Advertise on podcast: The World's Best Email and Retention Podcast

Email is still the most predictable revenue channel in ecommerce—but most brands don’t forecast it correctly. In this episode, Jordan Gordon breaks down a simple, highly accurate system for predicting your 2026 email revenue before the year even starts. You’ll learn how to model email revenue using six core components of a healthy email program, including campaigns, welcome flows, post-purchase, reactivation, and abandonment—without relying on gut instinct or vague growth assumptions. Jordan walks through the exact metrics to pull from Klaviyo and Shopify, how to apply top-of-funnel vs list-growth factors correctly, and why email revenue is far more controllable than paid media. #emailmarketing #emailrevenue #retentionmarketing #ecommercegrowth #klaviyo #customerretention #lifecyclemarketing #dtc 00:00 Introduction 00:59 How to predict your 2026 email revenue 05:03 The two growth factors that drive email revenue 09:19 The six core components of an email program 12:43 Forecasting campaign revenue using revenue per email 18:05 Predicting welcome flow revenue 27:41 Modeling abandonment revenue from site sessions 31:36 Applying list growth vs top-of-funnel growth correctly Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

When email revenue drops, most teams guess. This episode shows how to diagnose it systematically. Jordan breaks down the two real drivers of email revenue decline: fewer emails sent and lower revenue per email sent — and walks through the exact hierarchy of metrics that explain what’s actually happening inside Klaviyo. You’ll learn how to: Identify whether the problem is frequency, send size, segmentation, or list healthUnderstand how segment mix and message mix impact revenueSeparate real performance issues from attribution noiseEvaluate inboxing, relevance, and engagement the right wayUse Shopify, Klaviyo, and attribution models to determine whether purchase behavior actually changed #EmailMarketing #Pilothouse #CustomerRetention #LifecycleMarketing #EmailAnalytics #Segmentation #MarketingAttribution #InboxDeliverability #EcommerceMarketing #DTC 00:00 — Introduction 01:00 — The only framework you need: emails sent vs revenue per email sent 03:12 — The real reasons email volume declines 05:33 — Segment mix: the silent lever behind performance 10:48 — Tune-out vs opt-out: what’s actually shrinking your list 15:40 — Why relevance and inboxing determine revenue per email 26:34 — Attribution reality: when revenue falls but growth improves Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

Most brands look at the wrong email metrics. In this episode, Jordan explains how to build a real retention engine in 2026 by focusing on the numbers that actually drive growth: clicks, inbox health, segment performance, and list quality. You’ll get a simple dashboard framework you can set up in minutes to see exactly what’s happening inside your email program — and stop getting fooled by misleading attribution. If email is a big part of your revenue (or should be), this is a must-listen. #EmailMarketing #RetentionMarketing #EcommerceGrowth #MarketingMetrics #CustomerRetention #EmailAnalytics #DTC #EmailDeliverability #DataDrivenMarketing #MarketingPodcast 00:00 – Introduction: Why Retention Beats Acquisition 03:04 – The First Metric to Check 06:52 – Start With Clicks, Not Revenue 10:16 – When Lower Metrics Are a Good Sign 14:08 – Tracking True List Growth 23:19 – Inbox Health by Domain 32:55 – Cleaning Up Underperforming Automations Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

Advertising gets people to your site... But your site is what actually makes you money. In this episode, Jordan breaks down DEWALT’s ecommerce ecosystem to show what really happens after someone clicks an ad, an email, or a retargeting link. He walks through how DEWALT structures its homepage, category pages, PDPs, email program, and product discovery to turn awareness into revenue, not just traffic. You’ll see how DEWALT balances brand and performance, how their Site Funnels actually work in practice, and where email, CRO, and on-site merchandising fit into a modern post-click revenue engine. #EmailMarketing #RetentionMarketing #Ecommerce #DTC #CRO #ConversionRateOptimization #PostClickMarketing #CustomerRetention #Klaviyo #ProductDiscovery #EmailStrategy #LifecycleMarketing #Shopify #EcommerceGrowth #MarketingPodcast #PerformanceMarketing #DigitalMarketing #BrandMarketing #EcommerceStrategy #CustomerExperience 00:00 – Introduction 01:00 – Why DEWALT’s ecosystem works 04:33 – The “car vs gas” model for ecommerce 09:23 – How DEWALT structures its homepage 12:16 – How DEWALT uses email for product discovery 18:00 – Why homepage order controls conversion 28:14 – Category pages that actually sell 33:02 – How PDPs should handle upsells and bundles 40:16 – Where DEWALT leaves money on the table 43:42 – DEWALT vs Makita: brand site vs ecommerce site 47:02 – What to steal for your own site Work with Pilothouse: ⁠⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast⁠ Subscribe to DTC: ⁠⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

In Site Funnels 2.0, Jordan breaks down how product discovery actually works when you have hundreds, thousands, or even millions of SKUs. This episode is the follow-up to Site Funnels 1.0, shifting from hero-product funnels to the long-tail reality of mega-catalog brands. You’ll learn how to use email, dynamic merchandising, and just 12 digital assets to turn browsing into buying at scale, without spending more on ads. Jordan walks through two discovery funnels, how to use email as a shoppable landing page, and why most brands are massively underusing their biggest revenue engine: their existing traffic and subscribers. #EmailMarketing #EcommerceMarketing #RetentionMarketing #ProductDiscovery #PostClickOptimization #CustomerJourney #LifecycleMarketing #Klaviyo #Shopify #DTC #DirectToConsumer #DigitalMerchandising #ConversionRateOptimization #CRO #GrowthMarketing #RevenueGrowth #MarketingStrategy #CustomerRetention #LongTailEconomy #MarketingPodcast 00:00 — Introduction 01:00 — “Double your revenue with no ad cost” and the 12-asset funnel idea 03:10 — The difference between manageable-SKU brands and mega-SKU brands 05:31 — Low-intent vs high-intent traffic and how funnels are split 10:23 — How email triples your product discovery at-bats (with real brand data) 15:17 — Funnel 1: using five recommendation emails to power discovery 23:17 — Funnel 2: turning category browsing into high-intent revenue 41:39 — Why doubling conversion rate beats buying more traffic Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

In this episode, Jordan breaks down Site Funnels 1.0, a post-click revenue system designed to turn traffic, email, and organic visitors into low-cost, compounding revenue. You’ll learn how the world’s best ecommerce teams think about funnels, choke points, and psychological progression across the site and why improving conversion rate is often the fastest way to grow without increasing ad spend. Jordan walks through how visitors move from homepage to category pages to product pages to checkout, how to identify the moments that control revenue, and how to design funnels for both qualified and unqualified traffic. Hashtags: #ecommerce #cro #conversionrateoptimization #dtc #shopify #emailmarketing #retentionmarketing #growthmarketing #onlinestore #digitalmarketing #funnelmarketing #performancecommerce #customerjourney #postclick #ecommercestrategy Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction: Why a 0.5% conversion rate destroys revenue 02:29 – Ads create awareness, websites create revenue 11:27 – The four stages every site must solve 20:15 – The two-minute rule for conversions 32:28 – The five site funnels that drive ecommerce revenue 49:41 – Why PDPs are the real revenue engine Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

In this episode of the World’s Best Email Retention Podcast, Jordan breaks down real buyer data to show which customers truly drive email and retention revenue, and which ones don’t. Using a simple but powerful buyer-group framework (recent vs. stale, first-time vs. repeat), Jordan unpacks why email doesn’t chase the same dollar as ads, why most campaign revenue comes from buyers ads no longer influence, and why optimizing email metrics alone can lead brands to miss their most additive revenue. #EmailRetention #CustomerLifecycle #EcommerceOperators #DTCBrands #RetentionStrategy #EmailROI #ShopifyBrands #MarketingAnalytics #GrowthMarketing 00:00 – Why retention, not acquisition, defines efficient growth 01:29 – Email metrics vs. the real retention source of truth 02:10 – The two models every operator needs to understand retention 06:31 – The buyer framework that explains where email revenue comes from 19:08 – Why email monetizes customers ads no longer reach 24:26 – The revenue impact of stale repeat buyers Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

Conversion rate optimization is not a “nice to have.” It is the most reliable way to increase profit without increasing spend. In this episode, Jordan breaks down the financial case for CRO using a simple, realistic model that compares three paths: holding steady, scaling ad spend, and improving site conversion. The results are clear. Spending more on ads can reduce margin, while improving conversion rate increases revenue, efficiency, and profit at the same time. You’ll learn why brands should maximize low-cost, owned revenue first, how CRO impacts MER, ROI, and margin, and why advertising should support owned traffic growth, not replace it. Jordan also walks through where CRO fits in the broader ecommerce stack, from site fundamentals and email to paid media and awareness channels. #ecommerce #conversionrateoptimization #cro #emailmarketing #retentionmarketing #ownedmedia #dtc #digitalmarketing #pilothouse #dtcnewsletter #dtcpodcast 00:00 Introduction 00:59 The financial case for CRO explained 03:38 Ads vs CRO: the spreadsheet comparison 08:31 How scaling ad spend can reduce margin 10:28 Why CRO dramatically improves ROI and efficiency 15:45 The real purpose of advertising Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

Black Friday is the biggest stress test of your email system, and this year delivered some clear winners. In this episode, Jordan breaks down the real tactics that moved revenue: odd-hour sends, plain-text power plays, mystery-angle subject lines, triple taps (and when a pentatap might make sense), plus where revenue actually came from across engaged, unengaged, prospects, and buyers. #emailmarketing #ecommerce #dtc #retentionmarketing #pilothouse #blackfriday #marketingstrategy #q4 00:00 — Introduction 00:28 — Inboxing Is Getting Harder 01:00 — Subject Line Mystery vs Clarity 02:40 — Odd-Hour Sending Wins 03:10 — Why Plain Text Performs 06:05 — Triple Taps: What We Saw 10:58 — Penta Taps: Use With Caution 14:03 — Where Black Friday Revenue Actually Came From Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

Most brands obsess over ads and ignore the moment that matters most: where the click lands. In this episode, Jordan Gordon and Pilothouse strategist Taylor Cain break down how to decide whether traffic should go to your homepage, a PDP, a collection, or a dedicated landing page—plus how to diagnose when conversion rate issues aren’t about your ad at all. You’ll learn: When a landing page outperforms your homepage (and when it doesn’t)How consideration level, pricing, and message clarity determine the ideal click-through pathWhy “anchoring” and UX sequencing can dramatically change conversion ratesHow testing new PDP structures (including delaying price) can increase resultsHow to build fast, scrappy landing pages that plug cleanly into ShopifyWhat heatmaps, scroll behavior, and section-level engagement reveal about frictionWhy iteration beats theory — and how to develop a testing mindset that actually finds signal #EmailMarketing #RetentionMarketing #CRO #LandingPages #EcommerceStrategy #DTCMarketing #ShopifyBrands 00:00 — Introduction 01:00 — When a Landing Page Beats Your Homepage 03:00 — How Disrupted Traffic Changes Your Funnel 06:00 — Rising Prices, Rising Consideration 10:00 — PDP vs Landing Page: Which One Converts Better? 14:00 — Why Testing Beats Theory Every Time 20:00 — The Underrated Power of Email Capture on Landers 29:00 — Inside a High-Performing Landing Page Build Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

In this quick 12-minute episode, Jordan breaks down the 10 essential checks every brand should make before launching their BFCM emails. From segmentation cleanup to triple-tapping safely to avoiding coupon-code errors that kill conversions, this is your last-minute guide to protecting inboxing and maximizing revenue on the biggest email day of the year. You’ll learn: • The segmentation fixes that instantly reduce spam risk • How to double-tap and triple-tap without hurting deliverability • Why “send only to non-openers” is dangerous • How to set abandoned flows for BFCM week • The right way to test subject lines on Black Friday • How to safely expand your list size using incremental sends • The universal site banner setup every brand should have live #emailmarketing #ecommercemarketing #dtc #bfcm #blackfriday2025 #retentionmarketing #klaviyo #deliverability #cro #dtcnewsletter #twberp #marketingpodcast Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

Email might be the oldest channel in the digital stack, but it’s never been more complicated. In this episode, Jordan sits down with Benny Rubin (CEO of senders.co) and deliverability expert Omer to get straight answers to the questions brands never get clear guidance on. From engagement windows, static send sizes, and domain reputation to inboxing myths, blacklists, warming strategies, ESP limitations, and how Gmail/Yahoo actually judge your sends, this is a full deliverability deep dive. If you’ve ever wondered why your campaigns suddenly tanked, why one ESP rejects more than another, or whether you should really be sending to that wider window… this episode is for you. #EmailMarketing #Deliverability #Klaviyo #RetentionMarketing #EcommerceMarketing #LifecycleMarketing #InboxPlacement #Sendersco #DTCMarketing #MarketingPodcast 00:00 — Introduction 04:01 — The Real Triggers Behind Deliverability Crises 10:20 — Engagement Windows & Why Opens Aren’t What You Think 16:29 — Why Some Domains Play by Different Rules 24:14 — The Truth About “Delivered” vs. SMTP Reality 35:19 — Static Send Size: How Much Variance Is Safe? 42:57 — Should Segments Be Combined to Save Inboxing? Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

Think your email program is performing just fine? You might want to take another look. In this episode, Jordan lifts the hood on a real (anonymized) account to show how misleading metrics, privacy opens, and bot clicks can make an email program look healthy when it’s actually underperforming. You’ll learn how to spot the signs of deliverability decay, interpret your data accurately, and understand what’s really happening inside your email engine, so you can turn false positives into real performance. #EmailMarketing #Deliverability #EcommerceMarketing #CustomerRetention #EmailStrategy #RetentionMarketing #DTC #MarketingPodcast #DigitalMarketing #LifecycleMarketing #DataDrivenMarketing #Pilothouse #TWBERP #EmailOptimization 00:00 – Introduction 01:00 – How inbox privacy changes hide real performance issues 06:00 – Bounce rates, open rates, and what they actually tell you 10:00 – When high click rates mean your emails aren’t reaching anyone 12:00 – Klaviyo benchmarks vs. reality: the top-performer gap 18:00 – The silent destroyer: misconfigured flows and false metrics 26:00 – How to audit your own account (and what the data really means) Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

What actually determines whether your emails land in the inbox or the spam folder? In this episode, Jordan Gordon sits down with Benny Rubin, founder and CEO of Senders.co, for a deep dive into the mechanics of deliverability. They break down how domain age, subdomains, and warmup patterns affect reputation, why engagement ratios matter more than send volume, and what Gmail and Microsoft really look for when evaluating your sends. 00:00 – Introduction and Why Deliverability Matters 02:00 – Meet Benny Rubin of Senders.co 07:10 – Domain Age, Warmup, and Subdomains 15:22 – Cold Email, Ratios, and Reputation 23:14 – Why Open Rates Lie 33:27 – Fingerprints, Frequency, and Testing 45:03 – Fixing Deliverability at Scale #EmailMarketing #Deliverability #RetentionMarketing #Klaviyo #InboxPlacement #EcommerceMarketing #DTC #MarketingStrategy #EmailOptimization #CustomerRetention #MarketingOperations #Pilothouse #SendersCo #TWBERP Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast

Every brand uses a pop-up... but most leave serious revenue on the table. In this episode, Jordan sits down with Shaan Arora, founder of Alia, to break down the real pop-up levers that drive conversion: copy, timing, and segmentation. You’ll learn what 150 million monthly pop-up views reveal about what actually moves the needle, how AI testing is changing optimization, and why design isn’t the difference-maker you think it is. Plus, the Pilothouse team’s early experiments with Alia (including one that 5x’d a welcome flow) and where Shaan sees the future of email, SMS, and personalization heading. #EmailMarketing #Retention #Ecommerce #PopUps #CRO #ConversionOptimization #DTC #DigitalMarketing #EcommerceStrategy #AI #MarketingStrategy #CustomerAcquisition #CustomerRetention #EmailDesign #MarketingAutomation #ListGrowth #Shopify #RetentionMarketing #GrowthMarketing #MarketingData #Alia #Pilothouse #TWBERP 00:00 – Intro: Why every brand uses pop-ups—and why most get them wrong 01:31 – Shaan Arora (Alia) joins to break down what really moves conversions 03:56 – How Alia grew from 0 to 2,500 brands and 150M monthly pop-up views 09:07 – The real levers: copy, timing, and segmentation 11:05 – Testing, AI optimization, and why design matters less than you think 14:36 – Authenticity, AI, and the future of email & SMS 17:56 – Smart offers and one-to-one pop-up personalization 24:40 – Shaan’s top tips: timing, mystery offers, and full-screen testing Work with Pilothouse: ⁠https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast⁠ Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast Subscribe to DTC: ⁠https://www.directtoconsumer.co/⁠ Listen to DTC Podcast: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast