Bigger Players Are Knocking

thatmarketingbuddy.com's domain rating keeps climbing, and it's changing the kind of week I have. A few months ago I was the one sending cold emails, asking software companies if I could review their tool. Now that's only half the job.

Outreach that actually lands

I'm still doing active outreach, reaching out to marketing software I find genuinely interesting and asking to review it. That part hasn't changed. What's changed is the reply rate. Tools that would've ignored me six months ago are writing back, sending access, asking what I need. A stronger site behind my name opens doors that used to stay shut.

Inbound, almost every day

Then there's the other half: people finding me first. Almost daily now, someone emails asking if I'll review their software. It's stopped being a nice surprise and started being a normal part of the inbox. When that becomes routine, it means the site has crossed some threshold I couldn't have forced on my own.

The bigger names are showing up too

The part that actually stops me for a second is who's asking. It's not just small tools trying to get their first review anymore. Bigger software companies are reaching out too, asking me to write a review of their product or add it to my site. That's a different kind of validation than traffic numbers. It means the site is being treated like real media, not just another directory listing.

Progress, not a plateau

None of this means I ease up. If anything it means the opposite: more reviews to write, more relationships to manage, more standards to hold so the trust that got me here doesn't erode. But I'll take a domain rating going up, an inbox full of inbound, and bigger players wanting in as a sign I'm building the right thing.

-rj