DTC Podcast

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signup🎧 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 developmentHow to build angles that scale across top and bottom funnelThe difference between product features and product benefits — and why that mattersWhy “vibe-first” brands eventually need strategy to surviveHow 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 testingA mindset shift: Treat angles like campaign assets, not just captionsHow to tell when you’re out of angles — and how to fix it fastTimestamps:00:00 Intro to Ad-venturous Angles02:00 Why most DTC brands stall on vibes04:00 The need for real creative strategy06:00 What an angle really is08:00 Features vs benefits in ad angles10:00 The Got Milk example12:00 How angles create emotional connection14:00 The upside-down triangle framework16:00 Why modern angles must be agile18:00 Using research and reviews to build angles20:00 Personas and segmentation for scale22:00 The three layers of the triangle24:00 Top of funnel angle development26:00 Middle of funnel curiosity28:00 Bottom of funnel community content30:00 Why angles must work everywhere32:00 Testing and iterating angles34:00 Final takeaways on creative strategyHashtags:#DTCMarketing #AdCreative #MarketingAngles #PerformanceCreative #EcommerceMarketing #BrandStrategy #CreativeTesting #FunnelMarketing #DigitalAdvertising #ContentStrategy #Pilothouse #DTCNewsletter #AdVenturousPodcast #MarketingPodcast Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF575Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupDaniel 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 productThe secret to high-margin DTC logistics (and how silica unlocked DTC viability)Daniel’s media buying strategy in year 1 that drove $750K soloHow Pretty Litter used smart ops, lean hiring, and brand positioning to build a moatWho this is for: Founders, growth leads, and marketers looking to scale profitably and avoid the DTC hype trapsWhat to steal:The underdog category playbookRetention-driven brand buildingThe ops strategy behind $300M revenue and 12 employees#DTCGrowth #SubscriptionBusiness #RetentionMarketing #BootstrapStartup #EcommerceStrategy #ConsumerBrands #FoundersJourney #LeanStartup #ProductInnovation #BrandBuilding #UnsexyProducts #ScalingUp #StartupExit #PetCareIndustry #MarketingTactics00:00 – 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 CopycatsSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletter

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupMost 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 pathWhy “anchoring” and UX sequencing can dramatically change conversion ratesHow testing new PDP structures (including delaying price) can increase resultsHow to build fast, scrappy landing pages that plug cleanly into ShopifyWhat heatmaps, scroll behavior, and section-level engagement reveal about frictionWhy iteration beats theory — and how to develop a testing mindset that actually finds signal #EmailMarketing #RetentionMarketing #CRO #LandingPages #EcommerceStrategy #DTCMarketing #ShopifyBrands 00:00 — Introduction01:00 — When a Landing Page Beats Your Homepage03:00 — How Disrupted Traffic Changes Your Funnel06:00 — Rising Prices, Rising Consideration10:00 — PDP vs Landing Page: Which One Converts Better?14:00 — Why Testing Beats Theory Every Time20:00 — The Underrated Power of Email Capture on Landers29:00 — Inside a High-Performing Landing Page BuildSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF573Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletter

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupOn 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.comWhat You’ll Learn:Why composite funnels matter more than platform-specific attributionHow Blend automates budget shifts based on live conversion dataWhy humans shouldn’t manage five channels manually anymoreWhat most brands get wrong with creative distributionHow underused channels (like Microsoft) quietly drive resultsHow to launch campaigns in October — not November — for peak BFCM gainsSync audiences across channels to reduce over-saturationAnalyze top, middle, and bottom funnel cross-platform, not in silosIf 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 #d2cpodcastTimestamps:00:00 – Introduction. Why overspending on one channel kills growth04:22 – The “who, what, where” framework behind Blend’s composite funnel10:00 – How AI launches full-funnel ads across every major platform15:18 – Why Microsoft Ads is the most ignored growth channel21:40 – Why Meta’s algorithm starves most of your creative29:15 – How one brand tripled revenue with 20% less ad spendSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletter

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupWhen 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 creativeWhy 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 PilothouseThe 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, retestA partnership model that blends licensing, NIL, and white-labelingHow to spot “overthink” in your performance strategy — and simplify for scaleSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletter