Whitney and her online business manager Priscilla Zaehringer are kicking off a three-part series all about ads — and not the intimidating, agency-speak kind. In this first episode, they break down the concept of the “silent funnel”: a simple automated system that runs ads to a lead magnet, grows your email list, and warms up new subscribers — all without you having to post a reel every other day. Whitney and Priscilla share their own journey to ads, why organic social media reach (yes, that 1–3% stat is real) just doesn’t cut it for business growth anymore, and why your email list is still the highest-ROI channel in your marketing toolkit. If you’ve been spinning your wheels on social or just wondering how to bring in a steadier stream of new leads, this honest, no-fluff conversation will give you a solid foundation before they go deep on the numbers and strategy in Parts 2 and 3.

Takeaways:

• Organic social media only reaches 1–3% of your followers. Your email list, by comparison, can hit 40–45% open rates, making it a far more reliable channel for nurturing leads and driving sales.
• Ads aren’t a replacement for relationship-building strategies like referrals or networking, they’re an additional lead-generation stream that works faster and at higher volume.
• The “silent funnel” is straightforward: run an ad to a lead magnet → automated welcome email sequence → ongoing nurture emails. Set it up once, monitor the costs, and let it run in the background.
• You don’t need to be an ads expert to use them effectively, but knowing the basics matters… especially if you ever hire help, so you can evaluate whether it’s actually working.
• Your email list is a conveyor belt: the more people you add consistently, the more opportunities you create for sales down the line. Ads supercharge that rate of growth.

Connect with Priscilla:

Website: priscillazaehringer.com

Connect with Whitney:

Follow Whitney on Instagram @whitneybateson

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