Dotcom Secrets Review (2nd edition Updated) | READ FIRST

Hey there, welcome to my hands-on Dotcom Secrets review.

I built my first sales funnel in 2017. Before this, I spent money on marketing that wasn’t working. My website visitors came and went without buying anything, and I was losing money and hope.

Then, I discovered Dotcom Secrets by Russell Brunson.

This book isn’t gathering dust on my shelf – I actually used what it teaches! It shows exactly how to build sales funnels that turn website visitors into paying customers.

After building over 200 sales funnels across multiple niches using these exact strategies, so I know what works and what’s just hype. In this review, I’ll show you exactly what’s inside the book, who benefits most, and whether these tactics still work in 2025.

What you’ll learn in this review:

• The core strategies still crushing it in 2025 (and what’s outdated)
• Who should (and shouldn’t) read this book
• A chapter-by-chapter value breakdown
• The hidden costs beyond the “free” book offer
• Better alternatives if this isn’t right for you

Most reviews don’t cover the new second edition, which has almost twice the content of the original. Let’s fix that right now.

Is Dotcom Secrets as Good as People Say?

The numbers don’t lie. Over 2,500 people rated it on Amazon. They gave it almost 5 stars!

Russell Brunson isn’t just a writer – he built a major company that helps businesses with marketing. He knows what works because he’s done it himself.

One of the cool things he teaches is the Value Ladder. Think of it like a staircase. You start by offering something small. Then you work your way up to bigger, better things.

This book gives you real ways to grow your business. No fancy words here. Just clear steps to follow.

Here’s what makes this book different from other marketing books:

• It teaches you to find perfect customers (not just any traffic)
• You’ll learn to tell your story in a way that builds trust
• It shows how to make your business stand out
• It reveals methods to increase how much customers spend
• You’ll discover ways to keep customers coming back

This isn’t theory – it’s a step-by-step system that’s proven to work across different industries.

I keep coming back to this book whenever I get stuck with my business. The advice is practical and easy to follow.

Sure, there are a few small problems. Sometimes you need to look at Russell’s other stuff to get the whole picture, and yes, the shipping costs more than it should. But the good stuff in the book makes up for these tiny issues.

Should you buy it? If you’re serious about making your business better and getting more customers who actually want to buy from you, then yes! It might be exactly what you need to help your business grow.

Give it a try. You’ve got nothing to lose!

Dotcom Secrets Book Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Which Businesses Benefit Most From Dotcom Secrets?

Dotcom Secrets works best for these types of businesses:

• Digital product creators benefit enormously since the book focuses heavily on selling information products, courses, and coaching programs.
• Service businesses with high lifetime customer values can transform their lead generation using the book’s follow-up strategies.
• E-commerce stores struggling with slim margins will find the upsell and cross-sell frameworks particularly valuable.
• Coaches and consultants get a clear roadmap for packaging and selling their knowledge at different price points.
• Affiliate marketers learn how to build authority and trust before promoting products, dramatically increasing conversion rates.

The strategies work across industries, but they’re most powerful for businesses selling directly to consumers rather than B2B companies with complex sales cycles.

I Do NOT Recommend Dotcom Secrets Book For:

This book isn’t the right fit for everyone:

• Pure beginners with no business might get overwhelmed by the strategies before they have a foundation.
• Local businesses relying on foot traffic won’t find as much value since the book focuses on online customer acquisition.
• Those with no budget for implementation should wait until they can afford tools like email autoresponders and landing page software.
• Get-rich-quick seekers will be disappointed by the focus on building sustainable systems rather than shortcuts.
• Anyone unwilling to write or create content won’t succeed with these methods since they rely heavily on valuable content creation.

If you’re looking for technical how-tos on building websites or setting up specific platforms, this isn’t that kind of book. It’s about strategy, not technical implementation.

What Is Dotcom Secrets Book?

Dotcom Secrets is a strategic marketing blueprint that reveals how to build and grow your company online with sales funnels. Unlike typical marketing books filled with theory, it provides actionable frameworks for growing your business through systematic customer attraction and conversion.

The book breaks down complex marketing concepts into a simple process that ANY company can follow to sell more products or services. Russell Brunson shares the exact systems he used to grow multiple million-dollar businesses, including:

• Finding and understanding your ideal customers
• Creating compelling offers they can’t resist
• Building automated sales processes that work while you sleep
• Maximizing customer value through strategic upsells and follow-up

Think of it as the “hidden code” behind successful online businesses. It shows you how to arrange your marketing elements so they work together to create predictable sales.

The 2nd edition expands on the original with updated examples and new strategies based on recent marketing shifts.

Ready to Start? Get your copy of Dotcom Secrets and begin building a stronger online business today.

About Dotcom Secrets Book’s Author: Russell Brunson

Russell Brunson isn’t just another marketing guru – he’s built multiple 8-figure businesses from scratch using the exact strategies he teaches.

Starting with selling potato gun DVDs from his college apartment, Russell built a direct response marketing empire. His company – ClickFunnels has helped over 100,000 entrepreneurs and generated billions in sales for its users.

Russell sold various products: shakes, supplements, coaching, books, consulting, coupons, T-shirts, tech services, and software. He became a top earner in several network marketing companies, won a Ferrari, and generated 1.5 million leads in just six weeks.

Russell Brunson is also a New York Times Best Selling author. He sold hundreds of thousands of copies of:

• Dotcom Secrets
• Expert Secrets
• Traffic Secrets

In 2018, Russell made $3M in sales in 90 minutes during his presentation at Grant Cardone’s 10x Growth Conference.

What separates Brunson from other marketing teachers is his relentless testing. Every concept in Dotcom Secrets comes from real campaigns with real money on the line. He’s spent millions on advertising to perfect these systems.

Russell Brunson continues to run live events and launch new products, constantly refining his marketing approach.

His teaching style breaks down complex ideas using simple drawings and everyday language, making advanced marketing accessible to anyone.

Dotcom Secrets Review: Take A Look Inside The Book

Inside this book, you’ll learn all sorts of topics essential for growing your business online. Things like:

• The value ladder
• Hook, Story, Offer
• The seven phases of a funnel
• How to create follow-up funnels
• Funnel stacking
• Funnel audibles
• and a whole bunch more.

It is the foundational cornerstone of using sales funnels successfully in your business. Dotcom Secrets is divided into four sections.

Section 1: Sales Funnel Secrets

Dotcom Secrets is a practical book full of helpful and actionable insights. The first chapter deals with the right mindset and foundations for the sales funnel and internet marketing.

Secret #1: The Secret Formula

This first chapter teaches you something every successful business needs to know: how to truly understand your customers and reach them effectively.

While it seems simple, many businesses skip this vital step and wonder why their marketing isn’t working.

The secrets formula included:

• Who is your dream customer?
• Where are they congregating?
• What is the bait that you can use to attract them to you?
• What is the unique result that you can create for them?

These four parts work together like a recipe for success. Once you understand them, every other strategy in the book becomes much more powerful.

You’ll stop wasting time and money on marketing that doesn’t work, and start attracting customers who are ready to buy.

Secret #2: Hook, Story, Offer

This chapter reveals a simple but powerful framework that works for any kind of selling, whether online or offline. – Hook, Story, Offer

Think of it as a three-part recipe for getting customers interested and ready to buy.

Each piece of bait you put out (such as ads, emails, landing pages, upsells, webinars, and phone calls), you should include a hook, a story, and an offer. 

Russell Brunson

The best part is that he had published this for FREE.

Watch the video below to see how powerful his framework is and understand why he’s been able to create a successful funnel.

The beauty of this framework is its simplicity. You can use it in everything from social media posts to email marketing. Russell shows you exactly how he used these elements to build his own successful business.

In Dotcom Secrets, he’ll teach you to step by step:

• How to create an irresistible offer that seems less expensive than your competition.
• Build a story that helps potential customers trust you enough to buy from you.
• Create the hook that grabs your potential customers’ attention.

Secret #3: The Value Ladder

Once you have a business idea, creating a Value Ladder as your first step is important. So you can visualize how you will serve your customers.

The Value Ladder is essentially a business plan.

If you’re unsure about the outcome you want to provide, the Hook, Story, and Offer framework in secret #2 will be useless.

The book gives you:

• The best examples to help you create one for your business.
• Visualize which types of funnels (in section two) you should use in each stage.
• The relationship of value ladder and sales funnel
• We should build sales funnels to move people through the sales process (to convert as many as possible to the next step of the value ladder.)

Secret #4: The Attractive Character

“Attractive Character” helps you build a relationship with your audience. Once you understand it, you can tell a story to break your dream customers’ false beliefs and communicate with your target market to better serve them.

You’ll learn:

• Attractive Character elements
• Attractive Character Identity
• Attractive Character storylines
• and great examples

Secret #5: Funnel Hacking

Understanding your competition and how it affects the market is essential not only in funnel building but also in online marketing.

Funnel Hacking is not picking a random someone’s funnel and copying it.

In Dotcom Secrets, you’ll learn the framework correctly so you can understand the right way to “Funnel Hack” and model in three ways:

• Direct competitors
• Indirect competitors
• People selling through the same funnel type

Secret #6: Seven Phases of a Funnel

Did you know that the sales process is present in our lives?

It impacts restaurants, clothing stores, fast-food chains, and online marketing.

After years of testing and experience, we have identified seven phases in the sales funnel, from the initial interaction with your audience to the end of the sales process.

Understanding the “traffic temperature” also allows you to craft persuasive messages tailored to your prospects based on their current stage.

Secret #7: Follow-up Funnel

This is a time to learn about a Communication Funnel (or follow-up funnel), which is also known as an email marketing campaign.

In this chapter, you’ll understand how to write emails to nurture leads and sell.

In Dotcom Secrets, there are two types of messages that we’ll send out in the follow-up funnel:

• Soap Follow-up Funnels (or Soap Opera Sequence)
• Seinfeld Message

Russell Brunson’s email marketing advice is just as relevant today.

In his experience with Seinfeld Method — sending out daily emails to your subscribers without boring them too much.

The cool thing is your Daily Seinfeld Emails will follow the Hook, Story, Offer framework to help you increase the open rate and make your message more entertaining for your customers so they can take action on your offer.

You should read the book from beginning to end to ensure you don’t miss anything.

Section 2: The Funnels in The Value Ladder

In this section, he will reveal the 10 core sales funnel strategies that drive almost all of the business inside ClickFunnels. Russell had tested hundreds of thousands of funnels in the past, and those that are making money are ALWAYS one of these 10.

Because the purpose and product price in each Value Ladder stage are different, you should use different types of funnels and sales scripts to achieve this.

Front-End Lead Funnels

• Lead “Squeeze” Funnels
• Survey Funnels
• Summit Funnels

Unboxing Funnels

• Book Funnels (free plus shipping offer)
• Cart Funnels
• Challenge Funnel

Presentation Funnels

• Video Sales Letter Funnels (VSL)
• Webinar Funnels
• Product Launch Funnels

Back-End Phone Funnels

• Application Funnels

💡 Pro tip: He also gives 32+ Virtually UNKNOWN Funnels (Not Found In The DotCom Secrets Book) in his Dotcom Secrets summit. So you can check it for free to increase options when building your own sales funnel.

Section 3: Funnel Scripts

Should you know that structure, the funnel is a small piece of getting someone to buy. The biggest piece is the content inside your funnel.

In this chapter, you’ll learn Russell’s best sales funnel scripts, which he actually uses for his company and converts like crazy.

Whether you need scripts for sales pages, squeeze pages, OTO pages, etc. It’s all available here:

1. Curiosity-Based Headline scripts
2. “Who, What, Why, How” Script
3. “Star, Story, Solution” Script
4. OTO Script
5. “Perfect Webinar” Script
6. “Product Launch” Script
7. “Four Question Close” Script
8. “Setter” and “Closer” Scripts

💡”Pro tip: Using Funnel Scripts can help you build your sales message faster (without copywriting experience needed)

Section 4: Building Your Funnel

In the last section, he’ll teach you how to bring your ideas to reality.

You’ll understand the secrets behind Clickfunnels and how we can use it to quickly create a beautiful, high-convert sales funnel.

For those who don’t know, Clickfunnels is sales funnel software created by Russell Brunson, Todd Dickerson, and Dylan Jones to help you turn the ideas you’ve learned from this book into reality.

With drag-and-drop form builders, Clickfulnel has generated over 100,000 users in five years. It takes less time and effort to build funnels than ever before!

💡 Pro tip: Join the One Funnel Away Challenge so that you can get a Clickfunnels trial account for 30 days for FREE

Next, when your customers finish a step in your value ladder, you can move them on to the next step. So, connecting your funnel is important, and he calls it “Funnel Stacking. “

Funnel Stacking will help your internet business outspend your competitors, provide more value to your clients, and predictably scale your company if you do it right.

Finally, you’ll learn the crucial key to fixing your funnel quickly, which elements you would be testing, and how to turn from a broken funnel to a winner.

What I Like About Dotcom Secrets Book

1. Complex Marketing Made Simple Through Action Steps

Dotcom Secrets breaks down advanced marketing concepts into beginner-friendly chunks. Each chapter ends with specific action items that help you implement what you just learned.

For example, after explaining the Customer Value Journey, Brunson gives you a worksheet to map out your own offers at each stage. This transforms theory into practice immediately.

I’ve seen people get stuck in “learning mode” with other marketing books. Dotcom Secrets prevents this by forcing you to take small actions that build momentum.

2. Comprehensive Sales Funnel Blueprints

The book provides complete funnel templates for different business goals:

• Lead generation funnels
• Webinar funnels
• Product launch funnels
• High-ticket funnels

Each blueprint includes every page you need, what should go on each page, and how they connect together. This alone saves hundreds of hours of planning and testing.

When I built my first coaching funnel, I followed the webinar blueprint exactly. It converted at 12% on cold traffic – far better than industry standard.

3. Visual Learning Through Doodles

Russell uses simple hand-drawn diagrams throughout the book that make complex ideas instantly clear.

These aren’t fancy graphics – they’re the same sketches he draws when explaining concepts on stage. This visual approach helps ideas stick in your memory.

I still refer to these drawings years later when planning marketing campaigns. They’ve become mental shortcuts for entire marketing systems.

4. Practical Examples For Real Business Situations

Instead of abstract theory, Dotcom Secrets provides specific examples from real businesses.

When explaining the “Soap Opera Sequence” email framework, Brunson shows actual emails sent to customers and the psychology behind each one.

I’ve copied these frameworks directly into my businesses and seen immediate improvements in open rates and conversions.

Criticisms Of Dotcom Secrets

1. Self-Promotion

Throughout the book, Russell promotes ClickFunnels as the solution for implementing his strategies.

While it’s natural for him to recommend his online marketing software, it sometimes feels like you’re reading an extended sales letter. References to ClickFunnels appear on dozens of pages.

This doesn’t invalidate the content, but it does interrupt the flow of information when you’re trying to learn the concepts.

2. Many Upselling

After getting the book, you’ll be introduced to numerous upsells in the Russell Brunson ecosystem:

• Traffic Secrets book
• Expert Secrets book
• ClickFunnels software
• One Funnel Away Challenge
• Funnel Scripts
• Funnel Builder Secrets

Each product promotes the next, creating a never-ending path of purchases. While they provide value, the constant selling can feel overwhelming.

3. You Might Find The Book Repetitive

Certain concepts get reinforced throughout the book, sometimes with nearly identical explanations.

The Value Ladder, for instance, appears in multiple chapters with slight variations. While repetition helps learning, it can also make the book feel padded.

Some readers might prefer a more concise approach that delivers the same information in fewer pages.

4. The Book Is NOT Entirely Free

The marketing for Dotcom Secrets promotes it as a “free” book. In reality, you pay for shipping and handling ($9.95 domestic, more internationally).

While this is common for book funnels, it can feel misleading when the landing page emphasizes “FREE” in large letters only to require payment at checkout.

The shipping costs also seem high for a single book, suggesting a profit margin built into the “shipping and handling” fee.

Dotcom Secrets Pricing

The Dotcom Secrets book is actually Free; you just pay $9.95 US or $19.95 International for shipping/handling. This is an excellent example of the free plus shipping offer that Russell Brunson teaches in his book.

If you buy Dotcom Secrets on Amazon, it costs you $13,19 (not including the shipping fee)

I highly recommend you buy the book from the author so that you can buy it at a low price; also, you can buy the audiobook on the upsell page (it’s not availit’s anywhere) and get his $359.95 value bonus.

Exclusive Dotcom Secrets Bonuses

1. The 3 Core Funnels Book Pdf ($47.00 Value)

Think of these three funnels as proven recipes for success. Russell discovered that out of all the different ways to sell online, just three specific approaches brought in most of his money. That’s huge – it means we don’t need dozens of complicated strategies to succeed.

Here’s what makes this bonus guide so valuable:

• For Beginners Starting Out You get a clear roadmap showing exactly which funnels to build first. No more confusion about where to start or what to focus on. These three funnels work even if you’re starting from zero.
• For Growing Businesses You’ll learn which funnel types bring in the most money with the least effort. This helps you focus your time and resources on what actually works, instead of trying everything under the sun.

What You’ll Learn:

• The exact funnel types that generate the most sales
• Step-by-step instructions to build each one
• How to choose the right funnel for your business
• Ways to adapt these funnels for different products or services
• Simple methods to get more email subscribers

The beauty of this bonus is its simplicity. Instead of overwhelming you with options, it focuses on the three approaches that consistently work. I’ve found this especially helpful when deciding where to put my marketing efforts.

2. 108 Split Test Winners Ebook ($47 value)

Think of split testing like being a scientist for your business. You try two different versions of something on your website to see which one works better.

Russell’s team spent millions of dollars testing different parts of their websites. Now you get to learn from their experiments without spending a dime. They tested everything from button colors to pricing strategies to find out what makes people click and buy.

• The Evolution of an Offer
• Conversion Tests
• Backend Tests
• Traffic Tests
• Trial Closes: Two Tiny Words Increased Dollars Per Lead

I love that this isn’t just theory – these are real tests with real results. One of the most surprising findings was how changing just two words in their sales message led to a significant increase in revenue.

3. Network Marketing Secrets e-Book ($47 value)

The BIG problems in Network Marketing are:

1. Sell products
2. Create a downline and train your team.

Most people start MLM by introducing products or opportunities to their family or friends, impacting the relationship. Watch the video below to discover how to succeed in Network Marketing with an MLM sales funnel.

Inside this free book, you’ll learn about the 3 ‘LOST’ Funnels that run 99.9% of ALL successful network marketing companies.

( Skip this bonus if you’re not in the Network Marketing business)

👉 Learn more: Network Marketing Secrets book review: Is it a good MLM book?

4. Funnel Audibles ($97 Value)

Soon, you will be launching your first funnel. Chances are it is going to flop.

Most people’s funnel doesn’t work the first time, and that’s okay. If you know that going into it, it won’t shock or depress you. The sooner we see where the funnel is failing, the faster we can fix it.

The Funnel Audibles will show you a simple process to take ANY broken funnel and turn it from a “ZERO” to a HERO.

This is a video presentation of Russell Brunson at the Funnel Hacking Live event, where people pay at least $997 to be there. Now, you can get it for FREE when you buy the book!

5. Workbook 30-Day DotCom Secrets Challenge! ($97 Value)

I admit that I really confused after reading the book!

This book is awesome; I learned so much from him. But when I sit at my desk and work, I ask myself, “What should we do first?” “Where do I start?”. Each secret in the book is a skill I need to learn to change my business.

This is a game, and it’s the most fun game that I’ve ever played.

Luckily, in the 2nd Edition, he provides 30 days of the Dotcom Secrets challenge workbook. It includes the exercise, the road map, and plan I can follow:

• Day #1: What should we do?
• Day #2: What should we do?
• …
• Day #30: What should we do?

About Dotcom Secrets PDF Download

I know some people are searching for “Dotcom Secrets ebook free download” on Google, hoping to find a PDF version or free resources.

Here are the results.

The truth is that Clickfunnels does not provide any e-book or PDF version. They only have the Kindle version on Amazon.

Most websites use “clickbait.” They attract people to their site with a promising review or promotion.

The Dotcom Secrets book PDF is still available for free on some websites.

However, the free version is old and incomplete, lacking updated content, strategies, and tactics.

Now, you have two options:

• Try to find something as cheap as possible with more risk.
• Or Invest a few bucks today ($9,95), and it may change your business forever.

We don’t talk about a thousand dollars; we talk about $9,95. If you don’t like the book, they’ll return your $9.95 shipping and let you keep it anyway. Is it fair enough?

What’s Next?

After reading Dotcom Secrets, your next steps depend on your business situation:

If you’re just starting out: Focus on identifying your dream clients/customers and creating your first lead generation funnel. Start collecting emails before trying to sell anything.

If you have an existing business: Map out your current Value Ladder and identify gaps where you could add offers. Then implement the follow-up funnel strategies to increase customer value.

For advanced marketers: Examine the funnel scripts section closely and revamp your copy using the provided frameworks. Then split test different versions to find what resonates with your audience.

The natural progression after Dotcom Secrets is to read Expert Secrets, which focuses more on building your personal brand and crafting compelling offers.

Finally, read the Traffic Secrets book to learn how to consistently attract people to your sales funnels.

Dotcom Secrets Book Alternatives

1. Sell Like Crazy – Sabri Suby

If Dotcom Secrets feels too focused on digital products, Sell Like Crazy offers a solid alternative with more emphasis on service businesses.

Suby provides a detailed 8-phase selling system that works for both online and offline businesses. His approach focuses more on paid advertising strategies than Brunson’s organic methods.

The book includes more tactical advice on copywriting and ad creation, with templates you can use immediately. However, it lacks the comprehensive funnel mapping found in Dotcom Secrets.

Best for: Service businesses and those focused on paid acquisition.

2. No B.S. Direct Marketing – Dan S. Kennedy

For those put off by Brunson’s self-promotion, Kennedy offers no-nonsense direct marketing principles without the upsells.

This book focuses on timeless direct-response concepts that work in any medium. Kennedy emphasizes measuring results and eliminating marketing waste.

The content is more conceptual than Dotcom Secrets, with fewer step-by-step instructions but stronger fundamental principles. It lacks the online focus but provides broader marketing wisdom.

Best for: Traditional businesses looking to apply direct response principles.

3. One Page Marketing Plan – Allan Dib

If Dotcom Secrets seems overwhelming, The One Page Marketing Plan offers a simpler framework for organizing your marketing.

Dib breaks marketing into nine components that fit on a single page, making implementation less daunting. The book covers marketing fundamentals with a focus on practical application.

While it doesn’t go as deep into funnel strategy as Dotcom Secrets, it provides a more comprehensive overview of all marketing channels, including offline tactics.

Best for: Small business owners who want a simpler marketing framework.

Frequently Asked Questions

👉 Read More:

• The List Of Books by Russell Brunson
• Unlock The Secrets book review