DTC Podcast

• Ep 561: Unwinding the Tactical Spin Cycle: How Pilothouse Builds Strategy That Scales

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupMost 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 outThe 3 parts of real strategy: diagnosis, how-we-win, cohesive executionWhy your team’s “best practices” might be killing growthHow to unify Meta, Google, Email + more into a single systemWhen to stop optimizing and start repositioning👀 What to steal:Use data to find your core challenge — not just a list of problemsWrite a “how we win” statement that shapes every channelStrategy = focus. If you're doing everything, you're doing nothing.Unlock the BFCM Command Center: https://triplewhale.com/dtc Timestamps00:00 The shift in DTC and why strategy matters03:00 The Tactical Spin Cycle and how brands get stuck06:00 When optimizations stop working and market dynamics change09:00 Product strategy vs growth strategy in modern DTC12:00 What strategy actually means for brands15:00 Identifying the core challenge before jumping into tactics18:00 How “How We Win” statements align every channel21:00 Good strategy vs bad strategy and finding leverage24:00 Creating cross-channel coherence that compounds results27:00 Avoiding promo dependency and algorithmic trapsHashtags#dtcpodcast #pilothouse #ecommercegrowth #marketingstrategy #dtcbrands #digitalmarketing #growthmarketing #brandstrategy #metaads #googleads #customeracquisition Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF561Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

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• Bonus: How Nate Lagos Quadrupled Original Grain with Persona-Based CRO

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupNate 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 personasCRO testing frameworks that compound results across ads, email, and retentionThe “Better Than Black Friday” offer that boosted LTV by 30%Creative volume vs. creative quality — where the real lever isBuilding bundles and pricing for high-AOV buyersIf you’re a DTC founder, growth marketer, or a CMO looking to turn creative and CRO into profit levers, this episode is for you.Timestamps00:00 Better Than Black Friday Offer Strategy02:00 Nate’s DTC Journey and Early Career04:00 Scaling Original Grain and Persona Marketing06:00 Creative Targeting and Sub-Persona Strategy09:00 CRO Lessons and Split Testing Wins12:00 The Creative Volume vs. Quality Debate15:00 Why Customers Really Buy and Competitor Frames17:00 Moving From Watches to Supplements19:00 Best-Ever Offer and LTV Impact22:00 Pricing Power, Inflation, and High-Ticket Bundles24:00 New Channels, Offers, and Team Leadership27:00 Remote Work, Management Style, and Alignment29:00 Nate’s Creative Process and Mindset31:00 Advice to Marketers: Do One Thing Exceptionally Well33:00 Tactical and Practical Podcast OverviewHashtags#dtcpodcast #ecommerce #dtcmarketing #cromarketing #offerstrategy #lifetimevalue #metads #directtoconsumer #performancecreative #shopifybrands 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 560: Levelwear’s Pivot to DTC: From Golf Courses to Nine-Figure Wholesale to a Brand-First Ecommerce Play

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signuphttps://levelwear.comHyman Ngo, SVP of Product & Marketing at Levelwear, joins us to talk through the brand’s evolution from a behind-the-scenes apparel manufacturer to a powerhouse in wholesale and licensing — and now, their pivot into DTC.For brand leaders scaling from golf, wholesale, or licensing into consumer channels.What we cover:The real reason they acquired a customer’s brand — and how that changed their whole trajectoryWhy golf was the launchpad: how credibility in elite U.S. clubs unlocked growth back homeHow they scaled to 85 of the top 100 U.S. golf courses (and what that did for their reputation)The role of licensing (MLB, NHL, PGA) in adding growth and brand legitimacyHow they finally built their brand narrative (“Team Over Everything” / “Who’s With You”) and why it’s now central to their DTC pushWho this is for: Brand operators in wholesale, licensing, or B2B looking to build emotional connection and consumer pullWhat to steal:Build credibility in a “clean” market (no legacy baggage) and use it to reposition back homeTreat brand story as an internal alignment tool — not just external marketingUse licensing as a bridge, but don’t lose sight of your brand equityUnlock the BFCM Command Center: https://triplewhale.com/dtcTimestamps00:00 Transitioning from manufacturing to a brand02:15 Buying Levelwear and early operational challenges04:40 Breaking into retail and managing order volume07:20 Slow early growth and breakthrough in the US golf market10:05 How Levelwear entered top golf courses12:40 Evolution of golf culture and apparel trends14:00 Sponsoring pro golfers and athlete partnerships16:00 Expanding into licensed sports apparel18:05 Fanatics partnership and industry comparisons20:00 Crafting Levelwear’s brand message and manifesto22:30 Launching the "Who's With You" campaign24:15 Using streaming ads for brand awareness26:10 How the brand story aligns across sports27:40 Message consistency in B2B and retail channels29:00 Levelwear’s path toward nine-figure revenue30:30 DTC ambitions and where the brand goes next32:00 Expanding into international golf markets33:00 The future of independent retail in golf34:00 Closing thoughts and next steps for LevelwearHashtags#dtcpodcast #levelwear #golfapparel #sportsbusiness #directtoconsumer #ecommercegrowth #brandbuilding #athleisure #golfindustry #sportsmarketing 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 559: 3 High‑Leverage CRO Moves Before Black Friday – with Jordan Gordon

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - ⁠https://dtcnews.link/signup⁠Welcome to the episode: we’ve got Jordan Gordon back on the mic — the guy leading email, retention and CRO at Pilot House, with 25 years in ecommerce under his belt.Role‑Based Hook (for DTC growth/marketing audience):For DTC founders & growth marketers scaling from $5M–100M in revenue, this is your CRO check‑list for Q4.Here’s what we dig into:Why your headline conversion rate is a shaky metric — and why “direct conversion” gives you better signal.The one page type (your top product page) you can fix in time for Black Friday to move the needle.How to push “bundling and recommendations” tools to unlock +8–30% lift in AOV with zero extra ad spend.The eight choke‑points across homepage → category → PDP → cart/checkout you must optimize right now.Real copy & button tips: How a tiny phrase (“Feel organic again”) can flip the homepage from meh to go‑time.Who this is for: DTC brand leads, ecommerce CRO/optimization folks, retention & growth marketers who already run advertising and now need to tighten the funnel.What to steal:Run quick benchmark: Are you hitting 5‑7% Add‑to‑Cart, ~2% conversion, ~1.25% direct conversion in Shopify?Pick your top 3‑5 PDPs and make them ultra‑fast (under 3s load) using a tool/tech stack like Niche.Install a bundling/recommendation engine (like Rebuy) across the site and measure +8% lift in AOV by pushing “people like you bought this + add it” flows.Timestamps00:00 Highest Leverage CRO Insights for Q402:10 Benchmarking Add-to-Cart and Conversion Rates04:45 Why Direct Conversion Is a Better Signal07:00 Speeding Up PDPs with Niche for Instant Wins10:05 Boosting AOV with Rebuy Bundling13:00 The 8 Critical Website Choke Points15:45 Optimizing Copy Around Key Conversion Areas18:20 Homepage Strategy for High-Volume Traffic21:40 What Big Brands Get Right on Their Homepages24:30 Final Q4 CRO Checklist and Fast WinsHashtags#dtcpodcast #q4ecommerce #cro #conversionrateoptimization #ecommercetips #shopifygrowth #blackfridayprep #aov #d2cbrands #onlinescaling Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF559Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

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• Bonus: The Future Is Human: How to Scale Your Creator Marketing Program (Without Losing Trust)

  Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupWelcome to the DTC Podcast. Today we’re joined by Donatas Smailys, Co‑Founder & CEO of Billo, a creator‑marketing platform that helps DTC brands turn authentic creator videos into high‑performing ads. Explore Billo We dive into how brands can build a repeatable creator/content engine that integrates with ad funnels, why follower‑counts are becoming less relevant, how to brief creators with performance in mind, and why AI should support—not replace—human creators.Key TakeawaysWhy creator marketing must be treated as a systematic channel, not ad‑hoc influencer blastsHow to identify and match creators based on performance metrics (hook rate, CTR, ROAS) rather than follower sizeThe role of AI and data in briefing creators, generating content variants, and feeding back into ad performanceHow brands at the $3‑M‑$10‑M revenue stage can structure the first 90 days of creator‑led campaignsWhy authenticity still matters: synthetic avatar creators may work short‑term but risk long‑term trust and accountabilityThe emerging concept of “Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)” and how creator/social assets feed into future search ecosystemsWhether you’re a DTC brand marketer responsible for scaling ads, or a founder looking to build long‑term acquisition engines, this episode gives you a clear blueprint for building creator marketing into your growth stack.Timestamps00:00 AI brief generator and purchase data02:05 Why Billo started content at scale04:15 Creator marketing as a system06:20 Andromeda and creative diversity08:25 Segmenting by the why10:30 Let creators experiment and avoid fatigue12:35 AI influencers vs authenticity14:40 Meta partnership ads and Spark ads16:45 Answer Engine Optimization AEO18:50 Future of authenticity and human only20:55 First three months on Billo plan23:00 Performance backed creator selection25:05 Pricing and ad volume cadence27:10 Data loops AI variations and reuse29:30 Scaling creator content into paidHashtags#DTCPodcast #CreatorMarketing #InfluencerMarketing #UGC #EcommerceMarketing #PaidSocial #MetaAds #PartnershipAds #SparkAds #Andromeda #PerformanceCreative #AnswerEngineOptimization #AEO #Whitelisting #TikTokMarketing #AdCreative #CustomerAcquisition #DirectToConsumer #BilloApp #MarketingPodcast 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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