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Dr. Amy Beckley shares how her personal fertility struggles and scientific background led her to create Proov—a direct‑to‑consumer hormone testing platform that helps women measure PdG (progesterone metabolite), LH, estrogen, and FSH at home. The test, paired with a mobile app, provides an Ovulation Score and personalized guidance, aiming to shift women’s health from reactive to proactive.

Key Insights:

• Hormone imbalance affects ~80% of women (PMS, PCOS, infertility, perimenopause). Proov enables these women to spot issues early.
• Pioneer in FDA‑cleared PdG testing and companion app delivering quantitative hormone data.
• Early adopters came from fertility awareness communities—not what Amy expected, but critical to traction.
• Healthcare is not proactive—Proov aims to fill that gap with data, empowerment, and streamlined care via digital prescription options.
• Business strategy: Lean launch, Amazon traction, VC funding, packaging, internal app team (rather than outsourcing), community listening.

Why It Matters for DTC & Founders:

• A real example of transforming personal pain into scalable DTC medical tech.
• Demonstrates the push-and-pull between Amazon's convenience and owning the customer via an app/email funnel.
• Exemplifies iterative product development, regulatory rigor, and educational storytelling in complex health markets.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Breaking Healthcare & The Birth of Proov

02:00 — Amy’s Journey: Miscarriages, Science & Building the Product

04:00 — Understanding Hormones, Fertility & Proactive Testing

08:00 — Fertility Challenges, IVF Costs & Industry Gaps

12:00 — Finding Early Adopters & Gaining Traction Through Communities

16:00 — Birth Control, Hormonal Imbalances & Long-Term Impacts

20:00 — Fundraising, Amazon Strategy & Owning the Customer

26:00 — Marketing Challenges, Education & Growing Awareness

30:00 — Building the Proov App & Scaling Technology

32:00 — Future Growth Plans, Proactive Hormone Health & Mission

Hashtags:

#DTCpodcast #Proov #FertilityAwareness #HormoneHealth #WomenInBusiness #HealthcareInnovation #DTCbrands #AmazonStrategy #StartupGrowth #WomensHealth

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In this DTC Podcast preview, we’re featuring an episode from Ad-Venturous — our performance creative podcast hosted by Pilothouse strategist Avery Valerio.

In Episode 11, Avery breaks down the big three content types you need to master: User-Generated Content (UGC), Creator-Generated Content (CGC), and Employee-Generated Content (EGC). You’ll walk away with a clear sense of when to use each — and how to do it effectively.

Inside the episode:

• The real differences between UGC, CGC, and EGC (and why it matters)
• Tips for briefing creators and making content worth watching
• Why EGC is emerging as a scalable trust-builder and underrated creative tool

If you’re sourcing or producing performance creative at scale, this is required listening.

Search "Ad-Venturous" in your podcast app and subscribe for weekly episodes on creative strategy that converts.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Creator Content Types

02:00 - Why UGC Matters and How to Use It Effectively

06:00 - Building Community Through Authentic Customer Content

14:00 - Creator Generated Content (CGC) Strategy and Best Practices

22:00 - Employee Generated Content (EGC) and How It Drives Trust & Reach

28:00 - Final Insights on Mixing UGC, CGC, and EGC for Brand Growth

Hashtags:

#UGC #CGC #EGC #AdventurousPodcast #DTCMarketing #ContentStrategy #SocialMediaMarketing #CreatorContent #DigitalAdvertising #MarketingInsights

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In this episode, we dig into the findings from the State of AI in DTC Marketing report, produced in partnership with Triple Whale. Our guest, Anthony DelPizzo, Director of Product Marketing at Triple Whale, walks us through how DTC brands are using AI—what’s working, what’s not, and where it’s all headed.

Key Insights:

• 93.5% of DTC brands use AI today, but most still struggle with implementation clarity.
• Creative tasks are the top entry point, with tools reducing ideation and briefing time by 80–90%.
• Larger brands use AI for strategic ops like budgeting, forecasting, and media mix modeling.
• Only 60% of brands have anyone officially “owning” AI, which creates fragmentation.
• Trust is the biggest barrier—brands are hesitant to rely on tools without verifiable ROI.
• AI isn’t the future—it’s being used today in real DTC brands. But without a solid data foundation and clear org-wide strategy, most teams are under-leveraging the tech.

This episode unpacks how brands are finding wins and where the gaps still lie.

Download the report: https://www.directtoconsumer.co/partnerships/ai-in-dtc-marketing

Timestamps

00:00 Triple Whale’s AI and Moby Chat Overview

04:00 How DTC Brands Use AI for Creative and Copy

08:00 AI’s Role in Strategy, Forecasting and Attribution

12:00 Using MMM and Moby to Optimize Marketing Spend

18:00 The Rise of AI Agents and Their Business Impact

22:00 Who Owns AI in Organizations and How to Scale It

26:00 How Brands Start Small and Scale AI Usage

30:00 The Future of AI-Driven Marketing and Persistent AI Agents

Hashtags

#DTCMarketing #AIinEcommerce #TripleWhale #MobyChat #DigitalMarketing #EcommerceGrowth #MarketingAI #AttributionModeling #MMM #MarketingAutomation #DTCBrands #AIForMarketing #MobyAgents #RetentionMarketing

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On today’s DTC Podcast, Eric interviews Kris Dehnert, CEO of Dugout Mugs, the brand that turned baseball bat barrels into a $55M+ business.

Kris shares his journey from early Facebook fan pages and Teespring to building a durable, licensed, retail-distributed sports brand. The conversation covers brand authenticity, partnerships, deal-making, AI in ecommerce, and the pitfalls of chasing vanity metrics.

🔑 Key Insights from this Episode:

• Why authenticity and transparency are the foundation of modern DTC brands
• How Kris structured a win-win equity deal to launch Dugout Mugs
• The difference between playing to win vs. playing not to lose
• How to balance seasonality with corporate gifting, retail, and evergreen sales channels
• Why AI in ecommerce (contracts, customer service, ads) saves time and reduces friction
• The philosophy behind “Do you want to be right or do you want to be rich?” in partnerships

Whether you’re scaling a consumer brand or still testing product-market fit, Kris’ insights on deal-making, audience building, and building a brand that lasts are tactical, grounded, and immediately useful.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Building authentic brands and prioritizing profit over vanity metrics

04:00 — From Facebook fan pages to $20M in t-shirt sales

08:00 — The origin of Dugout Mugs and scaling to $55M+

14:00 — Turning content and personal branding into sales

18:00 — Partnership philosophy and making win-win deals

26:00 — How Kris structured an innovative equity deal to grow Dugout

30:00 — Handling seasonality, Q4 strategy, and corporate gifting

33:00 — Leveraging AI for content, customer service, and business growth

37:00 — Living life intentionally and protecting your time

Hashtags:

#DTCPodcast #EcommerceGrowth #DirectToConsumer #DugoutMugs #BrandBuilding #Entrepreneurship #DigitalMarketing #ContentStrategy #AIinEcommerce #Partnerships

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In this DTC Podcast preview, we’re featuring a tactical deep dive from The World's Best Retention & Email Podcast — hosted by Pilothouse’s Jordan Gordon.

In Episode 6, Jordan walks through the architecture of the only browse abandon email you’ll ever need — covering everything from when to trigger it, how to segment it, and what content to include to drive conversions.

What you’ll learn:

• Why a single, well-built browse abandon flow can outperform segmented chaos
• The ideal timing for follow-up emails (and how smart sending can break your flow)
• How dynamic product feeds and recommendation logic boost post-click performance

If you run Klaviyo (or any email system), and you’re ready to maximize low-cost revenue from high-intent traffic, this episode is essential.

Search "TWBERP" in your podcast player and subscribe for more retention strategy drops weekly.

Timestamps:

00:00 — The only browse abandon email you need

02:45 — Triggers and category-based segmentation

05:30 — Building one clean funnel vs. multiple funnels

08:20 — Timing strategy and smart sending best practices

11:15 — Writing subject lines that actually drive clicks

15:00 — Dynamic content & product recommendations

18:10 — Hero shots vs. showing the product first

21:20 — Leveraging dynamic merchandising tactics

24:00 — Overcoming objections & adding brand storytelling

28:00 — Funnel flushers and discount strategies

34:00 — Common mistakes in browse abandonment emails

37:10 — Building a shoppable landing page experience

Hashtags:

#EmailMarketing #BrowseAbandonment #EcommerceMarketing #RetentionMarketing #KlaviyoTips #DTCMarketing #ShopifyEmail #EmailFlows #CustomerRetention #MarketingStrategy

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In this Bonus episode of the DTC Podcast, we welcome back Yash Chavan, Founder & CEO of SARAL, the platform helping DTC brands turn influencer marketing into a structured, scalable growth engine.

If your current strategy feels like influencer roulette, this episode offers a smarter way.

🔗 Try SARAL https://getsaral.com/demo

You’ll learn:

• Why most influencer programs fail—and how to fix it using SARAL’s Pyramid of Influence framework.
• How to show up organically 3x per day in your ICP’s scroll sessions—without spending a cent on ads.
• The power of performance tiers: seeding → ambassador programs → custom partnerships.
• How SARAL’s AI assistant SIA helps scale personalized outreach without losing authenticity.
• Why influencer content should power more than posts—think whitelisting, product pages, email, and more.

This episode is brought to you in collaboration with SARAL—your InfluencerOS for discovery, outreach, CRM, and analytics in one clean platform. Trusted by 250+ DTC brands looking to build real influence and cut CAC.

Timestamps

00:00 - Why influencer marketing is broken

02:30 - Building brand awareness and mindshare

05:45 - The pyramid of influence explained

10:15 - How influencers move buyers into the market

14:30 - Attribution challenges and why metrics mislead

18:15 - Using AI to enhance influencer programs

21:30 - Case studies: Obvi, Ridge, First Form & more

25:00 - TikTok Shop’s role in influencer marketing

27:30 - Reusing influencer content for maximum ROI

29:45 - How to integrate influencer marketing with paid media

Hashtags

#DTCMarketing #InfluencerMarketing #EcommerceGrowth #BrandStrategy #DigitalMarketing #MarketingPodcast #SocialCommerce #TikTokShop #ContentStrategy #AffiliateMarketing

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In this episode of the DTC Podcast, we sit down with Ash Melwani, co-founder and CMO of Obvi, to unpack how the brand rebuilt its Meta ad infrastructure after being flagged under Meta’s health and wellness restrictions—crippling performance overnight.

Ash shares how Obvi reversed the damage, restored performance using server-side tracking, and evolved their media buying playbook to align with Meta’s new Andromeda AI update.

Whether you’re running ads in the health space—or just looking to future-proof your Meta setup—this episode breaks down the tactics and tools you need to know.

Key Insights:

• Meta Pixel Poisoning & Health Flagging
• Why Obvi’s ad performance collapsed on New Year’s Day, despite clean creative and strong landing pages.
• Outbound Click to LP View Ratio Decline
• A key diagnostic metric: How a drop from 85% to 50% signaled serious algorithmic deprioritization.
• Fixing the Pixel: Server-Side Tracking with Upstack
• Why basic Shopify–Meta integrations aren’t enough anymore—and how Upstack helped restore ad performance within 7 days.
• Creative Testing in the Age of Andromeda
• Why fewer exclusions, broader creative variation, and campaign consolidation outperform previous testing methods.
• CAC Management via AOV Uplift
• How bundling top products into a kit helped boost AOV from $65 to $100—improving spend efficiency under higher CAC conditions.
• TikTok Shop GTM Strategy
• Why Obvi launched Discord-based creator communities, performance-based incentives (yes, even Teslas), and GMV-max ad programs.
• Retail Expansion Mindset
• With Obvi in 20K+ doors including Walmart and Dollar General, Ash shares why 2025 is the time to shift from DTC-first to mass awareness and in-store velocity.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Meta account flagged and overnight performance drop

02:00 – Pixel health and the dangers of poor data tracking

04:00 – Creative strategy shift post-Andromeda update

06:00 – Why brands must show up on TikTok to stay relevant

08:00 – Meta deprioritization signals and pixel troubleshooting

10:00 – Ad testing framework for 2025 and campaign structure

14:00 – How to improve landing pages and lift performance

18:00 – Proxima, lookalikes, and AI-built audience targeting

22:00 – TikTok Shop strategy with creator incentives and Discord

28:00 – Retail expansion strategy and shift toward brand marketing

34:00 – Building omnipresence in retail and mass marketing

Hashtags:

#DTCMarketing #MetaAds #TikTokShop #PerformanceMarketing #CreativeStrategy #RetailMarketing #EcommerceGrowth #MediaBuying #PixelHealth #CollagenBrand

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If Google Ads tells you 90% of your conversions are from new customers—you’re probably being misled.

In this episode, Eric sits down with Pilothouse’s Dougie, who exposes one of the biggest attribution errors in digital marketing: Google’s cookie‑based misreporting that makes you believe you’re crushing new customer acquisition when you're actually…not.

This episode is a must‑listen if you're spending on Google Ads and think you're scaling. You may just be paying full price to reacquire your own customers.

What we expose in this episode:

Why Google thinks nearly everyone is a new customer—and why that’s false

How cookie-based tracking is sabotaging your incrementality

Why server‑side tracking (via Elevar) is the fix—and how to set it up

The real cost of bad data: wasted CAC, poor ROAS, and misaligned goals

How to audit your own account to uncover the truth

If you're not feeding the right data to Google, you're training the algorithm to do the wrong thing. This is the fix—revealed.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why Google's new customer data is misleading

02:00 – The impact of server-side tracking on attribution

04:00 – How Google misidentifies returning customers as new

06:00 – Training the Google Ads algorithm with quality data

08:00 – Using Elevar for accurate net new conversion tracking

10:00 – Aligning campaign goals with business outcomes

12:00 – Auditing new vs returning customer data

14:00 – LTV, cookie policies, and the future of tracking

16:00 – Why server-side tracking improves data fidelity

18:00 – The rise of AI summaries and their SEO impact

20:00 – Optimizing for ChatGPT and the future of AI search

Hashtags:

#GoogleAds #CustomerAcquisition #ConversionTracking #ServerSideTracking #Elevar #DigitalMarketing #DTCMarketing #PerformanceMarketing #AIsearch #EcommerceGrowth

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Katherine Sakovich, CMO at Mira, shares how Mira scaled from chaos to a multi‑product hormonal health platform via community-led, educative marketing. Highlights explore positioning tactics, messaging for sensitive journeys, product‑marketing integration, and the evolving role of AI.

Key Moments:

• Built early beta‑tester community into 18,000-member brand ambassador network
• Laid tagline-offfer-tested messaging over media buys to human stories
• Designed marketing hires as strategic freelancers to scale
• Used beta feedback to inform educational and emotional copy strategy
• Layered performance media once trust and voice were grounded
• Positioned each product launch like an iPhone upgrade for community anticipation
• Partner-generated webinars (with doctors) became evergreen funnel assets
• Deployed AI in support and fraud prevention—still cautious with patient‑facing AI

Timestamps

00:00 Katherine’s journey to becoming CMO at Mira

02:00 Launching Mira from scratch and early growth strategies

06:00 First key marketing hires and team structure

08:00 How Mira built community and organic traction

13:00 Webinar strategy and content wheel for education

16:00 How product launches fueled Mira’s long-term growth

20:00 In-house vs agency media buying and working with Pilothouse

24:00 Partnership strategies that actually worked

27:00 Mira’s next phase of growth and top-of-funnel focus

30:00 How Mira uses AI in support, creative, and operations

33:00 Favorite SaaS tools and tech stack powering Mira

Hashtags

#DTCMarketing #HealthTech #FemTech #StartupGrowth #CMOInsights #CommunityMarketing #ContentStrategy #MediaBuying #EcommerceStrategy #DirectToConsumer

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DTC professionals: discover why Amazon demands a unique strategy, not a copy‑paste from your DTC playbook.

In this episode with Pilothouse Amazon Brain Trust, Rob & Clifford unpack:

• Why treating Amazon as “free traffic” undermines growth
• Best practices in listing creative, SEO, and media segmentation
• How to avoid wasted cost chasing irrelevant keywords
• Implications of Amazon’s upcoming prep service cutoff in Jan 2026
• Why anonymous star ratings in seller feedback pose new risks

Listen to learn:

• Effective PPC structuring: exact, phrase, competitor campaigns
• Real‑world examples of spend optimization in running‑shoe brands
• Defensive tactics before Amazon’s policy changes go live

Timestamps

00:00 Common Amazon misconceptions from DTC brands

02:00 Why treating Amazon like DTC doesn’t work

04:00 How to approach Amazon like retail

06:00 Amazon ad spend mistakes and missed ROAS

10:00 Clifford’s rant on seller feedback changes

17:00 Amazon ends prep and labeling services

20:00 Why brands now care more about buyer location

24:00 Questions to ask your Amazon agency

28:00 Automation vs manual control in Amazon ads

Hashtags

#AmazonStrategy #DTCBrands #SellerFeedback #AmazonAds #EcommerceMarketing #AgencyTips #FBA #AmazonUpdates #PerformanceMarketing #DigitalCommerce

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