Author | Lightnews

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Aug 20

We talk to the coolest people on the Nerd Pod.

Like Preston Rutherford, Chubbies' co-founder. Topics:
1) The WRONG metrics
2) Brand spending vs performance spending
3) Why Preston thinks brand advertising is critical
4) How Chubbies almost went bankrupt
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGad...

How Chubbies Avoided Bankruptcy and Built a Nine-Figure Brand with Preston Rutherford

YouTube video by PostPilot

www.youtube.com

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Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Aug 6

DTC Brands: look @ retail.

Bonobos figured this out + dropped their CAC.

Pick a good location. Get in front of your best customers.

It's the path of any DTC-heavy brand. . .

You start DTC, then move to Amzn.

But IRL commerce is still where household names are built.

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 29

3 actual no-brainer ways to automate retention with direct mail:

1) Anti-Churn Postcards

2) Dynamic Second-Purchase Campaigns

3) VIP Auto-Winbacks

Only takes minutes to set up in the PostPilot app.

And this is just the tip of the ROIceberg.

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 24

We got hit up by a gym apparel brand who to acquire fitness addicts.

Audience we built:
✅ Known Fitness Fanatics
✅ Dedicated Runners
✅ Yoga/Pilates Practitioners
✅ Performance Nutrition Buyers
✅ Wearable Tech Users

Get your own laser-targeted prospecting audience with PostPilot.

DM me.

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 23

Retail experts - direct mail’s your new brick and mortar growth lever.

Four Sigmatic saw a 101% lift at WF.

How we did it:
1) ID’d best Shopify customers
2) Used AcquisitionAI to build lookalike
3) Sent postcards with store-specific deals
4) Tracked results against a control store

Sales doubled.

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 22

3 discount alternatives to try this BFCM + save margin:
1) New product drop
Jones Road Beauty runs a masterclass doing this over BFCM.

2) Store Credit
Taylor Stitch sees major success with this.

3) GWPs
Your only loss is COGS, vs. potentially $100+ on a big order.

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 18

Just launched an 8fig DM program for high-AOV brand:

1) AI lookalike prospecting (150k trifolds sent)
2) Automated retargeting (welcome series + cart flows)
3) RFM-based winbacks (postcards fired by segment + timing)

Killer early results.

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 17

Consider what's possible with data.

A premium coffee brand wanted to prospect coffee lovers who value quality.

We built them a lookalike audience using AcquisitionAI.

High-income people who: buy premium coffee and love gourmet food.

@PostPilot can build your delightfully snobby audience, too.

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 16

I’ve automated into the 9 figs with direct mail:

By “echoing” my email programs.

→ VIP winbacks (auto send based on RFM)

→ Subs reactivation (auto send different mailers based on cancellation reason)

→ 2nd purchase campaigns (use 1st-2nd purchase time between orders data)

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Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 14

“Cash is oxygen.”

I’ve said this to maybe 100 DTC founders over 15yrs.

It’s usually when their brands we suffocating.

(P&L heavy on the L).

But in 2025, the principle should always apply.

Especially heading into BFCM.

Where are you spending now that isn’t helping your profitability?

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 10

Nothing destroys companies faster than employees with multiple bosses giving contradictory orders.

One boss. One chain of command. Period.

Matrix reporting = organizational cancer. Amazon scales because authority lines are crystal clear.

How many unofficial "dotted lines" exist in your org chart?

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Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 9

Full case study here: www.postpilot.com/case-studies...

Petite Keep Unlocks an “Heirloom-Worthy” Channel with PostPilot

The rapidly rising DTC star uses direct mail to deliver greater personalization and build genuine connections through its marketing.

www.postpilot.com

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 9

Petite Keep got 3 sharks to buy on Shark Tank.

+ they’ve automated revenue with @postpilot.bsky.social for 3 years.

Coincidence?

3 High-ROI results:
1) Holiday Cardalogs → 15x ROAS

2) Automated VIP winbacks → 7.31x incremental ROAS

3) Automated Handwritten Thank-You Notes → 11.1x ROAS

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Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 7

Most of your best buyers don’t open your emails.

Send winning email campaigns via direct mail to reach the 80–90% you're missing.

Easy, proven, and ready for BFCM.

#ecom #DirectMail #EmailMarketing #PostPilot #CustomerRetention #BFCM

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 4

Segment by last purchase date and tailor deals. More recent = less discount.

Combine with frequency for better targeting.

Avoid discounting everyone or wasting spend on lost causes.

#ecom #BFCM #RetentionMarketing #CustomerSegmentation #PostPilot

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jul 1

Postage costs stay flat while Meta CPCs explode in November.

Your competitors will stuff inboxes and bid up digital. Physical mail stays uncrowded.

Test now when stakes are low.

#DirectMail #Q4Strategy #BlackFriday

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jun 30

Before strategy, fix the culture.

That’s how we turned around a $150M retailer bleeding cash.

#Leadership #CompanyCulture #Turnaround #BusinessGrowth #Retail

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jun 27

Most new buyers ignore your discount code and still buy.

What that tells you about your attribution model (and your margins).

#DTC #Attribution #MarketingTruths #DirectMail #Ecommerce

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jun 24

Psychology 101: People feel they deserve extra indulgence on birthdays.

Most brands stop at email/SMS. Smart ones add postcards to birthday triggers.

Result? Customers share these postcards in communities. Nobody shares birthday emails.

#BirthdayMarketing #DirectMail #LoyaltyPrograms

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jun 24

&Collar sent VIP thank-you cards. No discount, no pitch, no product.

15x ROI. $200k revenue.

Customers get hounded constantly. Rare gratitude wins.

"Two-way commerce" beats sales pitches.

#CustomerAppreciation #DirectMail #VIPMarketing

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jun 23

Direct mail crushes email response rates. But costs way more.

Most brands see higher response rates, get excited, then blast 100k postcards and burn their budget.

The economics only work with precision targeting, not spray and pray.

#DirectMail #MarketingStrategy #CustomerRetention

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jun 23

Lo & Sons segmented first-time buyers by product type, sent targeted postcards for likely 2nd purchases.

Results: 56%/64% repeat rates, 7x/10x ROAS.

Stop blasting everyone with same offer.

#DataDrivenMarketing #CustomerSegmentation #DirectMail

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jun 22

Navy + eCommerce taught me 3 leadership essentials:

Delegation = accountability, not orders Communication = you're always selling
Listening = trust

All learnable.

#Leadership #StartupFounders #NavyLessons

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jun 21

Sofia Vergara's brand had 1x customer issues.

Direct mail fix: 5x ROAS non-buyers 4x 2nd purchases

Physical mail > digital noise.

#DirectMail #ROAS

Drew Sanocki @drewsanocki.bsky.social · Jun 17

Your best customers eventually unsubscribe. Once suppressed, they're dead to digital forever.

The fix? Hit suppressed customers with 2-3+ purchases via postcard.

Email can't reach them. Direct mail can.

#EmailMarketing #DirectMail

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