In 2020, something got installed in your brain — a switch. And every time the media needs a click, they flip it, because they know it still works. This week it’s Ebola. Three weeks ago it was hantavirus. The CDC says the risk to Americans is extremely low. The WHO went on camera and said this is not the next Covid. But that’s not what the headlines say… because calm doesn’t get clicks. Fear does.

In this episode I show you the machine behind the fear — the funnel, the business model, the exact script. I teach a framework called Hook, Story, Offer, and when I looked at how the media covers these virus stories, I realized they’re running the same three steps I teach marketers… except they’re not selling a product, they’re selling fear. Then I bring in two books — a 1962 warning from French philosopher Jacques Ellul, and my friend Ryan Holiday’s confessions of a media manipulator — to explain not just how they do it, but why. And as a dad, the part that keeps me up at night is who’s paying the price.

Key Highlights:

Here’s the uncomfortable part: urgency itself isn’t the enemy. Deadlines work, scarcity drives action, and I use urgency in my business every single day. The line is whether it’s real. A cart that’s actually closing is real. “The next pandemic” when the CDC says the risk is extremely low — when fear just happens to pay the bills — is manufactured. Ellul predicted this in 1962, Holiday exposed it in 2012, and we’re watching it run in real time in 2026, with the most anxious generation in recorded history footing the bill. So the real question isn’t whether the next virus is dangerous. It’s this: which is more dangerous right now — the virus, or the coverage… and which side of that line is your own marketing on?

Ready to transform your business and your relationships? Check out these essential resources:

DotCom Secrets: The media stole Hook, Story, Offer and turned it into a fear machine — Russell wrote the book on how to use it the RIGHT way. DotCom Secrets breaks down exactly how funnels really work, so you can build a real business that helps people instead of being manipulated by one. Grab a free copy!

Selling Online Challenge: Join Russell's 3-day virtual event where you'll learn the exact framework for "one-to-many" selling that can help you sell anything to anyone online - even if you're an introvert with zero followers!

ClickFunnels: The #1 funnel builder on the planet that helps you convert your online visitors into paying customers - with the easiest to use, fastest, and most optimized platform for turning clicks into cash!

Don't miss future episodes of The Russell Brunson Show where Russell shares his cutting-edge strategies for building and scaling businesses. Each episode delivers actionable insights from his experience building multiple 8-figure companies and coaching thousands of entrepreneurs.

If you want to succeed in 2025, focus on what matters: build break-even funnels, track your key metrics, create more ad content, stay curious, and most importantly—don’t quit. Success comes to those who keep going, stay focused, and never stop learning. Let’s make this your best year yet.