Today I’m talking to Zach Spuckler from Heart Soul Hustle.

He’s an ethics-first digital marketer who sells courses, runs a community, an FB ads agency, and apparently even ran an e-comm biz selling candles!!

He helps course creators start and scale epic businesses. He’s earned over $3.2m from his digital products, and has spent $500k on ads to get there. (Overall ROAS is roughly 2-3x)

He’s managed over $3m in ad spend at his agency, served over 10,000 students, and also runs the Not Your Average Online Marketing podcast.

As if that weren’t enough, he has an epic FB & Instagram ads for listbuilding bootcamp, which I’ve taken myself and gotten a TON of value from.

He’s getting 1,000 emails a month on his list for $2-3 each and is getting ROI-positive on ad spend within 30-60 days.

I’m excited to chat with him from the ethics-first perspective and to learn how he runs paid traffic to his offers.

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Get Zach’s Facebook Ads for Listbuilding Bootcamp!

Follow Zach:

• Website — https://www.heartsoulhustle.com/
• Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/zachspuckler/
• Twitter / X — https://twitter.com/HeartSoulHustle

AI-Generated Summary:

• 0:00 – 2:00 — Zach Swinehart introduces the podcast and guest, Zach Spuckler, an ethics-first digital marketer with experience in various online businesses.
• 2:00 – 4:00 — Discussion about Zach Spuckler’s accomplishments in paid traffic, including spending over $500,000 on ads and managing over $3 million at his agency. He also runs an online marketing podcast and a boot camp on Facebook and Instagram ads.
• 4:00 – 6:00 — Zach Swinehart shares his reservations about relying on organic content, fearing its unpredictability, and mentions advancements like avatars that can replicate video content.
• 6:00 – 8:00 — Zach Spuckler explains his preference for paid advertising over organic content and the flexibility it provides. He emphasizes the need for a balance between the two and the challenges of breaking through the noise in organic content.
• 8:00 – 10:00 — The two discuss the viability of creators focusing on a few comprehensive pieces of content and the importance of creating multiple touchpoints throughout an ecosystem. They touch on the concepts of customer selection processes and keeping audiences warm through consistent engagement.
• 10:00 – 12:00 — Zach discusses the concept of a “sphere of influence” in online marketing, emphasizing the interconnected growth of email lists, social media, and advertising.
• 12:00 – 14:00 — Zach touches upon impulse control and the chase for dopamine, sharing how businesses need consistent excitement to avoid monotony and stressing the importance of sustainable business over constant thrills.
• 14:00 – 16:00 — The conversation shifts to content creation, with Zach highlighting his strategy of having a few strong pillar posts and how he balances blog posts and podcasts. Zach Swinehart discusses the costs and time of producing organic content.
• 16:00 – 18:00 — Zach Swinehart expresses admiration for Zach Spuckler’s strategy of retargeting people to organic content. Spuckler emphasizes his “lazy marketer” approach, prioritizing accessibility and simplicity in content creation.
• 18:00 – 20:00 — Zach Spuckler drives home the importance of action, emphasizing that publishing and testing content is key, rather than getting bogged down by perfectionism.
• 20:00 – 22:00 — Zach Swinehart and Zach Spuckler discuss retargeting strategies, including sending traffic to podcast episodes and website for SEO benefits. They also touch upon the importance of sending traffic to relevant social posts.
• 22:00 – 24:00 — Zach Spuckler emphasizes the importance of stance posts to communicate a brand’s perspective and values. He mentions that polarizing messages can attract attention but also discusses the downsides.
• 24:00 – 26:00 — The two Zachs delve into the ethics of marketing, specifically around evergreen funnels and using scarcity as a tactic. Spuckler stresses the importance of honesty and alignment in marketing strategies.
• 26:00 – 28:00 — The conversation shifts to Zach Spuckler’s marketing strategies, highlighting the importance of authenticity and building real relationships with potential customers. He also mentions his approach to limited-time bonuses in launches.
• 28:00 – 30:00 — They discuss the effectiveness of transparent marketing emails, touching on the importance of honesty in marketing and how it’s tied to brand image. The topic of evergreen versus launch offers and their respective refund rates is introduced.
• 30:00 – 32:00 — Zach Spuckler discusses their membership refund rates and emphasizes the importance of treating customers well, mentioning they opt for refunds to maintain good customer relationships.
• 32:00 – 34:00 — Zach reveals the churn rate for their membership service and how they’ve managed to decrease it over time. They also highlight their meticulous tracking methods and systems.
• 34:00 – 36:00 — Zach Swinehart shifts the topic to ad strategy and inquires about the prerequisites for someone new to content creation.
• 36:00 – 38:00 — Zach Spuckler emphasizes the simplicity in business growth, recommending just having a freebie and list builder. They argue against over-complicating the initial setup and stress the importance of relationship building.
• 38:00 – 40:00 — The conversation dives deeper into the idea of learning and iterating in the business, comparing it to building an engine. They wrap up by discussing the “tuition” or investment needed to learn how ads work, both in time and money.
• 40:00 – 42:00 — Zach Swinehart asks about the time and financial commitment needed for Zach Spuckler’s advertising boot camp.
• 42:00 – 44:00 — Zach Spuckler discusses the investment required in time and money to be proficient in advertising.
• 44:00 – 46:00 — Zach highlights the importance of audience-building before launching a product.
• 46:00 – 48:00 — Zach Swinehart inquires about the ideal frequency of emailing a newly built list and the right time to make an offer.
• 48:00 – 50:00 — Zach Spuckler lays out a 90-day onboarding plan, emphasizing content sharing, low-ticket product introduction, and continuous engagement.
• 50:00 – 52:00 — Zach Swinehart and Zach Spuckler discuss a 90-day plan for proficiency in ads, emphasizing the importance of giving it time rather than rushing.
• 52:00 – 54:00 — Zach Spuckler details his ad spend strategy, focusing on growing the list, engaging people, and driving conversions.
• 54:00 – 56:00 — The two Zachs delve into advanced advertising strategies like the “CPM cruncher campaign” and the nuances of budgeting.
• 56:00 – 58:00 — Zach Spuckler explains the 8020 rule in ads, emphasizing the importance of collecting data upfront and wisely distributing budgets.
• 58:00 – 1:00:00 — Zach Swinehart asks about daily budget recommendations, with Zach Spuckler advocating for moderation and a focus on the marathon approach.
• 1:00:00 – 1:02:00 — Zach Spuckler discusses the importance of simplifying the business and focusing on membership, which includes the bootcamp.
• 1:02:00 – 1:04:00 — Zach Swinehart reflects on the challenge of distinguishing between avoiding tasks due to fear versus genuine reluctance. He emphasizes looking at one’s business holistically.
• 1:04:00 – 1:06:00 — Zach Spuckler emphasizes taking action rather than overthinking. He promotes their bootcamp and encourages taking action-oriented steps in business.
• 1:06:00 – 1:08:00 — Both Zachs discuss the importance of focusing on the next step and the impact of analysis paralysis. They highlight the value of addressing immediate concerns.
• 1:08:00 – 1:09:37 — Zach Swinehart wraps up the conversation with key takeaways from their discussion about the benefits of paid ads, budgeting for ads, and the minimal prerequisites needed to start running ads effectively.