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This week on the DTC Podcast, we’re re-airing a must-listen from our sister podcast Adventurous, hosted by Avery Valerio.

Avery’s diving deep into one of the most overlooked levers in DTC growth: angles — the emotional and strategic hooks that turn browsers into buyers. If you’ve been leaning on “vibes” and lifestyle content to carry your creative… this is your wake-up call.

For creative strategists, performance marketers, and founders stuck at the “vibes plateau.”

🧠 Tactical takeaways:

• Why most brands stall at $3–5M without real angle development
• How to build angles that scale across top and bottom funnel
• The difference between product features and product benefits — and why that matters
• Why “vibe-first” brands eventually need strategy to survive
• How Avery maps personas to angles using a tool she built (linked on her LinkedIn/TikTok)

👀 Who this is for:

Creative leads, ad buyers, or anyone building brand strategy from the ground up.

💡 What to steal:

• The "steak vs. sizzle" framework for angle testing
• A mindset shift: Treat angles like campaign assets, not just captions
• How to tell when you’re out of angles — and how to fix it fast

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro to Ad-venturous Angles

02:00 Why most DTC brands stall on vibes

04:00 The need for real creative strategy

06:00 What an angle really is

08:00 Features vs benefits in ad angles

10:00 The Got Milk example

12:00 How angles create emotional connection

14:00 The upside-down triangle framework

16:00 Why modern angles must be agile

18:00 Using research and reviews to build angles

20:00 Personas and segmentation for scale

22:00 The three layers of the triangle

24:00 Top of funnel angle development

26:00 Middle of funnel curiosity

28:00 Bottom of funnel community content

30:00 Why angles must work everywhere

32:00 Testing and iterating angles

34:00 Final takeaways on creative strategy

Hashtags:

#DTCMarketing #AdCreative #MarketingAngles #PerformanceCreative #EcommerceMarketing #BrandStrategy #CreativeTesting #FunnelMarketing #DigitalAdvertising #ContentStrategy #Pilothouse #DTCNewsletter #AdVenturousPodcast #MarketingPodcast

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Daniel Rotman built Pretty Litter into a $300M+ revenue juggernaut by doing something most founders won’t: going all-in on an unsexy product. In this episode, he breaks down how a single innovation in kitty litter unlocked a billion-dollar outcome—with just $1M raised and a 12-person team.

For DTC founders scaling from 7 to 9 figures...

• How to win in overlooked categories (and why sexy products attract deadly competition)
• Why kitty litter was the perfect subscription product
• The secret to high-margin DTC logistics (and how silica unlocked DTC viability)
• Daniel’s media buying strategy in year 1 that drove $750K solo
• How Pretty Litter used smart ops, lean hiring, and brand positioning to build a moat

Who this is for: Founders, growth leads, and marketers looking to scale profitably and avoid the DTC hype traps

What to steal:

• The underdog category playbook
• Retention-driven brand building
• The ops strategy behind $300M revenue and 12 employees

#DTCGrowth #SubscriptionBusiness #RetentionMarketing #BootstrapStartup #EcommerceStrategy #ConsumerBrands #FoundersJourney #LeanStartup #ProductInnovation #BrandBuilding #UnsexyProducts #ScalingUp #StartupExit #PetCareIndustry #MarketingTactics

00:00 – Introduction: The Power of Unsexy Products

04:41 – The Loss That Sparked Pretty Litter

16:41 – The Health Monitoring Breakthrough

20:25 – From Idea to Launch in 6 Months

23:44 – $750K Year One, Solo Founder

25:33 – Why Daniel Said No to VC

30:20 – Year-by-Year Revenue Growth to $300M+

36:00 – How Unsexy Built a Moat and Killed the Copycats

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Most brands obsess over ads and ignore the moment that matters most: where the click lands.

In this episode, Jordan Gordon and Pilothouse strategist Taylor Cain break down how to decide whether traffic should go to your homepage, a PDP, a collection, or a dedicated landing page—plus how to diagnose when conversion rate issues aren’t about your ad at all.

You’ll learn:

• When a landing page outperforms your homepage (and when it doesn’t)
• How consideration level, pricing, and message clarity determine the ideal click-through path
• Why “anchoring” and UX sequencing can dramatically change conversion rates
• How testing new PDP structures (including delaying price) can increase results
• How to build fast, scrappy landing pages that plug cleanly into Shopify
• What heatmaps, scroll behavior, and section-level engagement reveal about friction
• Why iteration beats theory — and how to develop a testing mindset that actually finds signal

#EmailMarketing #RetentionMarketing #CRO #LandingPages #EcommerceStrategy #DTCMarketing #ShopifyBrands

00:00 — Introduction

01:00 — When a Landing Page Beats Your Homepage

03:00 — How Disrupted Traffic Changes Your Funnel

06:00 — Rising Prices, Rising Consideration

10:00 — PDP vs Landing Page: Which One Converts Better?

14:00 — Why Testing Beats Theory Every Time

20:00 — The Underrated Power of Email Capture on Landers

29:00 — Inside a High-Performing Landing Page Build

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On this episode of the DTC Podcast, Eric sits down with Dean Krowitz, Co-Founder of Blend‑AI, to unpack what happens when you stop managing channels in silos and start automating your entire media mix. If Meta’s efficiency is dropping and your cross-channel budget is vibes-based… this is your fix.

Learn More about Blend AI: blend-ai.com

What You’ll Learn:

• Why composite funnels matter more than platform-specific attribution
• How Blend automates budget shifts based on live conversion data
• Why humans shouldn’t manage five channels manually anymore
• What most brands get wrong with creative distribution
• How underused channels (like Microsoft) quietly drive results
• How to launch campaigns in October — not November — for peak BFCM gains
• Sync audiences across channels to reduce over-saturation
• Analyze top, middle, and bottom funnel cross-platform, not in silos

If you’re a media buyer, growth lead, or a DTC founder trying to scale performance without losing your mind, this episode is your new best friend.

Hashtags:

#ecommerce #dtc #mediabuying #performancemarketing #paidmedia #digitalmarketing #aimarketing #martech #adtech #marketingautomation #omnichannel #fullfunnel #growthmarketing #customeracquisition #conversionrateoptimization #cro #marketingmix #crosschannel #attribution #metaads #googleads #tiktokads #youtubeads #shopify #ecommercegrowth #d2cpodcast

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction. Why overspending on one channel kills growth

04:22 – The “who, what, where” framework behind Blend’s composite funnel

10:00 – How AI launches full-funnel ads across every major platform

15:18 – Why Microsoft Ads is the most ignored growth channel

21:40 – Why Meta’s algorithm starves most of your creative

29:15 – How one brand tripled revenue with 20% less ad spend

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When Amy joined Wildfang, she was running a storefront in Portland. 10 years later, she’s the President of a vertically-integrated DTC brand pulling $200 AOVs, 25% of revenue from extended sizing, and partnerships that drive CAC down by 50%.

She also made a major paid media pivot — bringing on Pilothouse to reset their entire growth engine.

For DTC founders scaling from $5–50M who are thinking about verticalization, performance marketing, or brand-led growth.

🔍 Inside this episode:

• How going vertical changed everything — from cashflow to creative
• Why extended sizing drives 25% of Wildfang’s revenue (and what it took to get there)
• The “90/10” Meta strategy that crushed Black Friday with Pilothouse
• The ROI of Debbie Harry and Taco Bell collabs (hint: it wasn’t just vibes)
• How to restructure ops, finance, and paid when profitability becomes the priority

👀 Who this is for:

• Brand founders, VP Growths, operators, and marketers building modern DTC brands

💥 What to steal:

• Pilothouse’s ad architecture playbook: reuse, reframe, retest
• A partnership model that blends licensing, NIL, and white-labeling
• How to spot “overthink” in your performance strategy — and simplify for scale

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In this BFCM 2025 breakdown, Eric chats with Pilothouse's Head of Ecom Grayson Rudzki and Lead Strategist Abby to unpack what actually worked, what flopped, and how smarter strategy beat brute-force ad spend.

For DTC marketers running paid, creative, or lifecycle retention

• How Pilothouse beat Meta's creative fatigue warnings
• What "targeting with creative" really means in 2025
• Why retention—not acquisition—won this year
• Tactics for using AI without generating slop
• Real BFCM ads that moved the needle (with examples)

Who this is for: Founders, brand-side marketers, and media buyers looking to de-risk spend and boost lifetime value

What to steal:

• The "persona-led Christmas card ad" concept that crushed
• How to diversify creative for open targeting without burning out
• Simple Rebuy tweaks that doubled items per order

Timestamps

00:00 AI reshaping BFCM strategy and creative testing

02:00 Record BFCM performance numbers and key takeaways

04:00 Why retention, baseline revenue, and loyalty mattered most

06:00 Real examples of AI workflows that saved teams time

08:00 Outdated playbooks vs the need for real strategists

10:00 Meta Andromeda, creative fatigue, and targeting with creative

12:00 Persona-driven creative example that drove conversions

14:00 Humor, culture, and relevance in winning ad creative

16:00 Diversified creative performance and lowered CPMs

18:00 The new state of UGC and authenticity on Meta

20:00 Post-click strategy, bundles, and conversion wins

22:00 2026 resolutions: intuition, creativity, and human strategy

24:00 Hero apps of the year: Rebuy, Triple Whale, and results

Hashtags

#BFCM #Ecommerce #EcommerceMarketing #DTC #MetaAds #FacebookAds #PerformanceMarketing #AIinMarketing #BlackFriday #CyberMonday #MarketingStrategy #CreativeStrategy #AdBuying #TripleWhale #Rebuy

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Matthew Gohl took over the family business, Santevia, and turned it into a DTC powerhouse. In this episode, he breaks down how they scaled Amazon 2X, rebuilt their Meta ads strategy from the ground up, and landed a killer deal on Dragon’s Den.

For DTC operators scaling beyond $5M and navigating Meta + Amazon growth channels:

• Why switching from Vendor Central to Seller Central was worth the 16-month headache
• How a $25 hero product failed on Meta, and why their $320 glass system now crushes
• The role of creative strategy in hitting $100K+ weekly spend without tanking ROAS
• How they prepped their brand for Dragon’s Den—and doubled baseline sales after
• The case for launching refillable, eco-focused SKUs in 2026

Who this is for: DTC operators, marketers, and founders looking to scale with lean teams and high-margin SKUs.

What to steal:

• Creative briefing process that reduces wasted ad spend
• Why Meta sees "different creators" as "same ad" (and how to fix it)
• How to make a high-ticket product actually work in cold acquisition

Timestamps:

00:00 Why creative diversity (not campaign complexity) is the real Meta unlock

03:05 Buying the family business and shifting from retail-first to DTC

06:48 Revenue dips, imposter syndrome, and trusting the long-term strategy

09:15 From 1 video every 2 weeks to 60 creatives by Friday (creative velocity shift)

13:02 Why hero products with higher AOV unlock profitable Meta spend

16:19 Meta’s Andromeda explained: aggregation + creative volume wins

30:34 Dragon’s Den moment: “I own that one” and why endorsements change everything

Hashtags:

#DTC #Ecommerce #MetaAds #CreativeStrategy #BrandBuilding #PerformanceMarketing #DirectToConsumer #PaidSocial #AdCreative #MarketingPodcast #EcommerceGrowth #ScalingBrands #FounderStory #Dragon’sDen #BFCM #RetailStrategy

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This one’s for the Amazon operators. Eric's joined by Pilothouse's Amazon leads Tyler and Takai for a tactical BFCM debrief: how one brand 3x'd in November, and the optimizations that separated the winners from the stalled-out.

For Amazon brands prepping for deal season 2026...

• Why adjusting bids every few hours on BFCM isn't overkill, it's table stakes
• How Buddha Board used Q1 seasonal keyword campaigns to dominate Q4
• Why not discounting your hero product can kill your momentum—and rank
• What to watch: Buy Box battles, billing failures, and inventory stockouts

Who this is for: Brands selling on Amazon, agencies running client accounts, operators trying to scale beyond ad-only growth

What to steal:

• Search Query Performance Report: find keywords you're under-targeting with high conversion potential
• Deal discount strategy: 20% minimum, monitor competitor offers in real time
• Build keyword rank 6–12 months out from your key season

Timestamps

00:00 Amazon BFCM optimization mindset

02:10 Why frequent bid and budget changes matter

04:00 How aggressive Amazon bid adjustments get during BFCM

07:00 Building Amazon keyword ranking before Q4

11:00 Buddha Board case study and seasonal keyword strategy

15:00 How early planning led to 3x November growth

17:00 Amazon buy box explained and reseller risks

23:30 Common BFCM pitfalls: billing, inventory, hero SKUs

28:00 What actually worked in Amazon BFCM 2025

29:50 The discount levels that moved buyers

Hashtags

#AmazonFBA #AmazonAdvertising #BFCMRecap #BlackFridayStrategy #CyberMonday #AmazonPPC #EcommerceMarketing #DTCBrands #AmazonBuyBox #AmazonGrowth #EcommercePodcast #Q4Strategy #AmazonCaseStudy #RetailMedia #Pilothouse

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In this episode of the DTC Podcast, we have Josip Begic, CEO and Co-Founder of Lebesgue, to answer the one question every DTC CEO asks: what’s actually working right now? With $4B in ad data and insights from 25,000+ brands, Henry AI cuts through the noise to pinpoint the exact levers that drive revenue up (or down).

Get started with Henri AI inside Lebesgue–plans start at $79/month.

This episode breaks down:

• Why conversion tanked 25% after a "small" discount code tweak
• How AI visibility (e.g. ChatGPT referrals) is becoming the new SEO
• Where Meta's AI (Andromeda) really works—and where it doesn't
• The biggest mistake DTCs are making with email segmentation
• Why attribution models need game theory (yes, really)
• If you’re a DTC founder scaling from $5M–20M, brand owner, growth lead, or a marketer who wants a smarter way to spot performance issues, this episode is a must listen.

Timestamps

00:00 Lebesgue’s AI approach to ecommerce analytics

02:05 Why better measurement changes marketing decisions

04:00 How AI uncovered a hidden conversion rate issue

06:10 Correlation vs causation in attribution modeling

08:00 ChatGPT as a high-converting traffic source

10:05 Optimizing ecommerce sites for AI discovery

13:00 Why fundamentals still matter more than advanced AI

18:30 Common email marketing mistakes during peak periods

21:00 Using competitor data to find growth gaps

23:30 What CEOs see first when using Henry AI

27:00 Where AI agents and ecommerce are heading

31:00 AI visibility as the next growth battleground

33:00 Getting started with Lebesgue and pricing

Hashtags

#DTC #Ecommerce #AIinMarketing #MarketingAnalytics #Attribution #ChatGPT #AIDiscovery #MetaAds #GoogleAds #EmailMarketing #ConversionOptimization #FounderInsights #MarTech

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Priyanka Ganjoo didn’t see herself in beauty, so she built the brand she always needed. Kulfi Beauty was born from a cultural gap in representation and a product gap in shades that actually worked for South Asian skin tones. Four years later? They’re in every Sephora in the US and Canada.

For DTC founders scaling from organic roots into omnichannel retail...

• Why Priyanka started with zero ads and leaned all-in on community and cultural storytelling
• What she learned launching in Sephora (hint: velocity is everything)
• The unexpected go-to-market power of a $500 Central Park picnic
• How DTC creates halo effect on retail shelves (and vice versa)
• Why Kulfi still handpicks every creator they work with

Who this is for: Founders navigating retail, community-led brands, and anyone building for an underrepresented audience

What to steal:

• Use FB groups and 1:1 convos to validate early product ideas
• Build an ambassador program that turns into your model roster
• Don’t try to script creators—let their authentic POV fuel your ads

Timestamps:

00:00 Why Community Is the Real Growth Engine

02:16 Why Priyanka Built Kulfi Beauty

03:40 The Product and Emotional Gap in South Asian Beauty

09:14 Building Community Before Spending on Ads

14:11 How Kulfi Got Discovered and Scaled With Sephora

18:46 Velocity Is the Only Retail Metric That Matters

21:58 Why UGC Powers Almost All of Their Meta Ads

Hashtags:

#DTC #DTCPodcast #BeautyBrands #BeautyFounders #Sephora #UGCMarketing #CreatorEconomy #MetaAds #TikTokForBrands #RetailStrategy #FounderStory #SouthAsianFounders

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