Issue 38 | 1

By Mike Schauer, founder of Swiped.co makes many want to pull their hair out, especially in
moments of struggle. It’s at our lowest points that we crave
Welcome back for another exciting issue of Funnel certainty to put us at ease. This is why psychics, astrologers,
University! I’m Mike Schauer, your friendly Funnel U professor numerologists, palm readers and dozens of other such
and founder of Swiped.co. This month, we’re going to look at service providers are never out of work.
two funnels that are based around one very specific theme.
This theme is one that never ceases to fascinate the masses. If we look at the world of business, predictions are especially
Because no matter how believable or outlandish they seem, attractive because if accurate, they can significantly decrease
everyone loves a big, bold, audacious prediction. risk and increase our probability of making more money. This
is especially true in the financial market where one simple
If you think about it, what makes our lives so interesting is foreshadowed trade could be the difference between adding
that we never know exactly what’s going to happen next. an extra zero or more to your bank account.
Our ability to not see the future allows us to experience
surprise and unexpected circumstances. If we could It’s massively attractive and that’s what makes predictions
all predict exactly how things will unfold, life would be such alluring material for a hook. Today, especially in
incredibly boring. crowded markets, we, as marketers, need stronger hooks to
stand out. The risk of sounding like everyone else is higher
At the same time, not knowing how things will transpire than it’s ever been. You can’t afford to be lazy about this.

Who Is Mike Schauer?

In 2014, while working full-time as a freelancer, Mike found himself
immersed in an unexpected side project. As someone who provided design
and copywriting services, Mike was shocked to discover that although there
were an infinite number of design galleries online, not one site provided
inspirational examples for copywriters and online marketers. After organically gaining the attention
of the biggest names in the copywriting and online marketing world (like Russell Brunson), his
website, Swiped.co, has gone on to become the #1 resource for people who want to learn from
proven marketing campaigns and understand the psychology of why they work.

Unlike most experts, Mike learns and teaches 100% via reverse-engineering and pattern recognition.
His content rule is this: for every point he makes, he has at least one example to go with it.
Impressed by his funnel-hacking-friendly methodology, Russell instantly clicked with Mike and since
then, Mike has become the top Funnel University contributor, back by popular demand.

2 | Funnel University
So, in this issue, you will further understand the powerful predictions being sold and given credibility by referencing
buying psychology behind a good prediction and perhaps, his impressive previous predictions. This is a formula you will
start to consider this type of hook for you or your clients’ see over and over, not just at Agora, but in any compelling
businesses. piece about someone’s predictions; that you should believe
them because they’ve predicted these previous events.
It’s not for everybody and you don’t have to come across like And that form of proof has power, even when many other
Nostradamus. However, if anything, this can challenge you predictions never panned out.
to become more of a leader who talks about where things
are going and what the future holds. If you’re an expert, The Facebook Ads
you have the knowledge to be creative with this and can Both of these ads are running now, but I’ve particularly seen
leverage the universal excitement that people get from this first ad below at least a dozen times, which makes sense
hearing about what’s to come. considering the engagement stats (17,000 likes and over
5,000 shares).
So, without further ado let’s dive into these funnels, which
happen to both come from the same company, but are Now keep in mind that the average customer for Agora’s
under different sub-brands with separate experts, both financial newsletters is actually 50+ (think people who
of whom make predictions. And both funnels are selling want to add to their retirement savings) so they can make
newsletters offered in a very specific and proven way. a reference to an old show like Phil Donahue, as they do
below, and the majority of the audience will know that The
Phil Donahue Show was a famous talk show from the 70s
Funnel #1: Doug Casey that lasted for 26 years.

How Millionaire Investor Doug Casey’s

Accurate Predictions from The 1970s
Allowed This Funnel To Happen...

Before understanding who Doug Casey is, it helps to know

his role in this company’s thriving billion dollar business. You
may have heard Russell talk about Agora Publishing. They’re
a massively successful newsletter publisher that credits their
success, amongst other things, to their leading copywriting
and marketing prowess.

Casey Research, which is the brand Doug Casey operates

under, is just one of Agora’s dozens of brands, most of which
have a carefully chosen and credible expert at the helm, like
Doug Casey.

So, what makes someone a prime candidate to be a

frontman at an Agora company? Well, in terms of the
financial space, their track record of big wins and predictions
is extremely important. Which is why you’ll see Doug’s Doug Casey Facebook Ad Example #1

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With that said, the ad plays off of the show’s credibility would represent Democrats and Republicans, but the
and the photo is a brilliant screenshot of what seems to addition of white and mis-representation of states makes
be a dramatic moment during the show where Doug said you wonder what that means. His face has a concerned look,
something controversial that Donahue didn’t agree with. which adds to the drama of the prediction.

As I mentioned, the allure of the prediction hook is often The Advertorial

rooted in the idea that the predictor has a track record, If you click on either of the Facebook ads they take you to an
which is what this ad plays off of. advertorial, which is a sales page or advertisement made to
look like an editorial piece.
Another strong point is that it appears to be a news article,
which is a Facebook-friendly approach. What’s interesting is that depending on what ad you click,
you get a slightly different page, the only difference being
The second ad is more recent so there’s not as much data the headline. I’d imagine this is their way of split-testing. The
behind it. However, it uses a similar strategy where a copy mostly goes more into his impressive past predictions
previous prediction (“the 2008 meltdown”) is used to grab to build excitement around his next prediction, which is
your attention for his new prediction. linked to in the article and takes you to the sales page.

The photo is of a multi-colored United States, which usually You may have noticed that the page is quite busy. It could

mis-colored
states pique
curiosity for
Casey’s new
prediction
Doug Casey Facebook Ad Example #2

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Doug Casey Advertorial

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be a lot less cluttered. It’s my estimation that this is not by shipping) that comes with several free digital reports and a
choice, but possibly to satisfy Facebook’s strict guidelines. free 30 day trial to his newsletter, which converts to $99 per
year at the end of the trial.
However, this does make the site appear even less like a sales
pitch and really, 80% of the links on that page either take This is a typical type of offer for Agora’s financial publications
you to the sales page or to another advertorial so they’re not and for many other newsletter publishers as well. The idea is
directing traffic away as much as it seems. I’d imagine this to sell you on a single report or book and then mention that
page would look different if it were not made for Facebook. you can get the book for free if you either buy the newsletter
or get a trial of the newsletter.
The Sales Page
Clicking through the advertorial takes you to a long-form Nobody wants to buy a newsletter, but they are attracted by
sales page, which is for a free copy of his book (plus $4.95 ideas and singular items like books and PDFs, which is why

Doug Casey Sales Page

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 The offer is
free + $4.95
shipping with
a $99/year
continuity Doug Casey Sales Page, cont.

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 Doug Casey Order Form

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Casey Research starts with that versus with the newsletter. After the order form (which mentions what’s included as well
This also allows them to advertise the premium as free. as the guarantee), there are a few frequently asked questions
followed by “member comments” or testimonials.
The sales page is largely a continuation of the advertorial,
continuing to play up and go into further detail regarding his
previous wins and successful predictions.

Three other big themes are how connected he is, where they
show photos and tell stories of him and his affiliation with
big names such as in this statement, “He has met around
12 presidents... and debated public figures like political
strategists Karl Rove and James Carville, nuclear theorist
Herman Kahn, Charles Krauthammer, and Newt Gingrich”.

Another theme is how he’s “controversial” and goes against

the norm such as this statement, “made millions betting
against environmentalists... and personally insulted everyone
from Al Gore to Dick Cheney to Michael Moore”. This makes
the narrative juicy and dramatic.

Another characterization that makes his book seem special

is that he’s described as being very “reclusive”. If someone is
out and about, constantly voicing their opinion, you’re used
to it. However, if they only come out every so often, you can
use that rarity to hype up a book.

The Order Form

The order form is a bit unique in that the checkout form
is not above the fold and there is a one minute audio that
automatically plays and takes you through the process. I’d
imagine the audio can be helpful for their target audience,
which will tend to be less computer savvy.

I’ve seen examples where putting the order form above the
fold does much better than below it, but Agora seems to put
it below quite often with a description up top. This shows
that there are no black and white rules and results will vary.

The paragraph above the order form summarizes the offer

and lets you know that there will be no refunds on the book
since it is only $4.95 (the shipping), but will refund you on
the membership if you don’t want to continue. Doug Casey Order Form, cont.

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 Upsell #1
After you’re done checking out, an offer appears to refund
you the $4.95 shipping charge if you buy two years of
Doug’s newsletter right then at a discount ($129 vs. the
regular $199 price).

Of course, the mention of buying the newsletter doesn’t

occur right in the headline. It’s mentioned a few paragraphs
down. Refunding the $4.95 is all that’s mentioned in the
hook, to grab your attention since you’re wondering why
they would give you your money back.

My favorite part about this page is how they mention that

their most successful followers, who get the biggest returns,
usually have been with them for longer than a year. They
make the correlation that being a 2-year member means
you’re more likely to see big gains.

This sets up a psychological push-pull, where the prospect

may feel like they’re not familiar enough with the newsletter
to buy 2 years worth, but because of the discount and
enhanced odds, it makes sense.

Upsell #2
This is an upsell offer you’re going to see in the second
funnel of this issue as well. That’s because they created
this as a universal upsell for all of their different brands,
appropriately given the general name of Inner Circle.

The idea is that each month, as a subscriber, you will receive

a new issue containing current trading advice and tips
culminated from their entire group of experts.

It’s $49/month and just like how they included a bunch of

special reports with the free book, they do the same thing
with this offer.

In order for someone to be interested in this offer,

they’d have to believe that they’ll be getting higher level
information in this newsletter. At the same time, you don’t
want the customer to feel like they’re getting gypped if they
Doug Casey Upsell #1 bought other newsletters.

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Doug Casey Upsell #2

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 Doug Casey Downsell

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To justify this point, they mention that “in addition to Downsell
everything we share with you, there’s no way we could cover If you reject the previous $49/month deal, you’re presented
all of the following marketing topics like [gives 3 examples]... with this offer to get an entire month of the Inner Circle
because quite frankly these subjects do not fit into our membership for $1, which will automatically renew for $49
regular strategies, but there are people that do know the the following month.
answers to these questions...” (which are the Insider experts
you get access to). The formatting is very similar to the previous upsell
page, except that it’s much shorter since it’s all about the
In terms of the page formatting, note how it starts with a discounted offer.
7-minute video of a female “Managing Partner” that basically
summarizes what’s on the sales page. Thank You Page
Once you’ve completed the upsell sequence, you’re taken
There’s no coincidence they choose this woman to be on to this thank you page. In terms of design, it’s very basic.
video as most of their subscribers are men. So, you have However, what’s important is they provide the necessary
the option of playing the video and reading, just watching information you need to log in and contact support if you
the video, or just reading; all of which are decent options. have any questions.

Doug Casey Thank You Page

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Funnel #2: Jeff Brown The difference between this funnel’s hook and the previous
one is that this one is more specific. The hype around Doug
A Legendary Stockpicker Reveals His #1 Casey was that he had a “bold new prediction”. However,
Pick for 2019 with Jeff Brown, the expert in this funnel, he’s revealing
something very specific (his #1 pick) and timely (2019).
Just like with the first funnel, this one is focused around an
expert who had a big previous prediction turn out to be true The Facebook Ad
(in 2016, he picked the number one performing stock on This is a fairly new ad that’s currently running on Facebook
the S&P 500). Keep in mind, all of his predictions in 2017 and and it follows the narrative I described above. I’m not quite
2018 could have failed, but just the fact that he predicted the sure what made them choose a photo of a guy that looks
number one stock in 2016 creates enough proof to believe like a fishing captain, but its obscurity does create curiosity
that this guy knows his stuff. and can make you think that the guy is the stock picker.

Jeff Brown Facebook Ad Example

14 | Funnel University
 Jeff Brown Advertorial

Just like in Doug Casey’s ads, this one shows a stern-looking funnel. Notice how the headline is exactly the same as the
face that implies the seriousness of the prediction. Facebook ad, which keeps the messaging congruent.

By the way, you have noticed both of these are advertised Unlike the previous funnel’s advertorial, this one is less
via the Market News USA page. Market News USA is simply focused on the prediction maker, Jeff Brown, and more
a hub site/brand that was created as a buffer between their focused on setting the tone for a big technological
actual sites. It’s an authority site that is built to look like it’s breakthrough that is branded as “The Smart Phone Killer”.
not associated with the actual brands.
To set the stage for this big reveal, they tell the story of
The Advertorial iPhone and Netflix, two examples that everyone knows
After clicking through the Facebook ad you’re taken to this about, which is important. Then they follow up with more
advertorial, which has the same exact style as the previous details about Jeff’s #1 pick from 2016 and lead you to the

Issue 38 | 15
 Jeff Brown Sales Page

16 | Funnel University
sales page that talks about his next big prediction. “this is what will “throw a ton of TNT into the middle of the
smartphone market.”
The Sales Page
The long-form sales page starts with an impressive quote at It’s a super compelling start to a very persuasive sales
the top from NASDAQ Exchange: “the biggest investment page that provides a ton of proof to support his big claim,
opportunity in years”. This sets the tone for the rest of the including tons of graphs and recent examples that truly
sales letter and conveys instant credibility. make you believe this is a very probable opportunity. By the
way, the opportunity is to invest in companies working on
The lead of the sales pitch is demonstrated visually with 5G technology, the supposed next wave after 4G.
Jeff holding up two smartphones and then holding up a
prototype device that looks like an orange puck, saying that The offer is to buy an annual subscription to his monthly
Near Future Report for $49 and with your purchase, you get
his three top picks of companies slated to potentially take off
when they release their 5G devices.

jeff’s top
Just like in the first funnel, the focus is on getting an annual
subscription to the expert’s report. The difference with this
offer is that there’s no trial and the focus is on Jeff’s three

3 stock
stock picks versus a book.

So if you want to get those stock picks, you must buy the
annual membership, whether you want to or not. Because

picks for 5g
as I mentioned earlier, newsletters aren’t sexy. No one gets
excited about a newsletter, but they do get excited about a
valuable idea or opportunity that they can take action on.

companies The Checkout Page

The checkout page is very similar to the last funnel’s

are the hook

checkout page except the order form is even further down
on the page and they don’t use an audio clip.

Almost all of the copy on the page before the order form

leading to
is related to the three stock picks you’ll receive and how
promising the opportunity is.

continuity
They also emphasize the “actual value” of everything
you’re getting before you checkout so the $49 feels like
a big discount.

I found it interesting that there is no use of sidebars on

the page. It is completely one column, which makes for
interesting consumption since you’re taking in one thing at

Issue 38 | 17
 a time on the page, but it’s a long page. Keep in mind, this
may work for them because of their target audience, who
are more likely to be analytical and consume all the details.
This obviously would be different for a product that doesn’t
require as much explanation and proof.

Upsell #1 (Lifetime Access)

Because the primary offer was for a complete annual
membership and not a trial, there is no need for an upsell to
convert them to a full member.

Instead, the first upsell takes the next step and asks them to
become a “lifetime member” for $299. Otherwise, they will
renew next year at $129. When it comes to upsells, Agora
Publishing loves to create one-time-offers for substantial
discounts that will in turn, keep the customer active and
more apt to buy other things they put out in the future.

It’s purely a discount offer where the copy focuses almost

completely on the money you’ll save as well as how the
investments you make will easily pay off and then some.

Between the big one-time discount and idea of making

your money back with the info you receive, this type of offer
continues to work very well.

Upsell #2
This is the same exact offer and copy as the second upsell
in the first funnel. As I mentioned earlier, Inner Circle is a
membership that they specifically designed for the backend
of most any of their funnels, regardless of the brand.

Downsell
This is the $1 downsell trial offer we saw earlier with the
same style as the upsell.

Thank You
Lastly, we have our thank you page, which has a much nicer
design than the previous funnel’s thank you, but basically
states the same information, to check your email for a
confirmation and contact support if you have any issues.
Jeff Brown Checkout Page Also, the personal signature at the bottom adds a nice touch.

18 | Funnel University
Jeff Brown Upsell #1

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 Jeff Brown Upsell #2 Jeff Brown Downsell

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 Jeff Brown Thank You Page

Hope You Enjoyed The Issue! If So, I allows you to sort through their posts based on amount of
likes, comments and even caption length.
Have A Special Offer For You :-)
And the most amazing part is, you don’t even need to pay
If you like my research and analysis style, this is what I do to check it out. Simply go to http://swiped.co/funnelhackers
full-time inside my Insiders Membership. Each month, I put and get a free 2-week trial with a full sneak peek, including
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cutting-edge understanding of how the top 1% of marketers group and many other perks. Not to mention, an inspiration
and copywriters think. hotline where I’ll research and send you examples to model
based on your own specifications.
I even create and release exclusive tools to help you reverse-
engineer other top marketers and brands on your own! For Look forward to connecting more with you outside Funnel U!
instance, last month I released a tool called The Instagram Here’s my personal email ([email protected]) if you have any
Content Analyzer which scans anyone’s Instagram page and questions, comments or just want to say hi :-)

Issue 38 | 21
 Doug Casey Funnel

Jeff Brown Funnel

22 | Funnel University
 Legal Disclaimer
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internet marketing environment. The techniques presented have been extraordinarily lucrative
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acquired from this course will provide you with the ability to adapt to inevitable internet
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Any earnings, income statements or other results, are based on our own testing and are only
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No guarantees of income are made. The author reserves the right to make changes and assumes
no responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials.

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