DTC Podcast

• Ep 565: BFCM + Meta in 2025: Shorter Promo Windows and Scrappy Pivots That Crushed

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupJacob 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 bestWhat BOGO and free shipping offers actually drove performanceHow scrappy creative (think stick figures and UGC) outperformed polished adsWhy lighter audience exclusions won this yearWhich account structures flopped and what replaced themWho this is for: Growth leads, ad buyers, DTC founders gearing up for Q1What to steal:Shift back to shorter promo windows and preserve spend for tentpole daysRun weird, low-fi creative without abandoning your personasUse lighter exclusions to let Meta optimize delivery more freelyTimestamps00:00 Black Friday performance trends and buying intent02:00 Why brands with flexible offers won04:00 Creative pivots and scrappy content outperforming polished ads06:00 Best offers of the season and what actually moved customers08:00 Millennial-targeted creative and why variety mattered10:00 Meta delivery updates and lighter exclusion strategies12:00 Dayparting, lifetime budgets and what stopped working14:00 Post-click learnings and which landing pages converted16:00 Emerging channels like AppLovin and Pinterest18:00 How top brands are approaching post-BFCM and holiday scalingHashtags#DTC #MetaAds #BFCM2025 #EcommerceMarketing #CreativeStrategy #PerformanceMarketing #PaidSocial #AppLovin #PinterestAds #BlackFridayInsights #CyberMondayMarketing #DigitalAdvertising Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF565Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

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• Bonus: How Nearly 50,000 Brands Spent $607M This BFCM – Insights from Triple Whale

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupEric 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.comWhat’s inside:Why new customers made up 48% of BFCM revenue — and what that means for retention nowTikTok’s surge: ROAS up 28%, CPMs down 30% — here's why brands shiftedGoogle and Meta platform breakdown: who won, who lost, and who overchargedWhat Triple Whale’s real-time BFCM Live dashboard revealed in secondsHow Mobi AI became the virtual teammate nearly 50,000 brands relied on mid-saleIf you’re a DTC marketer, growth lead, media buyer, retention strategists, or anyone planning for 2026 Q4, this episode is a must listen.Timestamps00:00 BFCM early surge and overall sales performance02:00 New vs returning customer trends and major revenue drivers04:00 Rising ad costs and platform efficiency shifts06:00 TikTok, AppLovin and alternative channels gaining traction08:00 Email and SMS insights from post-purchase data10:00 Meta and Google cost changes and ROAS movement12:00 Diversification and placement performance on major platforms14:00 Category winners and unit economics16:00 Shopify outage and real-time data advantages18:00 How brands used Moby AI for BFCM decision-making20:00 Top lessons for brands heading into 2026Hashtags#DTC #TripleWhale #BFCM2025 #EcommerceMarketing #DigitalAdvertising #MetaAds #GoogleAds #TikTokAds #Attribution #MarketingData #AIForMarketing #MobyAI #Shopify #PerformanceMarketing #OmnichannelMarketing Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

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• Ep 564: Nik Sharma on Scaling DTC in 2025: Creative Strategy, Offers & Retention

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupIn 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).Timestamps00:00 Retention mindset after Black Friday02:00 Building simple and effective BFCM offers04:00 Why most Black Friday customers don't return06:00 Creative strategy and the Andromeda update08:00 Why brands need an internal creative strategist10:00 Going deeper on avatars and buyer psychology12:00 Marpipe and the importance of better DPAs14:00 Rethinking top-of-funnel in 202516:00 Cutting through the noise with creators and TikTok18:00 Pharmacy trends, GLP-1s, peptides, and affiliates20:00 Supplements, problem-solution marketing, and AI prompts22:00 How Nik uses AI for reporting and creative inputs24:00 Sharma Brands acquisition and team evolution26:00 Sleep optimization and Q4 habits28:00 Landing page fundamentals and data accuracyHashtags#dtcpodcast #niksharma #sharmabrands #ecommercegrowth #bfcm2025 #blackfridaystrategy #d2cpodcast #directtoconsumer #marketingstrategy #facebookads #retentionmarketing #creativestrategy #andromeda #paidmedia #landingpages #marpipe #tiktokmarketing Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

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• Ep 563: 3 Moves to Win Black Friday While It’s Happening (Pilothouse Playbook)

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupJocelyn 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-ofWhy legacy evergreen might outperform your BFCM creativeThe one Canva trick Jocelyn uses to refresh high-cost ads fastWhat Rebuy is and how it helped one brand double YoY revenueHow Pilothouse pushes Meta’s algorithm before it catches trend shiftsWho this is for: DTC brands, marketers, and performance teams deep in BFCM trench warfareWhat to steal:Canva border hack to make organic product shots pop for BFCMSimplify site UX: static banners, one clear offer, above-the-fold CTADon’t trust one dashboard—use the data triangle: Shopify, Meta, Triple WhaleTimestamps00:00 Black Friday PPC shifts and customer acquisition02:05 Scrappy creatives that cut CPMs and boost conversions04:20 Top of funnel focus and new customer strategies06:30 Website optimizations to increase conversion rate today08:50 How one brand hit 100 percent year over year growth11:10 Dealing with delayed attribution and platform discrepancies13:15 How Rebuy boosts AOV and top line revenue15:20 Guiding the algorithm and deep audience persona testing17:35 Wellness category trends and emerging demo shifts18:55 Healthier on-platform metrics through segmentationHashtags#dtcpodcast #blackfridaymarketing #ecommercetips #pilothouse #metaads #googleads #paidmedia #shopifybrands #rebuy #conversionrateoptimization #ecomstrategy #digitalmarketingtips Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF563Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

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• Ep 562: Low Maintenance Scaling: How Priority Bicycles grew to 25k units/year

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupConnor 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 storyBuilt a brand around low-maintenance belt drive bikes — a real differentiator in a crowded marketWhy they ignore most attribution data and focus on 3 things: product views → add to cart → purchasesSlimmed down Meta spend and saw ROAS increase by tightening targetingHow community-led R&D helped launch the Bruiser with built-in demandWho this is for: founders and marketers growing DTC product brands with real AOVWhat to steal:Don’t run campaigns unless your audience is already in a buying mindsetMeasure funnel performance with just 3 steps: view → add → buyInvolve customers in product development, but don’t let them pick the color Timestamps00:00 Why Priority Cycles was created03:00 Launching on Kickstarter and early traction06:00 The low-maintenance bike differentiator09:00 Building DTC trust through customer service12:00 Simplifying brand positioning and wayfinding15:00 Crowdsourcing product ideas and community involvement18:00 Using customer insight vs platform data21:00 Meta downshifts and rethinking paid efficiency24:00 Incrementality, ROAS traps, and smarter funnel design27:00 Understanding real customer motivations and tradeoffs30:00 Entering the mountain bike market33:00 Working with creators to co-develop products35:00 Growth outlook and category expansionHashtags#dtcpodcast #prioritybicycles #ecommercegrowth #marketingstrategy #dtcbrands #digitalmarketing #customeracquisition #growthmarketing #brandstrategy #directtoconsumer #bicycleindustry Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

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