Good morning,
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
🏆 Battle of the brands… We analyze welcome emails from Peace Out Skincare and Starface.
🌿 The secret to scaling: Learn how BRĒZ has scaled their cannabis beverage business to $25M in revenue in just 18 months.
💗 And… all advertisers share this one common trait.
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Harbinger Foods, Scimitar Sports, and Tangle Teezer. 👋
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🎧 Anatomy of the World's Fastest Growing Beverage Brand with BRĒZ Founder Aaron Nosbisch
In this episode, we sit down with Aaron Nosbisch, founder of BRĒZ, the fastest-growing cannabis-infused beverage brand on the market.
BRĒZ is at the forefront of a new wave in social drinking, offering a functional alternative to alcohol with none of its downsides.
By combining innovative product design, strategic DTC-first approaches, and a deep understanding of compliance in restricted categories, BRĒZ has scaled to $25M in revenue in just 18 months.
In this podcast, we cover:
👉 You can listen to the full episode with Aaron here.
🔧 Meta Assures Advertisers After Community Notes Backlash
After advertisers expressed their displeasure over Meta switching from fact-checkers to a Community Notes feature, Meta has come out to clarify that Community Notes will not be displayed on paid ads.
However, it is still unclear if this will apply to influencer or celebrity-branded content.
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🏆 Battle of the Brands: Welcome Email Edition
Today, we’re comparing welcome emails from two skin patch brands that cater to Millennial and Gen Z customers.
Both of these brands have very different initial approaches when communicating with customers.
Check out these thoughts from the Pilothouse email team: 👇
During the sign-up stage, Peace Out’s newsletter pop-up triggers after a user spends a few seconds on their homepage.
In contrast, Starface has a small tab on the bottom left corner of the screen inviting users to ‘sign up.’
If visitors click on this tab, a sign-up form will appear, making it feel more hidden and potentially impacting list growth.
Subject lines: Peace Out immediately entices subscribers to open their email using a discount code as an incentive.
Starface is just popping in to say hello without mentioning any incentive.
Email Design and Copy: Starface’s playful yellow branding and Big Yellow mascot really shines through.
Its copy is more focused on getting users to fall in love with its brand’s logo and character. ⭐
However, Peace Out does a good job of establishing its authority in the space with the tagline ‘the experts in acne-prone skin’:
👉 Peace Out’s mailer looks very clean, but increasing the font size would make it easier to read on mobile.
Discount offers: Peace Out offers a welcome discount of 15%, which is more enticing than Starface's 10%.
They also emphasize this again in their CTA button, which makes their Welcome email feel more upfront about being conversion-focused.
👉 Peace Out could add some brand storytelling to overcome any hurdles in the way of conversion.
Secondary blocks:
As you scroll down, the bottom of Peace Out's mailer also includes a section called 'Your Recommendations' which links to specific PDPs.
The grid layout makes it easy for subscribers to explore different products however we did notice a blunder in this section…
👉 It looks like Peace Out is promoting zero discounts with its strike-through pricing which can make shoppers feel misled.
Starface uses the rest of its first welcome mailer to encourage more sign-ups for its SMS list. This is great so you don't put all your eggs in one basket, as customers have different communication preferences.
👉 However, asking for SMS sign-ups in a welcome email may not be as effective as asking users to sign up right off the bat on your website.
So, what do we think?
Peace Out does a great job of showcasing the welcome discount offer and converting subscribers into buyers.
Starface is more focused on communicating its brand voice and story to connect with customers first and then prime them for conversion later on.
Each strategy has its strengths, with Peace Out driving quick conversions and Starface building a strong brand presence for future engagement. 💪
🎉 CELEBRATE THIS!
🌮 Jan 25: Opposite Day, Fish Taco Day, Fluoride Day
💕 Jan 26: Green Juice Day, Spouses Day
🧑💻 Jan 27: Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, Community Manager Appreciation Day
🌊 Jan 28: Data Privacy Day, Lego Day, Daisy Day, Plan for Vacation Day
🧩 Jan 29: Puzzle Day, Carnation Day, Minority Entrepreneur Day
🥐 Jan 30: Croissant Day, Draw a Dinosaur Day, Escape Day
☕ Jan 31: Backwards Day, Hot Chocolate Day, Scotch Tape Day
🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE
How well do you know your customers? The key to creating a great ad is being a master of empathy.
Figure out their pain points and aspirations and then shape your messaging.
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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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