What if the real growth play wasn’t grinding on social media or spending wildly on ads?

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, I sit down with Ziv Raviv, Founder & CEO of Kivi Media, creator of Daily Cookie, host of Beyond Six Figures, and author of The Fully Booked Coach, for a masterclass in scaling through soul-first strategy.

Ziv built a $600K/year coaching business without burning out on content or ad spend...and he’s here to show you how.

We unpack:

• Why most coaches and agencies overestimate the value of social media
• How to use micro-niching sideways to increase authority and fees
• Why “daily emails” aren’t dead—and the secret to writing ones that actually convert
• Two brutally honest failures that reshaped his growth strategy
• When to start spending on paid ads (and when to absolutely not)

Ziv keeps it real and actionable. This isn’t about hacks. It’s about building real relationships, solving real problems, and scaling with clarity.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your marketing is working, or working against you, this episode is your wake-up call.

🔗 Resources + Mentions:

• zivraviv.com
• kivimedia.co
• The Fully Booked Coach – Buy the Book
• adamwbarney.com

🔌 Ready to turn your agency into a growth machine?

If you’re running a $250K–$5M/year ad agency and tired of duct-taped systems, the Agency Growth Sprint was built for you.

→ Install a scalable lead gen engine

→ Clean up your offer

→ Ditch chaos for strategy that sticks

Learn more: adamwbarney.com

Nuria Garcia of NbN Marketing joins me for a raw dive into the behind-the-scenes reality of creator-led growth. From ad platform bias to client miseducation, this episode unpacks the truth about scaling creative work with integrity, even when it gets messy.

We cover:

• The hidden constraints behind Meta Ads and TikTok
• What Nuria does when client scripts kill performance
• Why real storytelling still wins in 2025
• Building an agency while creating content for 3M+ views

🔗 Learn more about Nuria’s work: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nbnmarketing/

🎧 Subscribe to the podcast: https://isanythingrealinpaidadvertising.adamwbarney.com

AI may be getting flashier, but is it making your creative work better or just…blobbier?

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, I sit down with Christina Magaña, Founder of Modish Creative and creative strategist behind some of the most vibrant, soulful branding campaigns in the game.

We dive into:

• Why AI-generated visuals are hitting a ceiling (and sometimes a wall)
• What agencies are missing when it comes to real creative impact
• How short-form video is helping founders cross from creator to closer
• The one underrated content format every agency should lean into

Plus: the 2010 Instagram personality that still lives inside ChatGPT and how Christina trains her clients to break free from emoji-and-em-dash chaos.

It’s raw, real, and wildly creative.

🔗 Follow Christina & Modish Creative

Instagram: @modishcreativeco

Website: modishcreative.com
Christina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinamodish/

🎯 Subscribe & explore more at: https://isanythingrealinpaidadvertising.adamwbarney.com/