8 Ways to Turn Customer Questions Into Revenue
Turn the questions in your support inbox into your next creative brief.
Growth & acquisition.
Growing a consumer business involves decisions about the offer, the channels, and what happens after the click. This collection brings together Nik’s published examples and playbooks for making those decisions.
A place to start
- Start with the problem you are trying to solve: demand, conversion, or repeat purchase.
- Choose the article closest to that problem and compare its examples with your business.
- Write down the assumptions you would need to test before increasing spend.
Reading notes from the site editors. The articles below preserve the original writing.
This is how IM8 scaled to $100M in 11 months
So this week I'm doing something a little different. I went back through every newsletter I've sent this year to see which ones you opened and read the most. One of the top sends of the year was my notes from Hudson…
What customers find after your ad
First, the stage. On Thursday we hosted the Ecom Founders Q4 Summit at Capitale in New York, and honestly I'm still a little wired from it. A full room of founders and operators, nobody pitching, everybody comparing notes on…
The two things I work on to get a brand from zero to one
I'll be honest, I'm living it right now too. I'm helping out a new supplement brand that's at this exact stage, and most of what's below is stuff I've had to figure out again in the last few months... not stuff I remember…
Bundles on Friday. Tiers on Monday. Here's why.
Today’s newsletter is dedicated to everyone who's going to miss Thanksgiving dinner this year. Those of you eating a plate at the kitchen counter with a laptop open, checking Shopify every four minutes, texting your group chat…
The Missing Puzzle Piece to Effective Advertising
Most brands enter Q4 with a pile of half-decisions. The promo calendar is almost done. Inventory is mostly locked. Creative is moving, but nobody knows if there is enough of it. Cash planning lives in one spreadsheet,…
Your ads may not be the problem
A few years ago, I wrote a newsletter called "4 Reasons Your Ads Aren't Working." The short version was that if you think your ads aren't working, you're probably diagnosing the wrong problem. Back then, my answer came down to…
I spent a room with a $1B ad budget… this is what they struggle with
This past week I had the pleasure of joining one of the biggest brands’ global CMOs in one room. All their operating countries CMOs fly in for a week of discussion, and today’s newsletter is what I wanted to share from it.
Tony Stark had Jarvis… Here’s how you build your own.
We're in the second-half of the year now. Summer season is upon us (sales are flying), inventory and ops are getting ready for the upcoming holiday season, marketing is figuring out what bundles and products they're going to…
I’m 30… These 30 strategies always win.
Next week, the full BFCM Audience Building plan ||
The Most Valuable Parts of Shopify’s Newest Releases
Twice a year, Shopify does what Apple does every June. They dump a giant list of shipped product on the table and tell you which way the platform is now pointing. This drop is the loudest one in a while. 150+ updates, and…
How to craft a winning listicle for paid social ads
The difference between a well put-together listicle and one that is just jumbled together with AI copy, is success and failure. You simply can’t just run AI slop and expect to out-perform your competitors. But before we get…
The Death of Diluted Brands - Stay simple!
The brands winning are doing less, louder.
Build your brand a second brain
The companies that win the next five years are the ones that wire this up correctly... right now.
The 4 things 85% of DTC brands are getting wrong
Don’t be like everyone else… get ahead and convert more customers.
The 2026 Vitamins & Supplements Playbook
7 things the brands doing $100M+ are doing that everyone else isn't.
The product is fine. The education is broken.
Your conversion rate isn't low. Your comprehension is.
$3.5B worth of revenue made a report… I tore it apart for you.
AI apparently doesn’t work, but it’s because none of you are using it properly.
This is how IM8 scaled to $100M in 11 months
Inside secrets from a private founder mastermind
ClawdBot time… let’s build a second brain
1 hour of setup will put you in the top 1%
Promotions 101: How to run offers without being a discount brand
There's a right way and a wrong way to give your customers a deal
The DTC Triage Playbook (What I Fix First When a Brand is Bleeding)
The same 7 fixes keep showing up. Here's the exact playbook.
What brands MISS about building brand: The Cohesion Tax
When a brand fixes this problem, almost all of their issues with “marketing” get fixed.
Provocative Patterns of Winning Brands
Give me 45 seconds, and I’ll give you a way to stand out this year.
Don’t buy fake awareness marketing
Let’s go back to what the 3 parts of the funnel really are, and what you need to do…
6 Pages on Launching New Channels This Year
“I tested this channel and it failed” -- no you just did it wrong.
26 “Things” to Prep Q4 2026 (it’s time)
Just copy/paste, and forward to someone on your team.
8 Revenue Leaks You Can Fix Before 2026
I See 25–50 Brands a Week. These 8 Problems Keep Showing Up.
A fun post-BFCM read... gimme 45 seconds
As someone who’s reading this right now, you are probably still catching your breath from BFCM. The madness is far from over… if anything the craziness is just getting started. Catch your breath, because after this, we have…
8 BFCM Hacks to Steal for December
I found some mid-BFCM ideas/tactics you can take and apply to your own brand ASAP.
You’re wasting money by not doing the basics of Social Shopping
It’s not about “TikTok Shop” it’s about giving better signals.
A 30 second rant to make you more money, instantly
We’re going to chat about whitelis- I mean partnership ads
7 Page Rant on Why You Need a Web Design Team/Process
You wouldn’t have a Formula 1 team without engineers… why would you have a storefront without a design process?
Let’s build a Shopify app in 60 minutes (vibe coding!)
By the end of the email, you’ll have a Shopify app you can install on your store.
13 insights from the founder of BREZ ($70M in revenue this year)
6 pages of lessons from one of the fastest growing beverage brands, ever.
22 tips to write copy like a 9-figure brand
Good copy can unlock a world of performance possibilities.
12+ Last Minute Q4 Tips to make an extra $100k
A compilation of notes I’ve given to clients, portfolio companies and my own brands
20 Underrated Tactics to Nail Your Brand Launch
Don’t be another brand that forgets these basic tips!
What GLP-1 Marketers Are Doing Better Than You
4 brands have killer landing pages — here’s what you can steal.
Finding the next acquisition arbitrage
It’s not as easy as, “We should copy what Gruns is doing”
Nik Sharma’s 2025 BFCM Playbook
At 30,000 feet, here are all the pieces I’m thinking about to crush DTC sales.
The biggest arbitrage with Meta ads no one does — Partnership Ads
I’ve been running these for 8 years now, let me rant about why they’re so good.
Brand VS Performance — Which deserves more budget?
A quick rant of thoughts with some nuggets for you.
The Jackpot (aka new customer offer) for DTC Brands
Once you nail this, everything else becomes 10x easier.
The High CPA Diagnostics Checklist — MUST READ!
“My CPA is too high, what should I do” Let me tell you what you’re messing up! Happy Sunday!
WTF is a 3PL? Everything you need to know
The truth about third-party logistics from someone who's seen it all on the bootstrapped side
The brand launched and sales stopped… here’s how I would fix it.
Day 1 is great. Day 2 is half as good. Day 3, everything stops. What happened to everyone?!
My birthday — 29 tips to make $290,000.29
Portless — A 3PL that takes inventory from China to doorsteps in the US in 6 days.
40 Must-Do’s from my iPhone Notes App
This is one of those emails that should make you $100k+ again
5 Page Supplement Brand Site Teardown
Everything wrong with it, and what I would fix!
My MDW Swipe File Dump — Study up this weekend
There’s no better time to go deep and read, than a day off.
How I drove in-store sales at Target with digital performance marketing
If you’re unfamiliar with how brands are best driving performance in retail, this one is for you.
10 pages on 9 underrated growth tactics
We didn’t forget about the AI agent workerbees!
9 Easy Ways to Save Money & Maximize Revenue
With tariffs, you can never be too safe with your approach to save or generate more revenue.
My 2025 Product Launch Checklist to Maximize Revenue
I’ve had this in my Notes app for 7 years, and now you can take it too!
We launched a new beauty brand — here’s what made the site stand out!
Mikayla’s community is no joke, and here’s how we prepared the website for the launch.
This is why you can’t sell high AOV products
High AOV requires a mix of art and science — here’s how I like to think about it.
“My Facebook ads aren’t working!” — 5 pages on how to fix it
Everyone blames the ad platform, and no one wants to do the work of brand building.
My process to hire exceptional global talent – Offshore Hiring 101
4 minutes to save you money and bring you amazing talent.
Whitelisting is efficient — here’s how to start doing it today
The CPA, CTR, & CPM are all amazing. Why aren’t you whitelisting yet?
A 2-minute masterclass on a volume-approach to creative!
Whether you do this internally, off-shore or with AI, you need to increase your surface area of luck.
3,500 words explaining how I would scale a $50M brand in 2025
Focus on the fundamentals, especially these 8 pages of tactics and strategies.
How to craft the perfect new customer offer
Your goal should be creating an offer, getting to 100 new customers a day, then 250, 500, then 1,000.
The 3-part playbook to test-launch a new brand or product
You don’t need to spend all your resources before you’ve validated what you want to put out into the world.
10 Channels/Tactics to STOP Wasting Your Time and Money as a Brand
In the famous words of Connor McGregor, “I'd like to apologize... to absolutely nobody!”
A 7 Page Rant on Building More Brand Equity Without Spending $$$
It’s so obvious — the brands that built brand had the best sales in Q4 this year. Here’s how to prep for next year.
31 People to Follow Online & Stay In-The-Know on CPG/DTC/eCommerce
These are the people I follow to stay up to date in a 360-degree fashion of what is going on in our industry. Who else should I add?
January 2025 is for testing new channels & tactics — here’s what I’m doing
AppLovin, TV, advertorials, AI, and all the good stuff.
Meta is restricting health advertising — here’s the inside scoop
I’ve spent the whole week on the phone with telemedicine executives here’s how to solve for this new change
Swipe File: 18 BFCM Strategies & Tactics (with links!)
Don’t worry if the sales end, I recorded everything for you to see later
You just got a ton of BFCM customers… here’s how you keep them!
Everything you work hard for all year, has paid off… but are these people going to stick around? Let’s talk about it!
18 Tips to Immediately Increase Your Ad Creative Performance
Whether you implement these for quick BFCM ads, or for your evergreen ads, this should make you an incremental $50,000, this week.
9 pages of questions and answers from the Limited Supply community
Top of funnel, BFCM, native ads, UGC, and more — You asked me questions & I answered them!
100+ insights and tips from the Q4 Summit
The best from HexClad, Jolie, PetMeds, Shopify, TripleWhale, True Classic, OpenStore, Loverboy, Snapchat, etc.
My secret swipe file for eCommerce marketing inspiration
A bunch of secret links I’ve never shared before!
The 6-Page Last-Minute BFCM Prep Checklist
Whether or not you’re ready for BFCM, this checklist will have something you’ve probably missed — but hey, now you got it!
I talked to the best ADA Lawsuit Attorney in the USA
Here are 8 pages on how to avoid getting frivolous lawsuits
Unpublished Insights from Google’s Retail Research Team
The more context you have, the better your decisions are, and the more money you will make.
18 tips to make you AT LEAST $98,000 in the next 30 days
As we get closer to holiday season, these are some of the things I’m ensuring we have setup for clients.
50+ Things Every Brand Should Know For the Holiday Season
15 pages of insights on how to make more $$$ during BFCM and Q5!
The MUST-HAVE Checklist for product launches to make $$$
If you have been following Kourtney’s Lemme brand, you’ll know they execute this playbook extremely well.
Building a $20M/year Haircare Brand without Facebook Ads — Meet Crown Affair
Season 9 of Limited Supply is here and I gathered the nuggets from the first episode with Dianna Cohen
10 pages of DTC Q&A to answer your deepest, darkest questions
Everything from having a $30 AOV to the biggest mistakes brands make
Revenue-Driving Shower Thoughts for BFCM 2024
Have you started putting together your BFCM offers yet? Here are some nuggets that will help you make some more money!
I turned 28 — here are 22 pages of tactical, no-nonsense lessons as a gift!
BIRTHDAY OUTLINE V1… JK 😂 28 nuggets of real value, just for you.
How to hit a “Jackpot” on the DTC Slot Machine
This is a 10-page email, derived from a consulting call rant!
26 SaaS companies to build out your tech stack
This is what I use — let me know what else you’d add to this!
This is how you maximize channel performance with better creative
A deep dive into how I think about creative by channel — I think you’ll love it
3,000 words on how to work with celebrities, as a brand — Celebrity 101
I went straight to the person who makes these deals happen, and asked her everything I could for you.
A Deep-Dive into a Brand’s QBR and Meta Insights
Any guesses on the conversion rate of a bedding brand versus a toys brand?
9 Pages of Lessons from HexClad’s President — Jason Panzer
Jason is the Michael Jordan of operating a brand. This email is PURE gold — you better open it.
This is what you do when Meta is broken
7 pages of what to do when your Meta account is not delivering results like it should be!
A Deep Dive on a $50M/year Bootstrapped Brand’s Marketing
8 pages of lessons from a CMO who knows how to scale
Lessons from a founder who exited for $100,000,000 in cash
This isn’t your ordinary set of post-exit blog post lessons, either.
6 Inside Secrets from the Sharma Brands Web Design Team
I hope I don’t get in trouble for sharing these nuggets with you
FB Catalog Ads — how you can get 2x better ROAS overnight
It’s not a secret, but no one does it… let me give you the run down.
The 49-question Checklist for when things just don’t click
You ever can’t figure out why things just aren’t working?
Storytime — The $175B marketplace that ran 6 Super Bowl Ads
Learn how this brand is spending billions per year to take your customers with loopholes.
8 pages on the $100BN/yr ad category that you aren’t leveraging today!
Plus a few notes on one of the most successful campaigns I’ve ever run
1868: “Risk-free Trial!” | 2024: Try before you buy
I know you’re watching the Super Bowl right now, but I won’t take more than 2 minutes!
The Multi-Billion Dollar Winner of the US Election: Meta & Google
The dates, data, and strategies that marketers and founders should know about when it comes to the US presidential election this year.
Give me 4 minutes, and I’ll make you $100,000 in revenue
If we do the math on that… that’s $25,000 per minute as soon as you open this email on CRO tips, tricks and hacks. No gurus here!
9 pages of context, strategy and tips!
Amazon is the world’s LARGEST shopping mall — here’s what you need to know! Hey, happy Sunday!
23 pages of 2023’s best Newsletter Nuggets
I hope you have a safe, happy, healthy and exciting new year celebration!
A deep dive: The 8 figure brand with a 3 person team
There’s a good chance you already have their product in your home, too!
6 pages of learnings from True Classic’s Black Friday Wins & Mistakes
Imagine if you could ask Steve Jobs the best way to build a mobile device… that’s what it’s like asking Ben from True Classic about eCommerce.
Post-BFCM: 9 reflections from this year’s global shopping holiday
This POV comes from seeing about 50+ brands’ numbers for BFCM 2023
I’m giving you $55 in gift cards today!
Black Friday means I give you money… you don’t have to buy anything!
Everything you MUST have ready when you launch a brand (bootstrapped edition)
Happy Diwali to all my Indians and honorary Indians!!
9 pages of Tactical Last-Minute BFCM Strategies & Hacks
If nothing else, this email has at least 1 or 2 strategies to make you an extra $100,000 in revenue.
The Exact Playbook I Use For Hiring Exceptional Talent
We’ve never lost an employee as a result… the fit is always perfect
The 10 page guide on launching a brand from scratch
24,000 characters on how you should think about launching a brand and finding product-market fit.
My playbook to hire offshore talent as a bootstrapped biz or a $100M biz
I failed at hiring offshore talent at first, but then I figured out how to make it work for me.
Running an Awareness campaign? You’re lighting money on fire
Today’s email ended up being a quick read, but it’s a long weekend, so that’s allowed!
How much are TV ads? What are the CPMs? Creative Costs? And more…
Even after all the TV talk, I still had some unanswered questions like WTF is streaming vs linear vs OTT vs CTV… I got the answers!
2,500 words on buying and fixing Long Wknd, a personal care brand
I thought I had this all in the bag, but I missed all these things in diligence
18 Underrated Tactics to Make Better Paid Media Creative
These are all taken from the Sharma Brands creative team
The 5 Overlooked Pieces to a Winning Paid Advertising Strategy
You don’t need all the apps that everyone says you need… what you really need is just the 5 fundamentals
Light Labor Day Reading: 7 predictions about the future of DTC
Listen, I hope you have a burger in your hand… but I promise I won’t take too much time with today’s newsletter.
This is how Kate Spade became a generational brand
The brand that was once for the “cool kids” is now a multi-billion dollar powerhouse under Tapestry
Lessons from Ben, the President of a $250M bootstrapped business
We covered the metrics he looks at, and some easy ways to optimize your operating expenses.
7 pages of gold nuggets to prep for Black Friday 2023
This was about an hour’s worth of talking, distilled down to a 7 page newsletter. Let me know if I missed anything.
This is how Andrew Tate became the most Googled person
The exact playbook he used, and how you can take the same thing and apply it for your brand
The bootstrapped ad creative playbook I rely on
I'm writing this from the perspective of owning a brand that has a limited budget to get off the ground, with winning creative.
An 8-Page Playbook for Organic Social
I sat down with Kendall Dickieson who’s done social media for Graza, Immi, Canopy, and many others. She prints money with organic social.
How we drove $30M in revenue last year for our DTC clients at 1180 Media
This is the entire playbook — and I’ll even write up an advertorial specifically for your brand.
7 Lessons from the $100M+ DTC Brands
I know it’s a long weekend, but I promise I made this a quick read for you! Don’t leave me hanging!!
5 Easy Ways To Increase Sell-Through Off The Retail Shelf
7 pages of goodness, how I peaked with Ryan Serhant and details on Nik Sharma's Birthday Week
5 full pages/notes of Customer Experience Golden Nuggets
This week I did a deep dive with Jess, who is the Head of Customer Experience at Feastables, one of the fastest growing CPG brands, in the world.
Online Promotions 101 — the full playbook to execute
In today’s newsletter, we cover what types of discounts to run, all the pieces required, and how to handle media buying.
9 Shiny Gold Nuggets from Successful Brand Founders
Everyone here did over $50M in revenue last year… this stuff is legit.
The 9 Page TV Advertising Bible
Pricing, Creative, Attribution, and WTF CTV is!
The most optimized customer referral build out for eCommerce
The Bootstrapped Founders Will LOVE Today’s Sunday Email
WTF is Whitelisting? Here Are 3 Easy Ways to Try It
You don’t need any fancy influencer marketplaces to get started. You can literally start for free.
You launched your brand, now WTF do you do?
This is the 2023 playbook of how to get sales on track
Class is in session: Out-of-Home 101
This is everything I wish I knew about OOH ads, 3 years ago. I hope this helps you too.
6 things I picked up from True Classic (150M/year in rev from a $3k investment)
There was nothing I couldn’t ask about… so I asked everything you were thinking about.
The Broke-Man’s Content Strategy Playbook
It’s me, hi, I’m the broke man, it’s me
My entire presentation from eCommerce Fuel Live
Last week was 3 test points, this week is the rest of it!
3 jaw-dropping, easy hacks to get more out of your existing traffic
Don’t hate the subject line — I’m just fighting open rates here!! But it is good ;)
If you think your “Ads aren’t working” then you’re not going to make it
There’s no way that your ads just don’t work… this is likely why
7 Questions to ask yourself on Superbowl Sunday
I’m 100% certain you haven’t done this yet
3,000 words on the modern-day playbook to scale
This ended up being 9 pages in a Google doc…
The trick to making direct mail ads work for you
You don’t have to spend $30k to test direct mail, finally!
This is how Outdoor Voices scaled without spending ad dollars
Ty Haney, the founder of Outdoor Voices, talks about what separated OV from her competitors.
The secrets to weaponizing your copy in ads, your site, and other places
It’s a short one, but let’s talk about words that make you money
14 sources for content you’re not tapping into
Before we start, I want to buy you coffee. If you reply to this tweet with what you like/don’t like about Limited Supply, I’m going to Venmo $5 to 20 people for coffee.
The Sharma Recap of 2022 — What’s next?
2022 was a wild ride. Sharma Brands did more than I could’ve imagined from a capabilities and revenue standpoint, and we doubled the headcount.
A 73-second rant on making stronger ad creative
We’ve got 1 more Sunday newsletter after this, where I have something special planned. We’ve got 2 more episodes of Limited Supply until the close of Season 2 (we recorded both in person, and they’re 10x better!). I hope…
The TRACE model, how to iterate LPs, and if retail is worth it
Before we get into the meat of today's email, if you’ve emailed or texted me and I haven’t gotten back to you, please don’t be offended by that! I have been swamped, and it’s nearly impossible for me to get back to everyone in…
7 things holding back 99% of brands from real revenue
Before we get into it, did you get a chance to listen to Limited Supply this past week? We shared numbers from different merchants’ Black Friday sales. I’ll admit, the quality of the audio… not our best work (Moiz and I were…
A 4-minute pre-BFCM checklist & speech
I’m going to keep today’s Sunday newsletter shorter than normal since I know everyone is focused on BFCM stuff. Today’s content will be a checklist of things to make sure you double-check and turn on, to ensure a…
5 Black Friday Tactics That Blew Moiz’s Mind
Before we get into this week's newsletter, have I ever told you that me and Moiz Ali, the guy behind Native Deodorant, have a podcast called Limited Supply? Francesco really liked the last episode breaking down the numbers…
The TRACE Framework to Master Customer Acquisition
Before that, I have to put my weekly plug for you to check out Limited Supply, a podcast that Drew, the founder of Mad Rabbit Tattoo says "bangs". No really, look at this tweet. He's referring to our new episode that just…
The strategy that helps us sell booze for clients
This may have been one of the craziest weeks. People got their Lucky Sharms cereal box and t-shirt, Me and Moiz recorded a Limited Supply episode with Keith Rabois, I spoke at a panel about creator-led brands, Juvee (a creator…
This is why celebrities are launching brands
Over the last couple of years, it feels like every celebrity and their mother has launched a brand. On the surface level, it seems like a phenomenal idea at the beginning:
The software stack every 7-figure DTC brand uses
This past week, Moiz and I had the honor of recording 2 FULL episodes of Limited Supply with Harley Finkelstein, the President of Shopify. We spent 2 hours together, talking all about why Shopify supports Yotpo, why they don't…
The audience is your biggest asset
Before we start the newsletter, I wanted to take a second to acknowledge and remember those who responded and lost their lives on 9/11/2001. Every year when this day comes around, it makes me so upset to know that some people…
Here’s how you can maximize revenue on Black Friday
This whole week I've had ESPN on 24/7 for the US Open tournament, anyone else? Tennis is such a fascinating game about mental strength and doing the extra thing — taking the extra step on a forehand, jumping with a little…
You’re leaving data-driven opportunities on the table
But before we get into that — promise me one thing. If you find today's newsletter valuable, please tell a friend, colleague, or someone you want to succeed to subscribe to my newsletter. It's completely free, it keeps me…
You're just lighting your money on fire right now
Before we do that, I have a favor. Tom and Max, who started Adgile (trackside billboards), myself, and Maggie (Go To Market at Red Antler) want to do a panel at SXSW. So please click here to vote. (You do have to create an…
8 easy ways to recession-proof your brand
Before we get into it, I want to thank everyone for listening to Limited Supply, my new podcast with Moiz Ali (who started and sold Native deodorant). We debuted at #5 on the podcast charts in the US and #8 in the UK, and so…
These are your 9 to-do lists for a product launch
This past week, another episode of Limited Supply went live on Spotify (click here to listen!). Moiz and I talked about a SaaS company, Prime Day, GROW NY Conference, and more. Thank you to everyone who listened to episode 1!!…
9 bundles to double your AOV
My latest obsession in New York City has been Blank Street coffee. When it first launched, I thought, "Ok, why do we need another coffee shop chain?" Then recently, I realized how their subscription model works, and realize…
Buying the DTC Dip — CPM edition
I'm flying to Montreal right now as I write this for Sam Lewkowict's wedding tonight! You might know Sam as the co-founder of Black Wolf Nation, but ever since we met at a coffee shop in Times Square NY, we became close…
This is how LA brands drive revenue
It's become very clear from the replies I get that this email usually involves a ritual to get cozy and read through the email. All I can say is - thank you! It means the world that you even take the time out of your Sunday…
8 new Shopify updates that will change your business
It feels weird to write a newsletter focused on eCommerce when half the country just had a massive right taken away from them. Growing up with a sister, being raised by a mother, and having 80% of my employees being Women, it…
3 ideas you never thought about
Also, if you find any value in today's newsletter, please do share your special referral URL below. I never want to charge you for the content, and a new subscriber helps me stay away from having to ever do that!
The promotion calendar is dead
But, before we get into that, I would love to ask for a favor… if you have enjoyed the newsletter content that takes me 3-5 hours per week to put together, please share your referral link below with at least one person who…
This is how I’d make your site better
Yesterday, Moiz and I went to Rumble in the morning, and then recorded our first podcast episode. Show us some love on this tweet! It'll be coming out soon. We locked in an awesome sponsor that I've become obsessed with, and I…
When to bring advertising in-house
Today, I'm writing this newsletter in Austin, coming from Miami early this morning. American Airlines might be one of the worst big airlines. JetBlue and Delta are where it's at. I’ll leave explaining the reasons why to The Wolf!
8 Sustainable Growth Tactics
I spoke at the EcomWorld Conference twice (once on sustainable growth and once about M&A with Ryan Lewendon, who did $10 billion of acquisitions last year).
12,000 letters on a retail launch
Before we jump into that, please do take 23 seconds to copy the link below, open iMessage, find a marketing friend, and send them your link — it would really mean a lot.
The Product Launch Playbook
I quietly launched my website — nik.co — and it’s got all my old newsletters as well. Under “About”, just click “Resources” and boom! A big shoutout to Diamond Hook for their work on that website.
3 Free Ways to Acquire Customers
Before we get into the newsletter, I have to give a birthday shoutout to Kendall Dickieson. If you've never worked or spoken with Kendall, I suggest starting with giving her a follow on Twitter. She's the secret weapon behind…
Marketing is getting flipped around
If this email was forwarded to you, please take 13 seconds to subscribe for yourself by clicking here!
7 Ways to “fix Facebook Ads”
In a few weeks, I'll co-host a panel on inventory forecasting and planning with Cogsy, Caraway, and Three Ships. Sign up here!
You’re missing this fundamental thinking
After hearing from a few people that the new format of the Workweek email felt too corporate, I HEAR YOU! We switched it back because, well, I'm the least corporate person that could exist. Anyways, I hope you're feeling…
Cost-Effective Retail Placements
This is officially the first newsletter under the Workweek umbrella, and I'm absolutely stoked about it. A few years ago when Adam Ryan was the President of TheHustle, and I couldn't even get into a bar, we used to get…
My last Sunday newsletter
It's crazy to see a war happen in the modern-day, where soldiers are live-streaming their day on TikTok and we get updates faster than major news networks through Twitter. Organizations like Anonymous (a famous hacktivist…
The 5-Part Tech Stack to Test a Brand
Last week, I asked in my newsletter if anyone wanted to see how we've tested brands to see if they'll "pop" upon launch and thousands of you replied with emojis! So, here we go.
Your brand book is outdated — get over it
I'm writing this email from the technology epicenter of the country — beautiful Miami! I came down here to run a 5K that I spent all of January training for with 64 miles in the bag, and thanks to my Eight Sleep, Essentia…
This is how Haus launched without paid marketing
For those of you who joined the Masala Capital rolling fund a few months ago, congrats on your investment into Feastables! The brand launched yesterday, and I'm grateful that the Sharma Brands team was able to play a part in…
7 Can’t-Miss Gen Z Shopping Habits
Today's email is going to be a combination of a few thoughts I've had this past week, so buckle in, and get ready to make a few pit stops.
The DTC Pre-Flight Checklist
When the Sharma Brands team is at full capacity or companies are at a stage that’s too early to work with us, I try to help them via MentorPass. The idea is that it’s still me, you still get the strategy work from Sharma…
Inside is a $100 Starbucks gift card for you!
But before we do that, I just wanted to say thank you. Because of you opening this email, right now, you've continuously encouraged me to write this newsletter every Sunday. I truly hope it's been helpful to you throughout the…
How we drove sell-through at Target nationwide
On Friday, I spoke with a brand we had worked within the past, and the topic was mainly centered around launching into retail and how to drive sell-through, as a DTC brand. If you've ever gone into retail, you know that…
Scaling from $1,500 to $100,000 per day in revenue
Yesterday I tweeted about a portfolio company of mine that I began to advise in 2019, and it blew up. So today's email is going to be dedicated to breaking down the steps in that thread since many wanted more details. If you…
9 tactics to make sure you don’t suck at storytelling
So Friday night, I was catching up on Shark Tank episodes I've missed lately and saw a brand that's sent me product samples before. First of all, it's so cool to see brands I know or founders I know get up on Shark Tank,…
6 sources of untapped capital (not from VCs)
There is so much money going around right now in the world of venture capital. If you haven't heard about companies like 1520, Buyk, JOKR, or Gorrilas, they have hundreds of millions of dollars to deliver groceries in 15-20…
Little known ways to build brand equity in performance marketing
I'm going to start a very short (2-minute read) email that goes out every Wednesday, with a handful of curated tweets that expanded or challenged my thinking. There is so much marketing, tech, and commerce content on Twitter,…
An easy & free audience-building strategy for you
But, first, if you're getting this newsletter forwarded to you, please make sure to sign up for yourself by clicking here. You deserve to get the email at the same time!
Promotions & Offers
Hopefully, you've got a beverage of choice in your hand today (maybe a Liquid Death can?), and you're ready to start jamming on all things Black Friday through Cyber Monday (BFCM). If you haven't already started your…
A 5 min guide on building a brand
The second one had a slightly higher open rate, but interestingly also had a higher click-through rate, as a percentage. There were hundreds of forwards as well. Thank you!
Notes from an off-the-record chat with founders
This week’s newsletter is going to be short and sweet but before we get into it, I had an idea…
This is what Blissy knows about customer acquisition that you don’t
A podcast with Ryan Babenzien. If you haven't already heard from the streets, the former founder of GREATS sneakers is launching Jolie. Jolie is Masala Capital's first investment, and I am so excited about how this company is…
Where else should brands put advertising dollars?
But for everyone, I hope you're reading this email leaning back on the couch, a beverage in hand (maybe a Spritz, today?) and you're resting up for an incredible upcoming week.
6 underrated tactics for better organic social
To the thousands of Sunday readers who have recently joined, welcome! If you were forwarded this email, you can get it every Sunday evening by clicking here.
How your favorite DTC brand thinks about subscribers
Sorry today's email is coming a bit later. This weekend I've been running around NYC like a mad man trying to secure an apartment. The rental market is insane right now — anything worth looking at gets rented within 12 hours…
26 item checklist for the holidays
It's the beginning of a new month. Quarter 3, month 2. I was talking with a friend yesterday and we compared August 1st to the beginning of the playoffs for eCommerce. The Super Bowl is Black Friday. If you're not thinking of…
Masala Capital is now LIVE!
A few weeks ago, a few hundred of you filled out a Google form for me to validate that I would have enough initial capital to launch a rolling fund, and today I'm excited to say:
How Mack Weldon took down Tommy Hilfiger with Performance PR
This coming week I'll be approving and showing roles from Hims, Parade, Food52, Magic Spoon, and ThirdLove.
A response to, “Hey Nik, how do we build brand?”
For everyone who tweeted on my birthday, THANK YOU! I put many of them on this new email collection page, and a big shoutout to Alex Lieberman for helping me with the copy hierarchy and word choice, given what he knows from…
Need your opinion — is this how you think about brand and performance marketing?
After 145 positive responses to the thought of putting together a rolling fund (you can still join here), I've decided I'm going to do it. I submitted the paperwork this past week and will hopefully have everything live within…
The purpose of an effective homepage
If a friend or colleague sent you this email and you want to join, click here to subscribe!
Competitive Analysis
Welcome to the 1,000+ new subscribers who have joined since last Sunday's email. To everyone who’s reading this sentence, thank you for your time, attention, and readership!
Audience Targeting
This past week I had the pleasure to host a panel with Bar Malik, the founder of Barcode (get 20% off to try it here), and Amanda Goetz, the founder of House of Wise, for DTC Day! During our panel, we got a surprise call from…
Just a little “thank you” from me!
I did want to send a note out and quickly thank everyone who has donated to my family’s GoFundMe fundraiser to help families in India, as they deal with COVID-19. So far, we’ve received just over $6,000 in donations.
Coupon Sites
One of my favorite brands, 21 Seeds, celebrates the "break" moms get between their "day job" and their "night shift" aka taking care of the kids. If you want to give your mom the treat of an incredibly smooth, sippable, and…
How to choose an agency that won’t waste your budget
Today's an exciting day for me: the eve before the Sharma Brands team moves into an office, in a dream neighborhood: Soho! Thank you to all of our clients, partners, and brands who have made this is a reality for us.
Thumb-Stopping Ad Creative 101: class is now in session
We (Sharma Brands) launched a great new brand this past week: Barcode. Barcode is a plant-based performance beverage (read: Gatorade if it was genuinely made for athletes) developed by Bar Malik (former head of performance…
The 5 purposes of an effective homepage
Last week I launched Report Cards with Tydo, and we ended up breaking FiveTran, the platform powering the data pipes of Tydo. However, it's back up for good now. Sign up here for Report Cards — the free analytics platform with…
6 Easy iPhone-Friendly Ideas for Video Ads!
What a difference the time change makes... It feels like there's finally an opportunity to walk outside after work and still catch the sunset.
Let's start with Why?
This past week we were extremely focused on putting together a launch plan for a new cannabis brand we are launching (you can sign up to get notified here on our landing page), and one of the pieces of it was: organic influencers.
Add 7-Figures of Extra Revenue to your Brand
We are testing a new way to work with brands in a smaller, more accessible capacity. You can now book our time by the hour, versus a full, complete monthly retainer. I just started doing these and they seem to be incredibly…
How to Run Promotions 101 — Soup to Nuts
ShopPay announced a really ✨fast✨ checkout path with Instagram and Facebook. I did a 30 min interview with Garry Tan for his YouTube channel. Bumble went public! VC's began shooting their shot on Clubhouse. My friend Joma…
How to run a brand's social media without paying for assets
This past week was such a long one. The market was overturned by an internet gang. I was in Blueprint's first Monthly Industry Report. People really resonated with the thought that tomorrow's memes come from Tik Tok's comments…
Why digital experiential marketing matters for brands
I had quite a week exploring deeper into the world of organic social, as a bi-product of planning for new brand launches we have, as well as sitting down with Chris Zarou and Harry Remler from Visionary Music Group. Thinking…
22 apps & software I use when launching brands
I've been in California this week, and it's an understatement to say that I miss my Eight Sleep bed when I go to sleep at night. Speaking of Eight Sleep, this is the last weekend that most of the Gift Guide discount codes are…
11 Platforms Outside of Facebook to Drive Traffic From
Last Sunday I asked everyone if they could take 2 min out to let me know what would be most helpful. Just under 2,000 people responded, and the most common was: where else should I be putting dollars to advertise?
2021 Wrap Up: The 10 Most Useful Topics of my DTC Newsletter in 2021
This Sunday, you should be enjoying the time with your family, or just relaxing, so I am going to keep today's newsletter short. It's less than a 5-minute read today. There are a lot of links, so I recommend reading it…
21 Questions to Build a Brand Bible for the Next 5 Years
I see so many new DTC brands through pitches or just browsing around, and it feels like we are at a place with DTC brands where people get bored, find a product to sell, find a way to message it differently, raise a million…
3 Customer Experience Must-Haves When Launching a Brand
One of the most costly areas of running a consumer brand is your customer service team. They are the front lines for any customers, whether they have questions about a product, they have issues placing an order or they want to…
3 Launch Tactics that Led to 7-Figures in Sales in 24 Hours
Over the last few weeks, a big focus for us at Sharma Brands has been working toward the launch of Jolie, a new brand focused on positioning clean water as a beauty tool. The brand is called Jolie, and it’s founded by Ryan…
5 Reasons You Want to Choose Affirm as your BNPL Solution
Over the last few years, it's become almost standard to have a solution for BNPL, or "Buy Now, Pay Later", on your website. Outside of increasing conversion for you as a merchant, it also adds convenience to customers who are…
5 Types of Affiliate Marketing Avenues & When to Use Each One
Today, I wanted to chat all about a topic that usually never gets much love in this industry, sometimes because it's perceived as scammy, or because it's not an easy channel to set up in the first place: affiliate marketing.
50 Questions I Answer to Judge a Consumer Brand
When the Sharma Brands team is at full capacity or companies are at a stage that’s too early to work with us, I try to help them via MentorPass. The idea is that it’s still me, you still get the strategy work from Sharma…
6 Tactics to Drive Sell-Through in Brick & Mortar Retail Stores
On Friday, I spoke with a brand we had worked within the past, and the topic was mainly centered around launching into retail and how to drive sell-through, as a DTC brand. If you've ever gone into retail, you know that…
7 Can’t-Miss Gen Z Shopping Habits
Many of the clients we work with at Sharma Brands, or ones I speak with through MentorPass, are typically selling DTC but also in other places: wholesale, marketplaces, restaurants, cafes, etc. The common question that comes…
9 Secrets to Make Sure You Don't SUCK at Storytelling
Friday night, I was catching up on Shark Tank episodes I've missed lately and saw a brand that's sent me product samples before. First of all, it's so cool to see brands I know or founders I know get up on Shark Tank, whether…
A 5 Minute Rant on Performance Branding — Converging Art & Science
Over the last 2 years, we've been lucky to work with a variety of brands, large and small. Companies that had just started (eg. JUDY, Barcode, Snif, Caraway), companies that were disrupting their categories (eg. Juneshine,…
Ad Creative 101: How To Create Thumb-Stopping Ad Creative
Everyone's making ads these days. When you open Instagram or Tik Tok, you'll see brands you know and love, media companies, and even local businesses running ads, whether it's a pizza shop, someone who just set up their newest…
An Easy & Free Audience-Building Strategy to Prepare for the Holidays
In the past, I've talked about the concept of Performance PR, where you can take earned media and amplify it to drive customer acquisition. Last week, I talked about the Sweetie article campaign I did at hint and how great of…
Don't Get Ripped Off by an Agency — Do This Instead
Outside of Sharma Brands, one thing I've been doing more and more is taking hourly calls with founders and marketing teams at companies through MentorPass. This allows brands to bypass the need to pay the Sharma Brands monthly…
Don't Use Facebook: Here are 14 Growth Levers for DTC Brands
This past week, I did a podcast with Ben Grynol, the Head of Growth at Levels Health. You may (or may not) have seen Levels in the wild with their continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) as they help everyday people like you and me…
How You & American Express Should Think About Subscribers
In a couple of weeks I'm heading to speak at SubSummit — in Dallas from September 25th to 28th. If you have a few days, you should come! Jesse Pujji and I will also be hosting a dinner there, so let me know if you're there.…
Playbook: Black Friday, Cyber Monday & 9 Tactics to Increase Revenue
With your BFCM offers, keep in mind that your customers will remember what you had "last year", so don't do anything for a short-term revenue gain that might lower your brand perception. You don't want to turn into just a…
Playbook: How to Test-Launch a Brand Before Actually Launching
When I sent my email 2 weeks ago, I asked everyone to send me their "million-dollar question" and there was 1 questions that made up the majority:
Recipe: 9 Ingredients to Build Brand Equity for Longevity
If you think about the way that DTC brands have evolved, it's fascinating. Back in the day, local neighborhood shops would keep communities stocked with all the essentials. Those were the equivalent to the marketplaces online…
6 Easy iPhone-Friendly Ideas for Video Ads
Many of you have emailed me about the chat room I'm putting together, and there will be a link for that enclosed in an email this coming week, so be on the lookout for that! What's one discussion room you want to make sure is…
The 5-Part Tech Stack to Drive Pre-Launch Hype for your Brand
If you were forwarded this newsletter, please take 11 seconds to click here and subscribe for free. You’ll join 24,000 CMOs, investors, CEOs, founders, and marketers from companies as large as Bacardi and as small as your high…
The 5 Things Your Homepage MUST Do
Since your homepage might be your site visitor's first encounter with your brand, you need to understand its focus and what you're trying to accomplish with it.
Your Brand Book is Outdated — Get Over It & Start Testing
Last week I mentioned a podcast I did with Levels where we spoke about growth levers. You can listen to it by clicking here.