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Hello and welcome to the 197th edition of Fresh Salmon.

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Meet our primary partner for today’s edition: Roku. Check them out 👇

Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

How Alex Hormozi Sold $106M Without Saying “Buy”

There’s a line from a recent conversation that I saw, and that’s been stuck in my head:

At first glance, it sounds like a clever gimmick.
But the deeper you look, the more it reveals something far more important:

Marketing hasn’t gotten harder.
It’s gotten more intentional.

And most people are still playing the old game.

Context: Alex Hormozi's third book, titled $100M Money Models: How To Make Money, achieved approximately $106 million in sales within the first 72 hours of its launch in August 2025. The launch was an event designed to demonstrate the marketing principles discussed in the book itself, which subsequently broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling non-fiction book.

Wild!

Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

The Real Divide in Marketing Right Now

Everyone says the same thing:

• Webinar attendance is down

• Show-up rates are down

• Ads are more expensive

• People aren’t converting

Some are frustrated.
Others are quietly winning.

The difference isn’t luck, timing, or the economy.

It’s this question: “What would it take to make failure unreasonable?”

Most people reverse-engineer success backward from optimism:

• “If 30% convert…”

• “If 40% show up…”

• “If we just tweak the CTA…”

The winners reverse-engineer from inevitability.

They don’t ask what’s the minimum that might work.
They ask what’s the volume and clarity required so this can’t fail.

That shift alone changes everything.

Why the $106M Launch Worked

The most powerful lesson from that launch wasn’t tactics.

It was framing.

Instead of positioning the offer as a transaction, it was framed as:

• Contribution, not consumption

• Invitation, not extraction

• Participation, not purchase

Three 10-hour live streams.
Global time zones.
Pure Q&A.
No urgency gimmicks.
No value stacking theater.

Just relentless attention + clarity + intention.

People didn’t feel sold to.
They felt included.

And inclusion scales.

Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

Most Offers Don’t Fail Because of Traffic

They fail because they’re forgettable.

Here’s a hard truth most businesses don’t want to hear:

Your offer probably isn’t valuable enough yet.

Not because it’s bad.
But because it’s vague.

When something is unclear:

• People hesitate

• Attention leaks

• Marketing costs explode

The solution isn’t louder promotion.
It’s sharper thinking.

Which brings us to one of the most underrated tools in modern marketing.

Marketing’s Job Isn’t to Sell

This is another misconception holding people back.

Marketing’s real job is simpler: Make selling easier.

By the time someone sees your offer:

• They should already trust you

• Already understand the problem

• Already believe the outcome is possible

If your sales call has to introduce the idea, you’ve already lost.

Which is why pre-framing matters more than persuasion.

The Most Overlooked Conversion Asset

Quick test:

When someone opts in to your webinar, call, or event…
What happens next?

For most businesses:

• A confirmation email

• A calendar reminder

• Silence

That gap is wasted leverage.

The highest-performing funnels do one thing differently:
They reinforce belief immediately.

A short video on the thank-you page:

• Why this matters

• What’s coming

• Why they made the right decision

Same with:

• Zoom waiting rooms

• Reminder emails

• Final “last-minute” nudges

This isn’t overcommunication.
It’s alignment.

Overcommunication = Alignment.

Content Isn’t About Creativity Anymore

It’s about validation.

The smartest teams are doing two things:

1. Testing at volume

2. Doubling down on what already works

Not guessing.
Not reinventing every post.

They:

• Test ideas as tweets

• Promote what gets shared

• Turn validated content into carousels

• Turn carousels into videos

• Turn videos into ads

Creativity isn’t dead.
But guessing is expensive.

Validation scales.

Why Brand Is the Ultimate Growth Lever

Ad costs are rising because everyone is buying attention.

Brand is how you stop renting it.

One of the most important insights shared:

Not PR pitches.
Not press releases.

Validated content travels upstream.

And when your content already performs organically, paid distribution becomes absurdly efficient.

That’s not theory.
That’s leverage.

The Future Is Convenience

Tesla proved it.
Amazon proved it.
Software proves it daily.

People don’t want:

• More calls

• More friction

• More explanation

They want:

• Clear value

• Clear outcomes

• Fewer decisions

If your value prop is clear
Your presentation is tight
And your brand is trusted

You can sell almost anything without a call.

The friction isn’t price.
It’s uncertainty.

The Key Takeaways:

There are only three reasons people hesitate:

1. They don’t understand the value

2. They don’t trust the delivery

3. They don’t recognize the brand

Fix those three, and objections disappear.

Marketing today isn’t about being louder.
It’s about being clearer, earlier, and more intentional.

And the people who embrace that aren’t complaining about the market.

They’re building in it.

That’s it for this week! If you found this newsletter valuable, share it with a friend.

See you next time!

Do what is good for your soul ❤️

All the best,

Vivek

PS. Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways in which I can help you and your business:

#1: B2B Marketing Consulting and Go-To-Market Advisory for your business.

#2: 1-on-1 Personal Coaching and Mentoring on anything related to Marketing and Go-To-Market Strategies for you.

#3: Promoting you or your brand via this newsletter.

For any of these things just shoot me a reply, and we will arrange a time to chat.