In today’s episode, we’re getting into how and why direct mail can be an impactful part of your retention strategy. We discuss why the first 7–14 days post-purchase are critical, how we’re approaching cross-sells and multi-channel retention, what’s working from postcards to premium catalogs, and where direct mail fits into our overall growth strategies.

We’re also joined by Michael Epstein, co-founder of PostPilot, who talks about how the platform makes direct mail fast and easy for brands to actually use. We discuss why coupon codes and QR scans don’t tell the full story, how holdout testing gives you a real read on incrementality, and what attribution looks like at the household level. Michael also shares how brands are using predictive targeting and peer benchmarking inside the platform, and why premium catalogs can create a brand moment that digital ads just can’t match.

If you have a question for the MOperators Hotline, click the link to be in with a chance of it being discussed on the show: https://forms.gle/1W7nKoNK5Zakm1Xv6

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

06:02 Multi-Channel Retention Strategies

17:53 Customer Experience and Retention Management

24:00 Direct Mail Campaigns and Effectiveness

30:04 Postpilot and Direct Mail Solutions

43:39 Revolutionizing Direct Mail Marketing

01:03:29 Optimizing Direct Mail Tactics

01:19:36 Acquisition Strategies Through Direct Mail

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Motion.

⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/pricing?utm_source=marketing-operators-podcast&utm_medium=paidsponsor&utm_campaign=march-2024-ad-reads⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/creative-trends

Prescient AI.⁠⁠⁠

https://www.prescientai.com/operators

Richpanel.⁠⁠⁠

https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=MO&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdesc

Aftersell.

https://www.aftersell.com/operators

Rivo.

https://www.rivo.io/operators

PostPilot.

https://www.postpilot.com/

Subscribe to the 9 Operators Podcast here:

https://www.youtube.com/@Operators9

Subscribe to the Finance Operators Podcast here:

https://www.youtube.com/@FinanceOperatorsFOPS

Sign up to the 9 Operators newsletter here:

https://9operators.com/

In today’s episode, we’re joined by George Davis, CMO at Cozy Earth, to talk about their viral social challenge - the Cozy Earth Bed Rot Challenge.

George shares the story behind the challenge and how it started as a little MVP test in season one with five employees and a $1k prize, and how it grew into season two with a 24/7 livestream, 50M+ impressions and 15k emails collected. We dig into what worked, where the limits were, the brand’s goal of building cultural relevance over direct sales, and how marketing plays of this size stack up against running ads. We also get into the importance of taking big swings and risks, and George shares how brand partnerships and a refined strategy are shaping plans for season three.

From there, we dive into incrementality — one of the trickiest parts of performance marketing. We talk through channel holdouts, overlapping signals, directional insights, negative incremental ROAS, long-term readouts, and why the numbers don’t always tell the full story.

To hear more of our thoughts as the Cozy Earth Bed Rot Challenge played out, listen to: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6z40HWMVQoBFOBY0Xk6S7v?si=1CoayJh-TkaMi2gsylIyZA

If you have a question for the MOperators Hotline, click the link to be in with a chance of it being discussed on the show: https://forms.gle/1W7nKoNK5Zakm1Xv6

Chapters:

00:00:44 Introduction

05:09:17 What is the Bed Rot Challenge?

18:28:47 Brand Building vs. Driving Direct Revenue

33:24:55 The Risk of Failure

44:03:84 Deep Dive on Incrementality

54:37:06 The Case for Longer Holdout Tests

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Motion.⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/pricing?utm_source=marketing-operators-podcast&utm_medium=paidsponsor&utm_campaign=march-2024-ad-reads⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/creative-trends

Prescient AI.⁠⁠⁠

https://www.prescientai.com/operators

Richpanel.⁠⁠⁠

https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=MO&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdesc

Aftersell.

https://www.aftersell.com/operators

Rivo.

https://www.rivo.io/operators

Subscribe to the 9 Operators Podcast here:

https://www.youtube.com/@Operators9

Subscribe to the Finance Operators Podcast here:

https://www.youtube.com/@FinanceOperatorsFOPS

Sign up to the 9 Operators newsletter here:

https://9operators.com/

Today we’re exploring how DTC brands can reach new audiences on Meta using partnership ads, and how they can improve performance and strengthen the paid social mix, as well as checking in on how Ridge's sweepstakes are going so far.

We talk through how partnership ads compare to whitelisting, our experiences working with creators of all sizes, and what’s actually driving ROI. We also get into the role of gifting, why ads run from a creator’s handle often outperform those from a brand handle, and why single-handle creator ads usually feel the most native. Finally, we cover how partnership ads function as signal engineering, whether they truly deliver incremental reach, and the role of creative in making them work.

If you have a question for the MOperators Hotline, click the link to be in with a chance of it being discussed on the show: https://forms.gle/1W7nKoNK5Zakm1Xv6

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

07:06 Influencer Marketing Strategies

18:06 Partnership Ads vs. Traditional Ads

27:23 Signal Engineering and Audience Insights

35:20 Navigating Meta's Advertising Challenges

44:37 Leveraging Influencer Marketing for Targeted Reach

01:00:20 Enhancing Customer Experience Through Personalization

Powered by:

Motion.⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/pricing?utm_source=marketing-operators-podcast&utm_medium=paidsponsor&utm_campaign=march-2024-ad-reads⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/creative-trends

Prescient AI.⁠⁠⁠https://www.prescientai.com/operators

Richpanel.⁠⁠⁠https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=MO&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdesc

Aftersell.https://www.aftersell.com/operators

Haus.http://Haus.io/operators

Subscribe to the 9 Operators Podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/@Operators9

Subscribe to the Finance Operators Podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/@FinanceOperatorsFOPS

Sign up to the 9 Operators newsletter here: https://9operators.com/