DTC Podcast

• Ep 537: How Dugout Mugs Scaled to $55M with Authentic Branding and Smart Partnerships

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupOn 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 brandsHow Kris structured a win-win equity deal to launch Dugout MugsThe difference between playing to win vs. playing not to loseHow to balance seasonality with corporate gifting, retail, and evergreen sales channelsWhy AI in ecommerce (contracts, customer service, ads) saves time and reduces frictionThe philosophy behind “Do you want to be right or do you want to be rich?” in partnershipsWhether 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 metrics04:00 — From Facebook fan pages to $20M in t-shirt sales08:00 — The origin of Dugout Mugs and scaling to $55M+14:00 — Turning content and personal branding into sales18:00 — Partnership philosophy and making win-win deals26:00 — How Kris structured an innovative equity deal to grow Dugout30:00 — Handling seasonality, Q4 strategy, and corporate gifting33:00 — Leveraging AI for content, customer service, and business growth37:00 — Living life intentionally and protecting your timeHashtags:#DTCPodcast #EcommerceGrowth #DirectToConsumer #DugoutMugs #BrandBuilding #Entrepreneurship #DigitalMarketing #ContentStrategy #AIinEcommerce #Partnerships 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 536: The Only Browse Abandon Email You’ll Ever Need | AKNF Preview of TWBERP

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupIn 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 chaosThe ideal timing for follow-up emails (and how smart sending can break your flow)How dynamic product feeds and recommendation logic boost post-click performanceIf 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 need02:45 — Triggers and category-based segmentation05:30 — Building one clean funnel vs. multiple funnels08:20 — Timing strategy and smart sending best practices11:15 — Writing subject lines that actually drive clicks15:00 — Dynamic content & product recommendations18:10 — Hero shots vs. showing the product first21:20 — Leveraging dynamic merchandising tactics24:00 — Overcoming objections & adding brand storytelling28:00 — Funnel flushers and discount strategies34:00 — Common mistakes in browse abandonment emails37:10 — Building a shoppable landing page experienceHashtags:#EmailMarketing #BrowseAbandonment #EcommerceMarketing #RetentionMarketing #KlaviyoTips #DTCMarketing #ShopifyEmail #EmailFlows #CustomerRetention #MarketingStrategy 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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• Bonus: The Math Behind Influence and Why Most Influencer Marketing Fails with Yash Chavan from SARAL

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupIn 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/demoYou’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.Timestamps00:00 - Why influencer marketing is broken02:30 - Building brand awareness and mindshare05:45 - The pyramid of influence explained10:15 - How influencers move buyers into the market14:30 - Attribution challenges and why metrics mislead18:15 - Using AI to enhance influencer programs21:30 - Case studies: Obvi, Ridge, First Form & more25:00 - TikTok Shop’s role in influencer marketing27:30 - Reusing influencer content for maximum ROI29:45 - How to integrate influencer marketing with paid mediaHashtags#DTCMarketing #InfluencerMarketing #EcommerceGrowth #BrandStrategy #DigitalMarketing #MarketingPodcast #SocialCommerce #TikTokShop #ContentStrategy #AffiliateMarketing 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 535: Ashvin Melwani On How Obvi Fixed Meta Pixel Poisoning and Recovered Ad Performance

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupIn 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 drop02:00 – Pixel health and the dangers of poor data tracking04:00 – Creative strategy shift post-Andromeda update06:00 – Why brands must show up on TikTok to stay relevant08:00 – Meta deprioritization signals and pixel troubleshooting10:00 – Ad testing framework for 2025 and campaign structure14:00 – How to improve landing pages and lift performance18:00 – Proxima, lookalikes, and AI-built audience targeting22:00 – TikTok Shop strategy with creator incentives and Discord28:00 – Retail expansion strategy and shift toward brand marketing34:00 – Building omnipresence in retail and mass marketingHashtags:#DTCMarketing #MetaAds #TikTokShop #PerformanceMarketing #CreativeStrategy #RetailMarketing #EcommerceGrowth #MediaBuying #PixelHealth #CollagenBrand 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 534: Google’s 90% “New Customer” Illusion: How To See What Your Ads Are Really Doing | AKNF

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupIf 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 falseHow cookie-based tracking is sabotaging your incrementalityWhy server‑side tracking (via Elevar) is the fix—and how to set it upThe real cost of bad data: wasted CAC, poor ROAS, and misaligned goalsHow to audit your own account to uncover the truthIf 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 misleading02:00 – The impact of server-side tracking on attribution04:00 – How Google misidentifies returning customers as new06:00 – Training the Google Ads algorithm with quality data08:00 – Using Elevar for accurate net new conversion tracking10:00 – Aligning campaign goals with business outcomes12:00 – Auditing new vs returning customer data14:00 – LTV, cookie policies, and the future of tracking16:00 – Why server-side tracking improves data fidelity18:00 – The rise of AI summaries and their SEO impact20:00 – Optimizing for ChatGPT and the future of AI searchHashtags:#GoogleAds #CustomerAcquisition #ConversionTracking #ServerSideTracking #Elevar #DigitalMarketing #DTCMarketing #PerformanceMarketing #AIsearch #EcommerceGrowth 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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