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09 May 2025

How Jason Wojo Runs Ads That Print $140 million/Year

5Frameworks
12Insights

Episode overview

Joseph Shalaby interviews advertising entrepreneur Jason Wojo about combining organic content with paid acquisition, using retargeting to nurture prospects, and scaling through strong offers, funnels, sales, and leadership. Wojo explains why lifetime value matters more than immediate front-end profit and why impatient clients who ask only for leads overlook the wider sales system. They also discuss agency staffing, storytelling in an AI-saturated market, podcasting as relationship-building, and Wojo’s shift from luxury-car status toward knowledge, real estate, and a quieter life.

Key ideas

  • Organic content builds familiarity and trust, while paid advertising amplifies it and supplies scalable distribution.
  • Wojo’s four foundations for scale are a strong offer, effective funnels, a capable sales process, and committed leadership.
  • Educational content can build retargeting audiences that are moved through additional value before receiving a direct sales call to action.
  • Lifetime value is Wojo’s central KPI; he is willing for acquisition traffic to break even on the front end.
  • Accolades and case studies work best near the bottom of the funnel or as understated visual credibility rather than top-of-funnel boasting.
  • Client-facing marketing, buying, copy, and leadership roles are primarily US-based, while some design and development work is international.
  • Effective storytelling opens a curiosity gap, bridges the audience from point A to point B, and turns recurring customer questions into new content.
  • Wojo wants to reduce vanity-driven spending, invest in knowledge and real estate, and grow annual business revenue toward $25–50 million.

Transcript available · source text is retained privately and is not published

Frameworks in this episode

Marketing5 steps

The 50% Watch-Time Retarget Nurture

Retarget only the viewers who watched past the halfway mark before ever asking for the sale.

Read →
Marketing5 steps

The Comment-to-Content Loop

Turn every recurring ad comment into a new retargeted ad that answers it.

Read →
Communication5 steps

The Curiosity Bridge Storytelling Method

Open with a curiosity gap, then bridge the audience from where they are to where they want to be.

Read →
Marketing4 steps

The Fire-and-Gas Amplifier

Build organic trust first, then use paid ads to amplify it — not replace it.

Read →
Strategy5 steps

The Four Pillars of Scalable Growth

Diagnose why a business is stuck by auditing offer, funnel, sales, and leadership in order.

Read →

People & resources mentioned

Attributed to the moment in the episode. Timestamps are approximate.

People · 7

  • Jason WojoMentionsI was 19 going on 20. Um, and I was just doing stuff for local businesses like barber shops, restaurants

    “Jason, what's your morning routine as a young man here these days?”

    ▶ Watch at ~1:30approx.
  • Jen BonMentionsShe's like a really big mortgage lender. Um, she was my client for about four years until she took everything in house.

    “I got introduced to them by one of my good friends, Jen Bon. She's like a really big mortgage lender.”

    ▶ Watch at ~24:30approx.
  • Joseph ShalabyMentionswhat's up everybody welcome to another episode of coffees for closers today we're thrilled to bring on a profound guest

    “We got three brands. Joseph Shelby, E-mortage Capital, Coffees for Closers”

    ▶ Watch at ~25:30approx.
  • Eddie MaloofMentionsone of my good friends, Eddie Maloof, is good, too.

    “one of my good friends, Eddie Maloof, is good, too.”

    ▶ Watch at ~32:30approx.
  • Daniel WaltonMentionsHe's running our doing a lot of our ad strategy on go high level retargeting and he's a brilliant guy too.

    “I have a friend Daniel Walton who followed Russell Brunson who's around your age as well.”

    ▶ Watch at ~32:30approx.
  • Russell BrunsonMentionsProbably say Russell Brunson. Russell Brunson. Russell Brunson is big.

    “Probably say Russell Brunson. Russell Brunson. Russell Brunson is big.”

    ▶ Watch at ~32:30approx.
  • Jason WojoMentionsI was 19 going on 20. Um, and I was just doing stuff for local businesses like barber shops, restaurants

    “Jason, the man, the myth, the legend, Jason Wjo himself.”

    ▶ Watch at ~39:00approx.

Resources · 23

  • EMortgage CapitalMentionscompany · Joseph Shalaby and co-founders

    “At EMortgage Capital, our hybrid broker banker model gives you real support, instant lead access, 160 plus lenders”

    ▶ Watch at ~1:00approx.
  • Dunkin' DonutsUsescompany

    “I get my coffee from Dunkin Donuts. I drive around 45 minutes and then I come back”

    ▶ Watch at ~2:30approx.
  • TikTokUsessoftware · ByteDance

    “Tik Tok, Facebook, IG, LinkedIn, we post”

    ▶ Watch at ~10:00approx.
  • ThreadsUsessoftware · Meta Platforms

    “we just take what's on threads if you know what threads is is like the Instagram, Twitter”

    ▶ Watch at ~10:00approx.
  • LinkedInUseswebsite · LinkedIn Corporation

    “take the posts and then copy and paste it to LinkedIn”

    ▶ Watch at ~10:30approx.
  • X (formerly Twitter)Usessoftware · X Corp.

    “turn those into thread, Twitter and LinkedIn posts.”

    ▶ Watch at ~10:30approx.
  • YouTubeUseswebsite · Google

    “we take long form YouTube videos and then transcribe them”

    ▶ Watch at ~10:30approx.
  • InstagramUseswebsite · Meta Platforms

    “let's throw some money every day on Facebook and Instagram, all these platforms, and then just like make the fire bigger.”

    ▶ Watch at ~12:00approx.
  • FacebookUseswebsite · Meta Platforms

    “let's throw some money every day on Facebook and Instagram, all these platforms, and then just like make the fire bigger.”

    ▶ Watch at ~12:00approx.
  • Meta Ads ManagerUsessoftware · Meta Platforms

    “You just go backend ads manager and run like conversion campaigns so it doesn't mess with your front end.”

    ▶ Watch at ~13:00approx.
  • ClickFunnelsMentionssoftware · Russell Brunson and Todd Dickerson

    “you've probably seen those ClickFunnels awards that people get for like making X amount of money or whatever.”

    ▶ Watch at ~16:30approx.
  • Inc. 5000Mentionsevent · Inc.

    “then the Inc. 5000, then like the 3930 thing underneath me.”

    ▶ Watch at ~16:30approx.
  • FiverrMentionswebsite

    “They're like, I could just get somebody on Fiverr myself.”

    ▶ Watch at ~23:00approx.
  • Guaranteed RateUsescompany

    “Guaranteed Rate, Harley-Davidson.”

    ▶ Watch at ~24:00approx.
  • WhatsAppUsessoftware · Meta Platforms

    “we call it the GR leadership chat. It's just like this WhatsApp group”

    ▶ Watch at ~24:00approx.
  • Harley-DavidsonUsescompany

    “Guaranteed Rate, Harley-Davidson.”

    ▶ Watch at ~24:00approx.
  • Coffeez for ClosersCoinedpodcast · Joseph Shalaby

    “We got three brands. Joseph Shelby, E-mortage Capital, Coffees for Closers”

    ▶ Watch at ~25:30approx.
  • GoHighLevelUsessoftware

    “He's running our doing a lot of our ad strategy on go high level retargeting”

    ▶ Watch at ~32:30approx.
  • McLarenUsesproduct · McLaren Automotive

    “I had two McLarens and I posted them all the time”

    ▶ Watch at ~34:30approx.
  • Bentley BentaygaUsesproduct · Bentley Motors

    “I got a Bentley Bentega. That was the worst decision ever”

    ▶ Watch at ~37:30approx.
  • Aston MartinUsesproduct · Aston Martin

    “And then I got an Ashen Martin. I lost like 13 grand, 14 grand on that one.”

    ▶ Watch at ~37:30approx.
  • Polaris SlingshotUsesproduct · Polaris Industries

    “And then I got a Slingshot. That three-wheeler.”

    ▶ Watch at ~38:00approx.
  • Wojo MediaCoinedcompany · Jason Wojo

    “If they want to check out our marketing company, they can go to the wjo media.com.”

    ▶ Watch at ~39:00approx.

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Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Hot Take· 2

Hot Take03:30

"We're Not in an Economic Recession, We're in a Trust Recession"

Wojo argues the real barrier to conversion right now isn't the economy, it's trust — people are more skeptical than ever about who they hand their money to. He ties this directly to why organic proof matters even for paid ad clicks: roughly 40% of people who click an ad check the advertiser's profile first to decide if they're trustworthy.

  • Frames the current environment as a 'trust recession,' not an economic one
  • About 40% of paid ad clicks go to the profile first before continuing to the landing page
  • Prospects are checking posting consistency and tonality as trust signals
  • Low trust makes strong organic proof more important than ever alongside paid spend

“We're not in like an economic recession. We're in a trust recession.”

Jason Wojo · 03:30
#trust#consumer psychology#organic proof
Hot Take13:30

The 'Slot Machine' Mindset: Why Scaling Isn't a Numbers Game

Wojo describes revenue growth starting to feel like a pure numbers game once his team passed 35-40 people, as margins compressed and outlier hires slipped through the cracks. His response was to aim for consistent conversion rates regardless of traffic volume — wanting the payout to feel the same whether 100 or 1,000 visitors hit the funnel that day.

  • Growth felt like a 'numbers game' once the team passed 35-40 people
  • Bigger sales teams inevitably bring on weaker outlier hires
  • Goal is consistent conversion regardless of traffic volume, not diminishing returns
  • Requires better product-market fit, pricing, and sales management as the team scales

“I wanted it to be like a slot machine. Even if I had a 100 visitors a day versus a thousand visitors a day, I…”

Jason Wojo · 14:30
#scaling#team growth#margins

Explainer· 2

Explainer15:00

Wojo's Top/Middle/Bottom Funnel Ad Messaging Ladder

Wojo structures his ad messaging by funnel stage: top of funnel introduces who he is and what he does, middle of funnel explains why running ads matters at all, and bottom of funnel — reserved entirely for retargeting — leans on results, case studies, and accolades to close the sale.

  • Top of funnel: 'here's who I am and what we do'
  • Middle of funnel: 'here's why running ads are important'
  • Bottom of funnel (retargeting only): results, case studies, and accolades
  • Leads with the prospect's benefit rather than personal credentials at the top
#funnel strategy#ad messaging#retargeting
Explainer22:00

Why Wojo Keeps 85% of His 58-Person Team in the US

Wojo runs an 85% US, 15% international team, reserving overseas hires for developers and graphic designers. Client-facing roles — marketing managers, media buyers, copywriters, leadership — stay entirely US-based because clients paying $5,000-7,000/month lose trust and stop wanting to be upsold once they realize they're speaking with someone overseas.

  • Team of 58, roughly 85% US-based and 15% international
  • Overseas hires reserved for developers and graphic designers
  • Client-facing roles (media buyers, marketing managers, copywriters) are all US
  • Clients paying $5-7K/month distrust overseas reps and resist being upsold by them

“If I put a client paying five, six, 7,000 a month and they go on a call with somebody who is like in India or…”

Jason Wojo · 22:30
#team structure#hiring#client trust

Story· 4

Story01:30

Jason Wojo's No-Calendar Morning Routine

Wojo wakes around 6:30-6:45am and takes a 30-45 minute drive alone before doing anything else, saying it's the only time he gets to actually think. He deliberately keeps zero calls on his calendar and blocks out large chunks of time instead, spending the first 90 minutes back at his desk on the most important task of the day.

  • Wakes 6:30-6:45am, takes a 30-45 minute solo drive to think before starting the day
  • Deliberately keeps zero calls on his calendar at all times
  • Blocks his calendar in large chunks rather than letting it fill with meetings
  • Spends the first 90 minutes of work on the single most important task

“I have zero calls on my calendar at all times.”

Jason Wojo · 02:00
#morning routine#time blocking#productivity
Story02:30

From Running Barbershop Instagrams to a $140M Ad Agency

Wojo started at 19 doing organic social media for local barbershops and restaurants with no ad work involved. Business owners began asking if he ran ads, so he taught himself and started selling paid ad services back to the same organic clients — the foundation of what became his agency.

  • Started at 19 doing organic social media management for barbershops and restaurants
  • Learned the organic side first, before ever touching paid ads
  • Clients started asking 'do you run ads?' which forced him to learn paid
  • Sold ad services back into his existing organic client base

“I learned the organic piece first and then business owners started saying to me, 'Hey, do you run ads?'”

Jason Wojo · 03:00
#origin story#career path#agency growth
Story24:00

How One Tip Landed Guaranteed Rate and Harley-Davidson as Clients

Wojo closed a deal with Guaranteed Rate after giving them a single tip about wasted marketing spend on hockey and baseball rink sponsorship logos. He now sits directly in a leadership group chat with the company's CFO, CMO, and directors of brokerage, alongside other major clients like Harley-Davidson.

  • Client list includes Guaranteed Rate and Harley-Davidson
  • Closed the Guaranteed Rate deal by pointing out wasted spend on rink sponsorship logos
  • Was introduced by a mortgage lender client who later took the work in-house
  • Now communicates directly with the client's CFO, CMO, and directors via group chat

“The funniest thing about that was that I closed that deal because I gave them one tip.”

Jason Wojo · 24:00
#case study#enterprise clients#sales
Story33:00

Why Wojo Is Selling His Cars and Buying Real Estate Instead

After years of building his personal brand around exotic cars like a McLaren, a Bentley Bentayga, and an Aston Martin, Wojo says he's selling them off one by one, having lost tens of thousands of dollars in depreciation on each. He's redirecting that money into real estate, owning two townhomes and exploring seller-financing deals instead.

  • Lost roughly $25K depreciation on a McLaren, $75K on a Bentley Bentayga, $13-14K on an Aston Martin
  • Selling off his four cars one by one, citing them as a liability, not an asset
  • Now owns two townhomes and is learning seller financing and real estate
  • Frames the shift as trading external status symbols for real assets and personal peace

“I got a Bentley Bentega. That was the worst decision ever... I lost 75 grand on that car.”

Jason Wojo · 37:30
#personal finance#lifestyle#real estate

Q&A· 1

Q&A17:00

Why Jason Wojo Never Pitches on Podcasts

Despite doing 4-8 podcast appearances a month, Wojo says he never pitches his agency's services on any of them. He treats podcasting purely as networking, content, and mutual promotion with the host — if a relationship leads to business later, fine, but that's not the goal of showing up.

  • Does roughly 4-8 podcast appearances per month
  • Never pitches his services during an appearance
  • Uses podcasts primarily to network with other real business owners
  • Treats the appearance as free content and cross-promotion, win-win regardless of outcome

“I never pitch or anything to anybody when I come to podcasts. I don't.”

Jason Wojo · 17:30

“I use it to network and like meet the next person.”

Jason Wojo · 17:30
#podcasting#networking#content strategy

Tool· 1

Tool15:30

Why Wojo Puts Awards in the Background of Ads Instead of Talking About Them

Rather than verbally citing accolades like ClickFunnels awards or the Inc. 5000, Wojo places the physical award plaques visibly in the background of his video ads and lets prospects who recognize them draw their own conclusion. He believes explaining the accolades out loud makes the pitch feel needy, while letting the prospect notice them intrinsically builds credibility.

  • Physical awards (ClickFunnels, Inc. 5000) placed visibly behind him on camera
  • Deliberately avoids explaining what the awards mean out loud
  • Believes over-explaining credentials reads as needy or egotistical
  • Prospects who recognize the awards self-validate credibility without being told

“I would intrinsically let the prospect decide, 'Oh, I know what that is.'”

Jason Wojo · 16:30
#credibility#video ads#social proof

Takeaway· 2

Takeaway23:00

What Wojo Actually Outsources (and What He Never Does)

Wojo draws a clear line on outsourcing: video editing, graphic design, social media management, development, and website building are all fine to hand to virtual assistants. Anything client-facing — where trust, ascension selling, and upsells happen — stays in-house and US-based, a lesson he learned after being bottlenecked at $200K/month with an all-VA team.

  • Safe to outsource: video editing, graphic design, social media management, dev, website building
  • Client-facing roles must stay US-based, no exceptions
  • Was stuck at $200K/month four years ago when relying on $3/hour VAs for client-facing work
  • A low-cost overseas rep can't successfully ascend or upsell an existing client

“The business was stuck at 200 grand a month. And I was like, I'm stuck at 200 grand a month because I'm so bottlenecked because…”

Jason Wojo · 23:30
#outsourcing#virtual assistants#team structure
Takeaway35:00

Wojo's Business Goal: $25-50M a Year (Currently at $12-17M)

Wojo shares his agency is currently doing $12-17M a year in revenue, targeting $25-50M, while keeping roughly 23-25% as net margin. He's now also expanding into real estate investing alongside the agency business.

  • Current agency revenue: roughly $12-17M/year
  • Target: $25-50M/year
  • Net margin kept is around 23-25% of gross
  • Actively expanding into real estate investing as a second wealth track

“The business goal would be I want to be able to be around 25 to 50 million a year.”

Jason Wojo · 35:00
#business goals#revenue#agency growth