DTC Podcast

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Thomas Robinson has helped build full‑funnel growth engines for brands like Tiege Henley and now Breath Death — where he’s turning chaotic traction into scalable funnels and converting creator buzz into sustainable growth.

For growth leaders scaling DTC with low‑AOV products.

In this episode, Thomas breaks down:
How YouTube influencer authenticity became a systematic funnel driver (not a one‑hit wonder).
Why TikTok Shop is the top strategic revenue channel — and how it boosts Amazon performance.
The three‑part funnel framework: Hook → Integration → CTA + cohesive landing page.
Why psychographics beat demographics in creative.
Omni‑channel retention: SMS, email, DM automations, WhatsApp.

Who this is for: D2C marketers scaling early‑growth brands, content and performance teams, founders wrestling with low‑AOV CAC.

What to steal:
Turn creator moments into evergreen assets for Meta, TikTok, and YouTube.
Build landing pages that mirror ad intent (don’t lose momentum).
Segment email/SMS flows by customer psychographic intent.

Timestamps
00:00 — Turning creator buzz into scalable growth
02:00 — Why Breath Death chose TikTok Shop as a core channel
04:00 — Gen Z targeting, nostalgia, and early audience signals
06:00 — Learning from Liquid Death’s polarizing brand strategy
08:00 — Turning influencer moments into evergreen funnels
10:00 — Structuring ads with hooks, integrations, and CTAs
12:00 — TikTok Shop, Amazon halo effects, and channel synergy
14:00 — Affiliate strategy from nano creators to macro partners
16:00 — Why YouTube influencers compound better than paid ads
18:00 — SEO, Reddit, and authority in AI-driven search
20:00 — Scaling low-AOV products on Meta ads
22:00 — Psychographics, motivations, and creative archetypes
26:00 — Q4 growth, LTV focus, and retention strategy
28:00 — Email, SMS, WhatsApp, and DM automation
31:00 — Long-term brand storytelling vs direct response
34:00 — Personalized landing pages and post-click experience

Hashtags
#dtcpodcast #dtcbrands #ecommercegrowth #tiktokshop #influencermarketing #creatorcommerce #brandstrategy #performanceads #youtubeinfluencers #affiliatemarketing #consumerbrands #foundermarketing #growthmarketing #directtoconsumer

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Eric sits down with Dougie, Pilothouse's Google Lead, to dig into why content targeting—specifically with YouTube Select—is outperforming audience-based targeting, even at premium CPMs. If you’ve been running low-cost YouTube campaigns with underwhelming results, this is the mindset shift you need.

For DTC brands tired of wasting money on passive YouTube impressions.
What YouTube Select actually is (and why it matters for performance)
How to think about placements vs. audiences
Why content congruence improves funnel performance
Scaling tips: what kind of brands can go big with Select
How to build creatives that match the content being watched

Who this is for: Brands spending serious dollars on YouTube, or considering a shift from Meta to a broader channel mix.

What to steal:
Align creative to content before launch
Use Google reps to identify top indexed channels by persona
Treat YouTube Select like TV: flight-based, not daily budget-driven

Timestamps
00:00 Content vs interest targeting
02:01 Why content alignment converts
04:02 YouTube Select explained
06:02 Why low quality inventory fails
08:04 How content based creative works
10:03 Google and YouTube strategy shift
12:02 Aligning creative to placements
14:02 Meta and Google funnel synergy
16:01 Scaling with YouTube Select

Hashtags
#YouTubeSelect #GoogleAds #ContentTargeting #MediaBuying #DigitalAdvertising #PerformanceMarketing #BrandStrategy #YouTubeAds #PaidMedia #MarketingPodcast #DTCMarketing #AdStrategy #AudienceTargeting #CreativeStrategy #Pilothouse

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Albert Chow built Silk & Snow in the shadow of the DTC mattress wars—but instead of racing to burn VC cash, he played the long game. Today, Silk & Snow has grown into a full home brand with 10 retail stores, a thriving Canadian customer base, and a strong U.S. expansion roadmap.

For DTC founders scaling from $5M to $50M...
Why they skipped the mattress arms race and leaned into vertical integration
How bundling less (and planting trees instead) saved $1.3M
What they learned scaling from 1 to 10 retail stores in a year
The metrics they track now that ROAS is irrelevant
Why launching a sofa was more about customer affinity than furniture

Who this is for: Operators scaling past one SKU or one channel—and looking for a sustainable path to growth.

What to steal:
Bundling with purpose (optional tree planting vs. free stuff)
Bottom-up brand building: low-funnel mastery first
How to use DTC data to drive brick-and-mortar strategy

Timestamps
00:00 Organic growth and surviving the DTC mattress crash
02:00 Entering the crowded mattress market in 2017
04:00 Why Silk and Snow became a full home brand
06:00 Factory-first supply chain and Canadian manufacturing
08:00 Launching with Kickstarter and early traction
10:00 The 2019 DTC apocalypse and sustainable growth
12:00 Expanding beyond mattresses into sleep accessories
14:00 Functional vs aspirational buying in home goods
16:00 Becoming a multi-channel retailer
18:00 Using customer data to choose store locations
20:00 Canada vs US growth strategy
22:00 Building brand from the bottom of the funnel
24:00 Replacing bundles with tree planting
26:00 Performance marketing roots and early Google
28:00 Shifting into awareness and brand media
30:00 Why ROAS isn’t the real growth signal
32:00 Retail partnerships and staying DTC
34:00 Black Friday for big-ticket home products
36:00 Fulfillment, returns, and sustainability
38:00 Repeat customers and long-term LTV
40:00 Sleep Country acquisition and retail scale
42:00 Vancouver store and physical retail strategy

Hashtags
#DTC #EcommercePodcast #SilkAndSnow #AlbertChow #DTCBrands #HomeGoods #MattressIndustry #BrandBuilding #RetailStrategy #DirectToConsumer #EcommerceGrowth #StartupPodcast #FounderStory #CanadianBrands #PerformanceMarketing #Omnichannel #RetailExpansion #DTCpodcast

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🎧 Listen now: https://www.pilothouse.co/

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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