Richard McGirr breaks down why most syndicators struggle with online ads and explains why cold traffic is the last place capital raisers should be spending money. He argues that private investments require a level of trust that interruptive ads can’t establish, and that most managers burn cash chasing low-quality Facebook leads with terrible conversion. Instead, Richard outlines a hierarchy of “trust-based traffic,” from podcast tours that borrow a host’s credibility to scalable paid influencer webinars that transfer trust at a fraction of the cost of ads. He walks through real-world examples—from George Foreman to Proactiv—to show how borrowed brands can outperform traditional marketing by orders of magnitude, especially in capital-raising.

Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary.

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