The supplement industry has earned much of its bad reputation. Unfortunately, over-the-top marketing has been part of the business for as long as I can remember.
If you’ve been around long enough, you probably remember products like Hot Stuff and Cybergenics in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They were marketed as “steroid replacements” with promises that bordered on science fiction. Many early users of Hot Stuff even noticed that the first batches seemed to work much better than later versions, leading to widespread speculation that the company had engaged in one of the oldest tricks in the industry: the classic bait-and-switch. Whether that was actually the case or not, the perception alone illustrates how little trust many consumers have in the supplement business.
A few years later, another major player in the industry, EAS, employed a different—and arguably even more sophisticated—strategy.
Rather than relying solely on sensational advertising from the outset, they first built tremendous credibility by publishing high-quality educational content. Their articles, books, and training information were genuinely valuable and helped establish the company as a trusted authority in sports nutrition.
Once that trust was established, however, the marketing became increasingly over the top.
I remember distinctly when EAS introduced HMB and advertisements suggested that it “feels just like Deca.” CLA was promoted as producing steroid-like results despite the lack of evidence to support such claims. Vanadyl sulfate was marketed as a revolutionary strength supplement that could supposedly add fifty pounds to your bench press in less than two months.
Looking back, the pattern is obvious. Build trust first, leverage that trust to sell increasingly exaggerated products, and then sell the company before consumers fully realize they’ve been oversold.
By the time many people began questioning whether EAS deserved its reputation, the original owners had already sold the company and moved on.
Sadly, those questionable marketing tactics never disappeared. If anything, they’ve become even more outrageous thanks to social media.
Every day you’ll see supplements advertised as if they’re capable of transforming your life overnight. Companies promise sky-high testosterone, unbelievable muscle gains, endless motivation, fat loss without dieting, instant libido, and every other benefit imaginable. If a supplement truly delivered everything these advertisements claim, it would be one of the greatest medical breakthroughs in history.
Of course, reality is much less exciting.
The reason these exaggerated marketing campaigns continue is simple: they work.
Companies wouldn’t spend millions making ridiculous claims if those claims didn’t convince people to buy. Many consumers think, “Even if it only works half as well as they say, it’ll probably be worth trying.”
That mindset leads to a lot of first-time purchases.
The problem is that marketing can only sell a product once. It can’t make a product work.
Eventually, people discover that the supplement didn’t live up to the promises. Maybe they experienced no noticeable benefit at all. Maybe the effects were far smaller than advertised. Either way, disappointment sets in.
That’s where many supplement companies make a fatal mistake.
They focus almost entirely on acquiring new customers while neglecting the most valuable assets any business can have: repeat customers and referrals.
“Marketing can convince someone to buy a supplement once. Only results earn repeat business and referrals.”
No amount of flashy advertising can compensate for products that fail to deliver. You can spend a fortune attracting first-time buyers, but if they never come back and never recommend your products to others, you’re simply renting customers instead of earning them.
Sooner or later, that business model collapses.
I’ve watched countless supplement companies rise quickly on outrageous claims only to disappear just as fast. They enjoyed a brief period of impressive sales before consumers realized they had been oversold.
I’ve never wanted to build my company that way.
Could I use the same tactics to sell more ASTB and EC?
Absolutely.
I could promise rock-hard erections on demand.
I could claim superhero levels of motivation.
I could tell everyone they’ll pack on slabs of muscle in weeks.
I could even claim that EC will completely eliminate gynecomastia in a month—an absurd promise that I’ve actually seen other companies make.
Would those kinds of claims increase sales in the short term?
Probably.
Will I ever make them?
Absolutely not.
I approach supplements from a completely different philosophy.
First, I refuse to treat people like they’re gullible or take advantage of insecurities surrounding aging, hormones, body image, or sexual performance. Most people who purchase testosterone-support products are looking for honest solutions to legitimate concerns. They deserve truthful information—not manipulation.
Second, I focus on creating products that actually work.
ASTB was formulated to support healthy testosterone production and optimize the hormonal environment for men who want to perform and feel their best. It isn’t magic, and it isn’t a replacement for good nutrition, proper sleep, intelligent training, or appropriate medical care when needed.
EC was designed to help support healthy estrogen metabolism and maintain a healthier testosterone-to-estrogen balance. It isn’t a miracle cure, but for many users it has consistently produced noticeable, real-world benefits.
That’s exactly how supplements should be marketed: honestly.
Just as importantly, I recognize that nothing replaces the basics.
No supplement can replace intelligent training.
No supplement can replace a healthy diet.
No supplement can replace quality sleep.
No supplement can replace stress management.
And no supplement can replace years of consistency.
That’s why I’ve spent years publishing hundreds of free articles covering training, nutrition, sleep, recovery, hormone optimization, and healthy living. My goal has always been to help people become as informed as possible so they can get the most out of my supplements—and more importantly, get the most out of themselves.
Even if someone never purchases a single bottle of ASTB or EC, they can still benefit from the educational content I’ve shared over the years. To me, that’s a worthwhile contribution in itself.
I also believe customer service should be personal.
When someone emails my company, they’re not getting a canned response from a customer service representative who has never trained seriously or studied nutrition and hormone health. They’re getting a response directly from me—the person who actually designed ASTB and EC.
If someone has a question about training, recovery, testosterone, estrogen management, or how to get the most from my products, they’re communicating with the person who formulated them and has spent decades studying these topics.
One final point that’s important to me is that I actually live the lifestyle I recommend.
It’s one thing to tell people how to train, eat, and recover. It’s another thing to do it yourself consistently year after year.
That’s why I regularly post my own training sessions, meals, and progress on my Instagram page. What you see isn’t recycled content from fifteen years ago when I was younger. It’s what I’m actually doing now.
The deadlift videos, interval training sessions, meals, and recovery work I share reflect how I currently train and live. At this stage of my life, I’m not interested in pretending to be something I’m not. I’d rather show people what’s actually working for me today.
I believe that’s important because advice carries much more weight when it comes from someone who still practices what they preach.
This philosophy is also why my company has required very little advertising over the years. ASTB was first released in 2013, and more than a decade later the majority of my business still comes from repeat customers and referrals.
That simply wouldn’t happen if the products didn’t deliver.
I’ve always believed that if someone buys ASTB or EC because of hype, I’ve failed. If they buy again because the product exceeded their expectations, then I’ve done my job.
Marketing may convince someone to make an initial purchase, but only results create loyal customers.
In the long run, trust is a far more valuable business asset than hype.
I’d much rather under-promise and over-deliver than make outrageous claims just to generate another sale. That approach may not create overnight success, but it builds something much more important: long-term relationships with customers who know they can trust what I say.
After all, trust is much harder to earn than a sale—and far more valuable once you’ve earned it.
