🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your free audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0pzLCJ0

Creative costs are climbing fast.
Meta’s changed how ads learn.
And AI is completely redefining what “creative strategy” means in 2026.

In this episode, Olly and Loukas dive into how brands can adapt to Meta’s creative similarity update, scale creative diversity without burning resources, and build systems that use AI as part of the production line — not a side tool.

They unpack what happens when 70% of your iterations get grouped under the same entity ID, why the role of an AI videographer is about to become one of the most important hires in performance marketing, and how tools like Sora, VEO 3.1, Nano Banana, and Gemini are reshaping the creative process.

From creative operations to prompt engineering, this episode breaks down what the next wave of performance marketing really looks like and why the future belongs to the brands who move fast and systemise smarter.

Watch Andrej Karpathy's podcast episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXUZvyajciY

---

We're excited to share that we are hiring creative strategists to join the UK's number one independent meta-agency, as recognised by Meta. Our team is known for being curious, innovative, and fast-growing, and we work with leading D2C brands like Heights, Mindful Chef, and Spacegoods and 47 Skin. If you're interested in being part of our dynamic team, please send me an email loukas@hambimedia.co.uk

---

From the team behind Soar With Us and Hambi Media: http://www.soarwithus.co/

0:00 - Intro
01:08 - Club Neuro community event
03:10 - Film recommendation: “I swear”
04:40 - Creative diversity revisited
07:18 - The new iteration strategy
15:15 - Rise of AI production
19:40 - Andrej Karpathy podcast episode
23:35 - New AI drops
27:45 - Building our AI data warehouse
36:66 - How we're using VEO 3
45:20 - The future of creative operations + predictions

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your free audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0ppm8t0

Meta’s Creative Similarity Penalty just changed the rules - here’s how to protect your performance in 2026

In one of the biggest creative updates since Andromeda, Meta has changed the way your ads are evaluated and most brands are getting silently penalised.

This episode of D2C Diaries is a deep dive into Meta’s new Creative Similarity Algorithm, powered by Entity ID and Creative ID tracking.

We tested 20 ads for a top-spending brand. Meta flagged 15 of them as identical, even though they featured different creators, different hooks, and different formats.

Why? Because they looked visually similar and that now triggers Meta’s Entity ID grouping, which kills:
- Incremental reach
- Fresh delivery
- Performance learning
- CPM efficiency
This changes everything about how DTC brands should approach ad iteration, creative testing, and campaign planning in 2026.

This is the most comprehensive breakdown of Meta’s creative diversity update you’ll find, packed with examples, agency-tested frameworks, and tactical steps you can implement immediately.

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D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Wayflyer
They’re offering $25,000 in upfront capital for just $1,800 to help you ramp up your efforts leading into Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This funding can be crucial for covering unexpected costs and ensuring you can double down on your best-performing ads while staying stocked. Timing is everything, so don’t miss out! https://kntn.ly/55cfeeff

---

We're excited to share that we are hiring creative strategists to join the UK's number one independent meta-agency, as recognised by Meta. Our team is known for being curious, innovative, and fast-growing, and we work with leading D2C brands like Heights, Mindful Chef, and Space Good 47 Skin. If you're interested in being part of our dynamic team, please send me an email loukas@hambimedia.co.uk

---

From the team behind Soar With Us and Hambi Media: [www.soarwithus.co](http://www.soarwithus.co/)

00:00 Introduction to creative update
01:35 Wayflyer's Black Friday offer
03:10 What's changed on Meta
05:40 We're hiring
06:35 The creative diversity scale
08:10 Entity ID vs creative ID
09:25 Visual examples
12:07 Why does Entity ID matter?
13:43 How our testing has changed
15:07 The building blocks of creative differentiation
17:50 How to test
21:40 Creative vehicles we're leaning into
23:45 Iterating with visual differentiation + hooks
30:20 Static iteration examples
37:00 How we're adjusting our approach

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Wayflyer

Running an ecom brand and struggling with cash flow? Whether you're scaling ad spend or restocking bestsellers ahead of peak season, Wayflyer provides fast, non-dilutive funding tailored to e-commerce businesses. No equity. No months of waiting. Just the capital and insights you need to grow, on your terms.

Check them out: partners.wayflyer.com/soar


In this episode, Olly sits down with Soar COO Sam to unpack the hard lessons from their early experiments with AI.

After spending over £30K on tools, workflows, and automation frameworks that quickly became obsolete, the team realised they were solving the wrong problem.

This episode dives into the strategic shift that followed, from prompt engineering to context engineering, from static workflows to scalable infrastructure.

You’ll learn:
 – What context engineering actually looks like inside a creative team
 – The difference between business-level vs process-level context
 – How to build agentic systems that don’t collapse under real-world complexity
 – How Soar’s internal AI Committee drives bottom-up adoption across departments

If you're building with AI inside a fast-moving team, this is the blueprint we wish we had six months ago.

Watch Andrej Karpathy’s LLM Breakdown Video: https://youtu.be/EWvNQjAaOHw
Comment on our Youtube "AI" to receive Sam's run-through on how to 10x creative strategy by using AI-powered context engineering

00:00 Introducing Sam and his role with AI 
07:10 Where our AI systems broke (and why)
11:10 Business-level vs process-level context
14:15 Codifying human judgment into systems
15:30 Flashy tools vs infrastructure that scales
17:45 Our internal AI committee
28:50 Slope vs intercept thinking in AI builds
32:30 Data warehousing
39:35 Creating UGC briefs with MCP
52:20 Setting brands up for the next 6 months
1:00:00 The S-tier tools we're actually using

Black Friday isn’t just another sales weekend,  for some DTC brands, it makes up 90% of yearly revenue.

In this episode of D2C Diaries, Olly and Loukas break down the exact playbook that drove £45M in sales from £11.5M in Meta ad spend during Black Friday 2024 and reveal how they’ve evolved the strategy for 2025.

You’ll learn:
- The proven goal-setting framework to anchor your BFCM strategy
- Offer strategies that actually convert without overcomplicating
- Why creative iteration beats “net new” assets every time
- Lead generation tactics to fill your funnel before Q4
- How gifting angles and TikTok Shop are reshaping 2025 BFCM

🔥 Exclusive Giveaways:

Comment “peak” to get Week 1 of our Ultimate BFCM Series, including the Black Friday Master Sheet to set your goals and targets.

Comment “offer designs” to unlock 30 Canva templates for static ad creatives you can plug straight into your campaigns.

This is your 2025 Black Friday playbook. Don’t leave 90% of your revenue to chance.

0:00 Sharing our learnings from £45M in BFCM revenue
03:30 Unit economics with our master sheet
9:30 Crafting a great Black Friday offer
14:20 Forecasting, pacing, and daily revenue tracking
16:00 Lead generation in Q4 success
19:30 How to execute top-of-funnel lead gen campaigns
21:30 Lead gen case studies
22:30 Urgency, exclusivity & scarcity as lead gen drivers
25:00 Gamification & referral mechanics that work
27:30 Looking at past data
30:30 Funnel splits for creative and reusing top performers
34:00 Static vs video performance in BFCM
36:30 Obscure hooks 
37:50 Q4 consumer psychology
42:00 Middle and bottom of funnel
48:10 Hook frameworks
54:25 How to scale creative volume without burning out
57:20 TikTok Shop predictions for Q4 2025
59:30 Reactive CRM plays 
1:00:30 Wrap-up + future deep dives

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

CRO is the growth lever 99% of DTC brands are ignoring.

In this episode, Olly is joined by Dylan Ander, ex-agency owner, 2x eCom founder, and now the creator of Heatmap.com, the CRO tool quietly powering some of the highest-performing brands online.

They break down the post-click strategies the top 1% are using to scale profitably and why your landing page might matter more than your creative.
You’ll learn:
- Why CRO is the real 80/20 of DTC growth
- What metrics actually matter (hint: not conversion rate)
- Why you should stop sending traffic to over-engineered PDPs
- How Dylan helped brands unlock 7 figures from simple CRO tweaks
- Tactical wins around landing pages, AOV, revenue per session & more

This is a must-listen for founders, creative strategists, and media buyers looking to scale beyond the click.

0:00 - Why we’re talking CRO, not ads
3:00 - Top 1% brands are doing these 3 things
13:25 - Listicles, bundles, ugly pages that scale
15:10 - Review mining + customer data
19:18 - Quickest wins in CRO
28:10 - Why conversion rate is a vanity metric
31:45 - Offer testing = huge CRO lever
37:29 - Dylan’s journey into SaaS
41:20 - Why Dylan built Heatmap
43:00 - Operating principles of SaaS 
46:55 - How top users get value from Heatmap
49:20 - Where AI + CRO are heading
53:10 - Pricing

Most brands creatives live at the bottom of the funnel, battling over the same small pool of ready-to-buy customers.

But 80% of our best-performing ads? They start much higher up.

In this episode of D2C Diaries, Loukas shares the exact internal training we run with our creative strategists on the hardest skill in paid social: storytelling.

You’ll see how we script for unaware and problem aware audiences (the stages most brands ignore) and why they’re the biggest unlock for scaling cold traffic.

From building 15–40 second setups to weaving human desires into scripts, this is the framework we use to turn good ads into top performers.

This session was too valuable to keep behind closed doors, so Loukas re-filmed the whole thing for our channel.

Watch the training now and learn how to tell stories that sell.

00:00 Storytelling as the hardest paid social skill
02:53 Evolution of the funnel
04:40 Funnel stages & messaging
09:58 Hooking cold audiences without the product
12:50 Pitfalls that kill storytelling
18:55 Cutting fluff in scripts
24:00 Ditching jargon
28:12 Using human desires
39:10 Messaging by market sophistication
51:00 Curiosity loop techniques
56: 45 Best-in-class examples
1:01:30 Recap & key takeaways

Creative strategy is evolving, fast. And Alex Cooper is one of the sharpest minds pushing the industry forward.

In this episode, we dig into the intersection of AI and creativity: how brands can scale content that actually converts, why performance-first storytelling matters now more than ever, and what the strategist’s role really looks like in 2025.

Alex shares:
- How AI is changing the business model of creative agencies
- How AI is already reshaping the creative strategists role
- What it takes to scale content in 2025 with AI
- Why Alex believes "briefing will be the most valuable skill in the next 12 months"
- Why agencies that don’t build internal IP will lose to ones that do
- And why the next wave of winning agencies will look nothing like the old ones

Whether you're deep in the weeds of performance creative or rethinking your workflow post-ChatGPT, this conversation is a roadmap for the next chapter of creative strategy.

0:00 Who is Alex Cooper? His positioning in AI + creative strategy
3:12 Meta + TikTok creative formats working now 
8:00 Why video gen is worth investing in + use cases
14:45 Ugly ads with AI
19:15 Longform ads
20:30 Unaware + problem aware ads
27:07 Why best practices often don’t apply
29:17 Other timeless tactics
32:15 Formats that are declining
35:00  High prod vs low prod
37:20 Why many creative problems are research problems
43:00 Training creative strategy teams + internal ops
47:00 Studying the TikTok organic feed
48:45 Incentivise framework for teams
50:35 Hardest skill to train for creative strategists
57:20 Alex’s favourite AI use cases
1:04:45 Tools to enhance workflow
1:08:00 The role of creative strategists in 12-24 months
1:10:25 AI creative vs authenticity 
1:13:20 The future of creative agencies

Follow Alex on socials:
Twitter: https://x.com/alexgoughcooper
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC_M813lRmlnrqHDs5COWRGA 

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

What happens when you give Loukas two weeks, a cleared calendar, and unrestricted access to Google’s new Veo 3?

You get a repeatable system for generating scroll-stopping ad hooks, without touching a camera.

In this episode of D2C Diaries, Loukas breaks down the exact prompt structure we now use within the agency group to turn ChatGPT JSON prompts into Veo 3-generated ads. Whether you’re scaling a best-performing hook or building a fresh creative system from scratch, this workflow will save your team hours and unlock new angles faster.

We cover:
 – How Loukas used JSON formatting to get better results from Veo 3
 – The key components of creating a high-performing AI hook
 – Real examples of hooks we’ve built and scaled across Meta
 – Why realism often kills performance (and absurdity wins).
 – How to use Veo 3 + ChatGPT to 10X creative volume in your ad account

We’re also giving away the exact JSON prompt template we now use in the agency.

👉 Drop robot in the YouTube comments and we’ll send it to you.

Watch the videos featured!
Motion's baby podcast: https://x.com/rezakhadjavi/status/1935690909984665644
Too short for Modeling Liquid Death Ad https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLkPcDmPchO/

This episode is for founders, CMOs, and creative strategists ready to build faster and scale smarter.

00:00 What is Veo 3 and why it matters for DTC creative
06:40 Examples of scroll-stopping AI ads
15:15 Examples of hook variations with VEO 3
18:30 How we use ChatGPT + Veo 3 together with JSON
25:30 Constraints to VEO 3
29:10 How to use Flow within VEO 3 
35:20 Product rendering + brand integration in AI videos
39:10 Use cases of VEO 3
41:30 Legal, IP and content authenticity concerns
49:40 Final thoughts + how to get the full prompt template

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

Matt Kelly is back on the podcast, 9 months after his first episode, and a lot has changed.

In this brutally honest conversation, Matt opens up about what it really feels like to scale a wellness brand beyond 8 figures.

We talk:
– Space Goods has gone from £3.5M to a projected £18M.
– Growing from 1 to 15 employees in 9 months
– Losing his sense of purpose as the business outgrows him
– Why the rebrand feels terrifying (even after 5 months of work)
– The reality of copycats launching before he does
– Getting quote tweeted by Andrew Tate
– And how ChatGPT is basically his creative director

If you’re a founder, operator, or builder navigating scale, you’ll feel this one.

🎧 Full episode available now.
🔔 Subscribe for more behind-the-scenes convos with the operators shaping the future of DTC.


00:00 Matt Kelly is back
02:40 Spacegoods 2.0: start up to scale up
04:05 Losing founder identity
10:55 Are you happy?
14:50 Setting a long term vision
20:00 Spacegoods rebrand
21:50 TikTok shop zombie brands
24:40 Product + SKU journey
25:40 What's next in health + wellness?
30:32 Product development
35:40 ChatGPT as Matt’s co-founder
39:40 VEO 3
42:30 Product roadmap
44:20 Retail VS DTC
49:30 Getting called out by Andrew Tate
53:00 Being transparent 
57:30 What's next for Spacegoods

Follow Matt: https://x.com/matthucius
https://spacegoods.com/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

Back by popular demand, this solo episode is loaded with behind-the-scenes insights on what’s working right now in the DTC performance space.

Olly and Loukas get brutally honest about what it actually takes to scale creative, fix performance plateaus, and build a winning system inside a high-growth agency. From a UGC format that’s driving £1M+ in spend, to the playbooks reshaping TikTok Shop and Meta, this one’s a deep dive into what’s moving the needle.

They also unpack what’s really going on with platform policy changes, the biggest brand power moves in CPG, and how Soar is levelling up systems, team, and strategy to hit new scale.

If you're a founder, operator, or growth marketer looking for clarity on what works now, this is your edge.

🚨 Download our Whitelisting guide here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0lNw9l0

0:00 We're so back
1:10 Congratulations are in order...
3:20 UGC deep dive: what's working
10:10 Which static ads are converting
14:00 High-performing high-prod ads
17:40 Onomatopoeia in ads
18:42 Whitelisting quick wins
22:45 David Protein lawsuit
30:28 Creatine scandal 2.0
38:55 High AOV brands on TikTok Shop
46:05 Agency group operations
51:25 Our creative framework database
54:00 Hiring for drive
57:47 What's coming next

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

In this episode of D2C Diaries, Loukas is joined by Ash Melwani, CMO and co-founder of Obvi, one of the most transparent and battle-tested operators in DTC.

Ash breaks down the exact Meta strategy that took Obvi to $1M/month in revenue, and the moment it all fell apart.

You’ll learn:
- The Meta playbook Obvi used to scale with static ads
- Why Meta performance collapsed overnight (and what they missed)
- How Andromeda and health category crackdowns hit hard
- Their pivot to creative volume, video-first strategies, and cross-channel diversification
- What’s working right now and why you can’t rely on Meta alone anymore

From $50M in spend to platform restrictions and a creative overhaul, Ash shares the raw lessons and tactical pivots every brand needs to hear in 2025.

00:00 Obvi’s origin story and early creative focus
02:50 Why Ash shares everything publicly
05:30 The 2024 strategy that drove $1M/month in spend
08:00 Business manager restrictions
10:15 Diversifying content and channels
12:00 Meta over-reliance
14:15 Building an organic foundation before running paid
15:16 TikTok for awareness + testing
23:55 Learnings from retail
32:00 IRL events = retention + golden cohort
36:25 Full creative mix
40:00 AI content should look intentionally AI
42:45 Strategic volume on Meta
45:11 Why engagement matters more than ever
49:50 Ash’s tech stack & tools he uses weekly
54:12 His thoughts on exit
55:10 What Ash would build next if he started over

Follow  @AshvinMelwani :
https://x.com/ashvinmelwani
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashvinmelwani/

Follow  @myobvi  
https://myobvi.com/
https://www.facebook.com/myObvi/
https://www.instagram.com/obvi
https://www.tiktok.com/@obvi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

In this episode, we sit down with Sam Matanle, co-founder of Batch LDN, the made-to-order menswear brand disrupting fashion’s broken model. Sam breaks down how Batch scaled 2.2x YoY, with 75% of revenue from one physical store and zero reliance on paid media or held stock.


We cover:
1. Why fast fashion is financially broken and what works instead
2. The decision to bet big on retail instead of performance marketing
3. What happened when their Covent Garden store got robbed at 5am
4. Why 70% of fittings convert and 25% of customers repurchase within a year
5. How Batch London is rewiring the buying journey and turning a suit into a lifestyle

This one’s packed with founder truths, sustainable growth insights, and proof that product + experience OVER flashy funnels.

00:00 Background + early years
07:00 Starting Batch LDN with co-founder
13:55 Early product development
18:00 Why fast fashion is broken
23:19 Managing customer expectations
27:01 Post-purchase journey, behind-the-scenes content
28:40 Maintaining focus on made-to-order model
31:00 Acquisition drivers + retail strategy
34:10 Events strategy + brand community
42:50 Website traffic down but revenue up
45:22 Content strategy (organic storytelling)
48:50 Store break-in + how they turned it into a viral campaign
55:20 Hardest part of running a business + burnout
59:50 Using journaling and tracking burnout signals

Follow Sam:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-matanle/
https://www.instagram.com/samuelmatanle/

Follow By Batch LDN
https://www.instagram.com/batch.ldn/
https://www.tiktok.com/@batch.ldn

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

The D2C landscape has been completely rewritten in the last six months.

Meta’s changing what it rewards. AI is reshaping how we research, test, and create. And the creative tactics that worked just half a year ago are already burning out.

In this episode of D2C Diaries, Olly and Loukas break down what’s actually driving performance right now and how smart brands are adapting to find incremental reach in a tougher, more competitive landscape.

They dig into what Meta is really rewarding in 2025, why format and hook now matter more than volume, and how to build creative that signals to the algorithm - not just the audience.

The conversation covers the building blocks of modern creative strategy, how they’re using Grok + Reddit for sharper audience research, and why founder ads, nostalgia, and demographic nuance are quietly outperforming trend chasing.

They also unpack a new GMV MAX tactic that’s driving £6–7K/day for clients and discuss how subtle shifts in creative structure are helping brands scale sustainably.

🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your free audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0nQz9n0

0:00 — Intro
2:03 — Liquid Death controversy explained
7:44 — Creative similarity and incremental reach
14:42 — Using AI (Grok/X) for persona and audience research
17:57 — Google Trends & keyword analysis for insight
22:58 — Tailoring creative for personas and demographics
29:07 — Messaging depth, market sophistication, and emotion
35:06 — Creative formats, founder ads, and persona-driven hooks
42:25 — TikTok Shop, AI content, and evolving creative execution
49:46 — Static ads, nostalgic hooks, and final takeaways

From the team behind Soar With Us and Hambi Media: [www.soarwithus.co](http://www.soarwithus.co/)

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

How do you handle it when your kitchen-table beauty brand suddenly pulls in £60K before lunch — and you’re still counting stock by hand?

In this episode of D2C Diaries, we sit down with Ellie Carlile, the unstoppable founder behind By Ellie, the brand born from a personal skin struggle, a £2,000 investment, and a makeshift label operation in her mum’s garage. 

Ellie shares the raw, real journey of building a beauty brand that now sells every 10 minutes, is stocked in Sephora, and runs multi-market TikTok Shop operations across the UK and EU.

We unpack:
- How she turned product reviews into a content engine
- The 30M-view TikTok that changed everything
- Why staying founder-led was the secret to community-led growth
- The chaos (and learnings) behind overselling thousands of units in one hour
- The frameworks she uses to scale with focus, from TED values to product simplicity

This is one for any founder navigating content overwhelm, platform changes, and the pressure to scale while staying true to their brand.

00:00 Starting the business
03:57 First launch mistakes
06:18 Growth strategy
08:40 Why raw content wins
11:20 Bottlenecks in the business
12:30 Handling virality
14:45 Entering paid media
17:37 Building a brand beyond the founder
22:20 The reality of scaling a team
24:50 Core values in the team
27:05 Staying focused while scaling
28:10 Landing Sephora
32:50 TikTok Shop strategy
37:40 The US Tariff crisis
40:40 Being transparent with customers
42:45 Working with TikTok affiliates
47:40 Growing as a founder

Follow Ellie:
https://www.instagram.com/elliecarlile_/
https://www.tiktok.com/@ellie.n.c

Follow By Ellie Beauty
https://www.instagram.com/byelliebeauty/
https://www.tiktok.com/@byelliebeauty

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

Kristian Hansen (AKA, The Jeans Guy) didn’t plan to build a fashion brand. But after accidentally buying a pair of women’s jeans, he posted a TikTok asking, “Is this really what women deal with every day?” and woke up to 3 million views. 

Welcome to the story behind slø, a custom denim brand that’s rewriting every rule in DTC fashion.

In this episode of DTC Diaries, Kristian takes us behind the scenes of a business that:
- Offers 1170 sizes and manages over 900,000 SKUs
- Sold $400,000 worth of jeans in its first hour, completely organically
- Grew a waitlist of over 200,000 customers from TikTok and community alone
- Built a factory from scratch in Turkey after every supplier failed to deliver
- Runs a 1.5% return rate in one of the highest-return industries on earth
- Ships custom-fit jeans in under 21 days with a factory-powered SaaS stack

Kristian doesn’t just talk about product or performance, he shows what it takes to build a real moat in DTC: full control, radical transparency, and obsession with customer experience.

If you’re a founder, operator, or marketer trying to scale without shortcuts, this episode is for you. 

00:00 The viral TikTok that started it all
03:00 The $400k launch that went wrong
05:00 Supply chain failures + learning curve
10:45 Why they chose accessibility over premium pricing
12:30 Customer commitment 
16:00 Complexity of SKUs & 1.5% return rate
21:50 Building a supply chain SaaS
24:07 Custom built business model
29:18 Being "The Jeans Guy"
31:30 Community building and customer service
40:00 Slo’s product roadmap
42:00 Future vision
44:40 Lessons learned & what the future holds

Follow Kristian
https://www.slo.co/
https://www.tiktok.com/@thejeansguy

Follow Joe on socials:
Linkedn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-marston/
Twitter: https://x.com/JoeJMarston

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Levinger, one of the most sought-after minds in consumer insights and behavioural strategy, to unpack the mental models behind performance creative. From understanding generational buying behaviour to why storytelling is outperforming old frameworks, Sarah shares a fresh perspective on what today’s top-performing DTC brands are doing differently.

We cover:
- Why “hook, body, CTA” is losing effectiveness
- The 4 ad types every brand should be running (but most aren’t)
- How AI is changing static ad creation and why psychology matters more than ever
- Using emotional insights to improve ad resonance and attribution
- What’s coming next for DTC brands in the next 12–18 months

Whether you’re a founder, CMO, or performance lead, this one’s packed with insights that’ll challenge how you think about creative.

00:00 – Intro
05:45 – The death of hook-body-CTA
08:30 – Brand vs performance: finding the balance
13:12 – What actually drives people to buy
17:46 – Why top-of-funnel strategy is broken
22:51 – The power of brand voice from day one
26:20 – Speaking like your customer (without losing your voice)
31:45 – Why your post-purchase surveys are lying
35:38 – Gen Z vs Gen X: how different audiences respond
40:15 – Creative testing in 2025: less iteration, more impact
44:02 – Sarah’s creative audit process
47:33 – What’s next for DTC

Follow Sarah:
tetherinsights.io
https://x.com/SarahLevinger
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

What do snoods, Amazon, and Sunday League football have in common?

They were the unlikely start of Frankie Thorogood’s DTC journey, one that turned a £100 Alibaba order into a 7-figure exit.

In this episode, Frankie breaks down how he built not one, but THREE brands from the ground up, including Pott’d, now an 8-figure business. 

We dive into what most founders get wrong about scaling, the power of Amazon, how to build a brand around your life (not the other way around), and why most “marketing advice” online is complete noise.

This one’s packed with brutal honesty, underrated strategies, and founder-first perspective you won’t hear anywhere else.

If you’re building in the trenches, listen to this before your next product launch.

00:00 The Snood Guy
08:45 The First Big Brand: TCA
13:42 Starting Pott’d
20: 28 Amazon vs DTC
22:45 Pott’d Growth: Hitting 8 Figures
24:10 Delegation, Hiring & Letting Go
34:50 Great Products First
37:20 Cutting Through The Noise
39:33 Perfection Kills Progress
42:00 The future of Pott'd
44:15 The Product Development Advantage
46:30 Building a Community
49:25 Exit goals + Becoming a Household Name
51:30 Ecom Predicitons

Follow Frankie:
www.linkedin.com/in/frankiethorogood/
https://www.instagram.com/theurbanartist/
https://www.instagram.com/frankiethorogood/
https://www.frankie.co.uk/

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Triple Whale.

Triple Whale is our north star when it comes to data-driven decisions. Whether you're just starting out or running a 9-figure brand, this is the tool that will help you and your team see around corners and move faster.

Visit www.triplewhale.com/d2cdiaries to learn more.

What does it really take to build a 6-figure TikTok Live? 

In this episode, we're joined by Daisy, founder of Glow For It, a brand that’s become one of the biggest breakout successes on TikTok Shop.

Daisy breaks down the exact strategy behind their record-breaking 6-figure live stream, how she built a cult-like community from a personal story, and why TikTok isn’t just a social platform, it’s a full-blown sales engine. From raw founder realities to structured launch playbooks, we go deep on everything from affiliate creators, to why TikTok Live is still one of the most underused channels in DTC.

If you’re a founder, marketer, or creator looking to unlock scale on TikTok, this is the blueprint you’ve been waiting for.

We cover:
- The behind-the-scenes of Glow For It’s 6-figure live stream
- Turning personal pain into brand purpose (and loyal customers)
- TikTok Shop affiliate strategies that actually drive volume
- How Daisy went from packing orders in her mum’s kitchen to landing in Boots
- Launch tactics: teasing, timing, and flooding the algorithm

This is one of the most actionable TikTok deep dives we’ve ever recorded.

00:00 Daisy’s Backstory
08:35 Spotting the Market Gap
10:01 Laying the Early Brand Foundations
13:16 The Viral Video That Changed Everything
14:33 Getting Over Fear
18:50 Advice For Founders 
21:10 Transitioning From Founder-led to Team-led Brand Presence
22:46 Treating TikTok as a Primary Sales Channel
26:47 Launch Playbook on TikTok
32:49 Deep Dive into the 12-hour Live that did 6-Figures
42:58  What’s next: retail growth, US expansion, and new hero SKUs
46:56 Daisy’s TikTok predictions for the next 12–24 months

Follow Glow For It on Socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@glowforitshop 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glowforitshop/

Follow Daisy:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisy-kelly-ba2085231
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daisymaykelly_/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Triple Whale.

Triple Whale is our north star when it comes to data-driven decisions. Whether you're just starting out or running a 9-figure brand, this is the tool that will help you and your team see around corners and move faster.

Visit www.triplewhale.com/d2cdiaries to learn more.

Rejected by all 6 Dragons, then hit £4.5M in sales.

Lucie Macleod walked into the Dragon’s Den asking for £190k.
She left with zero offers… and the internet on her side.

In this episode, the founder of Hair Syrup breaks down how she turned a side hustle into a multi-channel beauty brand, why she leaned into public rejection on Dragon’s Den, and how she continues to dominate TikTok without relying on affiliates.

She unpacks:
▫️The brutal reality of pitching for 3.5 hours with cameras rolling
▫️How she used the rejection to fuel record-breaking sales
▫️What most founders get wrong about visibility, brand story, and virality
▫️Her playbook for converting TikTok attention into long-term customers
▫️The content system she uses to publish daily, without a big team
▫️And the unfiltered truth of running a fast-growing brand at 24

This one’s for every founder who's been underestimated and made it work anyway.

00:00 Viral Brand Origin & Early Growth
04:30 Authentic Founders Story
05:49 Re-defining Natural Haircare
07:50 Lucie’s Entrepreneurial Traits
11:50 Starting on TikTok
18:35 Content Strategy
31:33 Dragon’s Den: The Full Story
37:45 Struggles Within The Business
39:41 BTS of Dragons Den
44:35 The Controversial Offer
54:28 Impact & Strategic Execution
01:02:40 The Downside of Personal Branding.

Follow Hair Syrup on Socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hairsyrup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hairsyrup/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Triple Whale.

Triple Whale is our north star when it comes to data-driven decisions. Whether you're just starting out or running a 9-figure brand, this is the tool that will help you and your team see around corners and move faster.

Visit www.triplewhale.com/d2cdiaries to learn more.

In this episode, Olly and Loukas break down the exact AI systems they’re using across creative, strategy, operations, and personal systems designed to reduce cognitive load, streamline decision-making, and drive compounding returns across strategy, operations, and execution.

You’ll learn:
* Why most brands fail with AI (and how to fix it)
* How Loukas built a CFO bot to analyse P&Ls and spot overspend in seconds
* Using AI for SOP creation, meeting notes, personal CRM, and even calendar audits
* The tools they’re using for deep research, content repurposing, and performance feedback loops (e.g. Fixer, Lindy, Poppy, Claude, Triple Whale agents)

This is practical, not theoretical.
If you're still prompting ChatGPT like it’s Google, this episode will change the game.

Ideal for: Brand operators, marketers, and growth leads who want to use AI for impact, not just efficiency.

00:00 Intro
03:53 Feeding GPT Personal/Business Data
08:50 SOP’s
13:45 Fixer + Airtable: A Personal CRM
17:00 LindyAI: Multi-Agent Workflows
20:52 Chat-GPT Deep Research
22:55 Lindy AI: Calendar Audit Agents
24:35 Shopify x ChatGPT Checkout Integration 
26:20 Triple Whale AI Agents
30:00 Full Creative Tech Stack

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

In this solo deep-dive, Olly and Loukas unpack the full launch strategy behind IM8, David Beckham’s new wellness brand, and break down why it’s one of the most intentional DTC rollouts they’ve seen in a while.

From aggressive “us vs them” positioning to a hyper-consistent funnel experience, IM8 is throwing punches directly at AG1 and doing a lot right in the process. But not everything’s perfect.

They cover:
- The full IM8 funnel breakdown (from unaware ads to hyper-targeted landing pages).
- How brand consistency builds trust and drives conversions
- Where Beckham’s founder content falls flat (and how to fix it)
- Why nostalgia is an underrated lever in performance creative
- How IM8 uses third-party experts, credibility stacking, and strategic whitelisting
-The creative formats that should be next for them

If you’re running paid media or building a DTC brand, this is a clinic in strategic funnel execution, brand building, and where even elite brands leave opportunity on the table.

🚨 Comment on our Youtube video "IM8" and we'll send you the full whimsical board breakdown🚨

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

Mark Rushmore didn’t just co-found one of the most disruptive brands in oral care,  he’s engineered a masterclass in sustainable DTC growth.

In this episode, we unpack the wild journey from managing Pringles at P&G to building SURI, the electric toothbrush brand doing £24M+ in just over two years. Mark shares how a list of life goals, a chance meeting on a speedboat, and a bet on sustainability turned into a category-defining business.

Expect no fluff, just real stories and battle-tested strategies:

1. The product-market gap no one saw in oral care
2. Building a brand on performance, design, and sustainability
3. The creative formula behind SURI’s 2x ROAS ads
4. His PR, SEO & Listicle Strategy
5. How to break into the US market and get featured on Good Morning America
6. Lessons from scaling fast without burning out (or your team)

Whether you’re scaling a DTC brand or thinking about your next move, this is the blueprint for building something with staying power — and impact.

Follow Mark on socials:
Linkedn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-rushmore-b1240a19/
https://www.trysuri.com/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

TikTok Shop is the most powerful growth levers in DTC right now.

In this episode, Olly and Loukas sit down with Liam Dean, Co-Founder of For You Advertising (the UK’s top TikTok agency who spent £20M on ads in 2024 alone), to unpack the full strategy behind what’s actually working on TikTok Shop right now.

They break down how UK brands are driving millions in GMV through affiliate creators, storytelling-led ads, and TikTok Lives... and how that content is being repurposed into high-performing Meta ads.

From a first-time creator generating £130K in GMV to a brand giving away Lamborghinis to top affiliates, this episode is packed with real data, viral creative analysis, and practical frameworks you can apply today.

What they cover:
1. Why TikTok Shop is the biggest DTC growth channel in 2025 and how brands are winning early
2. How For You Advertising went from a lockdown idea to one of TikTok’s top 6 agency spenders in the UK
3. How affiliates have become the new “sales team” for scaling TikTok Shop
4. The 5 viral creative frameworks driving results and how to repurpose them into Meta-compliant, high-ROAS ads
5. The live formats that convert: from order packing to community-driven tutorials
6. What’s next: AI creators, TikTok One, and the rise of automated affiliate growth

Whether you're an operator at £50K/month or scaling to 8-figures, this is a masterclass in launching, scaling, and sustaining growth on TikTok Shop, without burning margin or missing creative momentum.

+PLUS 🎁 Get the free Creative Resource + Unit Economics Calculator by subscribing to our Youtube Channel and commenting on the video "TIKTOK SHOP CREATIVE" and we'll send it over. 💥 

Follow Liam on socials:
Linkedn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-dean-a11a43152/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

Purdy & Figg has quietly become one of the most impressive DTC brands in the UK. 1 in 20 households now use the product. But what’s more impressive is how they've done it:

One product. One market. One channel. For six years.

In this episode, Jack breaks down how he's stayed this focused and why most brands burn growth by diversifying too early.

We get into how Purdy & Figg became the blueprint for creative volume, running 180 shoots a year and scaling a performance team in-house before it was trendy. Now, he's pivoting again, this time toward creative *diversity*, building campaigns that stretch across YouTube, TV, podcasts and radio.

He talks honestly about the real impact of brand spend, the cash flow pain of TV, and why DR alone will never build a lifestyle brand. There's deep insight here on CAC, media mix, testing frameworks, org structure and how to lead a DTC company without losing your grip on creative.

This conversation lays out exactly how to scale performance and brand, without sacrificing either.

🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your free audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0nQwsq0

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Foreplay.

Foreplay is the must-have tool for monitoring competitors, curating endless ad inspiration, and finding that one winning ad that can scale your business.

Get 20% off FOR LIFE with code “D2CDIARIES” at Foreplay here https://shorturl.at/LEzzZ

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Find out how to maximise the value of your ecom brand here from the Fortia Summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWAb34d_gp0

Theta Group – thetaclv.com
Fortia Group – thefortiagroup.com

In this episode of D2C Diaries, we break down how the most ambitious US DTC brands are using AI tools, first-party data, and creative strategy to unlock scale, and why many UK brands are falling behind.

Fresh from a 3-month stint in New York, Joe Marston (co-founder of Soar With Us and For You Advertising) joins Loukas and Olly to share insights from inside the US market, ShopTalk conference takeaways, and the new AI stack reshaping growth marketing.

They cover:
→ AI & Creative Strategy: How tools like Foreplay, Grok (XAI), and ChatGPT are changing research and ideation and the power of prompt engineering in performance creative.

→ US vs UK Growth Mindset: The “investment vs cost” mindset that fuels American ambition and why networking, deal sizes, and brand positioning are radically different in the US. Also Joe highlights what UK founders can learn from the way US brands own first-party data to increase your valuation.

→ Future Trends: Why every service business needs to think like a software company, what Apple, Meta, and X are really building with their AI plays and the rise of AI agents and what’s next after creative automation.

Hit follow and subscribe to D2C Diaries for unfiltered conversations, cutting-edge growth strategies, and real talk from the frontlines of ecom.

New episodes every week.

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Follow Joe on socials:
Linkedn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-marston/
Twitter: https://x.com/JoeJMarston

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

On 25th March 2025, a new era of DTC marketing began...

In this game-changing episode of D2C Diaries, we dive into how AI and organic-first creative strategies are unlocking ridiculous growth for brands—like helping one client hit a record-breaking £200K day from a single batch of ads.

Want the exact AI prompts used to build those creatives?
👉 Comment PROMPT on the YouTube episode, subscribe, and we'll send you the EXACT prompt we used.

The guys break down:

📈 The exact AI-driven workflow used to repurpose organic content into high-performing paid creatives (including the Google Studio + ChatGPT prompt combo)

🤖 The latest ChatGPT image generation update and why it's a game-changer for model shots, product renders, and static ad saturation

🔁 Meta’s algorithm shift to individual-level taste targeting and why content volume and variety are now your biggest performance levers

🧠 A deep dive into organic research: how to mine viral frameworks from TikTok, Reddit, and Google, then plug them into scalable ad systems

⚡ Real-world case studies from recent brand launches—including how they turned one creator-style organic video into a $120K+ revenue driver

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D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Foreplay.

Foreplay is the must-have tool for monitoring competitors, curating endless ad inspiration, and finding that one winning ad that can scale your business.

Get 20% off FOR LIFE with code “D2CDIARIES” at Foreplay here https://shorturl.at/LEzzZ

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Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

🚀 YOUTUBE GIVEAWAY ALERT 🚀

Head to Youtube and subscribe to our channel. 

Comment “swipe file” on the video to get exclusive access to:
✅ Zach’s Ultimate Foreplay Board: A curated collection of ad creatives that inspire him.
✅ Soar & Hambi’s Best Performers: Our top-winning ads from the past few months.
Don’t miss out, drop “swipe file” in the comments and we’ll send it your way!
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In this episode of D2C Diaries, we sit down with Zach Murray, founder of Foreplay, to break down how he scaled Foreplay from a side project into a creative SaaS powerhouse used by 10,000+ brands.

Foreplay was built on one simple idea: most brands already have a winning ad, they just don’t realise it. Instead of constantly chasing new creative, the smartest brands double down on what’s working and iterate aggressively.

What we cover:
➡️ How Zach scaled Foreplay from idea to 10,000+ users
➡️ Why most brands fail at creative iteration
➡️ The secret to scaling ad spend without killing ROAS
➡️ AI’s role in ad creative (and why it’s not replacing humans yet)
➡️ Zach’s mindset & long-term goal-setting strategy

This episode is a must-listen for anyone running paid social in 2025.
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D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Foreplay.

Foreplay is the must-have tool for monitoring competitors, curating endless ad inspiration, and finding that one winning ad that can scale your business.

Get 20% off FOR LIFE with code “D2CDIARIES” at Foreplay here https://shorturl.at/LEzzZ

When marketing doesn’t let you have a day off…

Even on holiday, we’re back with a new episode, this time, with a spatula as a mic.

In this episode, we dive into how TikTok-style creatives are driving serious results on Meta and how brands can repurpose them for better performance.

We cover:
1️⃣ Why TikTok Shop-style ads are dominating and how to leverage them
2️⃣ How to fuse high-production (HP) content with UGC for 10X creative iterations
3️⃣ The impact of storytelling-driven ads on engagement and conversions
4️⃣ How brands can test TikTok creatives first before scaling them on Meta

Plus, in the second half of the episode, we answer YOUR questions breaking down how to avoid creative fatigue, scale ad performance, and drive better results with lower budgets.

If you’re not repurposing TikTok ads for Meta, you’re missing out, tune in to learn how to make it work for your brand.

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Motion.

If you’re ready to learn how the best DTC and ecommerce brands use Motion to ship winning Meta, TikTok, and YouTube ads, book a demo today, or create a free account here - http://bit.ly/3Q7Kkdt 

Get 50% off your first month when you mention “The D2C Diaries” podcast to Motion’s sales team. 


The best-performing ads don’t feel like ads, they feel like stories.

In this episode, Olly and Loukas break down why storytelling is the future of paid social and how top DTC brands are using it to scale. Traditional direct response tactics are losing effectiveness, while organic-feeling, narrative-driven ads are driving higher engagement, stronger brand affinity, and more conversions.

With examples from brands like Club Neuro, they explore how to inject personal narratives into creative content to resonate with target audiences. Plus, they chat about the evolving world of performance creative, the importance of diversifying creative formats, and the role of organic content in scaling DTC brands.

Topics covered:

1. The power of storytelling in marketing: Vulnerability and founder narratives
2. Evolving performance creative: Diversifying formats for reach
3. Organic content's role in scaling DTC brands
4. Industry news: Wild Deodorant's potential £230 million acquisition by Unilever

If you want to create ads that stop the scroll and actually convert, this episode is for you.

Find the ad that Loukas is breaking down here : https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEp77ygs_xM/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Motion.

If you’re ready to learn how the best DTC and ecommerce brands use Motion to ship winning Meta, TikTok, and YouTube ads, book a demo today, or create a free account here - http://bit.ly/3Q7Kkdt 

Get 50% off your first month when you mention “The D2C Diaries” podcast to Motion’s sales team. 


Most DTC brands launch with a product and hope people care. Club Neuro did the opposite.

Before even selling a single item, they built:
✅ 25M views
✅ 250,000+ social followers
✅ A waitlist of thousands
✅ A thriving private community

In this solo episode of D2C Diaries, Loukas breaks down exactly how he built a creator-led brand from scratch, leveraging organic content, community-first strategies, and the power of the right creator to drive explosive engagement.

Tune in to learn:

1. Why he started with faceless content before introducing a creator
2. How he scouted, vetted, and partnered with the right creator
3. The strategy behind building demand before launching a product
4. What most brands get wrong about creator-led growth

If you’re thinking about launching a brand in 2025, this episode is a must-listen. Loukas breaks down how his SHAEC framework helped him to select the perfect creator to lead the brand.

Join the waitlist: https://signup.clubneuro.com/
Follow Club Neuro on Instagram: www.instagram.com/clubneuro/
Follow Olivia on Instagram: www.instagram.com/neurodiversing/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

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LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Motion.

If you’re ready to learn how the best DTC and ecommerce brands use Motion to ship winning Meta, TikTok, and YouTube ads, book a demo today, or create a free account here - http://bit.ly/3Q7Kkdt 

Get 50% off your first month when you mention “The D2C Diaries” podcast to Motion’s sales team. 


Most DTC founders obsess over paid ads, but what if PR is the missing piece in your growth strategy?

In this episode of D2C Diaries, we sit down with a founder who scaled a brand to thousands of customers, without spending a penny on ads. We break down the power of PR, how to get featured in top publications, and why storytelling is the ultimate growth hack.

You'll learn:

- How one Daily Mail article drove £25K in sales in a day
- The secrets to crafting a story journalists want to publish
- Why PR builds long-term brand equity beyond paid ads
- Why PR is an underrated growth channel
- How PR fits into a modern marketing mix

If you're looking to build a brand that people talk about, this episode is for you.

Follow Elissa on socials: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misselissac/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elissa-corrigan-baaa4837/
https://www.instagram.com/ellesera.inc/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Motion.

If you’re ready to learn how the best DTC and ecommerce brands use Motion to ship winning Meta, TikTok, and YouTube ads, book a demo today, or create a free account at http://bit.ly/3Q7Kkdt

Get 50% off your first month when you mention “The D2C Diaries” podcast to Motion’s sales team. 

What will winning ecom brands look like in 2025?

In this episode, we break down the biggest trends shaping DTC brands this year: what’s working, what’s not, and where the best operators are focusing their efforts. 

Whether you’re a founder, marketer, or media buyer, these insights will help you stay ahead of the competition.

Olly’s predictions:
Profitability is king. Brands that optimise first-order profit, maximise LTV, and keep a strong LTV to CAC ratio will outspend and outcompete. Lean, AI-driven operations will be the norm.

Creative volume is king. Growth now depends on a constant flow of high-quality creative. Workflows need to be centred on rapid testing and iteration.

Brands choosing an Omnichannel approach to acquisition are expanding both their category markets and their routes to market.

While Loukas sees a shift toward:
Authenticity over AI: Founder-led and employee-generated content (EGC) will thrive as consumers crave real connections. We’ll also be seeing a rise of fake OOH campaigns, think AI generated billboards and CGI.

Storytelling & long-form content: YouTube and deeper brand narratives will be key growth drivers for brands.

Creator and Founder led brands will dominate. Think Logan Paul and Mr Beast.

2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for DTC ecommerce. If you're serious about growing a DTC brand this year, this is a must-listen.

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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In this episode of the D2C Diaries, Matt Holland, Managing Director of Holland’s Country Clothing, shares the story of how the 50-year-old family-run retailer successfully adapted to the world of DTC and e-commerce. 

With over four decades of experience, Matt provides insights into navigating the shifting retail landscape, the importance of technology adoption, and how a family legacy can thrive in the digital age. 

Topics covered:
- Lessons learnt from building and adapting a legacy brand.
- The shift from traditional retail to DTC and early struggles with E-commerce transition
- Why embracing Shopify in 2017 was a game-changer for them
- Inventory management and supply chain failures.
- The future of retail and the growing importance of DTC.
- Building customer loyalty through authentic storytelling.
- Adapting to changing market trends and customer expectations.

Tune in to learn how a long-standing business survived and thrived by transitioning to the DTC model and embracing modern e-commerce trends.

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/oqtMa2qoc7Q

Follow Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthollandcc/
https://hollandscountryclothing.co.uk/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

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LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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In this episode of The D2C Diaries, we sit down with Jack, co-founder of D.Louise, a UK founder led jewellery brand. 

Jack shares the inspiring journey behind D.Louise, from its humble beginnings to becoming an 8-figure powerhouse driven by a relentless focus on founder-led content and storytelling.

We dive into:
1. The role of founder-led content in driving organic and paid growth and the early impact of making Olivia the face of the brand.
2. D.Louise’s growth trajectory and key strategies that drove consistent growth without a "silver bullet" breakthrough.
3. How their organic content fuels paid advertising success.
4. Lessons learned from consulting with former Gymshark executives.
5. Jack’s initial success with reselling PlayStations during lockdown and transitioning to jewellery.

Whether you’re an early-stage founder or scaling your DTC brand, this episode is packed with insights on leveraging your unique story to fuel growth and build lasting connections with your audience.

Tune in for practical tips, powerful lessons, and the behind-the-scenes story of how D.Louise is reshaping the jewellery space.

📺Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/ueGgpCDmr5c

Follow Jack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-z-7b4466145/
https://www.dlouise.co.uk/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

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LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Wayflyer
Running an ecom brand and struggling with cash flow? Whether you're scaling ad spend or restocking bestsellers ahead of peak season, Wayflyer provides fast, non-dilutive funding tailored to e-commerce businesses. No equity. No months of waiting. Just the capital and insights you need to grow, on your terms. Check them out: https://tinyurl.com/4jfc8yej


Creative similarity is quietly killing Meta ad performance and most brands have no idea it’s happening.

In this episode of D2C Diaries, we dive into the biggest update to Meta’s creative delivery system since Andromeda: how visual similarity between ads is now being flagged and penalised, even when the creator, script, or copy is different.

Read Olly's update here: https://x.com/oliverwhudson/status/1975537673470132358

This isn’t theory. We’ve seen the impact inside high-spend accounts over the past 6 months.

Brands that look like they’re iterating are actually just reskinning. Meta sees it. And performance suffers.

We share how one client went from £54k to £622k/week in spend by building persona-led creative that delivers stronger signals. We unpack what Meta really wants from your ad account in 2025 and why creative diversity now matters more than creative volume.

We also break down the 3 new in-platform creative metrics Meta is rolling out (Creative Similarity, Fatigue, and Top Themes), how CPMR and New Visitor % are changing how we benchmark creative success, and why testing strategies need to evolve beyond micro iterations.

Read Jason Yim's update here: https://x.com/jasonyimco/status/1975687580449710215

🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your free audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0nQwmw0

0:00 Intro
2:51 How Meta reframed creative diversity
9:30 Asset similarity explained
10:35 Persona-led strategy 
13:55 Volume vs quality of assets
15:25 Signal engineering: how Meta reads engagement
17:00 Tracking Meta performance
24:23 Creative strategy: vehicles, angles, and hooks
26:20 Concept-level variations and visual diversification
33:00 Meta introducing 3 new creative metrics
39:20 Brand consistency vs creative diversity
42:14 Creative production scale challenges
43:40 Sora’s leap in speed, cost, and realism
48:20 OpenAI + Shopify + Stripe integrations 
50:20 Further AI advancements
55:35 Tactical Section: Black Friday prep 
1:01:28 Final Thoughts 

From the team behind Soar With Us and Hambi Media: www.soarwithus.co

Follow Sam on socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-wright-324737216/

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LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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In this episode, we dive into how we're leveraging Reddit to create authentic, high-performing ads that truly resonate with audiences. 

From mining Reddit threads for real customer insights to crafting ad scripts that speak directly to consumer pain points, we're breaking down the exact strategies we use to turn raw, unfiltered data into creative gold.

We explore:
1️⃣ Why Reddit is an untapped resource for ad research.
2️⃣ How to use Reddit comments to craft believable, relatable messaging.
3️⃣ Real-life examples of turning Reddit insights into winning campaigns.
4️⃣ Tips for blending authenticity with performance-driven results.

If you're tired of ads that feel too scripted or salesy and want to learn how to build trust and credibility through your creative, this episode is a must-watch.

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/oW8ziFpireA

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
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Follow Fred on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-ezekiel-76018a111/

In this episode of The D2C Diaries, we’re joined by Danil Saliukov, CEO and co-founder of Incense, the leading UGC creator platform. Danil takes us behind the scenes of the UGC revolution, sharing insider insights on TikTok Shop, the future of AI in content creation, and what it takes to craft winning creator strategies.

We dive into:

1️⃣ Why the term "UGC" is overused and how it’s evolving for modern brands.
2️⃣ The TikTok Shop goldmine: how it’s revolutionising e-commerce by blending affiliates, influencers, and paid media.
3️⃣ AI-generated UGC: authentic evolution or ethical disaster?
4️⃣ The power of whitelisting influencer handles to boost ad performance.
5️⃣ How to craft killer UGC briefs that set creators up for success.
6️⃣ Why building an affiliate army is key to scaling on TikTok Shop.

If you’re a brand, marketer, or creator looking to stay ahead in the fast-moving world of D2C, this episode is packed with actionable insights and expert advice.

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/SLOLXBe3vqM

Follow Danil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danil-saliukov/
Insense: https://insense.pro/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

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LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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In this episode of The D2C Diaries, we’re joined by Dan Temm, COO of Puresport, to uncover how they’ve built one of the most authentic and powerful fitness communities in the UK - and turned it into a growth engine for their DTC brand.

What started as a simple lunchtime run with 4 friends has evolved into flagship run clubs in London, Manchester, and Glasgow, with 100+ community leaders and thousands of runners showing up consistently every week. 

No process. No strategy. Just authentic community building.

We dive deep into:
1. Why building real connections (90% connection, 10% exercise) has been central to their brand growth.
2. Their mission to break the “quick-fix mentality” by promoting long-term health through exercise, quality supplements, and social connection.
3. How Puresport maintains consistency and trust by empowering 100+ community leaders.
4. Why they paused their £30K/month ad spend seeing no revenue drop, and how they use paid media to amplify, not replace, community-driven growth.
4. How Puresport develops products that align with their values, focusing on efficacy over trends.
5. Plans for expanding run clubs, increasing offline presence at events, and exploring external funding.

Puresport proves that authentic community-building is the strongest lever for any DTC brand. If you’re a founder, marketer, or entrepreneur looking to build a brand people genuinely love, this episode is for you.

📺 Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/gal4h3odWh8

Follow Dan on LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/GjZ4x
https://puresport.co/
https://www.instagram.com/puresport/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

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What does it really take to leave a corporate career behind and build a thriving DTC brand with no experience? 

In this episode, we sit down with Arjun Sofat, founder of Free Soul, to dive into his incredible journey.

From learning e-commerce on YouTube to managing his own ad accounts and taking bold bets on TikTok Shop, Arjun shares the highs, lows, and lessons of building a brand that’s reshaping female wellness.

Arjun opens up about:
1️⃣ Transitioning from banking to entrepreneurship with zero safety net.
2️⃣ Why consumer obsession drives every decision at Free Soul.
3️⃣ The impact of betting early on TikTok Shop as the future of social commerce.
4️⃣ How focusing exclusively on female wellness created a thriving community.
5️⃣ The principles that guide his team.

This episode is packed with actionable insights on resilience, focus, and innovation in the DTC space. Whether you’re a founder, marketer, or just love an inspiring success story, this one’s not to be missed.

🎧 Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/IVNIyTepuOs

Follow Free Soul on socials: 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freesoul
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freesoul

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

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LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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In this episode, we break down our step-by-step process for crafting high-performing ad creatives that drove a brand to 400% growth! From identifying where your creative sits in the funnel to leveraging proven frameworks and ideating game-changing concepts, we’re sharing the blueprint for ad success.

Here’s what we cover:
1. Funnel Stages: Tailoring creative to each stage.
2. Persona & Angles: Targeting the right audience with impactful messaging.
3. Frameworks vs. Swings: Balancing data-driven and bold creative ideas.
4. Concept Building: Turning insights into actionable ad concepts.
5. Strategic Buckets: Leveraging improvements, competitors, and organic wins.
6. Testing & Learning: Measuring, refining, and scaling what works.

If you’ve ever struggled to connect your creative process to real results, this episode will give you the clarity and structure you need to build ads that convert. If you’re planning for your next big campaign, this is your ultimate guide to winning ad strategies.

Watch on Youtube📺: https://youtu.be/4B0EGwqBn8w

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
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In this episode of D2C Diaries, Loukas and Olly dive deep into the exact research blueprint that drives our high-performing ad campaigns. If you want to unlock better creative performance and make the most of your existing assets, this is a must-watch.

Episode Focus: Our Exact Research Blueprint for Crafting Winning Ads

Here’s what we cover:
1. Turning Reddit threads and social listening into actionable insights
2. How to mine customer reviews and comments for winning hooks
3. Breaking down the steps to optimise your creative strategy
4. Why ongoing research is the key to staying ahead in D2C
5. Practical tools and frameworks you can use today

This episode is packed with insights to help you better understand your audience, refine your creative, and unlock bigger results.

Don’t miss this deep dive - tune in now to get a behind-the-scenes look at the research process that powers our most successful campaigns!

🎧 Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@d2cdiaries

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
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Matt Kelly, founder of Spacegoods, joins Loukas and Olly for an unfiltered conversation about the “Valley of Death” journey from £10M to £100M. From retail strategies to the challenges of working with VCs, this episode is packed with actionable insights for scaling brands with intention.

Episode Focus: The £10M to £100M Journey: Scaling D2C Brands

We cover:
Retail Strategies: Insights into leveraging retail to amplify D2C success
VC Funding: The pros, cons, and lessons learned from raising capital and working with investors
Building Community: How a strong brand community fuels growth and retention
Founder Relationships: The balance between personal relationships and running a business
Strategic Hiring: Why hiring the right team is essential for scaling
Whether you’re in the early stages of scaling or ready to take your business to the next level, this episode is packed with real-world tips, hard truths, and actionable strategies.

🎧 Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@d2cdiaries

Follow Matt: https://x.com/matthucius
https://spacegoods.com/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
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Loukas sits down with Fred, Creative Director at Hambi Media, to reveal how founder-led content can skyrocket brand authority, trust, and engagement. Whether it’s organic strategies or high-impact ads, they break down the playbook for scaling brands with authentic stories in just 50 minutes.

Episode Focus: Using founder story content to drive brand growth

They cover:
➡️ Importance of founders as the face of the brand, boosting trust and authority
➡️Organic Content Strategies: Odd Muse founder Aimee Smale
➡️ Storytelling techniques, consistent messaging, and founder lifestyle as brand identity
➡️ Objection handling in ads and specific founder ad formats
➡️ Power of documenting vulnerable moments and transparency in founder storytelling
➡️ Transition to paid content strategy: How founder story ads drive growth 
➡️ Ad Framework: Problem, Want, Threshold, Founder Introduction, Product Introduction, Benefits


🎧 Watch on Youtube: 

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
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The founders of Soar Group reveal their exact strategy behind hiring a team of A- players to help you to scale your D2C brand to 7-figures🤯

Download our incredible 100+ resource Black Friday packages below

Download our Black Friday Performance Care Package for FREE ➡️ 
https://www.soarwithus.news/2024-bf-cm-care-package

Download our Black Friday Creative Playbook for FREE ➡️ 
https://www.hambimediasolutions.com/bfcm-2024-performance-creative-guide

They cover:
➡️Scaling challenges and hiring 30+ team members in 2024
➡️HR and management success at the agency
➡️Key hiring mistakes for D2C founders
➡️Progression roadmaps and team motivation
➡️Building standardised interview processes
➡️Importance of vetting and culture fit in hiring
➡️Effective performance feedback and empowerment

Listen on Spotify:

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Download our incredible 100+ resource Black Friday packages below..

Download our Black Friday Performance Care Package for FREE ➡️ https://www.soarwithus.news/2024-bf-cm-care-package

Download our Black Friday Creative Playbook for FREE ➡️ https://www.hambimediasolutions.com/bfcm-2024-performance-creative-guide


Another solo episode with Olly and Loukas talking all things creative.

They cover:
- Takeaways from the DTC agency dinner sponsored by Triple Whale
- The role of AI in creative optimisation 
- Obvi case study in using AI in static ads
- Answering the question; is it inspiration or stealing?
- Pushing the boundaries on high-production ASMR creatives
- Creative trends: Founder stories and podcast style ads

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/THNPfEoU2t0?si=tfzx066GJLo1BGg6

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

How to Scale DTC Brands with Third-Party Ads

Struggling to scale Meta ads without killing your CPA? In this episode of D2C Diaries, Olly breaks down the exact whitelisting and partnership ad strategies we’re using across 8 figure ad accounts to unlock First-Time Impression Ratio (FTI) and drive incremental reach.

This internal training reveals why Meta’s Andromeda algorithm update makes creative and third-party identity the new targeting, how to build high-performing whitelisting ad funnels, and what most DTC brands get wrong when trying to scale on Facebook and Instagram. You’ll learn how to use creator-led content, publisher positioning, and partnership ads to lower CPMs, improve engagement, and grow your customer base profitably.

Whether you’re running ads for a DTC brand or managing a performance team, this is a plug-and-play strategy for scaling Meta spend without burning efficiency.

Watch the full Meta ad strategy training now to see how we do it.

00:00 What this session covers
02:17 How Meta has changed
03:18 What Meta Andromeda is
06:07 What FTI is and how to track it
11:30 The FTI funnel
12:30 Why now is the time to adopt third-party ads
13:48 The 3 types of third-party delivery on Meta
23:45 What best-in-class looks like: 3 funnel examples
29:10 Brands doing this well (and why to study them)
30:05 Tactical ways to execute for your brand
34:05 Results you'll see when done right
35:13 How to measure success (FTI, CPM, visitor % etc)
37:30 5 action points to takeaway

Download our incredible 100+ resource Black Friday packages below..

Download our Black Friday Performance Care Package for FREE ➡️ https://www.soarwithus.news/2024-bf-cm-care-package

Download our Black Friday Creative Playbook for FREE ➡️ https://www.hambimediasolutions.com/bfcm-2024-performance-creative-guide

This is the Black Friday / Cyber Monday episode you've been waiting for. In this jam-packed episode, we’re sharing everything we’ve learned from managing 8-figure campaigns across some of the biggest DTC brands across Black Friday. We dive deep into what worked in 2023 and what you need to do to win big this year, so e-commerce brands can work smarter, not harder.

They cover:
-Biggest performance and creative learnings of 2023
-The standout Black Friday case studies from 2023
-How we made TEV £3M in 2 days
-The psychology behind discount strategies
-Answering the question: should every brand participate in Black Friday / Cyber Monday
-The EXACT audit process Soar use on every client
-Mastering retention: how to keep customers coming back

If this episode wasn't already enough, as promised, Soar and Hambi have released their 'behemoth' Black Friday / Cyber Monday care package to help DTC brands scale up this BFCM. Links above!

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2-kTIqr7zE

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Jamie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-ingham/
Follow Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-wright-324737216/
Follow Fred on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-ezekiel-76018a111/

In episode 6, we sit down with Oliver Kenyon, also known as the 'Landing Page Guy.' Oliver has spent the last 12 years experimenting with landing pages and optimising sites - turning more clicks into customers. We also dive into his huge exit story and how he's recently scaled his agency.

In this episode, we discuss:
-The power of AI in optimising landing pages and conversion rates
-Why 'ugly' landing pages often outperform the great designs
-Best practices for landing pages and conversion optimisation
-Oliver’s experience with exiting his agency
-TikTok shop's impact on website traffic

Welcome to D2C Diaries, brought to you by Soar and Hambi Media! With Loukas & Olly's combined expertise in managing over £150M in ad spend on Meta and TikTok, and scaling over 200 brands through creative and performance, we’re here to share a blend of performance insights, operational strategies, and creative wisdom. 🚀

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/P-AUb_HyuDU

Powered by Hambi Media & Soar With Us
Need help with performance creative? ➡️ https://www.hambimedia.com/
Need help with paid performance? ➡️ https://www.soarwithus.co/

Follow Oliver Kenyon on socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverkenyon/
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverkenyon
https://conversionwise.com

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

In this episode, we discuss:
- How out_on_a_lim went from 65 followers to over 2 million in less than 2 weeks
- Tiktok Shop strategy that's making $55k a day
- Steven Barlett and his ASA ban across Huel and Zoe
- How to optimise your performance creative by isolating soft metrics

Kind Penguin Video:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGecVMvhT/

Watch on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@d2cdiaries

Welcome to D2C Diaries, brought to you by Soar and Hambi Media! With Loukas & Olly's combined expertise in managing over £150M in ad spend on Meta and TikTok, and scaling over 200 brands through creative and performance, we’re here to share a blend of performance insights, operational strategies, and creative wisdom. 🚀

Powered by Hambi Media & Soar With Us
Need help with performance creative? ➡️ https://www.hambimedia.com/
Need help with paid performance? ➡️ https://www.soarwithus.co/

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Laurence Booth-Clibborn has acquired 7+ brands and is the MD & Co-Founder @ The Mothership. He is Forbes 30 under 30 and has a pretty crazy story!

Topics covered include:
- The acquisition of seven brands and key lessons learned from the process
- How Laurence successfully secured over £15M in funding for his brand house
- Major failures and insights from acquiring and turning brands profitable
- Top D2C trends and insights for 2024
- Essential tips for hiring and structuring a high-performing D2C team

Follow/ connect with Laurence on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurence-booth-clibborn/

Watch on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@d2cdiaries

Powered by Hambi Media & Soar With Us
Need help with performance creative? ➡️ https://www.hambimedia.com/
Need help with paid performance? ➡️ https://www.soarwithus.co/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson