Good morning,
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
💡 A Way to Boost Ad Performance
Learn how to leverage your brand story.
🚀 Bluesky on the Rise
Why are users flocking to decentralized platforms?
🔥 Soda Wars Heat Up
Coca-Cola enters the prebiotic game.
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: MOMS Options, Ksubi, and Rustica. 👋
If you:
Then you won’t want to miss this: 👇
Join this free Website Sales Workshop on February 26 at 12 PM EST, hosted by CPG Fast Track and Pilothouse.
In this interactive session, get:
This workshop isn’t just theory. Pilothouse has used the same practical advice to help brands grow and improve online performance.
Can’t attend live? No stress. Register anyway to get the recording!
⚡ Scaling Brand Story Ad Copy
Brand stories are super relevant to users, pique interest, engage, and in many cases, convert Facebook and Instagram traffic.
The Pilothouse Meta team has leveraged brand or founder stories with dozens of partners and is here to share the learnings exclusively with you
.
This is an example of leveraging the brand story in the hook of ad copy while still enticing users to purchase a product:
This copy variation scaled 47.62% higher than other copy variations run in the account, with an 11.14% higher ROAS.
If you’re looking to take your brand to the next level, brand story ad copy is worth a test!
This is why the ad performed well:
The hook is more of a soft sell that sets a friendly tone and connects with the user by calling out a mission and being Canadian.
Clear copy: The bullet points call out the USPs and benefits of the brand and products in a friendly tone.
Gets customers to act: This last portion of the ad copy increases urgency and entices users to click and shop today.
It combines the brand story with pushing a purchase by mentioning a product drop and limited stock.
If you have a strong brand story and mission, try this type of angle in your Meta ad account and see how it performs!
❗ Reminder for Google Ads Advertisers
Reminder for advertisers that Google Ads will require businesses to be rolling out mandatory brand guidelines by the end of the month.
What this means: Brands must officially document business names and logos before March or risk automated changes to ad campaigns.
🎉 What If Influencers Were EXCITED to Talk About Your Brand?
It’s not a fantasy. Just ask HexClad, Olipop, Graza, and Obvi - they've built communities of influencers who love their products. 💁♀️
Their formula is simple:
But how do you manage all those relationships? You could hire more people (expensive), limit your growth (frustrating), or work non-stop (unsustainable). 😫
Want a better option? ✨
👉 SARAL gives you the tools to execute at scale without the burnout.
SARAL lets you:
Brands crushing influencer marketing all have one thing in common - they've systematized their approach. 👏
SARAL gives you that system.
Mention DTC Newsletter for an extended free trial!
* sponsored
💡 Bluesky’s Rapid Growth: Is It The New X?
In 2024, Bluesky ended the year with 10 million users.
Now, it has skyrocketed to nearly 32 million users, adding hundreds of thousands of new accounts every week.
Why the sudden rise in popularity?
Users are flocking to decentralized platforms—social networks that aren’t owned or controlled by a single company.
These platforms offer more control, allowing users to have a say in how they operate.
How Bluesky works:
CEO Jay Graber explains, “On Bluesky, you control your scroll—the power is in the hands of the user.”
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities for brands. Companies will just need to change their strategy from paid to organic.
The takeaway?
Users are frustrated with traditional platforms like X and Meta and are seeking alternatives without restrictive algorithms.
Brands will need to shift from paid ads to organic content to succeed on Bluesky.
Advertising success will be measured by engagement, interactions, and community building rather than just impressions.
Do you think Bluesky is the next X?
NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH
Coca-Cola has dropped a new product, a prebiotic soda line called Simply Pop, as an effort to attract younger consumers and compete with other healthy soda brands like Olipop and Poppi.
Soda consumption has fallen in the past 20 years, but healthier alternatives are booming in popularity.
The healthy soft drinks category has grown from $197 million in 2020 to $440 million in 2024.
⚡ QUICK HITS
👂 Have you heard what shoppers are saying about your industry? Yotpo analyzed 51M shopper reviews—see what’s trending, what’s flopping, and what it means for your business. Dive into the report. *
💡 Are you confident in your brand’s growth strategy? If hitting your numbers or ROAS is a struggle, Pilothouse can help. We’re looking for 3 brands to partner with and drive growth. Book a call now.
💸 MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
📥 Got a B2B Biz?
Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 150k brand leaders and founders this year. Talk to our team to learn more.
Have you heard our latest podcasts?
Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content.
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