schwartz: copy is not written, it is assembled
58:54 Where to find Tom and get the free book