I recently sat down for one of the most fascinating Marketing Minds Podcast episodes I've recorded in a while…
And the topic honestly captured my attention the moment I heard it: the Secret Speed Reading Strategy that the CIA uses.
Yes, you read that right – the CIA. 🕵️
My guest was David Kirkpatrick (you may know him as David Reads Fast on Instagram) – a speed reading expert who's read over 300 books in the last 3 years & spent months studying a CIA reading program that was actually Declassified back in 2001.
Now you might be wondering… what does Speed Reading have to do with Marketing & Business?
Honestly? Everything.
Because the Entrepreneurs & Marketers who Learn the Fastest are the ones who WIN.
As David put it in our conversation: “If you could learn fast enough & actually have it improve your behavior – what isn't possible?”
That line stuck with me.
So today I want to share some of the biggest Golden Nuggets from our episode – and then you can watch the Full Episode on YouTube to go even deeper.
As a Reminder, Our Goal with this Newsletter is to Give You the Highest Level of Value Possible. That's my Promise to you & I intend to Over-Deliver!
Alright, let's Dive In…
Watch the Full Video on YouTube:
Why the CIA Cared About Reading Speed in the First Place
Here's the fascinating part.
In war, Information is Power.
The CIA has entire teams of agents whose only job is to collect information – so if they can collect & process that information faster than the other side, they have a massive edge.
So they asked a simple question: “Why are some people reading 50% slower than others?”
To answer it, they studied the work of researchers like Samuel Renshaw – the experimental psychologist who trained WWII fighter pilots to identify enemy aircraft faster & even improved athletes' vision.
The result was a full program showing agents going from the average reading speed (around 238 words per minute) up to 500, 600, even 700+ words per minute… with strong comprehension.
The wild thing? The government spent Millions perfecting this – and the core ideas are things You can start using today, for Free.
The 3 CIA Speed Reading Levers
David broke the entire declassified program down into 3 core things anyone can do:
1. Read a Book a Week (Volume) You can have all the fancy techniques in the world, but without the reps, you won't get faster. It's exactly like going to the gym – the technique only works when you show up & put in the volume.
2. Expand Your Perceptual Span (Vision) This is about widening how much your eyes take in with each glance. David pointed to research showing that just 4-8 more bits of information per fixation can lead to a 30%+ increase in reading speed. Your eyes are actually jumping across the page – and you can train them to take in bigger chunks.
3. Set a Timer When You Read (Working Memory) Most people never time themselves reading, so they have no idea how many pages they finish in an hour. The CIA used software that faded the text out slightly faster than you'd normally read – which pushes your Working Memory (think of it as the “whiteboard of your brain”) to keep up & get stronger.
Small levers. Big Compounding Results. 📈
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The Reading System that Actually Makes it STICK: PQRST
Here's the truth: Speed means nothing if you can't Remember & Apply what you read.
That's why David's favorite mental model for retention is PQRST:
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Preview – read 3-5 summaries of the book BEFORE you read it
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Question – write down 3-5 questions you can't answer unless you read the book
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Read – (the obvious part!)
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Summarize – build a one-page map at the back of the book with the big ideas & how they connect
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Test – can you actually explain it in a sentence?
As David said: “What is comprehension? It isn't memorizing every 500th detail. It's the high level – how does everything connect?”
The Marketing Lesson Hiding Inside a Reading Technique 🧠
Now here's the part that made me smile as a Marketer…
Notice how David reads the book summaries & writes his questions BEFORE he ever reads the book?
I asked him why – and his answer was brilliant.
It builds what he calls “Mental Scaffolding” – anticipation, curiosity & excitement about what he's about to read.
In his exact words: “You're now behaving like an Expert Marketer. What do expert marketers do? They create Open Loops.”
He literally Sells His Own Brain on the book before he reads it.
And that's the SAME psychology behind everything that works in Marketing…
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A great Hook that keeps someone watching
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A subject line that makes someone HAVE to open the email
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An ad where the first sentence exists only to get you to the second sentence, & the second exists to get you to the third
David actually credited this “each sentence earns the next” idea to Breakthrough Advertising – one of the marketing classics – and it's exactly why one of his reels hit 1.7 Million views.
The best readers & the best marketers are playing the SAME game: opening a loop & making the brain want to close it. 🔥
Reading vs. Audiobooks (& When to Use Each)
This was a fun debate.
David's point: listening to an audiobook at 2x speed is about 300 words per minute – while a strong reader is doing 500-700+.
Reading a physical book is a Full Brain Workout – it lights up more of your brain & engages your spatial memory (you remember where an idea was on the page, in the front or back of the book). He calls those little anchors “Memory Glue.”
But he's not anti-audiobook at all – and neither am I.
His framework: think of your Working Memory like a plate. Deep copywriting work fills the whole plate. But a walk, the dishes, or a drive leaves plenty of room to “throw in an audiobook.”
The takeaway? It's not either/or. It's a Hybrid. Read to go deep & retain – listen to stay stimulated while you move.
The “Dumb Tax” – Why the First 5 Books in Any Niche Feel Slow
This one is a game-changer if you've ever felt slow starting a new topic.
David referenced Steven Kotler's idea of the “ROI of Reading” – you pay a kind of “Dumb Tax” on the first ~5 books of any new subject. On book one, you're barely reading – you're just Learning the Words & Mental Models.
But once you get past those first few books, your baseline speed & comprehension jump dramatically.
It's why I can fly through Marketing & Business books – I've built up the vocabulary & frameworks over years.
So don't get frustrated on book #1 of a new topic. Push through the Dumb Tax & you'll come out the other side reading Faster than ever. 💯
David's Take on AI (Every Marketer Needs to Hear This)
Of course, I had to get his take on AI.
His response was sharp: “Why isn't everyone an AI millionaire right now?”
His point wasn't that AI isn't powerful – it's incredible, & he uses it constantly (it's actually how he FOUND the declassified CIA reading program).
His point was that YOUR brain, knowledge & experience are still the real limiter. The way a seasoned operator uses AI will run circles around the way a beginner uses it – because they're bringing the reps.
He warned about what he called “Digital Dementia” – outsourcing so much of your thinking that your own mental muscles get weaker.
His advice mirrors something I say all the time: Use AI to Augment & 10X you – not to Replace the thinking that makes you sharp in the first place.
And this one is key for us as Marketers: “It can replace a corporate brand. It can't replace my brand with my face.”
Authenticity is the one thing AI can't manufacture – which is exactly why building YOUR personal brand matters more than ever.
The Story that Hit Me the Hardest
I'll leave you with the story David shared that I can't stop thinking about.
So many people say “I'd love to read more, but I just don't have the time.”
So David flips it around:
Imagine 30 years from now, you've written a book on building the exact business your son or daughter is now trying to build. You watch them make all the same mistakes you already made… so you hand them your book & say, “If you read this, it'll solve your problems – I wrote it for someone exactly like you.”
And they say, “I don't read. I don't have the time.”
How much pain would you feel? 😮
Because here's the reality – there are almost certainly 30 books out there right now that could save YOU years of trial & error… if only you'd read them.
That reframe alone is worth the entire episode.
Watch the Full Episode on YouTube:
There was SO much more in this conversation – the exact free reading exercises David uses, how he & his sister built their Instagram pages, the “this book or that book” format they invented, his top 10 books & more.
If you want to Read Faster, Learn More & Sharpen the #1 skill behind every successful Entrepreneur – this one's for you. 🚀
Watch the Full CIA Speed Reading Episode on YouTube! (Click Here)
Watch The Full Video on YouTube:
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