DTC POD #353 - Meta Ad Secrets: How Top DTC Brands Spend $300K/Month Profitably

Weekly Newsletter

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Subject: Unlock Profitable Growth on Meta Ads: Secrets from Peter Czepiga Hey there, We're thrilled to bring you our latest podcast episode featuring Peter Czepiga, the founder of Florida Flighted - an agency that has helped numerous D2C brands scale profitably on Meta ads. Peter shares his wealth of experience and insights on how to effectively leverage Meta ads to drive growth, even in a highly competitive space. In this episode, you'll discover five key takeaways that can help you supercharge your Meta ad strategy: 1. Diversity is key: Launch your ad campaigns with at least 25 unique assets to give Meta the best chance at finding winners. 2. Messaging matters most: Focus on nailing your messaging first, then plug it into various ad formats for optimal performance. 3. Translate features into benefits: Move beyond simply listing product features and tap into the emotional triggers that resonate with your target audience. 4. Leverage AI strategically: While AI-generated voiceovers and avatars may not be as effective for D2C, AI can significantly boost video scripting and editing efficiency. 5. Adapt D2C tactics for SaaS: Many successful D2C ad strategies can be applied to SaaS businesses, yielding even better results due to lower competition and higher margins. Fun fact: Peter mentions a brand called Zest, which sells a delayed-release caffeine pill that you take before bed, allowing you to wake up feeling amazing. Talk about a unique selling proposition! Whether you're a D2C brand looking to scale your Meta ad campaigns or a SaaS business eager to tap into the power of paid social, this episode is packed with actionable insights you won't want to miss. To get started, head over to our website and give the full episode a listen. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for more game-changing content designed to help you grow your business. Happy listening! The DTC Pod Team P.S. Have a burning question or topic you'd like us to cover in a future episode? Hit reply and let us know - we're always eager to hear from our listeners!

1️⃣ One Sentence Summary

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Peter shares tactics for scaling D2C brands on Meta profitably.

🎞️ Clipfinder: Quotes, Hooks, & Timestamps

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Peter Czepiga 00:04:59 00:05:22

"Redefining Your Brand Approach in 2024": "So I always say think of yourself as a media company that happens to sell a product, not an E commerce brand. Once you have that in place and you have, I would say north of 25 unique assets at launch is like minimum necessary amount of creative to scale in 2024, unless you have a really amazing product moat."

Peter Czepiga 00:05:52 00:06:16

"Mastering Meta Marketing for Beginners: Once you've basically done that shotgun approach, testing messaging, testing formats, making sure you really like, left it all out on the field, messaging wise, I always recommend marketers who are fairly, you know, beginner stage. Take all of your most promising creatives from that test round, throw them into a single Advantage plus campaign and just try to exit the learning phase. Meaning at least Meta says 50 conversions per ad set per week to exit the learning phase. But often you can do it at a lower volume if you're just not touching your campaigns as much."

Peter Czepiga 00:11:28 00:11:39

"Optimizing Ad Campaigns on Meta": "Meta doesn't have the historical conversion data for things like Advantage plus to work for your brand yet. So you don't want to move too quickly to an Advantage plus campaign."

Peter Czepiga 00:14:38 00:15:01

"Mastering Advertising at Scale": "Advantage plus campaigns are almost always the majority of our ad spend on that account. When you are at scale, Advantage plus campaigns typically outperform most other what we call manual non advantage plus campaigns. However, they are not as incremental as what we call manual campaigns."

Peter Czepiga 00:19:18 00:19:29

"Rethinking Ad Strategy: The Role of Frequency": "So I think where you could get into too much confusion is trying to decide if you should pause an ad or not based on things like frequency is just not a really helpful metric for the value of that ad, I think."

Peter Czepiga 00:22:00 00:22:19

The Importance of Creative Diversity in Ads: "I think Meta is increasingly valuing creative diversity over really anything else in the ad platform. So whatever you haven't tested, test it. If your ad account is very static heavy, you should start spending more on video concepts using the same messaging that was working in your static ads."

Peter Czepiga 00:23:11 00:23:23

"Revolutionizing Ad Strategy:": "We think the same way about formats. Like, let's nail our messaging and then just feed Meta as diverse an array of formats as possible so we don't really double down on a certain format that's working, which I think makes us a little bit different than other agencies."

Peter Czepiga 00:25:25 00:26:04

"Unlocking Emotional Engagement in Advertising": "So the biggest one is that second order thinking, taking all their product features and then thinking about what are all of the like actual personal psychological triggers that those features translate to for my life or for the customer's life. And you can do some prompting with ChatGPT where it can be really helpful with that if you, you know, dump all of your products granular features into ChatGPT and just encourage it to go deeper with translating those features into specific psychological triggers or hooks that provoke an emotional reaction versus just like a feature which doesn't always, you know, sell that well unless you have a deep product moat like I mentioned."

Peter Czepiga 00:31:52 00:32:12

"Unlocking High-Quality Video Editing Talent": "But I would recommend everyone goes on LinkedIn, post a job in any country in Eastern Europe, any Slavic country, for a video editor. You will find someone for an incredibly affordable price point who will churn out videos for your brand that are extremely high Quality because they understand the US market."

Peter Czepiga 00:39:58 00:40:40

Viral Topic Title: "The Shift in SaaS Advertising Tactics"

Quote: "I think 10, five years ago, the SaaS paid media approach was like build out some white paper that's interesting to your icp, run ads, getting them to go to that gated content page and download it, capture their email and then run like an email sequence or have a sales rep reach out. And I think that's no longer the case. Like the meta is becoming a effective enough platform to just run regular direct response ads. We're spending more than 700k a month across software clients right now and 90% of that spend has a direct response objective attached to it, a free trial or a demo. And so that's been really interesting for us."

🔑 7 Key Themes

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Here are 7 key themes discussed in the podcast episode, with each theme described in 7 words or less: 1. Scaling D2C brands with Meta ads 2. Testing diverse ad creative and messaging 3. Advantage+ campaigns for scaling ad spend 4. Translating product features into emotional benefits 5. Iterative ad creation process and workflow 6. AI's potential and limitations in advertising 7. Applying D2C ad tactics to SaaS

💬 Keywords

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Here are 30 topical keywords covered in the text, separated by commas: D2C brands, scaling ads, ad spend, creative strategy, Meta ads, ad formats, messaging, product features, psychological triggers, ideal customer profile, video ads, static ads, UGC content, raw inputs, video editing, AI-generated ads, AI copywriting, SaaS advertising, lead generation, audience targeting, event optimization, attribution, agency services, paid ads management, creative production, landing page design, flat fee pricing, spend tiers, advertising trends, ad platform competition

Interview Breakdown

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Today, Peter Czepiga shares his insights on scaling D2C brands using Meta ads. He reveals the strategies and tactics that have helped his agency, Flighted, scale over 25 brands to profitability, with some spending between $50k to $300k per month on ads. In this episode, you'll learn: - How to set up and prove out product-market fit with Meta ads - The importance of having a diversity of ad creative and messaging - What an effective creative mix looks like in terms of concepts and formats - How to identify winning ad messaging and scale your best creative - Tactics for applying D2C growth strategies to other business models like SaaS

DTC Pod Linkedin

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@Peter Czepiga, founder of @Flighted and @Ondo, joins @blaine on this week's episode of DTC Pod to share his strategies for scaling profitable ad campaigns. Peter breaks down his process for testing new creative concepts, finding winning messaging, and leveraging AI tools to streamline content production at scale. We discuss launch tactics for proving out product-market fit, optimizing campaign structures, and translating successful D2C growth strategies to other business models like SaaS. Whether you're spending $50 or $300k per month on ads, this episode is packed with actionable insights for maximizing ROAS and driving efficient growth. Full episode here: [Spotify Link] #dtcpod #paidads #creativestrategy #growthmarketing #ecommerce #SaaS #AI

📚 Timestamped overview

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00:00 D2C Marketing Tactics in SaaS

05:38 Probiotic Marketing Strategy Guide

08:12 Ad Spend Strategy Insights

10:36 Optimizing E-commerce Ad Strategies

14:22 "Advantage Plus Outperforms at Scale"

17:51 Frequency Metrics in Ad Campaigns

23:56 Messaging Strategy Over Viral Content

27:37 Building Effective Brand Creative Strategies

30:58 Efficient Video Ad Strategy Guide

32:30 AI Ad Creative Platforms Debate

38:55 Effective SaaS Marketing Strategies

42:29 Optimizing SaaS Ad Strategies

44:21 "In-House Brand Scaling Strategy"

💼 LinkedIN - 6 Reasons Post

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Here are the key takeaways from the podcast episode with Peter Czepiga on DTC ad strategies: Meta is amazing at identifying creative winners FAST. Here's how to find your best ads: 1. Test at least 25 unique creative concepts at launch. Running $150/day for a week across 25 ads will give Meta enough data to identify top performers, even with few sales. Focus on which ads get the most impression share, not just conversions. 2. Consolidate winning ads into an ad set and let it run. Shift budget to the ads Meta is prioritizing. Try to exit the learning phase with 50 sales/week per ad set. 3. Nail your messaging first, then adapt to different formats. Uncover psychological triggers and ideal customer profiles that resonate. Plug that messaging into a diverse mix of ad formats. 4. Graduate to Advantage+ campaigns at scale. Once you have some traction, Meta's AI will take your best ads and find more buyers for you. This unlocks the path from $10K to $100K+/month in ad spend. 5. Skip the AI-generated creative (for now). Ecommerce buyers can still spot fake AI voiceovers and avatars. Use AI to help write scripts and splice UGC clips, but have real humans deliver the message. 6. Apply DTC tactics to SaaS and beyond. The same playbook works in less competitive spaces but requires some tweaks. Enrich emails for lookalikes, test different conversion events, and enjoy the ride to higher LTVs! TL;DR: - Test 25+ ads to start - Double down on Meta's picks - Message trumps format - Unlock Advantage+ campaigns - Use AI as an assistant - Branch out to new verticals

❇️ Key topics and bullets

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Here is a comprehensive sequence of the main topics covered in the podcast episode, with relevant sub-topics: 1. Introduction and background on Peter Czepiga and Flighted agency - Peter's experience working in-house for e-commerce brands - Launching Flighted in 2021 and scaling brands on Meta ads 2. Proving product-market fit and setting up ad accounts for new brands - Importance of diverse creative content (at least 25 unique assets) - Testing messaging and formats, consolidating winning ads - Recommended initial ad spend and duration for testing 3. Scaling up ad budgets after initial traction - Identifying top-performing ads and commonalities in messaging - Audience testing (broad, engaged shoppers, interest stacks, lookalike audiences) - Using Advantage+ shopping campaigns for mature advertisers 4. Creative strategies for successful ads - Focusing on messaging over formats - Translating product features into benefits and psychological triggers - Targeting different customer avatars (ideal customer profiles) - Sourcing creative assets (static ads, user-generated content, video editing) 5. AI in ad creative generation - Current limitations of AI-generated voiceovers and avatars for e-commerce - Opportunities for AI in video scripting and editing at scale - Rapidly evolving AI tools and the importance of adaptability 6. Applying D2C ad tactics to other business models (SaaS, info courses) - Leveraging similar creative approaches with higher margins - Differences in audience targeting and event optimization for SaaS - Challenges in attribution and tracking for web-based SaaS products 7. Flighted's agency model and client engagements - Comprehensive services: paid ads management, creative production, landing page design - Onboarding process and pricing structure based on ad spend tiers The discussion provides actionable insights for D2C brands looking to scale their ad campaigns, emphasizing the importance of diverse creative content, message testing, and audience targeting. It also explores the potential of AI in ad creative generation and how D2C tactics can be adapted for other business models like SaaS.

🎬 Reel script

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Hey there, Peter Czepiga here, coming at you with some serious knowledge bombs from my latest podcast session on DTC POD. We dove deep into the world of paid ads for D2C brands, covering everything from proving product-market fit to scaling your ad spend like a boss. I shared my top tips for nailing your messaging, translating product features into irresistible benefits, and creating a diverse ad format mix that keeps Meta on its toes. We also talked about the power of AI for supercharging your creative process, from generating video scripts to finding the perfect clips. Whether you're an ecommerce brand, a SaaS startup, or anything in between, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you crush your paid ads game. So head on over to DTC POD and give it a listen - your ROI will thank you later!

✏️ Custom Newsletter

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Hey there DTC Pod listeners! We've got an exciting new episode hot off the press for you. In this one, Blaine sits down with Peter Czepiga, founder of the agency Flighted and the brand Ondo. They dive into the nitty gritty of scaling D2C brands with paid ads. Here are 5 key takeaways you'll get from tuning in: 1. How to test ad creative concepts before doubling down on winners 2. What an ideal ad account structure looks like as you scale 3. Tips for nailing your messaging and translating product features into benefits 4. The 3 essential components of a creative ad production process 5. How DTC paid ad tactics can be adapted for SaaS and other business models Fun fact: Peter's agency makes north of 400 ads per month for their clients! Talk about cranking out the creative. So grab your headphones, hit play, and soak up some serious D2C wisdom from Peter. And when you're done, hop over to dtcpod.com to join the discussion with other ecommerce founders and operators in our new Slack community. See you there! The DTC Pod team

🐦 Business Lesson Tweet Thread

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Here's a tweet thread inspired by the key learnings from the transcript with Peter Czepiga: 1/ Going from 0 to 100k/month in ad spend profitably is possible if you nail your creative strategy. 2/ The biggest mistake brands make is not testing enough creative upfront. You need at least 25 unique concepts before you can say whether you have ad-market fit. 3/ Meta is frighteningly good at finding winning creative fast. Pump your best ads with spend and let the algorithm do its thing. 4/ Your creative should focus on translating product features into real customer benefits. How will your product make their life better? 5/ Once you've found a winning ad, adapt it to as many ad formats as possible. Rinse and repeat with new messaging concepts. 6/ When you're ready to scale, move to Advantage+ campaigns and let Meta's AI take your brand to the next level.

🎓 Lessons Learned

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Here are 10 key lessons from the interview with Peter Czepiga, founder of Flighted, with 5-word titles and 20-word descriptions for each: 1. Test Thoroughly Before Scaling Give Meta 25+ unique creative assets to identify winners before deciding on product-market fit. 2. Spend Adequately for Learning Spend $150-200/day for a week on diverse creative to identify top performers. 3. Features to Benefits Messaging Translate product features into specific psychological triggers and benefits that resonate emotionally with the customer. 4. Create Diverse Ad Formats Focus on nailing messaging, then test a wide variety of ad formats to feed Meta's algorithm. 5. Ideal Customer Profile Targeting Build ads that speak directly to 5-10 specific customer avatar pain points and desires. 6. Founder Led Creative Works The founder story ad concept continues to be a top performer for clients who do it. 7. Scrappy Creative Asset Sourcing Use static ad template packs, UGC creators, and low-cost overseas video editors to scale creative. 8. AI for Scripting & Editing Leverage AI tools for video scripting, copywriting and editing at scale, with human creators and editors. 9. Apply D2C Tactics to SaaS The competitive D2C playbook works incredibly well for SaaS when adapted for lead gen and email enrichment. 10. Pricing on Tiered Flat Fees Flighted charges flat monthly fees based on ad spend tiers that require different levels of effort.

💎 Maxims

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Here are some key maxims to live by based on the concepts discussed in the podcast with Peter Czepiga: 1. Think of your brand as a media company that happens to sell a product, not just an e-commerce business. Focus on creating a diverse array of engaging content. 2. When testing ad creative, prioritize messaging over format. Identify the key benefits and psychological triggers that resonate with your target customers. 3. Translate product features into tangible benefits that evoke an emotional response from potential buyers. 4. Develop ideal customer profiles and craft ad creative that speaks directly to their specific pain points, desires, and lifestyles. 5. Continually test a wide variety of ad formats to feed the Meta algorithm with diverse inputs, rather than getting stuck on one particular style. 6. Identify a few core messaging angles that perform well, then iterate on those by plugging them into various ad formats. 7. When scaling ad spend, gradually shift budget allocation from manual campaigns to Meta's Advantage+ AI-driven campaigns. 8. Leverage AI tools to streamline creative processes like script writing and video editing, but don't rely solely on AI-generated content for critical elements like voiceovers and live action footage. 9. Prioritize building genuine, relatable content featuring real people over trendy AI avatars, especially in the e-commerce space where buyers are savvy. 10. Apply proven D2C marketing principles to other business models like SaaS, while adapting tactics to account for differences in attribution and optimization. By embracing these principles, brands can develop more impactful marketing, foster deeper connections with customers, and ultimately scale their businesses more effectively. The key is to stay adaptable, data-driven, and relentlessly focused on providing value to your target audience.

🌟 3 Fun Facts

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Here are 3 interesting facts from the recording: 1. Peter's agency Flighted has scaled over 25 brands from scratch on Meta to profitability. 2. Peter recommends brands have at least 25 unique ad creatives at launch to properly test on Meta in 2023. 3. Peter uses AI tools like Gumloop to efficiently generate ad copy by scraping competitors' Facebook ad libraries, synthesizing the copy, and repurposing it for his clients' ads.

📓 Blog Post

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Title: Scaling Your D2C Brand: Proven Ad Strategies from Peter Czepiga of Flighted Subheader: Unlock the potential of your D2C brand with expert insights on creative messaging, audience targeting, and AI-powered ad optimization. Introduction In this episode of DTC POD, Blaine Bolus sits down with Peter Czepiga, founder of Flighted, an agency that helps D2C brands scale their advertising efforts. Peter shares his wealth of experience working with brands spending between $50,000 to $300,000 per month on ads, offering valuable insights into the strategies that drive profitable growth. The Importance of Creative Diversity One of the key takeaways from the conversation is the importance of creative diversity in ad campaigns. Peter emphasizes that brands should aim to have at least 25 unique ad concepts at launch to give Meta the best chance to identify top-performing creatives. He likens this approach to feeding an AI model a diverse array of data to help it learn and optimize effectively. Messaging Over Format When it comes to ad creative, Peter stresses that messaging trumps format. Rather than focusing on the perfect mix of static images and videos, he advises brands to prioritize identifying the copy, product features, and psychological triggers that resonate with their target audience. Once the messaging is nailed down, brands can plug it into various ad formats to keep their campaigns fresh and engaging. Leveraging AI for Ad Optimization The discussion also touches on the role of AI in ad optimization. While Peter acknowledges that AI-generated voiceovers and avatars have yet to match the performance of human-created content in the D2C space, he sees significant potential in using AI for video scripting and editing at scale. Tools like Gumloop and Icon allow brands to efficiently repurpose competitor ad copy and match video clips to voiceovers, streamlining the ad creation process. Adapting D2C Strategies for SaaS and Info Products Blaine and Peter also explore how the tactics used in D2C advertising can be applied to other business models, such as SaaS and info products. Peter notes that the content playbook used in D2C can be highly effective in these spaces, as they are often less competitive and have higher margins. However, he cautions that SaaS businesses need to pay special attention to audience targeting nuances and event optimization to ensure they are driving high-quality leads. Conclusion Throughout the conversation, Peter shares a wealth of actionable insights that can help D2C brands unlock profitable growth through advertising. By prioritizing creative diversity, focusing on messaging over format, and leveraging AI-powered tools for optimization, brands can give themselves the best chance of success in an increasingly competitive landscape. As the world of advertising continues to evolve, staying on top of these strategies will be key to building a thriving D2C brand.

🎤 Voiceover Script

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Here's a 20 second voiceover script about the key learnings from the recording, matching the tone, style, and format of the provided example: Struggling to scale your brand on Meta? You're not alone! In this episode, we talk to Peter Czepiga, founder of Flighted, an agency that has helped over 25 brands successfully launch and scale their ads on Meta. Peter shares his insights on: - Testing a wide variety of ad creative to find winning concepts - Translating product features into emotional benefits that resonate with customers - Leveraging AI tools to streamline ad scripting and editing at scale - Applying D2C ad tactics to SaaS and other business models

🔘 Best Practices Guide

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Here's a short best-practices guide based on the DTC POD episode with Peter Czepiga: To effectively scale your D2C brand on Meta, test at least 25 unique ad concepts at launch with a minimum budget of $150-200/day for a week. Focus on translating product features into benefits and identify winning messaging before iterating on ad formats. As you scale, use Advantage+ shopping campaigns and look at account-level ad frequency to ensure you're reaching new audiences. To produce enough creative, source static ad templates, collect user-generated content, and hire a video editor to remix the raw footage. While AI-generated creative is improving, it's not quite ready for the discerning D2C buyer. These paid social tactics can also work well for SaaS and other business models with some tweaks to audience targeting and event optimization.

🎆 Social Carousel: Do's/Don'ts

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Here is a LinkedIn carousel featuring 10 tips for retention marketers based on the episode with Peter Czepiga: Cover slide: 10 Tips Every Retention Marketer Needs to Know Slide 1: Don't skimp on creative Test at least 25 unique ad concepts at launch to give Meta the best chance Slide 2: Avoid targeting prematurely Focus on messaging first, then plug winning copy into various ad formats Slide 3: Stop optimizing by ad-level metrics Instead, look at account-level frequency and budget allocation between campaigns Slide 4: Don't rely on AI-generated creative Ecommerce buyers can still distinguish AI voiceovers and avatars, use real UGC Slide 5: Never advertise just features Always translate product features into emotional triggers and personal benefits Slide 6: Don't make ads for everyone Build out 5-10 customer avatars and speak directly to their specific pain points Slide 7: Forget clever, ambiguous copy Hit people over the head with direct, resonant messaging that sticks like a knife Slide 8: Stop testing random audiences The top performers are broad, engaged shoppers, interests, and custom audience lookalikes Slide 9: Don't touch the gas too soon Wait until you have 50+ conversions before scaling with Advantage+ shopping campaigns Slide 10: Never assume you lack product-market fit If ROAS is low after testing, check your funnel for pricing and conversion issues How's that? Let me know if you would like me to modify anything in the carousel. I focused on extracting concise, actionable tips from Peter's insights in the episode transcript.

🎠 Social Carousel

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Here is a LinkedIn/Instagram carousel with 10 tips from the episode: Cover slide: 10 Ad Creative Strategies Every D2C Brand Needs to Know Slide 1: Diverse Creative Test at least 25 unique creative concepts when launching ads to give Meta the best chance. Slide 2: Translate Features Go beyond product features. Translate them into benefits and emotional triggers that resonate with customers. Slide 3: Customer Avatars Build out 5-10 ideal customer profile avatars. Make ads that speak directly to each one. Slide 4: Video > Static Video tends to outperform static images. Incorporate more video formats, even if reusing winning copy. Slide 5: Raw Inputs Source raw video content from the founder, friends/family, and creators to edit into ads. Slide 6: Consistent Testing Consistently test new creative concepts and formats each month for the algorithm. Diversity is key. Slide 7: AI Potential AI shows promise for scripting and editing video ads at scale, but isn't quite there yet. Slide 8: SaaS Strategies Many D2C ad tactics work for SaaS too, driving leads through direct response creative. Slide 9: Learning Phase Get 50 conversions per ad set per week to exit the learning phase and gather data. Slide 10: Scale Your Ads Ready to implement these strategies and profitably scale your brand? Let's talk.

One Off Tweets

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Here are 10 tweets based on ideas from the podcast episode with Peter Czepiga: Winning on Meta in 2024 means creating at least 25 unique ad concepts at launch. It's not about spending more, it's about having the right diversity of content to give Meta the best chance. Don't mistake a low budget test for lack of product-market fit. Meta is amazing at quickly identifying winners, so give the platform a big enough swing before ruling it out. Focus on the messaging that resonates, not just the ad format. Identify the product features and psychological triggers that get users to convert, then have fun testing them in various creative ways. AI-generated ads aren't quite there yet for ecommerce. Sophisticated buyers can still distinguish fake from real. For now, AI shines in scripting and editing, but avatars and voiceovers underperform compared to authentic human content. Translating your ecommerce ad playbook to SaaS can yield 10x results. The space is less competitive, margins are higher, and tactics like direct response ads can be just as effective for driving demos and trials. Advantage+ Shopping is Meta's "black box" AI campaign type. It's not for beginners, but once you have some conversion data, it can take you from $10K to $100K in ad spend by finding purchasers for you. Exclusions and frequency are key when scaling. Regularly exclude recent purchasers and site visitors for better incrementality. Monitor overall account frequency, not just individual ads, to know when to shift budget to more prospecting. 3 ingredients for creative success on a budget: 1. Static ad template packs 2. Raw UGC videos from creators, friends/fam, and yourself 3. A video editor to splice and optimize the content Start scrappy and iterate from there. The founder story ad continues to be a top performer. Don't shy away from putting yourself out there – people connect with authentic voices behind the brand. Feeling overwhelmed by the thought of pumping out tons of ad creative? Think of your brand as a media company that happens to sell a product. Shift your mindset and the content will flow.

Twitter Post 1

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From the podcast, here's a fun fact about scaling Facebook ads: Test 25+ unique ad concepts at launch This is the minimum diversity of creative needed to find winning ads in 2023, unless you have a remarkable product.

Mindsets

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Here are 3 mindset shifts marketers can make based on Peter Czepiga's advice in this DTC POD episode: 💡 View your brand as a media company that happens to sell a product, not just an ecommerce business. Adopting this perspective will help you focus more on creating a large diversity of resonant content to effectively market your brand. 💡 Don't get hung up on specific ad formats - prioritize nailing your messaging first. Identify the key psychological triggers and benefits your product delivers, then plug that messaging into a variety of creative formats to see what works. The format matters less than the emotional resonance of the copy. 💡 Be like a machine learning model - expose your ads to a wide array of formats so Meta can identify winners. Just as you'd train an AI chef on many cuisines, not just one, give Meta's algorithms a diverse creative mix to learn from. Focus less on any one "winning" format and more on messaging + format diversity. By embracing these philosophies around content, messaging, and format diversity, you'll be well-equipped to profitably scale your ecommerce brand through paid social. For more insights, check out the full DTC POD episode with Peter Czepiga.

Tactics

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Here are 5 specific and non-obvious tactics and strategies you can implement based on Peter Czepiga's advice in this DTC POD episode: 🚀 Think of your brand as a media company that happens to sell a product. Focus on creating at least 25 unique ad concepts at launch to give Meta the best chance of finding winning creative. Prioritize messaging diversity over format. 🎯 Go beyond product features in your ads. Translate features into benefits that tap into customers' personal and psychological triggers. Ask yourself: what are the second-order effects of my product that will provoke an emotional reaction? 👥 Build out 5-10 detailed customer avatar profiles. Create ad creative that speaks directly to each of those ideal customer archetypes and the specific ways your product improves their lives. 🧩 Assemble the key components of a scrappy yet effective ad creation engine: static ad templates, raw video content from UGC creators, and an affordable overseas video editor to iterate on the footage. 🤖 Leverage AI tools strategically. Use them for video scripting and editing at scale to multiply your creative output. But avoid relying too heavily on AI-generated voiceovers and avatars for now, as discerning DTC audiences still prefer authentic human faces and voices.

In Depth Thread

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Here is the post leveraging the strategy described in the recording, matching the tone, style and format of your example: Overrated: Running ads blindly. Too many brands throw money at social media without a real strategy. Underrated: Testing different creatives and messaging. Here's the formula used by Peter Czepiga when helping DTC brands scale profitably with Meta ads: 25+ Unique Assets Launch with at least 25 unique ad concepts. Give Meta a diversity of content to identify what resonates. Focus on creative messaging, not just format. $150-$200/Day Run those 25 ads at a minimum of $150-$200 per day. Over a week, that's enough data for Meta to identify winning creatives, even with no conversions. Spend Allocation Look at how Meta allocates spend across the ads. This is the #1 early signal of ad quality, even more than purchases. Winning ads will get more spend. Features to Benefits Translate product features into personal benefits. "25g protein" becomes "Look amazing, feel confident" Tap into the real psychological triggers. Ideal Customer Profiles Create ads speaking directly to different customer avatars. "Busy mom of 3 with no time" "Young professional with overflowing inbox" Target their unique pain points. Video Footage Get raw video from: - The founder - Friends/family - UGC creators - Product seeding Have a video editor splice the best clips. Static Ad Templates Buy packs of premium DTC ad templates for ~$80. Iterate your copy and brand assets across proven formats. Churn out variations rapidly. AI for Scripting Use AI tools to: - Scrape competitors' ad copy - Generate new scripts - Match clips to voiceovers Still use real creators for best results. Exit the Learning Phase Consolidate top performers into an Advantage+ campaign. Let it run with minimal changes to achieve 50 conversions/week per ad set and exit the learning phase. Then you can really scale! DTC creative strategy doesn't need to be complicated. Focus on messaging hooks, customer targeting, and feeding Meta's algorithm to find winners fast. By following this proven approach from Flighted.co, brands are scaling from 0 to 6-figures/month in ad spend while staying profitable.

New Idea

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Idea #1: Focus on Messaging over Formats in Ad Creative Peter emphasizes that the key to effective ad creative is nailing the messaging first, supported by evidence such as: 1. Translating Features to Benefits: Rather than just listing product features, Peter recommends focusing on the emotional and psychological benefits those features provide to the customer's life. For example, advertising how a high-protein bar makes you feel more confident, not just that it has 25g of protein. 2. Calling out Ideal Customer Profiles: Peter suggests building out 5-10 customer avatar archetypes and speaking directly to their specific pain points and desires in the ad copy. Make creative for the busy mom who needs quick meals or the overwhelmed professional with a full inbox. 3. Testing Diverse Formats: Once the messaging is dialed in, Peter recommends testing it across a wide variety of ad formats like carousel ads, video, static images, etc. He notes "Meta is increasingly valuing creative diversity" so it's important to feed the algorithm a diverse array of formats with the winning messages.

Tweet thread on learnings

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Here is a tweet thread using one key takeaway from the podcast transcript, following the provided format: Tweet 1: So @PeterCzepiga has to be one of the best minds in D2C paid social: His agency @flighted_co has: 🚀 Scaled 25+ D2C brands from $0 to profitability 📈 Worked with clients spending $50-300K/month 🎨 Produced 400+ ad creatives per month My biggest takeaway on creating winning ad creative: 👇 Tweet 2: 1. Messaging is Everything Don't get hung up on ad formats like carousels vs. videos. Focus your energy on nailing the messaging hooks that resonate emotionally with your target customer. Translate product features into psychological triggers and benefits. Tweet 3: 2. Feed the Algorithm Diversity Once you've found messaging that works, deploy it across many ad formats. Test static images, videos, carousels, stories, etc. Let Meta's AI optimize delivery to find the best combination of format + messaging for your audience. Tweet 4: 3. Be a Media Company, Not Just an Ecommerce Brand You need a high volume of fresh creative concepts to profitably scale. 25 unique ad concepts is the minimum at launch. Constantly create new variations to avoid ad fatigue as you scale spend. Tweet 5: 4. Have a Process to Efficiently Produce Creative You need 3 things: 1. Template static ads 2. Raw UGC videos (from yourself, customers, creators) 3. Video editors to splice UGC into variations With a process, you can consistently output large volumes of on-brand creative. Tweet 6: 5. AI has a Role to Play, But Humans are Still Key AI avatars and voice-overs underperform real human creative for savvy D2C shoppers. But AI can help with video scripting, editing, and finding relevant clips at scale. The winning combo is AI-assisted, human-centric creative.

LinkedIN - Start from Scratch

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Here's a potential post based on the provided transcript: If I had to rebuild a D2C brand from $0 to $1M+, here's the paid ads strategy I'd use on Meta: (This is the exact framework Peter Czepiga used to scale top D2C brands like Harry's, Bespoke Post, and Ondo) To turn strangers into buyers (and buyers into repeat customers), you need ads that: • Capture attention • Convey key benefits • Convert them into purchasers So... How do you create ad creative that attracts, engages, and converts? By using the Creative Messaging Framework. Peter recommends creating 3 types of messaging: • Translate features into benefits • Highlight ideal customer profiles (ICPs) • Leverage psychological triggers Features tell, but benefits sell. Don't just say "25g of protein" - say "Feel more confident." ICP-focused ads speak directly to key buyer personas. Create ads for the busy mom, young professional, etc. Psychological triggers provoke an emotional response. Make the customer feel something vs. just listing features. The key is to test a variety of messages & formats: • 25+ unique concepts at launch • 5-10 different ad formats • New creative iterations every month Most brands go wrong by not testing enough creative. They make 5-10 ads, spend $300, and think the channel doesn't work. The solution? Operate like a media company that happens to sell a product. Prioritize creative diversity and ongoing testing. Then consolidate winning ads to scale. So how can you implement this creative strategy? Step 1: Translate features to benefits - What are your product's key features? - What aspirational benefits do they enable? - Use ChatGPT to generate benefit-focused angles Step 2: Define your ideal customer profiles - Who are the different buyer personas for your brand? - What matters most to each of them? - Create dedicated ads speaking to those desires Step 3: Identify psychological triggers - How does your product improve customers' lives? - What pain points does it solve? - Dial up the emotion in your messaging The biggest takeaway? Creative, like anything else, is iterative. Just start testing. Anything you'd do differently? Would love to hear it. -- Check out the full interview with Peter here: dtcpod.com/episodes/peter-czepiga And follow along as Blaine scales the DTC POD to help more founders

Future State, 6 reasons post

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Here is the post based on the context from the transcript: In 6 months, you'll scale your D2C brand to $100k/month in profitable ad spend on Meta. You'll crack the code on messaging that drives conversions and have a well-oiled creative testing machine. But getting there requires a smart strategy. Here are 6 recommendations to achieve this future state based on my experience scaling 25+ D2C brands: BACKGROUND: Many D2C brands struggle to achieve profitability on paid social. Creative falls flat, ROAS is subpar, and growth stalls. Current State: - Minimal creative diversity - Lack of resonant messaging - Inefficient campaign structure - Inability to scale spend profitably Future State: - Robust creative testing program - Hard-hitting messaging that converts - Optimized campaign setup - Profitable growth to $100k/month At Flighted, we've developed a proven playbook to help brands break through these challenges. By focusing on the right levers, D2C brands can unlock the full potential of paid social. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Launch with 25+ unique creative concepts to find winners. Give Meta's algorithm a wide variety of ads to identify top performers. 2. Translate product features into benefits that tap into customers' psychological triggers and emotions. Don't just list features. 3. Identify top performing messaging, then plug into a variety of ad formats like carousel, UGC, etc. Don't get stuck on one format. 4. Use broad targeting, engaged shoppers, interest stacks, and lookalike audiences to scale efficiently in the early stages. 5. As you scale, transition top performing ads into Advantage+ campaign to leverage Meta's optimization power. 6. Constantly develop new "raw" creative assets like UGC to fuel the ad machine. Treat your brand like a media company. By implementing these strategies, we've taken multiple brands from $0 to $50k-$100k in monthly ad spend while maintaining profitability. I'm curious to hear from other D2C operators - what has worked well for you in scaling paid social efficiently? What other levers have you found to drive creative wins and ROAS at scale? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

About the Episode

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Peter Czepiga is the founder of Florida Flighted, an agency that helps D2C brands profitably scale their advertising on platforms like Meta, TikTok, and Google. He also runs his own brand called Ondo. Flighted has worked with some of the most popular D2C brands spending between $50-300k per month on ads. In this episode of DTC Pod, Peter shares actionable strategies for brands to launch and scale paid social campaigns on Meta. He dives into the importance of creative diversity, recommending brands launch with at least 25 unique ad concepts. Peter explains his messaging-first approach to creative, and provides frameworks for translating product features into emotional benefits. The conversation covers topics like how much to spend in the testing phase, what signals to look for to identify winning ads, how to structure campaigns, and when to leverage AI tools. Peter also discusses how Flighted's D2C tactics can be applied to other business models like SaaS.

Episode Summary

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Peter Czepiga is the founder of Flighted, an agency that scales advertising for DTC brands. He also runs his own brand, Ondo. In this episode, Peter shares his tactics for profitable Meta ad campaigns, including testing product-market fit, winning creative strategies, audience targeting, the impact of AI on ad production, and how DTC ad tactics apply to SaaS.

Success Strategies

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Here are 3 strategies for DTC success based on the discussion with Peter Czepiga: 1. Launch with at least 25 unique ad concepts When testing a new product on platforms like Meta, avoid getting discouraged after spending a small budget on just a handful of ads. To give your brand the best chance at finding winning creative, develop a minimum of 25 distinct ad concepts for the initial launch phase. This diverse range of messaging will allow Meta's algorithms to identify the top performers and give you a solid foundation for scaling your ad spend. Remember, it's not just about proving product-market fit, but also finding the ad creative that resonates with your target audience. 2. Translate product features into emotional benefits The most successful DTC ad creative goes beyond simply listing product features and instead focuses on the emotional benefits and aspirational identity the product enables. As Peter explains, "If it's a high protein collagen bar, we're not going to advertise 25 grams of protein. We're going to advertise 'I've never felt more confident looking in the mirror.'" By connecting your product to the customer's desires and psychological triggers, your ads will elicit a stronger response and drive more conversions. Use tools like ChatGPT to brainstorm how each feature can be expressed as a tangible lifestyle upgrade. 3. Leverage AI for scripting and editing, not replacing authentic creative While AI-generated ad creative can be tempting, the most discerning DTC consumers can still distinguish AI voiceovers and avatars from authentic, human-centered content. Peter advises that AI is best used for assisting the creative process through tasks like scripting and editing, rather than replacing real creator content entirely. He shares, "AI is allowing us to have really effective workflows for creative scripting, which we can then give to human video editors and use actual footage of human UGC creators to make really quality ads." Employ AI tools to streamline your ad production process, but recognize that the human element is still essential for building genuine connections with your audience.

Success Strategies v2

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1. Treat your brand like a media company Want to win on paid social? Stop thinking like an ecommerce brand and start acting like a media company. As Peter explains, the most successful advertisers understand that their primary job is to create entertaining, engaging content - not just push products. To adopt this mindset, focus on two key areas: Develop a robust content engine capable of churning out diverse creative at scale Prioritize storytelling that captivates and compels action vs. simply showcasing products Start by building out a content calendar packed with a variety of ad concepts, from UGC-style testimonials to founder's story videos. The more diverse your creative library, the better. Tap into a range of resources to bring your ideas to life quickly and affordably: Leverage UGC platforms and creator marketplaces Repurpose organic social content and customer reviews Invest in lightweight in-house production capabilities Consistently populating your ad account with fresh, engaging creative is the key to grabbing (and keeping) your audience's attention in a crowded feed. By committing to content excellence, you lay the foundation for efficient, sustainable growth, no matter your budget. 2. Give Meta enough content to optimize effectively You've assembled an arsenal of scroll-stopping creative. Now it's time to put the algorithm to work. As Peter points out, one of the biggest mistakes rookie media buyers make is not feeding the algorithm enough content to effectively optimize for performance. To avoid this pitfall, aim to launch at least 25 unique creative concepts right out of the gate. The more ads you give Meta to work with, the faster it can identify your top performers. Resist the urge to cherry pick winners yourself based on gut feeling or small sample sizes. With enough creative variety, Meta will quickly show you which ads are resonating via spend allocation. Trust the system, even if it means letting some "ugly" ads ride. Creative that looks amateurish to you might be the secret sauce that sends your ROAS soaring. Once you've identified a few hero ads, don't just set and forget. Continue building on those winning concepts by testing new copy, CTAs, formats, and edits. Ultimately, the goal is to achieve "the illusion of variety." Feed Meta a diverse stream of ads that are subtly different, but laddering up to the same core messaging pillars. It's this always-on approach to creative testing that keeps your account humming and prevents ad fatigue from tanking your campaigns. 3. Nail your messaging, then test every format At the end of the day, even the most artistic ads will fall flat without a compelling story at their core. That's why Peter stresses the importance of nailing your messaging strategy before you get hung up on production tactics and formats. Start by isolating your most powerful "reason to believe": What transformation does your product enable? How does it make your customer the hero? What will their life look like after purchasing? Distill these insights down into 2-3 crisp messaging pillars you can adapt across every touchpoint. Resist the temptation to cram everything into a single ad. Instead, think in terms of a "messaging hierarchy." Lead with your most exciting hook, then parcel out supporting stories and proof points across your broader content ecosystem. Once you've pressure tested your messaging pillars, it's time to bring them to life in as many ways as possible. Plug your key stories into every format imaginable, from long-form video to short-form text posts. The more variety you create, the more opportunities you give Meta to find the perfect audience for each asset. As you scale, avoid the temptation to chase shiny new formats at the expense of consistent messaging. Bells and whistles can't save boring copy. Focus on distilling your most powerful stories down to their essence, then adapt them to work across every placement and format available. It's this potent combination of crystal clear messaging and fearless testing that sets the stage for breakthrough creative and next-level growth.

Castmagic LinkedIn Post

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Peter Czepiga of Fligted joins Blaine on this week's episode of DTC POD to share strategies for scaling brands on Meta profitably. Peter is an expert media buyer who has worked with some of the biggest names in DTC, including Harry's, Todd Snyder, and Momofuku. In this episode, he digs into what it takes to get your ad account set up, how much to spend to prove product-market fit, developing winning creative, and applying DTC marketing tactics to other business models. Peter also shares his framework for launching a brand from scratch and scaling up to 6 figures in monthly ad spend. Listen to the full episode here: [link] #shopify #dtc #ecommerce #meta #facebookads

IG Reel Vids

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Here is a 30-60 second Instagram Reel script summarizing the DTC POD episode with Peter Czepiga, matching the tone, style and format of the example: Peter Czepiga scaled over 25 brands on Meta from scratch to profitability. His agency Flighted helps brands spending between 50 to 300k per month on ads scale up efficiently. But here's the secret - it's all about the creative. Peter says brands need at least 25 unique ad concepts at launch to give Meta the best chance to find winners. Don't worry about formats or placement. It's the messaging that matters most. Find the hooks and benefits that trigger an emotional response. Then plug that messaging into a diversity of static and video ads. Keep feeding Meta fresh creative and let the algorithm do its magic. With this approach, Peter has helped some of the biggest DTC brands reach massive scale.

IG Video

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Here is a 30-60 second short form video script in the style of the Sweet Lauren's cookie company example, based on the transcript provided: This digital marketing agency scaled brands to over $250,000 per month in ad spend, and you may not know their secret sauce. The agency is called Flighted, started by Peter Czepiga after working in-house for various ecommerce brands. His goal was to help DTC companies grow profitably through paid ads. In 2021, Peter noticed a common challenge clients faced: they lacked enough creative assets to effectively test and scale on paid social. This sparked an idea. He decided to reposition Flighted to focus heavily on creative production alongside media buying. This strategic shift transformed the agency's impact overnight. Peter introduced a new approach - treating each brand like a media company and churning out 25+ unique creative concepts per month. Suddenly, Flighted's clients began achieving profitability on paid social and scaling to 6-7 figures per month in ad spend. Flighted is a testament to the power of adapting your offering to solve your clients' biggest growth obstacles. By becoming a one-stop shop for both creative and media buying, they've unlocked massive scale for brands.

📢 Short VO

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Here's a short intro for the podcast episode based on the transcript: Want to learn how to scale your brand's paid social from zero to 100k plus per month? Peter Czepiga has the answers. Peter's the Founder of Flighted, an agency that has helped over 25 DTC brands profitably scale their Meta ad campaigns. In this episode, Peter shares his step-by-step process for testing creatives, finding winning messaging, and unlocking scale with Advantage+ campaigns. We also dive into the role of AI in ad creative development and how he's applying DTC best practices to rapidly grow SaaS brands. Whether you're just starting out or spending 6 figures per month on ads, this episode is packed with actionable advice. That's episode 78 with Peter Czepiga. Check it out and let me know your top takeaways.

Hormozi Prompt

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Here is my response based on the context provided in the transcript: To prove product-market fit on ads, spend at least $150-200 per day on 20-25 different ad concepts for a week. Once you have winning ads, scale them into a single ad set and let the algorithm optimize. Test a variety of audiences including broad, engaged shoppers, interests, and lookalikes. Don't move too quickly to Advantage+ campaigns until you have 50+ conversions and data for the algorithm to work with. Identify winning messaging across your top ads and incorporate that into new creative formats. Test a wide diversity of static and video creative formats using the same proven messaging. When starting out, utilize static ad templates, raw user-generated video content, and affordable offshore video editors to generate the volume of creative needed to scale. This process worked for launching and scaling many successful D2C brands on Meta. The key is giving the platform enough signals and creative variety to find winning combinations that resonate with your target customers. Be strategic and do what works for your business to achieve profitable growth.

Timestamps Trial

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Here is the timestamped overview for this episode, matching the style and format of the provided example: 00:00 Peter's background and scaling brands on Meta 02:09 What it takes to prove product-market fit with ads 04:33 Budget and assets needed to test ad creative 07:28 Scaling winning ads and campaign structure 09:23 What is Advantage+ and when to use it 13:20 Pulling off iterative ad creative and messaging 16:40 Creative mix - formats, concepts and platforms 20:30 Messaging frameworks that resonate in ads 23:56 In-house vs agency for creative production 28:38 Making ads with AI - current use cases 31:55 Applying D2C ad tactics to other business models 35:36 How Peter's agency works with clients

Custom LinkedIN Post Format

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Here's a LinkedIn post based on the context of the recording, using the provided example as a guide for tone, style, and format: If I had to quickly scale a paid ads strategy for my DTC brand, here's the exact playbook I'd use: (This is the exact framework that Flighted agency founder Peter Czepiga shared after helping 25+ brands scale to 6-7 figures per month on Meta) To profitably scale your brand with paid ads, you need to focus on 3 key things: • Prioritize creative messaging over format • Give Meta enough data to find winners • Translate product features into emotional hooks Here's how... 1. Make messaging the top priority. Test at least 25 unique ad concepts at launch. Focus on benefits over features. Don't get hung up on format. Plug winning messaging into various templates. 2. Feed Meta a diverse array of creative. Spend at least $150-200/day for a week. Let Meta identify top performers. Consolidate winning ads into a CBO campaign. Test broad, engaged shoppers, interests, and lookalikes. 3. Translate features into psychological triggers. How does your product make people feel? Tap into aspirations and pain points. Speak directly to customer avatars. Make copy that resonates on an emotional level. A few more tips: • Have 100+ ads to start • Use founder story ads • Source UGC to build trust • Hire an overseas video editor Paid ads = limitless scale. But only if you nail the creative. Put in the work upfront. With the right ad strategy, you've got a growth engine to take your brand to the next level. -- Check out the full interview with Peter on how to scale your DTC brand with paid ads here https://dtcpod.com/episodes/peter-czepiga hashtag#dtcmarketing hashtag#paidads hashtag#creatives hashtag#ecommerce

WEEKLY LINKEDIN SAMPLE POST

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Based on the transcript between Blaine Bolus and Peter Czepiga, here's the exact framework I'd recommend for scaling a brand profitably on Facebook and Instagram: (This is the playbook Peter shared after helping over 25 DTC brands scale profitably to 6 and even 7-figures per month on Meta) To scale your brand on Meta, focus on 3 key areas: • Messaging hierarchy (features -> benefits -> ICP callouts) • Creative diversity (25+ unique assets at launch) • Scientific approach to scaling budget Here's how... 1. Nail your messaging. Translate product features into psychological triggers and emotional hooks. Think about who your customer avatars are. Speak directly to them in your ads. Writing good copy is 80% of the battle. 2. Launch with a wide range of creative. Meta is amazing at finding winning ads fast. Feed the algorithm a diverse menu - aim for 25+ unique assets at launch. Test different hooks, formats, and styles. Let Meta's AI do the work of surfacing top performers. 3. Take a phased approach to scaling. Week 1: Start with $150-200/day testing creative. Identify top messaging angles. Week 2-3: Scale winners to $500/day. Test broad audiences. Week 4+: Graduate to Advantage+ shopping campaigns. Let Meta's AI take the reins. A few more tips: • Define "existing customers" as 180-day purchasers • Monitor account-level frequency, not just ad-level • Copywriting is a superpower - invest in it • Be a media company that happens to sell a product Paid social is an audience you can buy. But you need great creative and messaging to earn their attention. Get your messaging dialed. Launch with diversity. Scale winners. The algorithm will do the rest. -- Check out the full interview with Peter for more actionable tips on scaling FB ads https://dtcpod.com hashtag#fbads hashtag#metacommerce hashtag#creatives hashtag#dtc

dtcpod newsletter NEW (test)

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Peter Czepiga is the founder of Flighted, an agency that helps DTC and other brands profitably scale their paid media programs. He got his start working in-house at brands like Bespoke Post—a nine-figure subscription e-commerce company—and Healthy Baby, before launching Flighted in 2021. Since then, Peter and his team have helped scale over 25 brands from launch to profitability (and beyond), overseeing monthly ad budgets ranging from $50,000 to $300,000 for some of the best-known names in DTC, including Harry’s, Todd Snyder, Momofuku, and more. What you’ll learn: - How to test and prove concept on Meta: Why brands need *minimum* 25 unique creative assets at launch and should think like a media company first. - The budget and testing structure for new brands: Exactly how much to spend, how to set up campaigns, and which signals actually matter in the early data. - Creative frameworks that consistently drive results: Translating features to benefits, ICP callouts, and the right creative mix to make messaging work. - How to scale from $0–$100k/month: The shift from creative testing, to manual campaign structure, to Advantage+ campaigns, and the audience testing Peter recommends at each phase. - Common pitfalls in paid social: Why too many beginner brands misinterpret early results, and why “frequency” and audience exclusions matter more than you think. - Creative production at scale: How Flighted creates hundreds of ad assets monthly, the right way for founders to source UGC and edit effective video, and scrappy methods to build a winning creative library on a budget. - The role and limits of AI in creative: Where AI has real impact (scripting and editing at scale), and why most AI-generated voiceovers and avatars still underperform *real* human content in DTC. - Translating DTC playbooks to SaaS: How DTC tactics like UGC-style ads are still rare and highly effective in SaaS, where the competitive set is behind on creative and paid social sophistication. - Managing agency relationships: Flighted’s onboarding process, engagement model, and how they own the entire funnel (ads, creative, landing pages) to give brands their best shot at profitable growth. Some takeaways: Don’t rule out a channel too early. Most brands give up on Meta after testing five ads and spending a few hundred dollars—but Peter says even $150–$200/day can provide enough signal if you have the creative diversity to let Meta find winners. At launch, over 25 unique assets and a “shotgun” approach to testing messaging are musts for reliable results. The most common mistake? Not thinking of yourself as a media company. Peter recommends brands treat creative as their *primary* job—especially in crowded categories where product moats are thin. Focus on message-market fit, not just product-market fit. Early in a campaign, pay attention to spend allocation—not just purchases. Meta’s algorithm quickly shifts budget to likely winners, and deprioritized creatives are rarely “false negatives.” Trust the platform’s signals in the first week of spend. Don’t overthink formats, but go wide on messaging. Peter’s team cares much more about which headlines, hooks, and emotional triggers work than whether they’re delivered via static, video, or carousel. Once you have high-performing copy or messaging, test it across *every* available format. Advantage+ campaigns are powerful at scale—but don’t use them too early. New ad accounts need to seed conversion data with more manual audience testing (broad, engaged shoppers, interest stacks, and lookalikes). Once you have traction, switching to Advantage+ is often the unlock for big spend. When it comes to creative production: Be scrappy. Download premium static ad templates, send product to friends/family for “founder story” videos, and find affordable freelance creators. Hire video editors globally to churn out new iterations—Peter recommends Eastern Europe for quality and price. AI-generated creative isn’t there yet for DTC. The best use cases are video scripting, shot selection, and batch editing—not front-facing avatars or voiceovers (which DTC buyers spot as fake). AI can speed up backend creative workflows and repurposing, but human content still converts best. DTC tactics can work wonders for SaaS. UGC ads, broad creative testing, and direct response objectives are still rare (and very effective) in SaaS—especially when paired with high-LTV business models and rigorous event optimization. Attribution and tracking are *critical* in SaaS. Event setup and list enrichment for custom audiences are more complex, but once handled, the upside from creative testing is massive. Flighted’s approach: All-in-one. Brands provide intake info (assets, KPIs, messaging), and Flighted delivers paid ad management, hundreds of unique creative assets, landing page design, and even runs whitelisted advertorials through tested blogs. Where to find Peter Czepiga: - Site: https://flighted.co - X: https://twitter.com/peterczepiga In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Peter’s background in DTC and e-comm (05:00) Proving concept and budgeting for traction on Meta (10:00) The balance of creative diversity with early spend (13:00) Manual campaign structures vs. Advantage+ campaigns (17:00) The importance of exclusions and understanding frequency (20:30) What creative mix really looks like in 2024 (24:00) Frameworks for winning messaging and ICP callouts (28:00) Step-by-step creative ops for early-stage brands (33:00) Where to use AI in creative, and where not to (38:00) Adapting the DTC playbook for SaaS and B2B (43:00) How Flighted works with clients and best practices for agency engagement (45:30) Final thoughts, where to contact Peter, and Flighted’s service model Referenced: • Flighted: https://flighted.co • Bespoke Post: https://www.bespokepost.com/ • Brands Meets Creators: https://brandsmeetscreators.com/ • Gumloop: https://www.gumloop.com/ • Constant Creative: https://www.constantcreative.com/ If you want the latest on scaling DTC brands, how creative drives paid growth, and practical insight into winning on Meta and beyond, this episode is for you.

[New] Show Notes

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Episode Summary Peter Czepiga, founder of Flighted and DTC brand Ondo, joins DTC POD to break down actionable strategies for launching and scaling e-commerce brands through paid digital advertising. Drawing on his experience with brands spending anywhere from $50K to $300K per month on ads, Peter shares how to set up ad accounts, develop winning creative, approach audience targeting, manage campaigns profitably, and leverage creative production at scale. Whether you’re starting at zero or looking to grow past $10K/day in ad spend, Peter offers clear, data-backed frameworks and advice on what works in today’s competitive landscape. Episode Notes Peter brings a wealth of experience from managing paid growth at brands like Bespoke Post and Healthy Baby before founding Flighted, an agency that’s helped more than 25 brands—from scrappy upstarts to major DTC players—achieve profitable scale. In this episode, Peter details how to validate product-market fit with paid ads, the critical role of creative testing (hint: think media company, not just ecommerce brand), and how to prioritize messaging over format in creative development. He discusses best practices for building out Advantage+ campaigns, managing exclusions, and handling frequency as you scale. Peter also unpacks the practical side of producing hundreds of ad creatives, the current realities of AI-generated ad content, and how top DTC tactics can be adapted to SaaS and lead gen. If you’re serious about paid growth, you’ll find lessons here that are both strategic and tactical. On this episode of DTC POD, we cover: 1. Peter’s background in e-commerce and agency growth 2. Validating product-market fit with paid social 3. How much to spend and what to test when launching ads 4. Developing and testing 25+ unique creative concepts 5. The importance of messaging over format in ad creative 6. Setting up audience targeting and the top four audience buckets 7. When and how to deploy Advantage+ (ASC) campaigns 8. Managing exclusions and handling ad frequency at scale 9. Building the right creative production system 10. Real talk on AI-generated creative and what actually works 11. Adapting DTC ad strategies for SaaS and other verticals 12. Event optimization and attribution differences between ecommerce and SaaS 13. Peter’s agency process, pricing, and how to get in touch Timestamps 00:01:20 – Peter’s background: Bespoke Post, Healthy Baby, and launching Flighted 00:04:33 – How to validate product-market fit with paid ads 00:07:28 – Budget: How much to spend and timelines for creative testing 00:09:23 – Evaluating early ad performance and identifying winners 00:10:36 – Scaling after finding signal: next campaign steps 00:12:15 – Breaking down audience targeting: top four audience buckets 00:13:44 – What is Meta Advantage+ (ASC) and when to use it 00:16:40 – Audience exclusions and managing ad frequencies 00:20:30 – Creative mix: Messaging, formats, and platform placement 00:24:57 – Frameworks for developing strong ad messaging 00:28:38 – Setting up the creative production operation 00:32:30 – The current state of AI-generated creative for DTC 00:38:39 – Translating DTC playbooks to SaaS and lead gen 00:43:36 – How Flighted onboards, works with clients, and agency pricing 00:45:32 – Where to find Peter and closing notes

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