The World's Best Email and Retention Podcast

The DTC Podcast Network
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to The World's Best Email and Retention Podcast, or as we've been calling it, TWBERP. Dive into weekly episodes designed to help new and seasoned email and retention marketers make the most out of their email program. Get educated, get inspired, and get your notebook ready because you've got some work to do. Hosted by Pilothouse's Jordan Gordon on the DTC Podcast Network.

  1. 1d ago

    Ep 98: 11 Email Marketing Mistakes Brands Keep Making

    After auditing hundreds of email programs, Jordan Gordon has seen the same mistakes show up again and again. In this episode of The World’s Best Email & Retention Podcast, Jordan runs through 11 common problems that make retention programs harder to manage and less effective, from creating endless Klaviyo segments and bloated flows to mixing too many goals into one post-purchase journey. He also gets into why non-opener resends can hurt your sending reputation, where your best offer should appear in an email, what brands miss when testing dark mode, and why producing more campaigns can leave you with thinner creative. Then he moves beyond the inbox with two CRO mistakes he sees constantly: underdeveloped top product pages and homepages that have accumulated too many competing ideas. What you’ll learn: Why you probably have too many Klaviyo segmentsHow bloated flows create dead weight in your retention programWhy each automation should have one clear conversion goalWho you should ask for reviews and UGCWhy non-opener double taps can hurt deliverabilityWhere your strongest offer should appearWhy every brand should be checking emails in dark modeHow too much campaign volume can weaken your creativeWhat your highest-traffic PDP needs above the foldHow to clean up an overloaded homepage 00:00 – How Email + CRO Drive More Revenue 01:22 – The Email Mistakes Jordan Sees Every Day 03:19 – Why Too Many Flows Become Dead Weight 06:16 – UGC, Reviews & Post-Purchase Mistakes 10:07 – Give Every Automation One Clear Goal 13:29 – Offers, Non-Opener Resends & Dark Mode 16:22 – When Too Much Email Content Hurts Performance 22:13 – PDP & Homepage CRO Mistakes 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

  2. Jul 28

    Ep 97: The Perfect Pop-Up: Timing, Targeting, and the Right Offer

    In this episode of The World’s Best Email and Retention Podcast, Jordan Gordon sits down with Alia founder Shaan Arora to break down what makes a high-converting pop-up work. Shaan shares how Alia grew from a college project to $8 million in revenue before being acquired by Dotdigital for $60 million. He also explains how the company uses behavioral data to personalize pop-ups based on the shopper, timing, creative, and offer. They get into the role of data as a competitive advantage, how AI is changing software development, and why strong e-commerce brands continue testing even after they find a winning variation. What you’ll learn: How Alia grew from two early customers to a $60 million acquisitionThe four elements behind a “perfect pop-up”How timing, traffic source, and customer history affect conversionWhy blanket discounts can quietly reduce marginHow customer data creates an advantage that competitors cannot quickly copyWhy Alia continues focusing on pop-ups as a core productHow continuous A/B testing compounds conversion gainsWhy flexible software contracts can make experimentation easier 00:41 What makes a “perfect pop-up” 01:48 Alia’s $60 million acquisition 03:13 From college project to $8 million in revenue 08:54 AI, software development, and defensible SaaS moats 12:38 Personalizing the customer, timing, creative, and offer 18:48 Why strong brands never stop 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

  3. Jul 21

    Ep 96: The Future of Ecommerce Websites: AI Storefronts Built for Every Ad

    In this episode of The World’s Best Email and Retention Podcast, Jordan Gordon sits down with Black Crow co-founder Shazad Khan to explore how AI could reshape the ecommerce website. As ad creative, search queries, and retention messages become more personalized, most shoppers still land on the same static product or collection page. Black Crow Storefronts is built to carry the context of each ad through the full post-click experience, creating tailored landing pages, product flows, carts, and upsells for each audience and campaign. Jordan and Shazad break down how AI storefronts work, where they fit into a brand’s marketing stack, and how creative teams, media buyers, and agencies may use them to improve conversion after the click. What you’ll learn: How AI is changing the role of the ecommerce websiteWhy every ad could eventually lead to a unique storefrontHow Black Crow builds dynamic experiences from landing page to checkoutWhy post-click relevance can improve conversion and ROASWhich brands are ready to use AI storefrontsHow Black Crow supports email list growth and abandonment recoveryHow AI could change the responsibilities of media buyers and creative teams 00:00 How to drive more revenue without increasing ad spend 02:50 What will an ecommerce website look like in 10 years? 04:47 The personalization gap after someone clicks an ad 10:06 Inside Black Crow Storefronts 12:30 How AI builds a unique storefront for every ad 17:48 Controlling which products and audiences AI prioritizes 23:08 How AI changes creative and media buying roles 30:24 Black Crow’s AI tools for email and retention 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

  4. Jul 14

    Ep 95: Creating Desire Through Design: Filson’s Approach to Email Aesthetics (Replay)

    This week, we're revisiting a listener favourite from early in the TWBERP catalog. If you haven't been around since the beginning, we can assure you this is a good one. On with the show! In this episode, we dive into the art of creating email experiences that both sell and inspire. Join host Jordan Gordon as he explores how heritage brand Filson turns each email into a visual journey, using lifestyle photography, strategic design, and storytelling to craft an aspirational experience for their subscribers. We cover how Filson strikes the perfect balance between content-driven and conversion-focused emails, how they maximize engagement through VIP sign-ups and theme features, and why their approach to seasonal drops keeps customers coming back. Whether you’re an email marketer, brand owner, or design enthusiast, discover actionable tips to elevate your email strategy and create a more loyal audience. 00:00 — Intro 01:00 — The Role of Non-Conversion Emails 02:30 — Filson as a Case Study: Building a Visual Experience 05:00 — Making the Most of Your Best Shots 08:00 — Crafting Seasonal Drops 10:30 — Lifestyle vs. Product Focus: Striking a Balance 13:00 — VIP Sign-Ups: Building Long-Term Engagement 15:30 — Design Choices That Work Across Devices 18:00 — The Power of Theme Features 21:00 — Filson’s Take on Journal-Style Emails 24:00 — Closing Thoughts 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

  5. Jul 7

    Ep 94: The First 30 Days That Determine Customer Lifetime Value | Thomas Lalas

    Before anyone talks about LTV, retention curves, or lifecycle marketing, there's one window that matters most: the first 30 days. Thomas Lalas, founder of Art of Ecomm and author of Retention Economics, joins Jordan Gordon to break down why the first month after a customer's purchase has an outsized impact on lifetime value, profitability, and long-term growth. They cover why retention is much bigger than email, how top subscription brands reduce early churn, and the systems they use to turn first-time buyers into loyal customers. In this episode: 00:00 Why email and CRO are the fastest path to profitable growth 01:21 Meet Thomas Lalas and the idea behind Retention Economics 04:40 Why retention is bigger than email marketing 07:00 The first 30 days that determine customer lifetime value 11:44 The three stages of a high-performing retention system 12:14 Pre-delivery: reducing anxiety and increasing perceived value 28:32 Post-delivery: building habits and educating customers 44:13 Rebilling: reducing churn before the next charge 49:27 Why engagement compounds over time 50:26 Agency vs. consultancy: two approaches to retention 51:24 Where to find Thomas and his book 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

  6. Jun 30

    Ep 93: Shopify: 2 Minutes, 2 Pages, 2 Folds

    All the conversion action on your Shopify store happens in a narrow window. Jordan builds out the diagnostic framework to find it, measure it, and fix it. What's covered: Why sessions, scroll depth, and page depth are all brutally short, and why that concentrates the opportunityThe 10 power pages to audit: homepage, top 3 category pages by conversions, top 3 PDPs by conversions, top 3 content pages by sessionsThe four metrics to track per page: sessions, add to cart rate, conversion rate, conversionsEntry vs. internal referrer as two distinct analytical lensesChannel segmentation: paid, organic, Klaviyo, direct/other, and why mixing them hides the real signalWhat healthy funnel shape looks like: PDP add to cart rate higher than category, higher than homeKlaviyo benchmarks: 10% of total revenue attributed, 2-3x conversion rate on email entriesSitewide benchmarks: 7.5% add to cart, 2% conversion ratePost-click activities to deploy against specific gaps: pre-sell pages, quizzes, site funnels, category flows, bundle builders, recommendations, subscribe and save Referenced episodes: 69, 70, 73 (retention and email metrics), low-60s series (120-second session framework), recent recommendations flow and essentials flow episodes. Timestamps 00:00 – Why all the action is in the first 2 minutes, 2 folds, 2 pages 03:17 – How to diagnose a Shopify revenue problem 07:37 – The four metrics that matter: sessions, add to cart, conversion rate, conversions 08:34 – Entry vs. internal referrer explained 10:02 – Channel segmentation: paid, organic, Klaviyo, direct 12:28 – The 10 power pages framework 17:22 – What it means when homepage outperforms your top PDP 21:53 – Post-click activities to deploy against site gaps 26:16 – Klaviyo entry benchmarks and what to expect 31:06 – How to link your CRO ideas to needle-moving pages 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

  7. Jun 23

    Ep 92: 2026 Segmentation Research: What We Changed and Why

    Email segmentation is getting tighter. Here's what our 2025 research found and what we changed going into H2 2026. We cover implied consent windows, why we pulled back from 150-day open segments to 120, the real revenue math on long buyer lookbacks, and how to structure a mailable segment that sits inside every other segment you send to. Key topics: Implied consent: 95-day default vs. the legal maximumsWhy 150-day open windows caused inboxing problems on some brandsLong buyer lookbacks: the $400 on $14,000 reality checkEngaged vs. unengaged within mailabilityFirst-time vs. repeat buyer segmentation and why it matters for sustainable revenueHow to add implied consent directly into existing segmentsThis is the internal lifecycle update Pilothouse publishes before every H2. The direction for 2026: tighter than 2025, across the board. 0:00 - What's required to inbox 2:51 - 2025 segmentation research overview 3:50 - Implied consent windows explained 5:16 - Open window: why we stayed at 120 days 7:15 - Where 85% of campaign revenue comes from 9:15 - Long buyer lookbacks: what the data showed 13:49 - How to establish mailability as your foundation 16:45 - First-time vs repeat buyer segmentation 20:27 - Using segmentation to learn about your business 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

  8. Jun 16

    Ep 91: The Self-Healing Email Flow That Replaces 18 Campaigns a Month

    Your recommendations flow does more than fill inbox space. It introduces your audience to parts of your catalog they haven't seen, replaces a chunk of your campaign volume, and works on autopilot as your catalog changes. This episode breaks down how recommendations and essentials flows work together, why Klaviyo's default 10-recommendation set limits you to three usable emails, and how to split recommendations into specific categories (best sellers, new arrivals, trending, recommended for you) to force more variety and unlock 6-12 emails for the flow. You'll learn why hero shots underperform in these emails, how to structure a two-section layout (shopability plus special interest content), how to schedule sends based on declining intent after a site visit, and how this system frees your campaigns to focus on drops, discounts, and content people actually want. Topics covered: How recommendations and essentials flows split your catalog and trigger off site visitsWorking around Klaviyo's 10-recommendation default to get more emails out of the flowBuilding category-specific recommendation emails that tell a storyWhy product shots beat hero shots in this flowTwo-section email structure: shopability and special interest contentScheduling sends based on visit recency and declining intentHow this flow reduces the number of campaigns you need to run each month 00:00 - Introduction 03:50 - Core support vs essentials vs recommendations overview 06:46 - What is the recommendations email 09:08 - Klaviyo's 10-recommendation default and email limits 10:36 - Building category-specific recommendation emails 13:58 - Why hero shots underperform 15:52 - Two-section email structure 20:16 - Scheduling based on declining intent 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

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5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to The World's Best Email and Retention Podcast, or as we've been calling it, TWBERP. Dive into weekly episodes designed to help new and seasoned email and retention marketers make the most out of their email program. Get educated, get inspired, and get your notebook ready because you've got some work to do. Hosted by Pilothouse's Jordan Gordon on the DTC Podcast Network.

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