Hi, we're Marinade!

We send a free, weekly text with games and tools for couples. Everything is based on the best academic research and community advice.Couples love that it’s a small, fun way to prioritize and grow their relationship. See the latest or sign up:

• Text HELLO to (833) 369-3911

We never spam - you can expect 1 text per week. Text 'stop' at any time to opt out. Msg and data rates may apply. US and Canada only. Signing up means you agree to our Terms.

THE MARINADE!

Flavoring for great relationships.

A free, weekly text with interesting, fun questions for couples.

• Text HELLO to (833) 369-3911

We never spam - you can expect 1 text per week. Text 'stop' at any time to opt out. Msg and data rates may apply. US and Canada only. Signing up means you agree to our Terms.

Wall of love...“I always want to ask my wife a bunch of random questions and do games with her all the time, this is perfect.”“We’ve been together 5 years and we still learn something new about each other every time.”“It’s just a fun and engaging little thing that lets you marinate in the good times (pun intended).”“It’s small, but I think it really enriches our relationship and creates little random moments of connection.”

Recent marinades...What's one small thing your partner did recently that you appreciate?What's a secret you used to keep that is no longer a secret?What's something I can take off your plate today?What’s something you love doing that most people hate doing?As a couple, when are you happiest? What are you doing, who are you with, how does it start, etc.? How might you create more of these moments?If your partner was a plant, what would they be? Why? What would you be?Write the story of how you met in emojis. Now write it in a few sentences. How has this story shaped who you are together?What’s something only I know about you?

PAST RELEASES

We keep a running list of our best drops here. Check them out and grab as many as you'd like.Couples love Marinade the most when they both sign up. Send a link to your partner by clicking here.

If you haven't already, text us below to hear when we drop new things:

• Get The Next Drop

Or click here if you're on a computer

We never spam - you can expect 1 text per week. Text 'stop' at any time to opt out. Msg and data rates may apply. US and Canada only. Signing up means you agree to our Terms.

F.A.Q.

-What if I don't like it?
We'll give you a 100% refund if it was a paid product - just let us know via email within the first 2 weeks.-What if my partner wants to sign up also?
You can both sign up for anything. We're not trying to price gauge you, if it's a paid product, just send us an email and we'll add your partner for free.-What are other people saying?
You can check out some reviews here.-Can you PowerPoint me in the right direction?
Yes we Excel at that.

FORM

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CUSTOM BUILD

Some of our best drops have come from people telling us something they love ("our favorite ritual is...") or asking us to build something for them ("do you have a schedule for a pre-wedding retreat").Let us know below what you're interested in. We'll make it 💡👋🔨

SIGN UP

Great choice. You're going to love it!Look out for an email with next steps and let us know if you have any questions.🎉

ABOUT US

Hi there. We’re a small team of people who care a lot about our closest relationships.Things like ‘family’ and ‘my significant other’ are typically #1 on our list of priorities. But most advice is either too corny, focused on repairing deep issues, or buried in dense books.After spending 1000s of hours digging into the research and talking with couples, we realized that most of it could be summarized into 2 broad themes:

Of course there are tons of detail and expertise one level below these themes (which we love to talk about), but the core is really that simple.That’s why we created Marinade. We take the best research and community advice and turn it into great content, products, and experiences.We’ve spent the last few months building things for our pilot users. The response has been great so far. Every week or two we build and release something new. Sometimes it's a helpful tool, sometimes it's a cool experience, and sometimes it's interesting content.Sign up:

• Text HELLO at (833) 369-3911

We never spam - you can expect 1 text per week. Text 'stop' at any time to opt out. Msg and data rates may apply. US and Canada only. Signing up means you agree to our Terms.

CONTACT US

Oh hey there. Most people don't click this. Nice to see you.You can reach us at:
✉️ [email protected]
📞📱 708.529.9366

REVIEWS

"I'm really busy and it's easy to prioritize work or school over everything else - this makes it fun to prioritize us.""Idk, it just looked interesting. Why not?""I want to hear what other people are doing and share some of the things we're learning.""Our relationship is great, we don't need 'help' and we're happy, but I wonder if there’s more we could be doing – to connect even better, to prepare for tough times in the future, etc.""My marriage is one of the most important things in my life and I want to know what the research says is best.""OMG I'm crying...like happy tears.""I am SO excited to share my answers and I can't wait to read theirs.""I loved the content. I had no idea there was so much research and this made it simple to understand.""It was such a nice way to uncover all the little things we love about our relationship, but often forget.""I really enjoyed this - it was great to take a few minutes each day to reflect on what we have in a positive way.""I find myself getting so excited for the Marinade prompt to come in.""We ended up talking for hours about what we read and our answers and it was so fun."

• Get The Next Drop

Or click here if you're on a computer

We never spam - you can expect 1 text per week. Text 'stop' at any time to opt out. Msg and data rates may apply. US and Canada only. Signing up means you agree to our Terms.

F.A.Q.

-What if I don't like it?
We'll give you a 100% refund if it was a paid product - just let us know via email within a week of finishing.-What if my partner wants to sign up also?
You can always both sign up for anything. Also, we're not trying to price gauge you, if it's a paid product, just send us an email and we'll add your partner for free.-What are other people saying?
You can check out some reviews here.-Why so many drops instead of 1 big app or product?
For a few reasons. First, there is no secret sauce or magic bullet. Every couple is different. This allows us to build what you need, not what we say you should need. Second, this keeps us accountable to you. We’re not counting on you forgetting to cancel a $ subscription. We have to deliver every time.-Can you PowerPoint me in the right direction?
Yes we Excel at that.

THE SYLLABUS

At Marinade, we became obsessed with the research and wisdom behind healthy, happy long-term relationships. Particularly for couples who have demanding careers.Although we love talking and writing about this, it's helpful to read from a broad range of sources.We’ve found thousands of amazing resources. This is just a snapshot. It’s meant to be a very short, non-comprehensive ‘syllabus’ on the research into couples wellness.It’s not meant to be sequential. Pop around and dig into whatever seems interesting. It’s also not designed to be corrective. We focus on the upper right quadrant:

We're always updating this, let us know if you have any comments or questions here and, if you haven't already, sign up to hear when we drop new products or experiences here.

THE CLIFF NOTES

This week's drop is The Cliff Notes.It's one of our favorites and the number one request from people new to this space.When we first started Marinade, we had no idea there was so much research and insight into relationships. When we dug in, we were blown away by the depth and breadth of content and ideas. The Cliff Notes is what we wish we had then - just the good stuff. 10 of the best supported, most actionable insights from research.It's short, interesting, and valuable. We're confident you'll like it - get a 100% refund anytime in the first 2 weeks if you don't.

THE DATE NIGHT

This is The Date Night.It's pretty simple. Every week we send you 3 very unique ideas for date night. They're weird, refreshing, and great - almost everyone loves them.If you don't like it, get a 100% refund after 2 weeks.

THE LETTER

This week's drop is The Letter.It's free and one of our pilot group's all-time favorites (if you were in that group you may want to skip this one). It's kind of like a souped-up, surprise love letter.This was designed for people working long hours or traveling, but we think you'll like it even if that's not the case.It's really simple.Hit the button below to text us and get started. We'll then ask you 7 quick, but meaningful questions. At the end you'll have a series of 7 mini-notes to gift your partner. It should take about 5-10 minutes. Almost everyone that does it, loves it. We've even seen some happy tears.

Not interested? Just wait a week or two for our next drop or check out our old ones here.

THE JOURNAL

This week’s drop is the smallest, shortest journal you’ve ever seen.Most of our favorite research can be summarized as "ask yourself a simple question repeatedly." That's exactly what we're doing with The Journal.For 6 days we’ll ask you 1 very simple question: What did you prioritize most today - Family, My Relationship, Fun, Work, Health, Spiritual, or Other? List your top 2 in order.It doesn’t sound like much, but most people are surprised at their answers and some end up making fairly significant changes to their routine. Think of it as a quick way to check in on how aligned your high level priorities and day to day actions are.It's also significantly better if you share this one with your partner. It's fun to compare answers and will make sure you're not lying to yourself.

UPDATE ON
THE JOURNAL

We had some text-delivery issues with this drop. We're rebuilding The Journal on a new platform to make it even better.As a thank you, we want to give you free access to The Date Night drop (typically $10). Drop your email below and we’ll send it to you for free.

As a closing activity, you can scroll through your answers over the last 5-6 days. Do they align with your high level priorities? Are you surprised by anything? Is there anything you'd do differently?Here’s what we’ve heard so far:"I'd love a longer-term version of this. It really helped me see what I actually prioritize, not just what I intend to prioritize.""It was interesting to see what I thought I had prioritized vs what my partner thought I had prioritized. It was often different.""It was so small, but it made me realize how much I focus on work. This weekend I'm planning on calling my parents and spending more alone time together with my boyfriend."We're working now on The Journal 2.0. It will offer a yearly subscription with:

Drop your email below if you want to try it before the release date:

THE MEETING

We've had a ton of new people join this week, welcome!The drop this week is The Meeting. It's different compared to our usual drops, but the world is crazy right now and this has been a big de-stressor for us.When we asked 100s of couples for their favorite routine or tip, the most common answer was “Have a recurring, scheduled meeting to align calendars, connect, and discuss more important topics.”Yes, it sounds a bit intense, but here's what they said about it:

If you’re interested in trying this out, here’s a free, hyper-simple guide. Talk through your answers every 2-3 weeks on a long walk or chill night.

And if you feel too weird suggesting a meeting, then don’t. Just ask your partner some of the above questions the next time you’re on a walk.We're also going to try something new - a personalized drop limited to 10 couples. It’s $10 per couple, but if you’re not happy with the results we’ll return 100% of your money, no questions asked.

MEETING QUESTIONS

After The Meeting drop last week, we received so many questions and ideas. As promised, here's our short list of the top 8 questions we love and why.We recommend picking 3-5 of these and trying them out for a few weeks.

#1

When’s our next date night or trip and what do we want to do?

Resources and Research: NY Times Article on Research, More Research on the Effects of Novelty

#2

What chores need to be done and which of us will do them?

Resources and Research: Article on 4 Big Topics Including Chores

#3

Are there any big or tough conversations we’re avoiding?

Resources and Research: Book Recommendation, Another Book Recommendation, Research on Starting Tough Conversations

#4

Is there anything we should celebrate? Any small wins?

Resources and Research: Research on Capitalization, More Research, Even More Research

#5

What's one thing your partner did recently that you appreciate?

Resources and Research: Research on Gratitude and Appreciation in Couples, More Research, Video on Positive Psychology and Gratitude in General

#6

How can I best support you this week?

Resources and Research: Research on the Power of Noticing When Your Partner Invests in the Relationship

#7

How are we tracking towards our budget?

Resources and Research: Couples Finance App, Another Couples Finance App

#8

How were these last few weeks? Is there anything we need to change or adjust?

Resources and Research: Research on Starting Tough Conversations

THE MACHINE

One of our favorite pieces of research is a bit counter-intuitive. It’s a process called Capitalization that essentially says:How you handle the small, good times may be more important than how you handle the bad times.Researchers found that couples were happier, more intimate, and more trusting when they were instructed to share and respond to small good things in their day (sources below).So this week we made a Capitalization Machine. Here’s how it works - look closely because it’s really, really complicated 😉

After a week you’ll be a capitalization expert. You’ll be quicker to notice and celebrate small wins in the future, leaving you happier, more positive, and more resilient.

UPDATE ON
THE MACHINE

As a closing activity, grab your phone and scroll through your answers over the last 5-6 days.Is there anything you've already forgotten? Do you remember anything your partner shared? Is this a routine you'll keep?If you have a minute, we'd love to hear what you thought of this drop or Marinade in general. And leave your email if you'd be ok with us following up with more questions!

DATE TEXT UPDATE

We're working on a few exciting new things right now. So last week we tried something a little different and asked everyone a question instead of our typical drop.

SECRET TRICKS

If there was an easy, proven way to protect your relationship and make it better, would you do it? Of course.Although it’s rarely easy, there are a few, research-backed ways to improve your marriage - things that seem to unambiguously increase relationship satisfaction and reduce divorce rates.One of them is premarital counseling. Studies have shown that when couples complete some form of premarital counseling, they have 30% higher marital satisfaction compared to those who didn’t do any sort of preparation.That seems pretty cut and dry! If that’s true, why don’t more couples do it?The problem is that most premarital counseling was designed decades ago, is closely associated with the Church, and feels like work. So it’s a great resource, wrapped in a terrible package.At Actually, we decided to re-design premarital counseling to make it secular, expert-led, research-backed, fun, and for all couples (not just those getting married). If you’re interested, we’d love for you to check it out (use code BOND for 25% off).So what makes premarital counseling so effective? When we dug in, we found that a lot of it comes down to simply having the right conversations in the right way - talking about the big stuff with expert guidance and actionable frameworks.But conversations are only as good as the questions you ask.So let’s try one out real quick. Take 1-2 minutes to think of your answer to the below question and then share and discuss with your partner. We know it’s easy to just scroll on by, but push past that! Do it now :)What do you love about your parent’s relationship and want to copy? What do you want to do differently?How did that feel? You probably learned something about yourself, your partner, and your relationship. Exercises like these make it easy to see why premarital counseling can be so healthy and fun for any couple, regardless of whether they are getting married or not.If you liked that, check out our latest offering - Paths. It’s modern, improved premarital counseling designed for couples of all stages, not just those getting married. We're seeing huge demand and couples have loved it. If you’re still reading, you probably will too.

MARINADE

Hello again! Many of you have reached out to ask about couples therapy or advice on how to proactively strengthen your relationship. The hardest part is usually figuring out where to start.We’ve made that a lot easier. We partnered with some incredible couples therapists and coaches to build a new type of couples therapy experience. Something you'll both actually want to do.We handle all of the logistics - from finding you the perfect therapist to checking if it’s covered by your insurance. We also throw in a little bit of surprise and magic for good measure.We’re offering 3 different experiences. Send us a text, we'd love to help.

This looks interesting, but now's not a good time.