DTC Hotline

In this episode of The DTC Hotline, we unpack what actually happened during BFCM across 147 brands, representing $127M in revenue and $25M in media spend.

We break down:

• The macro story: 8–10% YoY growth, flat order volume, rising AOV, and the surge in BNPL

• Why UGC video and 3–4x more creative output became the unlock in a post-Advantage+ world

• The shock appearance of AppLovin as the #3 channel in our dataset

• The “tight window” offer strategies that outperformed month-long promotions

• How brands used novelty, micro-peaks, and parachute offers to rescue underperforming days

• Hour-by-hour media pacing: why BFCM requires real-time decision making

• Tactical stories from accounts that flipped their day by switching offers or duplicating campaigns

• The emerging pattern: more spend, more creative, less fixed cost → the only way through 2025+

Plus: Luke and Tony give their unfiltered takes on Dubai, what felt surreal, and what they learned from meeting the accelerator team IRL.

If you want the real BFCM insights—not recycled takes—this is the recap brands are using to plan 2025.

Show Notes:

• Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com

• The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us your eComm questions.

AppLovin’s incrementality is way bigger than anyone expected, and in this episode of the DTC Hotline, we break down exactly why.

With Black Friday/Cyber Monday right around the corner, brands are scrambling to understand whether AppLovin is a true “next-Meta” opportunity… or just hype. After running multiple incrementality tests across CTC’s client portfolio, the results are clear: this channel is creating more business value than the platform reports.

In this episode, Richard, Tony, and Luke explain:

• Why AppLovin is showing insane incremental lift

• How scale compares to Meta, Snap, and Pinterest

• The exact setup (pixel, feed, creative) you need right now

• Why BFCM performance will look inflated — and what to do after

• How to think about becoming an AppLovin advertiser in 2025

• The mindset shift brands need to win new channels

If you’re considering AppLovin for BFCM or planning your 2025 media mix, this episode is your blueprint.

Show Notes:

• Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermatcommerce.com/ctc

• Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com

• The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us your eComm questions.

Everyone panics in early November… but your Meta ROAS isn’t actually broken, you’re just looking at the wrong numbers.

In today’s episode of The DTC Hotline, we break down the real truth about Meta performance leading into Black Friday:why efficiency always looks terrible right now, how delayed attribution works, and why this is the single worst moment to pull back on spend.

Tony, Luke, and Richard walk through:

• The 7-day vs 28-day attribution gap most brands ignore

• Why 80% of your value shows up late (and 20% shows up way later)

• How to know if you should hold or adjust your spend

• The BFCM offer structures that actually perform

• Why Black Friday ALWAYS works — and why the winners keep spending

If you’re feeling the November fear… Hold the line. Trust the data. Plant the seeds now.

Got a burning eComm question? Call or text 866-DTC-2263 to get it answered on the show.

Show Notes:

• Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc

• Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com

• The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us your eComm questions.

Your brand’s doing $3M in revenue. You’re growing fast. But how do you actually project that growth for 2026, without guessing?

In this episode of The DTC Hotline, we break down how to build a growth forecast like a $30M brand — using constraints, not wishful thinking.

You’ll learn:

• How to forecast growth when you’re in the $3M–$10M stage

• The Spend-to-aMER model (and why it beats ROAS)

• How to set profitability constraints before chasing scale

• The difference between a $3M and $30M planning mindset

• What most founders get wrong about forecasting for 2026

Got a burning eComm question? Call or text 866-DTC-2263 to get it answered on the show.

Show Notes:

• Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc

• Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com

• The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us your eComm questions.

How should your Meta Ads account be structured to win this Black Friday and Cyber Monday? In this episode of The DTC Hotline, the CTC crew Richard, Tony, and Luke break down exactly how to set up your Meta account for BFCM success.

You’ll learn:

• The simplest campaign structure that maximizes performance during peak sales

• When (and why) to use separate campaigns or bid caps

• How to create a “phantom” highest-volume campaign ready to flip on when spend surges

• The right budget pacing and time-zone settings for the BFCM weekend

• Quick landing page, creative, and offer consistency tips that keep your Meta ecosystem tight

• Whether you’re managing seven figure ad spend or just trying to get your setup right before Black Friday hits, this episode gives you a clear, tested roadmap straight from CTC’s media team.

Show Notes:

• Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc

• Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com

• The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us your eComm questions.

Most brands talk about hitting their Q4 goals — but few have a system to identify and close revenue gaps before they happen.

In this episode of The DTC Hotline, Tony, Luke, and Richard break down how to spot and fill revenue shortfalls during the holidays, using the same daily frameworks CTC applies across top DTC brands.

They’ll walk through:

• How to pinpoint whether your gap is in new or returning customers

• The daily cadence CTC uses to track and close gaps in real time

• When to deploy incrementality tests and channel expansion (like AppLovin) to recover missed revenue

• Why every forecast should translate into specific daily actions

• And how to think in “units of growth” — the building blocks of hitting your Q4 target

If you’ve ever wondered how to turn missed forecasts into closed gaps — this episode is your blueprint.

Call or text the DTC Hotline: 866-DTC-2263 (866-382-2263)

Ask your burning eComm questions and we might answer them live on air.

Show Notes:

Whether you’re running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website.

⁠ https://www.fermatcommerce.com/ctc⁠

Explore the Prophit System:

⁠https://www.prophitsystem.com⁠

The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask your eCom questions.

Most brands have no idea how many ads they actually need to scale profitably on Meta.

In this episode of The DTC Hotline, Tony, Luke, and Richard  break down the creative math behind Meta ad performance revealing how to calculate your brand’s true creative demand and avoid overspending during Q4.

They’ll walk through:

• How to know if your Meta spend has hit the point of diminishing returns

• The 5 creative metrics that predict your next winner

• How to estimate your ideal ad count to hit $500K/month

• Why Meta’s algorithm rewards creative diversity — not repetition

• The system CTC uses to forecast ad output for top DTC brands

If you’ve ever asked “Why isn’t my Meta spend scaling?” — this episode is your answer.

• Call or text the DTC Hotline: 866-DTC-2263 (866-382-2263)

• Ask your burning ecom questions and we might answer them live on air.

Show Notes:

• Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc
• Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com
• The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us your eComm questions.

AppLovin’s Rise, Google Ads Setup, and the Amazon Reality CheckWelcome back to the DTC Hotline, your direct line to hot takes, cold truths, and real e-commerce advice from the team at Common Thread Collective.

In this episode, “The Professor” and “The Chopper” dig into three huge topics shaping paid media right now:-AppLovin’s Rise — Why this mobile ad platform is suddenly delivering 2× Meta’s ROI, how its non skippable video inventory works, and what makes its pixel shockingly powerful.-Google Ads Setup for 7-Figure Brands — The right order of operations for success: pixel, feed, shopping, scale. How to avoid double counting conversions and nail your Merchant Center setup.-Amazon Reality Check — The truth about launching in today’s supplement saturated marketplace. When “velocity” beats “branding,” and how to decide whether you’re ready to compete.-Plus: Why “decide and commit” is the only mindset that works in new channel expansion and how CTC is testing AppLovin incrementality for real results.Call or text the DTC Hotline: 866-DTC-2263 (866-382-2263)Ask your burning e-com questions and we might answer them live on air.Show Notes:-Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc-Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com-The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us your eComm questions.

You can’t just “optimize” your way through Q4.In this episode, Richard, Tony, and Luke tackle two real questions from DTC Hotline listeners:

• What should you prioritize when your new customer file is shrinking—short-term profitability or long-term growth?
• How should brands structure creative, offers, and remarketing campaigns heading into BFCM?

The conversation covers hard trade-offs between short-term EBITDA targets and multi-year growth horizons, plus what kinds of investments (media, product, or brand) actually move the needle. You’ll also hear sharp takes on Q4 strategy—from when to launch holiday creative, to stacking Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday offers, to why simplicity often beats complexity.Call the Hotline:📞 866-DTC-2263Show Notes:Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website.https://www.fermat.com/ctcInterested in ADmission?Learn more at https://www.youradmission.co/Explore the Prophit System:https://www.prophitsystem.comThe DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us your eComm questions.

You can’t media-buy your way out of a product, or offer, problem.In this episode, Richard, Tony, and Luke tackle two big questions from listeners:- What can low-conversion brands do to escape Meta’s learning phase?- How do you actually measure if YouTube demand gen is working?And the answers? They don’t live in your ad account.You’ll hear hard truths about attribution, the real power of offer strategy, and why performance marketers need to stop over-optimizing and start zooming out. Plus: how CTC is rethinking creative testing and what the “just-in-time” model for ad production might look like.Show Notes:Interested in ADmission? Learn more at https://www.youradmission.co/Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.comThe DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have about the world of eCom