DTC Podcast

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Weekly discussions between disruptive direct to consumer ecommerce brands and our amazing team about marketing, funnels, and everything scaling related. Subscribe to our newsletter for highlights and ... more

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FAQs about DTC Podcast:

How many episodes does DTC Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 93 episodes available.

DTC Podcast episodes:

December 12, 2025DTC Podcast | Ep 567: Ecom CMOs: How Pilothouse Used Meta’s Update to Drive 30% Higher CTR with Fewer Campaigns
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – ⁠https://dtcnews.link/signup
Meta’s latest update wasn’t just noise. Pilothouse strategist Taylor Cain breaks down how Andromeda’s smarter delivery system let them consolidate campaigns, increase CTRs, and scale cleaner than ever this BFCM.
For CMOs optimizing Meta spend across brands or business units…
30% YoY CTR lift through creative-persona alignment + fewer campaigns
Why campaign consolidation is outperforming classic testing structures
Partnership ads: how Pilothouse uses Meta’s dynamic features to drive both reach + retargeting
How to rethink frequency, offer alignment, and creative iterations mid-campaign
What MTA tools like Triple Whale unlocked when real-time tracking mattered most
Who this is for: CMOs, paid media directors, and growth leads navigating platform complexity
What to steal:
Test in your best campaign, not in isolation (if the creative is ready)
Meme-style statics backed by real offers = full-funnel magic
Let performance inform your campaign segmentation — not the other way around
Timestamps:
00:00 Meta’s Shift Away From Traditional Testing
01:08 What Actually Drove BFCM Winners
02:56 Andromeda’s Real Impact on Performance
04:22 Why CTR Jumped During BFCM
05:47 Consolidation Is Beating Fragmentation
07:37 How Creative Is Fed Into Winning Campaigns
11:00 Why Partnership Ads Took Off This Year
23:52 The Email + Paid Connection That Mattered Most
Hashtags:
#ecommerce #dtc #digitalmarketing #paidmedia #metads #andromeda #adcreative #performancemarketing #bfcmmarketing #q4marketing #retentionmarketing #emailmarketing #attribution #triplewhale #marketingstrategy #growthmarketing #ugcads #creatorads #partnershipads
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse – https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF567
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter
...more
30min
December 10, 2025DTC Podcast | Bonus: How Hungryroot Scaled Meta Spend by 10x with Partnership Ads + Meta and adMixt on Cyber5 Success Strategies
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
This episode of the DTC Podcast is a triple threat: Meta’s Jake Bailey returns to unpack the Cyber 5 data, Hungryroot’s Adam Weber shares how they scaled partnership ads to 50%+ of spend, and adMixt’s Kevin Simonson drops a masterclass on testing, attribution, and scenario planning.
https://hungryroot.com
https://admixt.com
https://meta.com
What’s inside:
Why Cyber Monday hit softer — and which brands still crushed
The shift from segment-based targeting to real personas (with matching creators)
Why partnership ads are outperforming UGC — and how Hungryroot scaled them
Meta’s new catalog + partnership ad combo (early tests: +20% performance)
Q5 lead gen strategy: when volume spikes, competition drops
If you’re running paid on Meta, an agency managing $500K+ budgets, or a brand that needs a serious Q5 plan, this episode is a must listen.
Timestamps
00:00 Creative diversification and the rise of partnership ads
02:00 Hungryroot’s personalization model and marketing approach
04:00 Cyber Five performance trends and consumer behavior
08:00 Why partnership ads outperformed traditional UGC
12:00 How Hungryroot uses creators to reach distinct customer avatars
16:00 Evolution of whitelisting to partnership ads and catalog formats
20:00 How creator deal structures work in practice
24:00 The importance of agility and rapid pivots during Cyber Five
28:00 Q5: Why January is Hungryroot’s biggest moment
32:00 Campaign structure, testing, and Meta’s automation shift
37:00 Organic content, measurement, and 2026 predictions
Hashtags
#metaads #blackfridaymarketing #cybermondaystrategy #partnershipads #ugcads #ecommercemarketing #d2cpodcast #hungryroot #admixt #creativediversification
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse – https://dtcnews.link/pilothouse
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter
Watch this interview on YouTube – https://dtcnews.link/video
...more
43min
December 08, 2025DTC Podcast | Ep 566: What to Fix First: Growth Metrics Every 7-Figure Brand Needs to Track with Sarah Carusona
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
When Sarah Carusona showed up to a DTC event last year, she didn’t know it would spark her first client. That client’s still with her. Today she runs BA Commerce, where her team drops into brands and drives growth from the inside.
For DTC founders scaling from $5M to $20M who need strategy and execution in one package.
What you’ll learn:
Why fractional CMOs often fall short and what brands really need instead
How to drop in a trained operator who owns growth from top to bottom
The key metrics Sarah watches before touching a budget: contribution margin, AMER, LTV, and the “organic ratio”
Why most influencer budgets are broken and what happens when you tie pay to performance
How to focus your team’s time when there’s no room for fluff
Who this is for:
Founders and growth leads who are tired of hiring gaps, agency fluff, and shiny-object distractions
What to steal:
Rebuild your org chart around execution, not job titles
Structure your influencer deals like paid media, not PR
Get obsessed with contribution margin and work backward from there
Timestamps
00:00 Why micro-iterations waste ad spend
02:00 Sarah’s global move and early consulting leap
04:00 Building BA Commerce and the growth operator model
09:00 How Sarah evaluates brands and sets growth metrics
12:00 Creative fatigue, Andromeda, and persona-driven ads
15:00 Creator partnerships and a tiered influencer program
17:00 Why organic content still drives the biggest wins
19:00 Modern Meta account structure and testing philosophy
21:00 The biggest mistakes high-growth brands make
23:00 Why product quality drives everything in growth
25:00 Attribution, incrementality, and Sarah’s forecasting model
27:00 How Sarah uses AI and where she draws the line
Hashtags
#dtcpodcast #ecommerce #dtcbrands #mediabuying #growthmarketing #metaads #ugcads #influencermarketing #digitalstrategy #founderstories #shopifybrands #emailmarketing #smsmarketing #marketingpodcast #directtoconsumer
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse – https://dtcnews.link/pilothouse
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter
Watch this interview on YouTube – https://dtcnews.link/video
...more
31min
December 05, 2025DTC Podcast | Ep 565: BFCM + Meta in 2025: Shorter Promo Windows and Scrappy Pivots That Crushed
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Jacob and Jocelyn from the Pilothouse Meta team break down what actually moved the needle for Meta advertisers this Black Friday/Cyber Monday. The biggest unlock? Being scrappy. The brands that crushed it weren’t over-optimized, they were just fast. Fast to tweak offers. Fast to drop weird creative. Fast to kill what wasn’t working.
For DTC marketers managing Meta ads during promo periods.
Why classic percentage-off offers still worked best
What BOGO and free shipping offers actually drove performance
How scrappy creative (think stick figures and UGC) outperformed polished ads
Why lighter audience exclusions won this year
Which account structures flopped and what replaced them
Who this is for: Growth leads, ad buyers, DTC founders gearing up for Q1
What to steal:
Shift back to shorter promo windows and preserve spend for tentpole days
Run weird, low-fi creative without abandoning your personas
Use lighter exclusions to let Meta optimize delivery more freely
Timestamps
00:00 Black Friday performance trends and buying intent
02:00 Why brands with flexible offers won
04:00 Creative pivots and scrappy content outperforming polished ads
06:00 Best offers of the season and what actually moved customers
08:00 Millennial-targeted creative and why variety mattered
10:00 Meta delivery updates and lighter exclusion strategies
12:00 Dayparting, lifetime budgets and what stopped working
14:00 Post-click learnings and which landing pages converted
16:00 Emerging channels like AppLovin and Pinterest
18:00 How top brands are approaching post-BFCM and holiday scaling
Hashtags
#DTC #MetaAds #BFCM2025 #EcommerceMarketing #CreativeStrategy #PerformanceMarketing #PaidSocial #AppLovin #PinterestAds #BlackFridayInsights #CyberMondayMarketing #DigitalAdvertising
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse – https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF565
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter
Watch this interview on YouTube – https://dtcnews.link/video
...more
25min
December 04, 2025DTC Podcast | Bonus: How Nearly 50,000 Brands Spent $607M This BFCM – Insights from Triple Whale
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Eric sits down with Anthony DelPizzo, Director of Product Marketing at Triple Whale, to unpack what actually happened across $2.9B in tracked revenue and $607M in ad spend. This episode is your shortcut to what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next.
Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2025 is in the books — and Triple Whale tracked every click, conversion, and creative that moved the needle.
View the Report: triplewhale.com
What’s inside:
Why new customers made up 48% of BFCM revenue — and what that means for retention now
TikTok’s surge: ROAS up 28%, CPMs down 30% — here’s why brands shifted
Google and Meta platform breakdown: who won, who lost, and who overcharged
What Triple Whale’s real-time BFCM Live dashboard revealed in seconds
How Mobi AI became the virtual teammate nearly 50,000 brands relied on mid-sale
If you’re a DTC marketer, growth lead, media buyer, retention strategists, or anyone planning for 2026 Q4, this episode is a must listen.
Timestamps
00:00 BFCM early surge and overall sales performance
02:00 New vs returning customer trends and major revenue drivers
04:00 Rising ad costs and platform efficiency shifts
06:00 TikTok, AppLovin and alternative channels gaining traction
08:00 Email and SMS insights from post-purchase data
10:00 Meta and Google cost changes and ROAS movement
12:00 Diversification and placement performance on major platforms
14:00 Category winners and unit economics
16:00 Shopify outage and real-time data advantages
18:00 How brands used Moby AI for BFCM decision-making
20:00 Top lessons for brands heading into 2026
Hashtags
#DTC #TripleWhale #BFCM2025 #EcommerceMarketing #DigitalAdvertising #MetaAds #GoogleAds #TikTokAds #Attribution #MarketingData #AIForMarketing #MobyAI #Shopify #PerformanceMarketing #OmnichannelMarketing
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse – https://dtcnews.link/pilothouse
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter
Watch this interview on YouTube – https://dtcnews.link/video
...more
28min
December 01, 2025DTC Podcast | Ep 564: Nik Sharma on Scaling DTC in 2025: Creative Strategy, Offers & Retention
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
In this episode, Nik Sharma (founder of Sharma Brands) returns to the pod to dig into how DTC brands should be thinking right now: simple, tested offers for Black Friday/Cyber Week, and how to turn those one‑time buyers into repeat customers.
For DTC operators scaling from ~$50 M to $500 M:
What makes a Black Friday offer work (hint: simple, tested, clear).
Why retention after the sale is your leverage — and how to bake it into flows, creative and post‑purchase experience.
The internal creative strategist role: why brands who won the recent platform updates had strong in‑house creative ideation, not just an agency doing the work.
The “two‑layer strategy” to ads: first who, then why — and how that applies to landing pages, creatives and funnels.
Why many brands still get tracking/events wrong on landing pages and why that kills scale.
Who this is for: Founders, growth leads and performance marketers in DTC brands who are heading into Q4 and want to both hit a big seasonal number and build playbooks for 2025.
What to steal:
A plain‑text thank‑you email from the founder that goes out post‑purchase (low cost, high emotional return).
Structure your Black Friday/Cyber Week offer now: test ahead, keep it simple, and communicate what’s included vs not.
Build the “creative strategist” role internally: someone whose job is crafting hooks, angles and formats for your brand (not just delegating to the agency).
Timestamps
00:00 Retention mindset after Black Friday
02:00 Building simple and effective BFCM offers
04:00 Why most Black Friday customers don’t return
06:00 Creative strategy and the Andromeda update
08:00 Why brands need an internal creative strategist
10:00 Going deeper on avatars and buyer psychology
12:00 Marpipe and the importance of better DPAs
14:00 Rethinking top-of-funnel in 2025
16:00 Cutting through the noise with creators and TikTok
18:00 Pharmacy trends, GLP-1s, peptides, and affiliates
20:00 Supplements, problem-solution marketing, and AI prompts
22:00 How Nik uses AI for reporting and creative inputs
24:00 Sharma Brands acquisition and team evolution
26:00 Sleep optimization and Q4 habits
28:00 Landing page fundamentals and data accuracy
Hashtags
#dtcpodcast #niksharma #sharmabrands #ecommercegrowth #bfcm2025 #blackfridaystrategy #d2cpodcast #directtoconsumer #marketingstrategy #facebookads #retentionmarketing #creativestrategy #andromeda #paidmedia #landingpages #marpipe #tiktokmarketing
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse – https://dtcnews.link/pilothouse
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter
Watch this interview on YouTube – https://dtcnews.link/video
...more
31min
November 28, 2025DTC Podcast | Ep 563: 3 Moves to Win Black Friday While It’s Happening (Pilothouse Playbook)
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Jocelyn from Pilothouse breaks down how their team stays aggressive, adapts fast, and helps clients scale efficiently—even on the actual day of Black Friday.
For media buyers and growth teams optimizing in real-time…
What to do when your CPMs and CACs spike day-of
Why legacy evergreen might outperform your BFCM creative
The one Canva trick Jocelyn uses to refresh high-cost ads fast
What Rebuy is and how it helped one brand double YoY revenue
How Pilothouse pushes Meta’s algorithm before it catches trend shifts
Who this is for: DTC brands, marketers, and performance teams deep in BFCM trench warfare
What to steal:
Canva border hack to make organic product shots pop for BFCM
Simplify site UX: static banners, one clear offer, above-the-fold CTA
Don’t trust one dashboard—use the data triangle: Shopify, Meta, Triple Whale
Timestamps
00:00 Black Friday PPC shifts and customer acquisition
02:05 Scrappy creatives that cut CPMs and boost conversions
04:20 Top of funnel focus and new customer strategies
06:30 Website optimizations to increase conversion rate today
08:50 How one brand hit 100 percent year over year growth
11:10 Dealing with delayed attribution and platform discrepancies
13:15 How Rebuy boosts AOV and top line revenue
15:20 Guiding the algorithm and deep audience persona testing
17:35 Wellness category trends and emerging demo shifts
18:55 Healthier on-platform metrics through segmentation
Hashtags
#dtcpodcast #blackfridaymarketing #ecommercetips #pilothouse #metaads #googleads #paidmedia #shopifybrands #rebuy #conversionrateoptimization #ecomstrategy #digitalmarketingtips
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse – https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF563
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter
Watch this interview on YouTube – https://dtcnews.link/video
...more
21min
November 24, 2025DTC Podcast | Ep 562: Low Maintenance Scaling: How Priority Bicycles grew to 25k units/year
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Connor Swegle co-founded Priority Bicycles to build bikes that look good, ride great, and don’t require you to be a mechanic. From a Kickstarter that sold 1,500 bikes to 25,000/year today, he’s grown a DTC brand that rides differently — literally and strategically.
For DTC founders scaling from ~$5–50M looking to tighten marketing funnels, reduce wasted spend, and build real community.
Launched with a $565K Kickstarter campaign that validated product and story
Built a brand around low-maintenance belt drive bikes — a real differentiator in a crowded market
Why they ignore most attribution data and focus on 3 things: product views → add to cart → purchases
Slimmed down Meta spend and saw ROAS increase by tightening targeting
How community-led R&D helped launch the Bruiser with built-in demand
Who this is for: founders and marketers growing DTC product brands with real AOV
What to steal:
Don’t run campaigns unless your audience is already in a buying mindset
Measure funnel performance with just 3 steps: view → add → buy
Involve customers in product development, but don’t let them pick the color
Timestamps
00:00 Why Priority Cycles was created
03:00 Launching on Kickstarter and early traction
06:00 The low-maintenance bike differentiator
09:00 Building DTC trust through customer service
12:00 Simplifying brand positioning and wayfinding
15:00 Crowdsourcing product ideas and community involvement
18:00 Using customer insight vs platform data
21:00 Meta downshifts and rethinking paid efficiency
24:00 Incrementality, ROAS traps, and smarter funnel design
27:00 Understanding real customer motivations and tradeoffs
30:00 Entering the mountain bike market
33:00 Working with creators to co-develop products
35:00 Growth outlook and category expansion
Hashtags
#dtcpodcast #prioritybicycles #ecommercegrowth #marketingstrategy #dtcbrands #digitalmarketing #customeracquisition #growthmarketing #brandstrategy #directtoconsumer #bicycleindustry
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse – https://dtcnews.link/pilothouse
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter
Watch this interview on YouTube – https://dtcnews.link/video
...more
36min
November 21, 2025DTC Podcast | Ep 561: Unwinding the Tactical Spin Cycle: How Pilothouse Builds Strategy That Scales
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Most DTC brands aren’t short on effort — they’re stuck in the tactical spin cycle: chasing hacks, optimizing in circles, burning time and team on things that used to work.
In this episode, Dave Steele (CEO) and Duncan Ferguson (Strategy Lead) unpack how Pilothouse breaks that loop — and why a proper strategy isn’t optional once you pass $5M.
For DTC brands trying to scale past tactics and actually build leverage.
What’s inside:
What the “tactical spin cycle” really is — and how to get out
The 3 parts of real strategy: diagnosis, how-we-win, cohesive execution
Why your team’s “best practices” might be killing growth
How to unify Meta, Google, Email + more into a single system
When to stop optimizing and start repositioning
What to steal:
Use data to find your core challenge — not just a list of problems
Write a “how we win” statement that shapes every channel
Strategy = focus. If you’re doing everything, you’re doing nothing.
Unlock the BFCM Command Center: https://triplewhale.com/dtc
Timestamps
00:00 The shift in DTC and why strategy matters
03:00 The Tactical Spin Cycle and how brands get stuck
06:00 When optimizations stop working and market dynamics change
09:00 Product strategy vs growth strategy in modern DTC
12:00 What strategy actually means for brands
15:00 Identifying the core challenge before jumping into tactics
18:00 How “How We Win” statements align every channel
21:00 Good strategy vs bad strategy and finding leverage
24:00 Creating cross-channel coherence that compounds results
27:00 Avoiding promo dependency and algorithmic traps
Hashtags
#dtcpodcast #pilothouse #ecommercegrowth #marketingstrategy #dtcbrands #digitalmarketing #growthmarketing #brandstrategy #metaads #googleads #customeracquisition
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse – https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF561
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter
Watch this interview on YouTube – https://dtcnews.link/video
...more
42min
November 19, 2025 DTC Podcast | Bonus: How Nate Lagos Quadrupled Original Grain with Persona-Based CRO
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Nate Lagos just wrapped his first week as CMO of Adapt Naturals after a breakout run that saw him quadruple Original Grain’s revenue. In this episode, Nate joins Eric Dyck for whiskey and wisdom on persona-driven marketing, CRO as a growth engine, and why you don’t need 100 ads a week to win on Meta.
For DTC founders and marketers optimizing for LTV and profitable scale in 2025.
How to uncover true customer motivations and build actionable personas
CRO testing frameworks that compound results across ads, email, and retention
The “Better Than Black Friday” offer that boosted LTV by 30%
Creative volume vs. creative quality — where the real lever is
Building bundles and pricing for high-AOV buyers
If you’re a DTC founder, growth marketer, or a CMO looking to turn creative and CRO into profit levers, this episode is for you.
Timestamps
00:00 Better Than Black Friday Offer Strategy
02:00 Nate’s DTC Journey and Early Career
04:00 Scaling Original Grain and Persona Marketing
06:00 Creative Targeting and Sub-Persona Strategy
09:00 CRO Lessons and Split Testing Wins
12:00 The Creative Volume vs. Quality Debate
15:00 Why Customers Really Buy and Competitor Frames
17:00 Moving From Watches to Supplements
19:00 Best-Ever Offer and LTV Impact
22:00 Pricing Power, Inflation, and High-Ticket Bundles
24:00 New Channels, Offers, and Team Leadership
27:00 Remote Work, Management Style, and Alignment
29:00 Nate’s Creative Process and Mindset
31:00 Advice to Marketers: Do One Thing Exceptionally Well
33:00 Tactical and Practical Podcast Overview
Hashtags
#dtcpodcast #ecommerce #dtcmarketing #cromarketing #offerstrategy #lifetimevalue #metads #directtoconsumer #performancecreative #shopifybrands
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse – https://dtcnews.link/pilothouse
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter
Watch this interview on YouTube – https://dtcnews.link/video
...more
35min

FAQs about DTC Podcast:

How many episodes does DTC Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 93 episodes available.