Monday, March 27, 2023
Ahhh, Microsoft Word. Most of our first introductions to the power of the computer. 🧠
In this newsletter, you’ll find: 👇
📦 How to maximize your product development strategy
📦 The one-stop loyalty solution for building better relationships with your customers
📦 Four podcast mistakes you might be making
📦 The Northbeam media buyer index
📦 Five early TikTok wins for your brand
Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. 😎
👉 If a pal forwarded this to you, subscribe, so you never miss out.
Welcome to DTC Podcast. Last week, we did some deep learning about the future of AI with Josh Wilson, CEO and cofounder of Particl. 🤖
Particl is a data platform that uses AI to help brand owners learn what they don't know about their competitor's top-selling products, pricing strategies, and more.
In this pod, you’ll get not only a deep dive into how Particl can identify trends across 500M+ products and 80K stores but insights into the importance of collecting and storing your data and how DTC brands can leverage AI and where it’s headed in the near future.
Let’s dive in. 💾
📊 Pivotal Particl
If you’ve ever wondered:
…You can stop now.
Particl was created to help brands do just that!
They can evaluate inventory levels, see if brands sell more when decreasing their product prices, and give your brand the insights you need to make business decisions that move the needle and increase your bottom line.
No 👏 guesswork 👏 needed.
😘 A date with data
If your brand is behind on your data collection and storage, take this as your bat signal, waving red flag to bump it up on the priority list.
Josh explained that the integration of AI in DTC brands is a fabulous way to minimize your workload of monotonous tasks.
AI can understand large amounts of information that the human brain can’t, and we’re quickly seeing its ability to make connections, inferences, and ideas we’d never have dreamed up.
In the last 60 days, AI has progressed to the point where your brand can find the answers to complex questions you would have spent days on just a mere months ago.
Want to know if it’s more economical to airship or freight ship and what the timing differences will mean for your business? Ask AI. 🤝
👀 AI-n’t that something
So why do you need to start collecting data now? The more data you have on hand to feed into the machines, the more accurate suggestions and models you can leverage for your brand in the future.
AI is not only an equalizer, it’s a fabulous differentiator. Everyone will be able to crunch a number set or write a line of code; the difference between people will be their idea generation.
For more on how Particl is leveraging AI, how DTC brands can expect to be able to use it in the future, and how you can get AI-driven insights to streamline decision-making for your brand today, listen to the full episode with Josh here!
Need solutions for boosting customer lifetime value?
🚨 With increasing uncertainty and tightening budgets across the ecommerce space, you need a one-stop loyalty solution for building better relationships with your customers.
Did you know that 73% of consumers are more likely to recommend a brand if they have a loyalty program? Or that Stamped customers regularly drive 30%+ uplift in repeat average order value?
So why Stamped? They offer Points & Rewards, VIP Tiers, and Referral solutions for all your loyalty needs for brands of all sizes.
Here's why 45,000+ leading and fast-growing brands like Momofuku, TenTree, and Kitsch trust Stamped:
👉 Discover how Stamped can help strengthen customer relationships and accelerate brand growth.
Four Podcasting Mistakes You Might Be Making…
Not seeing the growth you want with your podcast? Keep reading to find out if you’re making these common mistakes.
Podcast success, like all content creation, often comes down to three factors:
This is true even for goliaths like Joe Rogan, who recorded 5,000+ hours of content over 15 years before reaching his current audience of 11 million. 🤯
So, if you aren’t consistently putting up valuable episodes and being patient with the results, success will be hard to come by. However, there are also more technical factors that can help or hinder your podcast.
Here are 4 common mistakes you might be making, and how to turn things around for faster podcast growth! 👇
1️⃣ Using non-descriptive titles.
One common mistake is using a generic title naming system like “So-and-So’s Podcast – Episode #.”
Your podcast title is a headline, and it should serve a similar purpose.
First, your title is crucial for getting listens and downloads. When the average pod enthusiast opens their streaming app, they’ll see a queue of new episodes, like this:
Unless you have a die-hard audience that tunes into every episode, your podcast is competing for listeners’ attention in their downloads. The title is your chance to hook them to press play. ▶️
(On that same note, the first few words of your episode description are also visible in the feed. So make sure to optimize that, too!)
Your podcast title also impacts your episode’s discoverability. Many people use the “search” function in podcast apps to find shows that match their interests.
In fact, according to a survey by The Podcast Host, 40% of listeners find new shows by searching their podcast app’s directory. This is a huge opportunity to grow your audience!
So, just like you would with an article headline, try using target keywords in your podcast titles to optimize for search and hook new listeners.
In sum, you can improve your podcast titles (and descriptions) by:
✅ Describing what the episode is about
✅ Using language that tempts someone to press play
✅ Including keywords that help with discoverability
2️⃣ Not capitalizing on the CTA.
Even if there’s just one person listening to your pod (hey, Mom 👋), that’s one person that finds your content valuable. The call-to-action is your opportunity to ask them to support you in return.
If you’re aiming to grow your podcast following, try CTAs like:
Or, if you’re using the podcast as a channel to support another DTC business, you can use CTAs directed toward growing that biz, such as:
You could even incentivize taking action by sending listeners something in return for following up on a CTA. 🎁
3️⃣ Skimping on show notes.
Show notes are like a podcast cheat code. 🎮
They can hook new listeners into tuning into the full episode, giving your podcast stats a nice boost. They’re also a convenient place to add links, discount codes, and resources, which increases the chances of a listener following through on a CTA.
Show notes can also help your episode appear in browser search results, which has the potential to skyrocket your podcast growth (14% of listeners search Google for podcasts).
The best way to maximize your search traffic is to turn your show notes into a full blog post for each episode. Google seems to be fond of the following format:
Buuut we know not everyone has that kind of bandwidth to make that happen. If that’s the case, consider a bare minimum approach, like:
Moral of the show notes story: do what you can, but definitely do something!
(If you want more guidance on creating show notes, check out this detailed article by Podcast Host.)
4️⃣ Thinking the work ends with “Publish.”
There are A LOT of podcasts out there (~3M to be exact). That means you need to work harder than ever to get your show into listeners’ ears.
📣 Most podcasters find that they need to spend at least as much time *promoting* their podcast as they spend *producing* it—especially early on.
One of the best podcast marketing hacks is to repurpose your episode into micro-content (audio, video, or written).
This tactic not only saves time, but also provides value to your audience and promotes your show without making you feel like a slimy salesman.
How and where you should market your podcast depends on your specific audience, but here are some general tactics that can work well:
And don’t underestimate the power of other podcasters!
🤝 Cross-promote your show by inviting hosts of relevant podcasts or being a guest on other shows (here’s a helpful Reddit thread for podcast guest exchanges). You can also team up with other podcasters to run giveaways or challenges for each of your audience.
✨TL;DR?
We’ve got some exciting new data for DTC readers. Thanks to our friends at Northbeam, we’re bringing you what’s happening and current in the world of media buying. 🗺️
If you’re a buyer, step right up and get your insights. If you’re not, forward this email to your media buying friends or coworkers!
🧠 Northbeam’s insights
Meta seized an increasing amount of budget share this month (+1.70%), as advertisers pull spend from other platforms bit by bit. CPMs are up across the board, most notably on Pinterest (+11.46%) and TikTok (+10.93%). CPCs are seeing the most fluctuation across TikTok (+4.36%), Pinterest (-5.92%), and MS Ads (+4.43%). The decrease in Meta ROAS (-2.28%) is almost inversely mirrored by Google's increase in ROAS (+2.44%).
Lastly, we continue to see interesting ROAS data across Youtube (+2.93), as we recommend continuing to watch this channel.
(CPM = Cost Per Thousand | CPC = Cost Per Click | ROAS = Return On Ad Spend)
Five Early Wins on TikTok That Can Skyrocket Your Brand to Long-Term Success
If you’ve tested and found product-market fit for your brand on TikTokk you may be looking for simple ways to get the most out of your paid efforts on the platform.
Even with the current changing landscape, TikTok still presents a massive opportunity for brands seeking to explore new marketing channels.
Last week on All Killer, No Filler, we sat down with Pilothouse’s Head of TikTok and asked him to spill the beans on the five steps your brand can take today to set yourself up for long-term success.
🧠 Get understood
By this time, you know you should test a variety of styles and lengths of creative. On top of that, you should also test how much information you need to give to your customer for them to understand both your product and value proposition.
Don’t leave your potential shoppers overwhelmed with too much info, but don’t leave them underwhelmed and have them leave without knowing what you’re selling.
❌ Don’t be afraid of blocking
If you don’t have one set up on your account already, you should have a robust blocked word list and have someone running comment moderation to flip negative comments.
Don’t just shoot someone down who doesn’t see your product in the same light as you do! Comments are a balancing act, they help engagement and can educate other viewers on your business, ideals, and selling points.
🛒 Launch during high-season or sales times
Pilothouse launched a client on TikTok around Mother’s Day that had historically done well at the time.
Launching during a time of high purchase intent allows you to flood the pixel with positive signals about your brand.
🟢 Reactions and greenscreen creative
Have someone ready to get rolling on reaction and greenscreen content to fuel your growth. Not only is it fun to watch, but it expands the lifespan of your creative.
👋 Bye bye, tight branding
It’s time to throw your tight branding on TikTok out of the window. Open up your style, be authentic, and stop pushing branded-only on your account. Find your story and be proud to tell it!
For more insights from the Pilothouse TikTok team and examples of brands scaling successfully on TikTok, listen to the full episode here.
🟥 Mid-Day Squares: Jake Karls and Nick Saltarelli - Rainmaking, Fundraising and "One word: F&%^ng Crazy."
🧖♀️ Bushbalm's David Gaylord goes B2B, Enters US retail bigly, and rides the Vajacial wave on DTC.
👀 Ronak Shah - Obvi Collagen - Obvi's biggest blunders (and how you can avoid them) - C-Suite Mentor Preview.
🚀 BattlBox John Roman - The Subscription with the ~$1000 LTV and the Netflix Rocket Ship.
👟 Kuru Footwear’s Turnaround Playbook: Sean McGinnis on the CRO Tactics That Doubled Revenue (C-Suite Mentor Preview).
🧑🦲 iRestore Hair Growth System: Kevin Chen - The True Impact of Costco.
💡 Listen to the Biggest Marketing News Stories Today.
Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight, Kelsey Hess, and Michael Venditti. Edited by Claire Beveridge and Eric Dyck.
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