The ad industry is broken. And the smartest founders know it.
Here’s a story that might change how you think about customer acquisition forever:
HubSpot. Barstool Sports. Morning Brew.
Three wildly different companies. But they all used the same strategy to build nine- and ten-figure businesses.
It’s called Negative CAC — and it flips traditional marketing on its head.
Let me explain 👇
But first, CAC is Customer Acquisition Costs.
Ok, glad we got that sorted…moving on.
Most brands bleed cash to acquire customers.
They spend $1,000 to get someone to buy a $100/month product.
It takes 10+ months to break even — assuming the customer even sticks around that long.
Now here’s the flip.
What if you made money while acquiring customers?
That’s what negative CAC is all about.
Instead of starting with a product and buying ads to sell it…
You start with content. A newsletter. A YouTube channel. A podcast.
You monetize that with ads, sponsors, and paid media.
Then — once you’ve built trust and attention — you introduce the real product.
You're getting paid to build the audience that will buy from you.
The pioneers?
HubSpot built a massive blog and education engine that pulled in millions of organic leads. Then they bought The Hustle to go even deeper into media monetization — and used it to feed their software business.
Barstool Sports grew a cult following through edgy media and podcasts, monetized it with ads, then spun it into a betting app, alcohol brands, and a multimillion-dollar merchandise business.
Morning Brew started with a newsletter monetized through sponsorships, then launched multiple verticals, a job board, and courses — all feeding more growth, more revenue, and more products.
This isn’t a quick win. It’s not for the lazy.
But it is the smartest way to play the modern marketing game.
And in a world of rising ad costs, saturated channels, and AI-infused everything — you need smarter strategies to win.
📈 Negative CAC isn’t just a buzzword — it’s the future-proof way to build trust, scale revenue, and grow on your terms.
Want help turning your content into a growth engine?
We build media-backed funnels, influencer strategies, and ad campaigns that attract and convert your perfect audience. 👉 Work with us
