Seeking Advice on Free App Circulation

Hello, As everyone knows the app markets are extremely saturated. I'm a hobbyist programmer and like making apps for the heck of it. Recently I've been getting more interested in marketing my applications to receive a wider audience. Are there optimal strategies to marketing free apps? Are there optimal review sites to submit to? Who are the mavens, linkerati, connectors in the app scene? This may be useful for a lot of hackers out there.