SUMMARY

In this podcast, Jason Portnoy interviews marketing expert Alen Sultanic, exploring human behavior drivers, 2025 advertising trends, quality over quantity in content, and psychological strategies for effective offers and sales.

STATEMENTS

Alen Sultanic operates intuitively in marketing, drawing from conscious confidence and sharing insights without heavy preparation.
Sultanic's posts are crafted spontaneously in the morning with coffee, reflecting genuine thoughts rather than scripted content.
He understands marketing dynamics deeply, allowing him to outmaneuver competitors by anticipating market tests and outcomes.
Sultanic's double promote technique for Black Friday generated hundreds of millions in revenue last year, reused successfully by others.
He avoids the spotlight intentionally, preferring low attention and recharging alone after social interactions.
Marketing's appeal lies in its magic: combining words, videos, or pages to attract money from strangers effortlessly.
In 2025, mechanical marketers flood platforms with excessive content, creating omnipresence but low engagement ratios around 0.2%.
Differentiation remains crucial, as mechanical approaches lead to redundancy, extreme content, and audience burnout.
Algorithm changes by Tim Cook disrupted easy targeting, ending the "easy button" era of high returns like during COVID.
Great marketers like David Ogilvy or Claude Hopkins would thrive today through timeless psychology, not platform tweaks.
Sultanic focuses on quality over quantity, producing deep content like long posts on raising prices that others implement successfully.
Human progress requires consumption; marketing in 2025 competes on how deeply audiences consume content to influence minds.
Beliefs are safety systems rooted in four core traits: survival, reproduction, safety/security, and status.
Women respond more to safety/security messaging, while men prioritize status in luxury ads like Lamborghini or Rolex.
Negative personalization in ads triggers safety systems, causing high bounce rates; externalize negatives instead.
In bizop offers, avoid urging to quit jobs; position as part-time to maintain safety and build gradual transitions.
Too much change violates safety; frame offers like weight loss as doable without upending lifestyles.
Persuasion seeks outcomes, but authenticity shares without immediate asks, fostering trust over manipulation.
Only 5-10% of people are instant buyers; most need repetition or time, violating which erodes trust.
Duration buyers assess trustworthiness through consistency, avoiding those who pivot frequently like from crypto to courses.
Simplify offers by removing frictions, not adding force; assume visitors want it and eliminate barriers like price or time trade-offs.
Objections stem from limited resources: time, money, energy, identity; address trade-offs economically.
Christian markets are underserved and profitable; free pocket Bible offers convert well when driven by genuine faith.
Pricing should align with 1% of monthly income to minimize objections, mirroring Netflix or Spotify models.
Desires trace back to the four traits; language can create desire by stimulating imagination without force.
Communities thrive by balancing resources (tools for progress) and experiences (emotional connections), avoiding transactional mismatches.
Market evolution shifts from chaos to organization; freelancers must align with structured teams for efficiency.
Organized entities extract more market energy, leading to acquisitions by dominant players like Apple or Google.
Invisible pitches work by sharing value without direct sales, drawing clients indefensibly through demonstrated expertise.

IDEAS

Intuitive posting without preparation yields authentic, high-impact content that builds a cult-like following in marketing circles.
Mechanical marketers create content machines, flooding platforms and mimicking successful models like Gary Vaynerchuk's repurposing.
Low engagement (0.2%) signals audience fatigue from overexposure, turning omnipresence into irrelevance.
Black-and-white thinking escalates in extreme content to sustain attention, alienating moderate audiences.
Algorithm privacy shifts ended easy 5x returns, forcing a pivot from quantity to psychological depth in ads.
Timeless copywriting transcends platforms; legends like Hopkins focused on audience psychology, not bids or retargeting.
Quality content rearranges mental "furniture," influencing beliefs only after deep consumption, unlike billboard overload.
Beliefs as safety systems explain why negative self-association kills clicks, favoring external blame in messaging.
Dating offers succeed by avoiding negative admittance, like "Double Your Dating" implying growth from any baseline.
Bizop hooks like "quit your job" scare prospects; reframe as "keep your job, scale part-time" boosts safety.
Diets fail from excessive change; position as gradual gains preserving lifestyle to honor security needs.
Authenticity emerges from pull marketing, where value pulls interest without wrestling for sales.
Buyer types vary: 5-10% instant, others need repetition or trust-building over months, mistreating which violates psyche.
Force in sales signals underlying resistance; simplify by assuming desire and removing frictions like identity threats.
Economics of trade-offs reveal hidden objections: limited time means offers must economize effort for busy audiences.
Religion offers universal appeal; free Bibles segment by intent (e.g., Christian entrepreneurs) for high conversions in underserved niches.
Gender and age alter processing: women handle resources delicately, elders encode slower, demanding tailored messaging.
Infinite recurring models like Netflix price at 1% of Social Security to blanket populations without churn.
Desire creation via language targets four traits, but frameworks for uncovering deep wants remain proprietary edges.
Communities connect via resources (tools) or experiences (shared growth); mismatches breed transactions over bonds.
Wild West chaos in markets evolves to organized efficiency, where small engines yield massive power through collaboration.
Freelancers thrive by joining organized teams, avoiding isolation as structures dominate and acquire.
Invisible sales structures share expertise without pitches, making offers indefensible and irresistible.
Mental models interconnect: safety traits underpin economics, organization amplifies extraction from chaotic markets.
Epiphanies in advanced training reveal "the Matrix" of interconnected principles, transforming performance across niches.
Pull over push: deep value without asks builds indefensible loyalty, letting content prove worth organically.
Christian business coaching is a goldmine; align with faith for authentic, high-retention offers.
Objections as resource guardians: probe time/money/identity trade-offs to simplify paths to yes.
Evolution favors organization; solo players risk obsolescence as teams scale economic advantages.

INSIGHTS

Marketing's future hinges on psychological consumption depth over mathematical volume, turning overload into opportunity for differentiation.
Core human traits—survival, reproduction, safety, status—form belief safety nets, guiding all persuasive messaging to avoid violations.
Algorithm shifts demand quality focus, as quantity burns audiences and erodes engagement, favoring timeless psychology.
Negative self-association triggers instant rejection; externalize problems to preserve identity safety and boost response.
Buyer journeys diversify beyond instants; respecting repetition and duration builds trust through consistency, not force.
Simplify by friction removal: assume desire, then economically address time, money, and identity trade-offs for seamless conversions.
Authenticity pulls via value-sharing without immediate reciprocity, contrasting manipulative pushes that fatigue prospects.
Underserved niches like Christian entrepreneurs offer vast universes, succeeding when genuine cause trumps profit motive.
Pricing at 1% of income neutralizes objections universally, emulating sticky models like streaming services.
Communities flourish on resource-experience balance, fostering emotional bonds over transactional exchanges for retention.
Market chaos evolves to organized efficiency; align with structures to extract amplified resources and stability.
Invisible pitches demonstrate expertise indirectly, creating indefensible demand without overt sales resistance.
Desires root in four traits; language crafts them by stimulating imagination, but economic trade-offs reveal true barriers.
Gendered motivators diverge: security for women, status for men, requiring nuanced, delicate resource handling.
Objections signal safety threats; probe origins in limited resources to refine offers without overcomplicating.

QUOTES

"It's like man where else can you just like you know put some words together make a video a little presentation or a web page you know throw it out in the internet and have strangers just give you money you know it's it's it's amazing right."
"The math the solution to mathematical problem is never a mathematical answer it's one of psychology psychological answer."
"Belief system is nothing more than a safety system right it's a safety system it's there to keep you safe."
"Women respond to Safety and Security men respond to status and so once you understand this then from here we can layer everything else on top of them."
"If you talk if you look at it basically you type in like U if you type in the word u and anything negative that's like negative association with the identity right and so the safety system gets trigger."
"Quit your job have freedom and travel so now what happens is they're basically thinking that they have to quit their job in order to do this kills kills response kills response rates."
"Too much change is also a a a a blowout right so for example if you have a diet or something you know and especially to women they're very sensitive to to too too much change too fast."
"Persuasion side there's a a desired outcome like you want something from somebody right you want something from somebody."
"Only 5 to 10% of the people um buy now their instant buyers right and um you know this is why a typical vssl will convert at like you know 1 and 3%."
"Somebody doesn't show up somewhere if they don't want it so they want it 100% And then my question becomes what is taking away those points from then up moving forward."
"The definition of economics is the study allocation of resources limited resources right and so all resources are limited um so for example time is limited money is limited energy is limited."
"You really have to be in it for the cause not just the money by the way for it to work if you're just in it for the money it's it's not going to work you have to you have to be in cause."
"The price is only 1% the average Social Security payment and that basically lets them cover the entire population you see and so the people stay forever in those programs."
"People connect and they whatever in every type of thing it's it's ultimately there's only two two ways people connect okay and the only two ways that people connect is um either for a resource or for an experience."
"The evolution of the marketplace the next 5 years basically it's going from chaos to order and structure."
"Organized entities can extract more energy out of the market and therefore what they can do is they can pay more and have more people give people what they want which is stability."
"It's like the invisible pitch right that came up with the whole thing so he goes to this a man he does the opening intro like I gave him I have it somewhere Sav I can send it to you and uh yeah so he does his thing dude he's in the back they're all coming to him pay him a bunch of money."
"Let the the content let the thoughts let the knowledge itself prove itself to you and if you like it then you can find it you know."

HABITS

Wake up with a routine including coffee, then spontaneously post genuine thoughts without over-preparation.
Share proven techniques publicly, like double promote strategies, allowing market testing to validate and spread value.
Avoid high-attention activities; decline most podcast invites to recharge after brief social interactions.
Focus on deep, quality content creation, such as long guides on pricing, rather than flooding with shorts.
Externalize negatives in posts to maintain positive engagement, avoiding direct "you" negativity.
Reframe offers around safety, like part-time bizop starts, to ease transitions without abrupt changes.
Build pull marketing through value-sharing without immediate sales asks, fostering organic interest.
Assess buyer types and tailor nurturing: repetition for some, duration for trust-builders.
Remove frictions in offers by questioning forces, simplifying to assume desire and eliminate barriers.
Probe objections via economic trade-offs: time, money, energy, identity before finalizing messaging.
Segment niches like Christian audiences with genuine intent, using free offers for high conversion.
Price recurring models at 1% of audience income to minimize churn and maximize retention.
Balance community resources (tools) with experiences (shared growth) for emotional connections.
Align with organized teams as a freelancer, prioritizing collaboration over solo chaos.
Use invisible pitches in non-sales settings, demonstrating expertise to draw indefensible demand.

FACTS

Tim Cook's privacy focus disrupted internet algorithms, ending easy ad targeting around a few years ago.
Sultanic's Black Friday double promote technique reportedly generated hundreds of millions in revenue.
Mechanical content creators achieve 0.2% engagement ratios despite high views from bots.
During COVID, dropshipping masks yielded millions easily with 5x returns for minimal effort.
Well Dynamics personality test profiles Sultanic as Creator Mechanic Star, aiding self-understanding.
ClickBank launches shifted from creative origins to mechanical repetition, now daily in Warrior Plus.
Gary Vaynerchuk pioneered content repurposing across platforms, inspiring the "be your own media company" model.
Only 5-10% of audiences are instant buyers, explaining typical VSL conversions at 1-3%.
Free pocket Bible offers cost $1 production but charge $3-4 shipping, feeding into high-converting backends.
Christian authors' books fill printers floor-to-ceiling in Atlanta, highlighting market scale.
Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon Prime price at about 1% of average Social Security payment for universal appeal.
Market evolution mirrors Wild West to structured societies, with AI shifting from chaos to ordered tools.
Old Ford engines produced 80 horsepower from large sizes; modern Porsche 911 Turbos yield 800 from compact designs.
Dominant end-states include duopolies like GM/Ford, Apple/Samsung, and Instagram/TikTok.
Sultanic's NHB group has two to three years of unupdated Google Doc success stories.

REFERENCES

Well Dynamics personality test (welldynamics.com) for profiling creators, mechanics, and stars.
"The Selfish Gene" book on reproductive drives in human behavior.
Claude Hopkins' works, revived by Gary Halbert from Library of Congress.
David Ogilvy's advertising principles.
Eugene Schwartz's five levels of market awareness.
Gary Halbert's Coat of Arms letter for family crests.
Dan Kennedy's rules and collaboration with Halbert in Ohio.
Jay Abraham's marketing strategies.
Rosser Reeves' "Reality in Advertising" book on TV ads.
Evan Pagan's "Double Your Dating" for avoiding negative admittance.
Robert Collier's letter book on direct response.
Johnny Kennedy's "salesmanship in print" lobby demonstration.
Bibles by the Case website for bulk pocket Bibles.
NHB Plus and Fast Forward programs for advanced marketing training.
Nothing Held Back Facebook group and nothingheldback.com waiting list.
JPORT Media agency for online marketing.
Perfectly Mentored podcast with guests like Gary Vaynerchuk and Grant Cardone.
Energy platform as a free social network for entrepreneurs, built over two years.

HOW TO APPLY

Start mornings with coffee and intuitive posting of unfiltered thoughts to build authentic voice.
Test market response to shared techniques, like double promotes, scaling what validates through revenue.
Decline non-essential spotlights to preserve energy, focusing on deep interactions only.
Craft quality content addressing specific pains, such as pricing guides, for implementable impact.
Externalize negatives in messaging, e.g., "most fail here" instead of "you fail," to avoid safety triggers.
Reframe bizop offers as part-time supplements to jobs, easing safety concerns for family-oriented prospects.
Use pull marketing by sharing value without asks, letting curiosity drive inquiries organically.
Segment buyers: nurture instants with direct closes, repeats via varied angles, duration with consistent trust signals.
Audit offers for frictions; remove elements like abrupt changes that violate security before launch.
Map trade-offs: list time/money/energy/identity costs, then economize, e.g., "20 minutes evenings only."
Target underserved niches like Christian entrepreneurs with free faith-aligned offers for backend upsells.
Set recurring prices at 1% of target income, justifying with bundled value to cut churn objections.
Build communities blending resources (AI tools) and experiences (group challenges) for retention.
As freelancer, seek organized teams via collaborations, contributing specialized skills for stability.
Deploy invisible pitches in neutral settings, outlining expertise benefits to attract post-event deals.
Trace desires to four traits: layer survival/safety/status messaging tailored by gender and age.
Evolve with market structure: monitor chaos-to-order shifts, positioning in emerging organized pockets.
Simplify sales pages by assuming 100% desire, iteratively stripping barriers until conversions peak.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Embrace quality psychological depth over quantity to master 2025 marketing through human traits and economic trade-offs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Prioritize intuitive, authentic sharing to cultivate a dedicated following without chasing viral volume.
Analyze engagement ratios to spot burnout in mechanical strategies, pivoting to differentiated quality.
Root all messaging in four traits: survival, reproduction, safety, status for belief-aligned persuasion.
Avoid negative "you" language in ads, favoring externalization to prevent identity safety shutdowns.
Frame changes gradually, like part-time starts, to honor security without overwhelming prospects.
Shift to pull marketing, providing upfront value to build trust sans immediate sales pressure.
Tailor nurturing to buyer types: quick closes for instants, multi-angle repeats, long-term consistency.
Remove sales frictions economically, questioning every force as a hidden resource barrier.
Explore underserved religious niches with cause-driven offers for scalable, high-conversion universes.
Price subscriptions at 1% income thresholds, bundling value to emulate sticky global models.
Balance community elements: resources for entry, experiences for bonds to avoid transactional fatigue.
Align freelance work with organized entities for amplified efficiency and market energy extraction.
Use invisible structures in pitches, demonstrating outcomes to create indefensible client influx.
Monitor market evolution from chaos to structure, positioning tools in collaborative pockets early.
Interconnect mental models: apply safety economics across offers for holistic, defensible strategies.
Create desire linguistically by stimulating imagination tied to core traits without overt manipulation.
Segment audiences by intent in free offers, funneling to backends with genuine alignment.
Foster epiphanies through layered training, revealing interconnected principles for breakthrough performance.

MEMO

In the dim glow of a podcast studio, Jason Portnoy, founder of JPORT Media, engages Alen Sultanic, the elusive marketing savant whose fingerprints grace billion-dollar campaigns without ever seeking the limelight. As 2024 fades, their conversation pierces the veil of digital overload, dissecting why most strategies sputter while a few ignite. Sultanic, a self-described intuitive operator with two decades in the trenches, laments the mechanical frenzy gripping 2025: armies of content mills churning shorts across TikTok, YouTube, and X, aping Gary Vaynerchuk's repurposing playbook. Yet this omnipresence masks a grim truth—engagement hovers at a dismal 0.2%, bots inflating views while real audiences tune out the noise. Privacy pivots by Tim Cook shattered the easy ad gold rush of COVID-era dropshipping windfalls, compelling a return to psychology's core.

At the heart of Sultanic's philosophy lie four primal drivers—survival, reproduction, safety and security, status—that underpin every belief as a protective shield. Women crave assurances of stability, men chase symbols of prestige like Rolex dials or Ferrari roars, he explains. Ads falter when they personalize pain, triggering instant rejection; instead, externalize flaws to sidestep identity threats. Consider bizop pitches: ditching "quit your job" for "scale part-time while secure" transforms terror into temptation, honoring the psyche's aversion to upheaval. Weight loss empires crumble on overhauls—frame them as lifestyle-compatible gains to preserve that sacred equilibrium. Authenticity, Sultanic insists, isn't a buzzword but pull over push: dispense wisdom without grasping for sales, letting value magnetize the willing.

Simplification emerges as the antidote to bloated funnels. Assume prospects arrive wanting; strip away frictions—time sinks, identity clashes—revealing offers as economic trades in a world of scarcity. Objections aren't random; they guard limited resources, from evening hours for grass-cutting dads to social stories legitimizing Amazon side hustles over shady affiliates. Sultanic's edge? He crafts desire from ether, teasing proprietary frameworks that layer these traits into irresistible narratives. In underserved realms like Christian entrepreneurship, free pocket Bibles—sourced cheap, shipped for profit—funnel believers into backends, thriving on genuine faith rather than cynicism.

Communities, he argues, pulse on dual rails: resources like AI accelerators draw the time-strapped, while shared experiences forge lasting ties, eclipsing transactional traps. As markets mature from Wild West chaos to Porsche-like precision, freelancers must embed in organized engines—small, potent teams extracting vast energy—lest they wither in isolation. Dominant duopolies loom, from Apple-Samsung to Instagram-TikTok, swallowing the structured. Yet Sultanic's invisible pitches defy bans, weaving expertise into speeches that summon clients like moths to flame.

This blueprint future-proofs brands: compete on consumption depth, rearrange minds through quality immersion, and wield economics to dissolve doubts. In an era of algorithmic austerity, Sultanic's wizardry reminds us—marketing's magic endures not in volume, but in the subtle alchemy of human wants.