- 18
- Episodes
- 6
- Ratings
- 2025
- First episode
About DTC Hotline
Hot takes. Cold truths. Real eCom advice.
- Publisher
- Common Thread Collective
- Category
- business
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 6 Aug 2025
- Latest episode
- 5 Dec 2025
Latest episodes
18 episodes in the feed.
5 Dec 2025
47 Brands, $127M: What Really Worked on BFCM This Year
In this episode of The DTC Hotline, we unpack what actually happened during BFCM across 147 brands, representing $127M in revenue and $25M in media spend. We break down: The macro story: 8–10% YoY growth, flat order volume, rising AOV, and the surge in BNPL Why UGC video and 3–4x more creative output became the unlock in a post-Advantage+ world The shock appearance of AppLovin as the #3 channel in our dataset The “tight window” offer strategies that outperformed month-long promotions How brands used novelty, micro-peaks, and parachute offers to rescue underperforming days Hour-by-hour media pacing: why BFCM requires real-time decision making Tactical stories from accounts that flipped their day by switching offers or duplicating campaigns The emerging pattern: more spend, more creative, less fixed cost → the only way through 2025+ Plus: Luke and Tony give their unfiltered takes on Dubai, what felt surreal, and what they learned from meeting the accelerator team IRL. If you want the real BFCM insights—not recycled takes—this is the recap brands are using to plan 2025. Show Notes: Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com (https://www.prophitsystem.com) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us your eComm questions.
21 Nov 2025
AppLovin’s Incrementality Is INSANE
AppLovin’s incrementality is way bigger than anyone expected, and in this episode of the DTC Hotline, we break down exactly why. With Black Friday/Cyber Monday right around the corner, brands are scrambling to understand whether AppLovin is a true “next-Meta” opportunity… or just hype. After running multiple incrementality tests across CTC’s client portfolio, the results are clear: this channel is creating more business value than the platform reports. In this episode, Richard, Tony, and Luke explain: Why AppLovin is showing insane incremental lift How scale compares to Meta, Snap, and Pinterest The exact setup (pixel, feed, creative) you need right now Why BFCM performance will look inflated — and what to do after How to think about becoming an AppLovin advertiser in 2025 The mindset shift brands need to win new channels If you’re considering AppLovin for BFCM or planning your 2025 media mix, this episode is your blueprint. Show Notes: Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc (https://www.fermat.com/ctc) Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com (https://www.prophitsystem.com) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us your eComm questions.
14 Nov 2025
The Truth About Meta Performance Before Black Friday (Stop Pulling Spend!)
Everyone panics in early November… but your Meta ROAS isn’t actually broken, you’re just looking at the wrong numbers. In today’s episode of The DTC Hotline, we break down the real truth about Meta performance leading into Black Friday:why efficiency always looks terrible right now, how delayed attribution works, and why this is the single worst moment to pull back on spend. Tony, Luke, and Richard walk through: The 7-day vs 28-day attribution gap most brands ignore Why 80% of your value shows up late (and 20% shows up way later) How to know if you should hold or adjust your spend The BFCM offer structures that actually perform Why Black Friday ALWAYS works — and why the winners keep spending If you’re feeling the November fear… Hold the line. Trust the data. Plant the seeds now. Got a burning eComm question? Call or text 866-DTC-2263 to get it answered on the show. Show Notes: Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc (https://www.fermat.com/ctc) Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com (https://www.prophitsystem.com) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us your eComm questions.
7 Nov 2025
How Do I Project Growth for My $3M Brand?
Your brand’s doing $3M in revenue. You’re growing fast. But how do you actually project that growth for 2026, without guessing? In this episode of The DTC Hotline, we break down how to build a growth forecast like a $30M brand — using constraints, not wishful thinking. You’ll learn: How to forecast growth when you’re in the $3M–$10M stage The Spend-to-aMER model (and why it beats ROAS) How to set profitability constraints before chasing scale The difference between a $3M and $30M planning mindset What most founders get wrong about forecasting for 2026 Got a burning eComm question? Call or text 866-DTC-2263 to get it answered on the show. Show Notes: Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc (https://www.fermat.com/ctc) Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com (https://www.prophitsystem.com) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us your eComm questions.
31 Oct 2025
How to Set Up Your Meta Account for Black Friday Success
How should your Meta Ads account be structured to win this Black Friday and Cyber Monday? In this episode of The DTC Hotline, the CTC crew Richard, Tony, and Luke break down exactly how to set up your Meta account for BFCM success. You’ll learn: The simplest campaign structure that maximizes performance during peak sales When (and why) to use separate campaigns or bid caps How to create a “phantom” highest-volume campaign ready to flip on when spend surges The right budget pacing and time-zone settings for the BFCM weekend Quick landing page, creative, and offer consistency tips that keep your Meta ecosystem tight Whether you’re managing seven figure ad spend or just trying to get your setup right before Black Friday hits, this episode gives you a clear, tested roadmap straight from CTC’s media team. Show Notes: Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc (https://www.fermat.com/ctc) Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com (https://www.prophitsystem.com) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us your eComm questions.
24 Oct 2025
How do you identify and fill your Q4 revenue gaps?
Most brands talk about hitting their Q4 goals — but few have a system to identify and close revenue gaps before they happen. In this episode of The DTC Hotline, Tony, Luke, and Richard break down how to spot and fill revenue shortfalls during the holidays, using the same daily frameworks CTC applies across top DTC brands. They’ll walk through: How to pinpoint whether your gap is in new or returning customers The daily cadence CTC uses to track and close gaps in real time When to deploy incrementality tests and channel expansion (like AppLovin) to recover missed revenue Why every forecast should translate into specific daily actions And how to think in “units of growth” — the building blocks of hitting your Q4 target If you’ve ever wondered how to turn missed forecasts into closed gaps — this episode is your blueprint. Call or text the DTC Hotline: 866-DTC-2263 (866-382-2263) Ask your burning eComm questions and we might answer them live on air. Show Notes: Whether you’re running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermatcommerce.com/ctc (https://www.fermatcommerce.com/ctc) Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com (https://www.prophitsystem.com) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask your eCom questions.
17 Oct 2025
How Many Meta Ads You Actually Need to Hit $500K/Month
Most brands have no idea how many ads they actually need to scale profitably on Meta. In this episode of The DTC Hotline, Tony, Luke, and Richard break down the creative math behind Meta ad performance revealing how to calculate your brand’s true creative demand and avoid overspending during Q4. They’ll walk through: How to know if your Meta spend has hit the point of diminishing returns The 5 creative metrics that predict your next winner How to estimate your ideal ad count to hit $500K/month Why Meta’s algorithm rewards creative diversity — not repetition The system CTC uses to forecast ad output for top DTC brands If you’ve ever asked “Why isn’t my Meta spend scaling?” — this episode is your answer. Call or text the DTC Hotline: 866-DTC-2263 (866-382-2263) Ask your burning ecom questions and we might answer them live on air. Show Notes: Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc (https://www.fermat.com/ctc) Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com (https://www.prophitsystem.com) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us your eComm questions.
10 Oct 2025
AppLovin’s Rise, Google Ads Setup, and Amazon Reality Check
AppLovin’s Rise, Google Ads Setup, and the Amazon Reality CheckWelcome back to the DTC Hotline, your direct line to hot takes, cold truths, and real e-commerce advice from the team at Common Thread Collective. In this episode, “The Professor” and “The Chopper” dig into three huge topics shaping paid media right now:-AppLovin’s Rise — Why this mobile ad platform is suddenly delivering 2× Meta’s ROI, how its non skippable video inventory works, and what makes its pixel shockingly powerful.-Google Ads Setup for 7-Figure Brands — The right order of operations for success: pixel, feed, shopping, scale. How to avoid double counting conversions and nail your Merchant Center setup.-Amazon Reality Check — The truth about launching in today’s supplement saturated marketplace. When “velocity” beats “branding,” and how to decide whether you’re ready to compete.-Plus: Why “decide and commit” is the only mindset that works in new channel expansion and how CTC is testing AppLovin incrementality for real results.Call or text the DTC Hotline: 866-DTC-2263 (866-382-2263)Ask your burning e-com questions and we might answer them live on air.Show Notes:-Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website. https://www.fermat.com/ctc (https://www.fermat.com/ctc)-Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com (https://www.prophitsystem.com)-The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us your eComm questions.
3 Oct 2025
Do New Customers Need to Be First-Order-Profitable during BFCM?
You can’t just “optimize” your way through Q4.In this episode, Richard, Tony, and Luke tackle two real questions from DTC Hotline listeners: What should you prioritize when your new customer file is shrinking—short-term profitability or long-term growth? How should brands structure creative, offers, and remarketing campaigns heading into BFCM? The conversation covers hard trade-offs between short-term EBITDA targets and multi-year growth horizons, plus what kinds of investments (media, product, or brand) actually move the needle. You’ll also hear sharp takes on Q4 strategy—from when to launch holiday creative, to stacking Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday offers, to why simplicity often beats complexity.Call the Hotline:📞 866-DTC-2263Show Notes:Whether you're running paid ads on Meta, Google, or TikTok, FERMÀT can help you increase your conversion rates without touching your website.https://www.fermat.com/ctcInterested in ADmission?Learn more at https://www.youradmission.co/Explore the Prophit System:https://www.prophitsystem.comThe DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us your eComm questions.
26 Sept 2025
How do you exit Meta's learning phase?
You can’t media-buy your way out of a product, or offer, problem.In this episode, Richard, Tony, and Luke tackle two big questions from listeners:- What can low-conversion brands do to escape Meta’s learning phase?- How do you actually measure if YouTube demand gen is working?And the answers? They don’t live in your ad account.You’ll hear hard truths about attribution, the real power of offer strategy, and why performance marketers need to stop over-optimizing and start zooming out. Plus: how CTC is rethinking creative testing and what the “just-in-time” model for ad production might look like.Show Notes:Interested in ADmission? Learn more at https://www.youradmission.co/Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.comThe DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of eCom
19 Sept 2025
Is Anyone Making Enough Creative?
In this week’s episode of The DTC Hotline, Richard “The Professor” Gaffin is joined by Tony “The Chopper” Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke “The Weatherman” Austin (VP of eCommerce Strategy) to answer the toughest operator questions—live from the Hotline. They tackle: • How to actually scale creative production (and why most brands get it wrong) • What Loop Earplugs is doing right—and how to replicate their model • Why relying on one team for all your ad creative will cap your performance • What a balanced budget between creative and media spend really looks like • How incrementality works (with metaphors involving McDonald’s scales, butcher shops, and Amazon) • How to operate brands with long purchase windows without chasing your tail in Meta • The case for the Profit Engineer and why the media ecosystem is collapsing (in a good way) This is where your eCommerce questions get answered—direct, practical, and unfiltered. 📞 Call or text us your question: 866-DTC-2263 Show Notes: Join over 15,000 merchants protecting their revenue with Chargeflow. Use our promo code CF30 and start saving money, time, and sanity today: https://www.app.chargeflow.io/auth/sign-in?utm_source=ctc+hotline%2C+podcast&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CTC+Hotline+%26+Chargeflow&utm_id=CTC+Hotline (https://app.chargeflow.io/auth/sign-in?utm_source=ctc+hotline%2C+podcast&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CTC+Hotline+%26+Chargeflow&utm_id=CTC+Hotline) Interested in ADmission? Learn more at https://www.youradmission.co/ (https://www.youradmission.co/) Explore the Prophit System: https:www.prophitsystem.com (http://prophitsystem.com) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com (mailto:podcast@commonthreadco.com) to ask us any questions you might have about the world of eCom
12 Sept 2025
What is the Best Offer for BCFM This Year?
In this week’s episode of The DTC Hotline, Richard “The Professor” Gaffin is joined by Tony “The Chopper” Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke “The Weatherman” Austin (VP of Ecommerce Strategy) to answer the toughest operator questions—live from the Hotline. They tackle: How to structure BFCM offers that boost perceived value without killing your margin Why “returning customer media” might be more incremental than you’d expect What Spend-to-aMER modeling can reveal about overspending (or underspending) this Q4 The evolving role of aMER in brands with high repeat revenue How to sequence your Black Friday offer ladder—and why bundles, thresholds, and gifts still win The future of media mix modeling, and where incrementality testing is headed next This is where your ecommerce questions get answered—direct, practical, and unfiltered. Call or text us your question: 866-DTC-2263 Show Notes: Join over 15,000 merchants protecting their revenue with Chargeflow. Using our promo code CF30 and start saving money, time, and sanity today: https://www.app.chargeflow.io/auth/sign-in?utm_source=ctc+hotline%2C+podcast&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CTC+Hotline+%26+Chargeflow&utm_id=CTC+Hotline (https://app.chargeflow.io/auth/sign-in?utm_source=ctc+hotline%2C+podcast&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CTC+Hotline+%26+Chargeflow&utm_id=CTC+Hotline) Interested in ADmission? Learn more at https://www.youradmission.co/ (https://www.youradmission.co/) Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com (http://prophitsystem.com) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com (mailto:podcast@commonthreadco.com) to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm
5 Sept 2025
How is eCom actually using AI?
In this week’s episode of The DTC Hotline, Richard “The Professor” Gaffin is joined by Tony “The Chopper” Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke “The Weatherman” Austin (VP of eCommerce Strategy) to answer the toughest operator questions—live from the Hotline. They tackle: • How price increases in response to tariffs are affecting brands, supply chains, and consumer sentiment • Why “creative fatigue” is Meta’s most important hidden metric—and why finding ad #6 or #7 is so hard • How brands should weigh risk vs reward when responding to Texas’s new SMS law • The real way AI is impacting the workforce (hint: it’s strategy, not production), plus Tony & Luke’s personal workflows with it This is where your eCommerce questions get answered—direct, practical, and unfiltered. 📞 Call or text us your question: 866-DTC-2263 Show Notes: Join over 15,000 merchants protecting their revenue with Chargeflow. Right now, you can try it FREE for 60 days. https://www.chargeflow.io/ Interested in ADmission? Learn more at https://www.youradmission.co/ (https://www.youradmission.co/) Explore the Prophit System: prophitsystem.com (http://prophitsystem.com) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com (mailto:podcast@commonthreadco.com) to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm
2 Sept 2025
What's the best (and worst) e-Commerce niche right now?
For today's episode of The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, we're featuring our latest episode of The DTC Hotline. Richard Gaffin is joined by Tony Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke Austin (VP of Ecommerce Strategy) to take on real questions from DTC operators. They tackle: What to do when your Meta campaign suddenly “stops working” How to troubleshoot between creative fatigue vs. policy/pixel/payment issues Convincing strict brand teams to loosen up and allow creative diversity Whether top-of-funnel campaigns (Add-to-Cart, Awareness, etc.) are worth it, and how to measure their impact The niches and product types they’d choose (and avoid) if starting an eCom brand today This is where your questions get answered with hot takes and cold truths from CTC’s sharpest operators. Ready to earn trust, convert shoppers, and inspire customer loyalty? Check out Yotpo (https://www.yotpo.com/?utm_source=CommonThreadCollective&utm_medium=comarketing&utm_term=podcast) Call or text us your questions: 866-DTC-2263 (tel:+8663822263) Explore the Prophit System: prophitsystem.com (https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-system) The DTC Hotline mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com (mailto:podcast@commonthreadco.com) to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm
22 Aug 2025
Meta Targeting, Subscription LTV, & Traits of a Great Media Buyer
In this week’s episode of The DTC Hotline, Richard Gaffin is joined by Tony “The Chopper” Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke “The Weatherman” Austin (VP of eCommerce Strategy) to take on real questions from DTC operators—bringing hot takes and cold truths on today’s toughest ad challenges.They tackle: - Should you move away from ASC if Meta overspends on the “wrong” age bracket? - What to do when Meta pushes spend into underperforming ads - How to approach media buying for subscription businesses with high LTV - Cost controls and strategy when you’ve got a massive SKU catalog - The personality traits that actually make a great media buyerThis is where your eCommerce questions get answered—direct, practical, and unfiltered.Call or text us your question: 866-DTC-2263Interested in Admission? Learn more at https://www.youradmission.co/ Email: podcast@commonthreadco.com Explore the Prophit System: https://www.prophitsystem.com
15 Aug 2025
How Do I Pitch My Boss on Cost Caps?
In this week’s episode of The DTC Hotline, Richard Gaffin is joined once again by Tony “The Chopper” Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke “The Weatherman” Austin (VP of eCommerce Strategy) to take real questions from eComm operators and Admission members—no fluff, just clear, hard-earned answers. They tackle: • What to do when “nothing works” on Meta (and why that diagnosis is often wrong) • How to spot the real business problem hiding behind poor ad performance • Why TikTok creative might crush while Meta flops—and how to close the gap • When to expand into secondary channels like Pinterest or Snapchat (and when not to) • The truth about CPMs—and why chasing lower costs can lead you astray • How to pitch cost caps to your boss so they actually say yes • Why profitable scaling means solving business problems, not just account problems This is where your DTC questions get answered in real time. Call or text us: 866-DTC-2263 Interested in Admission? Learn more at https://www.youradmission.co/ Email: podcast@commonthreadco.com Explore the Prophit System: https://prophitsystem.com
8 Aug 2025
What is the future of eCom? Ep.01
In the debut of The DTC Hotline, Richard Gaffin is joined by Tony “The Chopper” Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke “The Weatherman” Austin (VP of eCommerce Strategy) to take real questions from eComm operators and Admission members—no fluff, just unfiltered answers.They tackle:• Why your Meta cost caps aren’t spending (and what to do about it)• How much creative is really “a lot” in today’s ad environment• The best tools for competitor research and ad spying• What to do when LTV is low and repeat purchases are rare• When to launch a new campaign vs. just adding creatives• Why AI is more valuable for strategy than production• The truth about when (or if) eCommerce is “getting better”Call, text, or listen in—this is where your DTC questions get answered in real time.Interested in Admission? Learn more at https://www.youradmission.co/ (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2VxMWd1bHpFWHVIeVNOXzNVRTIwRXZCakRsZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttYUxwY1hmMWl1X3A3YTRINkpHT2trR2NtQXBSM2M1VWc1R0JOX2JGNy1SZDVTY0pnTGdKNXFxX1NFY1hOQy1CUC1CSENtb1NCaUpSUy1CWXluQmVSNXNCUjg5aHZ1a2JiUk9wYmEtbHFZQ2R4OFR3RQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youradmission.co%2F&v=p_cc_PTGoao)Call or text us: 866-DTC-2263Email: podcast@commonthreadco.comExplore the Prophit System: https://prophitsystem.com (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmFEMlNOY3ZfT01uQWFEMXhmM1lnV1BZZHFTZ3xBQ3Jtc0tteUs4bW40YVVGRVczcXc5X2tGbkpCTGlVeDFVWXdsdHlGMGp1VGZRSkxvdEd1Ymo2VUxCOXNHUG9nVk9ZNU12RmZ3cEpPYTBkcy1nVWQ2U3kxd1dPWTRlbzdqMUd1VjlLNmVMUXR0amV1c1c0dXlINA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fprophitsystem.com%2F&v=p_cc_PTGoao)
6 Aug 2025
Introducing our newest podcast . . . The DTC Hotline!
Welcome to The DTC Hotline — the eCom call-in show. Hot takes, cold truths, real advice. Episode 1 premieres this Friday, August 8th! Hosted by Richard Gaffin, Tony “The Chopper” Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke “The Weatherman” Austin (VP of eCommerce Strategy), this show takes real questions from real operators and breaks them down with unfiltered insights. Got a burning DTC question? Call or text the DTC Hotline at 866 - DTC - 2263.
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