Why CIA skills map to marketing

I kept seeing this guy everywhere online. Then I opened my Instagram DMs and found a message from 2021: “I’m the first ex-CIA officer to launch an information product… everything I’ve learned came from you.” A year later he went viral using the exact earned-media playbook from Traffic Secrets, stacked podcast appearances, and sent all that attention to one link that fed his funnel. 

In this episode I sit down with Andrew Bustamante to unpack how he went from CIA to info business, why his name started triggering the algorithm, and how a single quiz became the engine that turned curiosity into qualified buyers.

Key Highlights:

◼️The earned-media ladder that took him from small shows to the biggest podcasts and sent every viewer to one conversion link

◼️How a CIA-inspired spy quiz filters for personality, pinpoints a weakness, and turns attention into buyers

◼️The zero-ad viral strategy he ran on repeat and when to layer paid traffic on top of it

◼️CIA tradecraft mapped to marketing: adopt vocabulary, build commonality first, then shift beliefs, plus the nine-month conversion model

◼️Inside his value ladder: tripwire, smart order bumps, a daily intelligence brief, community, and high-ticket experiences that move readers into video buyers

Most people chase views, but people like Andrew simply demand views by being so interesting and informative! He proves you can turn story, psychology, and smart funnels into a system that compounds without brute-force ad spend. If you run content, a podcast circuit, or a personal brand, study this one. Build a single path for attention. Use a diagnostic that creates desire to fix a revealed weakness. Move customers up with offers that prepare them for the next medium and the next level. That is how you turn interviews into income and strangers into true fans.

This episode of The Russell Brunson Show will self-destruct in 3…2…1…

◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠

◼️Still don’t have a funnel? ClickFunnels gives you the exact tools (and templates) to launch TODAY → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://clickfunnels.com/podcast

Want to learn more from Andrew?

Find your Spy Superpower: https://yt.everydayspy.com/47oTFXR

Read Andrew’s CIA book ‘Shadow Cell’: https://geni.us/ShadowCellBook 

Follow Andy on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Andrew-Bustamante

Explore Spy School: https://everydayspy.com/ 

Support Andy's sponsor Axolt Brain: https://axoltbrain.com/andy

Listen to the podcast: https://youtube.com/@EverydaySpyPodcast

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