Episode Details

Ben Stacy of Forge Relations returns to State of the Second to talk about how firearms brands need to market as 2026 arrives. Hosts John Fahrner and Kaylee open with the core problem: the dedicated, everyday gun owners are already reached, so the real question is how to get the next group interested. Ben names them plainly, the young mother worried about her safety and the recent college grad into overlanding or sports, and argues the first move is going where the customer already is. That means TikTok and YouTube, the platforms new owners actually use, even when those platforms are hostile to the industry. Kaylee adds the women's-side view: empowerment has shifted from a buzzword to a daily reality, with moms seeking concealed carry options, stop the bleed training, and firearm safety classes for their kids.

A theme runs through the whole conversation: people buy from people, not from companies. Ben pushes brands to be their own best content creator, find creators inside their community, tell the backstory, and show behind the curtain. He uses Palmetto State Armory as the example, both when products sell out and when a project gets canceled and Cameron gets on camera to explain why, the kind of transparency that earns trust. He and Kaylee argue that loyalty follows when values align, and that in the firearms space, where the product ties to a constitutional right, brands should draw a line in the sand rather than stay in the middle. John presses on the value proposition: new buyers care less about metal coatings and round counts and more about whether a product works, fits a budget, and can protect their family. The group also breaks down a real shift, that new owners want one multifaceted tool rather than a separate gun for each job.

The closing Soapbox segment is the bluntest stretch. Ben's spicy take: get over yourself, go where the people are, work within the platforms' limits, and stop complaining that you cannot run ads. John shares hard experience building a TikTok page to 120,000, getting deplatformed, and rebuilding it twice, with a clip that hit a million views and produced sales. Both land on the same place: marketing is experimenting and being comfortable with failure, building a community over time, and staying consistent instead of giving up on a platform after a slow start. Ben's parting line ties it together: the more you try to sell your product, the less of it you will sell. Be genuine, stand for something, and connect with people. Forge Relations has been in the gun and defense space since 2013, online at forgerelations.com.

Questions this episode answers

Who are the new gun owners brands should be trying to reach in 2026?

Ben Stacy points to the customers beyond the dedicated everyday gun owner, like the young mother worried about her safety and the recent college grad into overlanding or sports. The dedicated crowd is already reached, so growth comes from getting these next groups interested.

Why should firearms companies be on TikTok and YouTube even when those platforms are hostile to the industry?

Stacy's core rule is to go where the customer already is, and new owners actually use TikTok and YouTube. Brands should work within the platforms' limits rather than avoid them just because the platforms are unfriendly to firearms.

How can a firearms brand market itself when it can't run paid ads on the major platforms?

Instead of complaining about the ad ban, brands should build community through organic content, become their own best content creator, and stay consistent on the platforms new buyers use. Marketing here is experimenting, getting comfortable with failure, and building an audience over time.

Why do new buyers care more about the value proposition than specs like metal coatings and round counts?

New owners care whether a product works, fits their budget, and can protect their family, not the technical detail