Work Your Way In, Buy Your Way In
Earn free traffic through relationships, then scale with paid ads
This framework presents the two complementary paths to accessing your Dream 100's audiences. Working your way in (earned traffic) means getting featured on their platforms through interviews, guest appearances, collaborations, and endorsements. Buying your way in (controlled traffic) means using ad platforms to target the followers of your Dream 100 directly.
Brunson structures the 'work your way in' process around how Hollywood launches movies: actors appear on talk shows, podcasts, and media outlets in the week before launch, each time deploying Hook, Story, Offer. Entrepreneurs can replicate this exact strategy with their Dream 100's audiences on podcasts, blogs, social media, and email lists.
The key insight is that both approaches are essential. Earned traffic alone leaves you dependent on others' willingness to promote you. Paid traffic alone disappears the moment you stop spending. The blend of both creates a resilient traffic ecosystem. Earned traffic also compounds over time in ways that paid traffic cannot.
- Dig your well before you're thirsty: build relationships before you need them
- Never be a consumer of social media; be a producer and a spy on your Dream 100
- Working your way in converts at a higher rate because it carries the endorsement of a trusted figure
- Buying your way in gives you access to audiences even from Dream 100 members who refuse to promote you
- Earned traffic compounds over time; paid traffic stops when you stop paying
- The blend of earned and controlled traffic is the key to a resilient business
- Subscribe to Everything from Your Dream 100Create a dedicated email address for Dream 100 subscriptions. Follow them on every platform. Study their content, funnels, and offers. Buy their products. This is your market research AND your relationship-building foundation. Spend 15 minutes twice daily monitoring their activity.
- Engage Authentically (Days 1-14)Comment meaningfully on their content. Share what you find valuable. Post about their products on your own social channels and tag them. Make sure they see your face and name repeatedly in positive contexts before you ever reach out directly.
- Open a Dialogue (Days 15-30)Send personal, non-templated messages to start a conversation. Do NOT pitch anything yet. Avoid red flags: no copy-paste messages, no life story, no requests. Hit the green lights: show you have done your homework, ask about things they care about, demonstrate genuine interest.
- Provide Value and Create Fans (Days 31-60)Give your Dream 100 free access to your product with no strings attached. Let them experience it. The best promoters are always the biggest fans. Send them free accounts, products, or resources so they can genuinely endorse what you offer.
- Work Your Way In Through AppearancesSeek interviews, guest appearances, podcast features, and collaborations. Let the host promote you to THEIR audience on THEIR platform. Aim for at least two appearances per week as an ongoing practice, not just a launch strategy.
- Buy Your Way In SimultaneouslyWhile building relationships, run paid ads targeting the followers of each Dream 100 member. Use this to test hooks and messaging with their audience before getting organic access. Even Dream 100 members who refuse to promote you can be reached through their followers via ads.
For the Expert Secrets launch, Brunson sent his Dream 100 a book with 300 blank pages (cover only) early in the writing process, then sent the first four chapters, then the full unedited draft. This gave them a vested interest in the book's success. He then coordinated a 'virtual book tour,' getting interviewed on dozens of platforms in launch week. With Tony Robbins, he arranged to be interviewed on Tony's Facebook page (reaching Tony's 3.2 million followers), then asked to spend his own money running ads through Tony's account to boost the interview video.
When launching ClickFunnels, Brunson built his Dream 100 list to 736 people. He systematically worked his way into their audiences through podcast appearances, blog features, and social media collaborations. Simultaneously, he bought ads targeting their followers on Facebook. For the Expert Secrets book launch, he conducted a 'virtual book tour' modeled after Hollywood launches, doing over 30 interviews across various platforms. His most significant relationship was with Tony Robbins, whom he had served on his Dream 100 for a full decade before asking for anything. When Tony finally interviewed Brunson on his Facebook page, the video was viewed over 3.1 million times, and during launch week they sold over 71,000 copies of Expert Secrets.