📦 - Dark Blue BMW 5x With The Cognac Interior

DTC 502 - Long Form Content, CRO Tips, and Gmail Sunsetting Hoax Tuesday, February 27, 2024 We’re in the ‘little treat’ economy. Even us marketers fall for all the marketing tricks of the trade when it’s little treat time. 😂 Good morning, We’ve seen video content get shorter and shorter over the years. While it looked like we were heading in the direction of 2-second video clips (we joke, we joke), a single TikTok series that popped off this past week proved that our attention spans are still intact. 🫡 Some X users have been sharing the sentiment that they’re over short-form content and seeking the storytelling and story times of YouTube’s past… Reesa Teesa’s 50-part ‘Who TF Did I Marry?’ TikTok series certainly delivered. The lowest viewed video in the series has over 4M views, and the highest raked in over 35M. Turns out long-form content is not dead and the 10 minute TikTok function has a pretty solid use case. Will we be seeing brands take advantage of it (and its viral potential)? It wouldn’t shock us. 👀 Feature length behind the scenes factory tour anyone?! Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: - What we learned from Reesa Teesa’s viral TikTok series: how brands can create binge worthy long form video content. - We chat with Warpdrive CEO Brett Turner on the importance of conversion rate optimization and how to approach it from a media buyer’s POV. - And, don’t worry, Gmail is not shutting down. It’s all fake news. You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Buzzfeed, Audible, and Angelcare Group. 👋 MASTERCLASS 🌟 Elevate Your Email Strategy with Insights from Noah Kagan * Struggling with email engagement and conversions? Join Klaviyo's [exclusive webinar]( (this Thursday, February 29th!) featuring Noah Kagan, the mastermind behind seven successful multi-million dollar companies. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from a seasoned expert who has mastered the art of effective digital communication. In this power-packed session, you'll discover: - Innovative Copywriting: Learn how to craft compelling messages that resonate with your audience. - Effective A/B Testing: Uncover the secrets to determining what truly works. - List Growth Strategies: Expand your reach and build a stronger, more responsive audience. - Smart Segmentation: Tailor your approach for maximum impact. - Personalized Engagement: Understand how to make every customer feel special. This is more than a webinar – it's your gateway to transforming your direct-to-consumer marketing efforts and driving significant revenue. Don't miss your chance to learn from a legend! [Reserve Your Spot]( WHAT’S TRENDING 🔥 Ways To Create Bingeable Long Form Video Content Have you listened to Reesa Teesa’s ‘Who TF Did I Marry?’ playlist on Tiktok? 👀 Go listen to it right now. We promise it’s worth it. The candid creator blew up last week after she uploaded multiple ten minute videos a day about how her scammer boyfriend turned husband fooled her for years. In just a week her [@reesamteesa TikTok account]( has gained over 2.7 million followers. This type of growth trajectory has not been seen since the early days of TikTok and deserves a closer look. 🔍 Below we explain why this long-form video content went viral and what brands can learn about increasing their watch time and user engagement. Why this went viral: - Used the 10 minute video length format: In the past few months TikTok has been [rolling out longer video formats]( to diversify content offerings and attract more advertisers. Right now you can shoot a video for up to ten minutes. A lot of creators haven’t been using this feature, since the platform is known for more short-form content and users with short attention spans, but Reesa Teesa used this feature for her 50-part series and the algorithm gave it a wider reach. 🕜 - Masterclass storytelling: There’s no denying that Reesa Teesa is a top notch storyteller. Starting a 50-part series is not for the faint of heart, but she managed to keep TikTok users glued to their seats and begging for the next video. Here’s how she made bingeable content: - Sets expectations and builds anticipation: She uses statements like ‘This detail will be important later’ so users stay engaged, actively listen, and feel compelled to keep watching. - Ends most videos with a cliffhanger. It’s nearly impossible to watch just one of her videos since she always teases a new plotline or revelation. (FYI this online dating horror story has more twists and turns than a Netflix crime documentary.) 🤯 - Takes advantage of TikTok’s Playlist Feature. Along with using the 10-minute format, she also organized all the videos in a playlist so users can listen to the entire series like a podcast. - Highly relatable: Who doesn’t have an online dating horror story at this point? At the heart of the series, Reesa Teesa states multiple times she is sharing her story in the hopes that she can help at least one person who has been in a similar situation. She positions herself as a relatable figure and someone who shows up authentically on the app. It compels users to comment on her videos with similar stories of their own, increasing her engagement rate. 💬 The takeaway? - Thanks to the Reesa Teesa Effect, we predict the TikTok algorithm will make an even stronger push for creators and brands to use the 10-minute video format now that they have a proven success story to reference. - There is a major shift happening now on TikTok. Rather than relying on trending songs, there will be more emphasis on storytelling to gain views and followers. - Users will stop scrolling if the story is compelling enough to hold their attention. Brands should experiment with longer TikTok videos to widen their reach. [Hilton Hotels]( tested the ten minute format with a compelling CTA to get you to watch until the end. - Platforms like [Pinterest are launching an episodic series]( for users who are craving a longer video format. For brands who want to create long-form video content, using some of these techniques and tactics from Reesa Teesa’s viral series is a great starting point! PODCAST 🎧 The Ultimate CRO Framework For Media Buyers In this episode of the pod, we catch up with Brett from [Pilothouse]( and discuss the importance of conversion rate optimization (CRO) and how to approach it from a media buyer’s POV. In this podcast, we cover: - Why you should be testing different elements of the conversion funnel - The importance of audience segmentation and context - Proven ways to optimize the checkout experience on Shopify - The concept of headless commerce to improve page speed and CRO performance 👉 You can listen to the full episode with Brett [here](. 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE A rumor spread like wildfire over the past few days that Google was sunsetting their email service Gmail. The fake announcement circulated on X but Gmail quickly responded that it is here to stay and this was nothing but fake news. Can't view the image? [Click here]( 🧰 THE TOOLKIT 🪂 Shopify revenue plummets 10–15% without upsells. Yeah, seriously! But you can add upsells in minutes with OneClickUpsell. Don’t lose another buck in free upsells, [try OneClickUpsell today](.* 🌱 Get commission-only influencers to promote your brand. How? Build an automated product seeding program with SARAL. [Book a demo to learn more.](* 📰 NEWS - Meta [expands Creator Marketplace tool access]( so it’s easier for businesses to find creators for campaigns. - [Google strikes a deal with Reddit]( to use their content for their AI training models. - GoDaddy’s [new AI tool Airo]( makes it easier for SMBs to generate a logo and website within minutes. - Start up [Figure AI raises $675 million]( from Bezos, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, OpenAI, etc. for human-like robots to help with warehouse tasks. SPONSOR DTC 📥 Promote your product to 160,000 digital marketing professionals DTC Newsletter + Podcast reaches a highly qualified audience of Shopify merchants, eCommerce founders, and digital marketers. [Talk to our team to learn more](. Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 🧦 Streamlining Success – Outway's Taylor Fraser on [Simplifying to Scale Ecommerce]( - 👀 [AKNF 379:]( TikTok Shop Affiliates: The Time Is Now - 🔗 Ezra Firestone on [Proactive SEO and Brand Acquisitions]( - 📈 [AKNF 377:]( Spilling our Performance Max Google Ad Secrets - ⭐ Niclas Bornling on [the Art of Brand Storytelling]( 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](. NEED MORE DTC? 🚀 [Advertise]( in DTC Newsletter. 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](