📦 - Bringing The 🔥 Sauce

DTC 550 - AANHPI Brands, TOFU YouTube Videos, and Training Audience Friday, May 3, 2024 Good morning, It’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! This year, TikTok celebrates the cultural impact of 15 AANHPI creators, businesses, and industry disruptors with their Visionary Voices list. We wanted to create a list of our own and highlight three amazing AANHPI founders we’ve enjoyed chatting with on the DTC podcast. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: - Waterproof vegan shoes, plant-based dumplings, and single serving cooking sauces. Learn how these AANHPI brands are disrupting their industries. 🔥 - Tips on how to create high-converting top of funnel YouTube videos. - And…how to train your audience to take action. You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Hairjamm, Nutrition Hive, and Unbridled. 👋 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PILOTHOUSE 🚀 This Brand Doubled Their Sales… And Your Brand Can Join Them A service based brand joined Pilothouse’s brand accelerator, Pilot Program, with one goal in mind: scale. 🚀 The team took over their campaigns, revamped their creative approach, and saw results better than anyone could have expected… 💥 Their sales doubled and their AOV increased by over $30! This isn’t a one-off success story. The team has [limited spaces for Pilot Program]( to help your brand achieve results like these. If you want to scale to new heights through Q2 and beyond, get in touch with the partnerships team today. 🚨 [Kickstart your growth and unlock your brand’s full potential](. FOUNDER STORIES 🥟 Asian-Owned Brands You Should Know For AANHPI month, we wanted to highlight three Asian-owned brands that are killing it in the DTC space. We had the pleasure of meeting these incredible brands on the DTC podcast, so make sure to show some love and give these episodes a listen this weekend! 👇 👟 Mikaella Go and Tony Yu from [Vessi]( We chatted with two of Vessi’s co-founders Mikaella Go and Tony Yu about their vegan and waterproof shoe brand and how it scaled into a nine-figure brand. They honed in on a common customer pain point: dealing with unpredictable weather and having footwear that could protect them against the elements. 👉 Listen to Mikaella and Tony’s podcast episode [here]( about building customized experiences using AI and the growth channels they are exploring. 🥟 Eric Ji Sun Wu from [Sobo Foods]( Eric is no stranger to the DTC space. He grew Gainful, a personalized nutrition start-up to 8 figures before starting comfort food brand Sobo Foods. His plant-based dumplings cater to health-conscious consumers who want access to comfort foods with a higher nutritional value. 👉 Listen to Eric’s podcast episode [here]( about creating a quality product that resonates well with customer needs. 🍜 Emily Chan from [Omsom]( Omsom’s Marketing Director, Emily Chan, shared how the CPG brand had grown since 2020 thanks to its authentic brand story and explosive sauce flavors. She shared that 90% of its growth at the time had been due to organic channels like TikTok, Instagram, and its blog. 📈 👉 Listen to Emily’s podcast episode [here]( about creating content that resonates and tips for increasing your AOV. STRATEGY 📹 Tips To Create High-Performing TOFU YouTube Videos Ready to elevate your game and drive conversions for high AOV brands? [This video]( from Hestan Culinary is a great source of inspo for short-form ads that catch attention. 🔍 This [stand out sizzle reel]( boasts impressive stats, with the engagement rate, click-through-rate, and view rate performing well over benchmarks. Here are four elements seen in the video that you can use not only grab attention but also to deliver those oh-so-sweet conversions: 1️⃣ Use Standout Music and Tight Editing Make your videos pop by choosing music that stands out and editing with the tempo to create a seamless experience. 🎵 Tight editing keeps viewers engaged and enhances brand perception. ✂️ 2️⃣ Keep it Snappy! Attention spans are short. Keep your videos concise, within the 15-20 second mark, to deliver your message effectively without losing viewer interest. ⏱️ 3️⃣ A Clear CTA is Key Don't leave your audience guessing! Include a clear CTA that quickly showcases the brand's name and website. Make it easy for viewers to take the next step in their customer journey. 📣 4️⃣ Dynamic Style With a Mix of Visuals Keep your audience engaged with a dynamic style that combines a mix of pictures and video footage. Keep viewers immersed and entertained to get them all the way to your call to action. Remember these tips when you're whipping up your next round of video ads. Happy creating! 🚀 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Train your customers to take action by inserting links into your email messages. That way, when you send out a mailer about a new product or sale, they feel compelled to click through and get those conversions going! Can't view the image? [Click here]( 📰 NEWS - OpenAI [strikes a strategic deal with The Financial Times to train AI models](. - Pinterest [shares AI-generated collages get 3x more engagement with users than pins](. - LinkedIn [launched three games as a way for users to bond with colleagues and network connections](. SPONSOR DTC 📥 Got a B2B Biz? Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 160k brand leaders and founders this year. [Talk to our team to learn more](. Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 🛒 [AKNF 399:]( Mastering Meta Shops and Ad Instability - 🌎 Pela Case’s CEO Matt Bertulli [on Sustainable Consumer Goods]( - 🧑 [AKNF 397](: Using Data to Understand Your Authentic Audience - 👟 How Kizik [Revolutionized The Footwear Industry]( - 💸 [AKNF 395](: Navigating The New Amazon Fee-Scape - 🌱 Epic Gardening’s [Strategic Leap from Content to Commerce]( Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight]( and [Frances Du](. Edited by [Eric Dyck](. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content. [Direct To Consumer]( Pilothouse, 1011 Government St., Victoria, BC V8W 1X6, Canada [Advertise with DTC]( | [Work With Pilothouse]( [Unsubscribe](