DTC848: Meta Carousel Ads, RYSE Crowdfunding Strategies, and Billie Collab

Good morning,

Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:

🫶 The Algo Loves This Format
Why you need carousel ads in your campaign mix. 

⭐ The Power of Equity Crowdfunding
Clever investor acquisition strategies.

📦 Daily Tariff Update
U.S. and Canada trade talks stall. 

🌸 Billie and Ian Charms Collab
The shaving brand enters the swimwear category. 

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Wonder and Whoa, Hugh & Harley, and The Hunter’s Pantry. 👋

👀 The Best Q4s Are Quietly Being Built Right Now

It’s officially Q3, and right now, smart brands are stacking wins, optimizing creative, dialing in offers, and building high-intent audiences—so when the floodgates open, they’re fishing from a stocked pond.

Are you building momentum now, or hoping for miracles later?

Pilothouse is helping brands prep for Q4 with compounding performance and massive in-the-moment wins:

✅ +48% revenue in 6 months (Home & Lifestyle)
✅ +33% Google conversions, -22% CPA (Service brand)
✅ +200% Meta revenue, +48% ROAS, -25% CPA (since Feb 2025)

The best Q4s are being built now. The brands above? They’re already in motion.

If you’re serious about scaling, Pilothouse can help. Ready to build your Q4 advantage?

💡 Reach More Customers With This Format

Pilothouse has been seeing great results with Meta Carousel ads compared to other formats. 

It's easy to think that the basic white background image with a product shot isn't as impactful as a brand video, but if you've been in the DTC ad space for a while, you'd know this: You shouldn't rely on a single impactful ad to drive high returns but a variety of touchpoints through the funnel. 

Carousel ad placements do just that.

Head of Instagram, Adam Mossei reveals why carousel posts reach more users than single pictures. 

“If someone scrolls by your carousel and they don't swipe through it and they keep using the feed, the algorithm will reserve the carousel and automatically move it to the next picture, giving it a second shot at the feed. This is true for both organic and paid.”

Carousel posts tend to reach more users because Instagram often resurfaces them in the feed. 

If someone doesn't scroll through the entire post the first time, Instagram may show it to them again later, picking up where they left off — which can positively influence how the algorithm ranks your content.

If you’re not running carousels, it's time to give them a try! 

There’s a lot more you can do with a carousel DPA ad. 

Some examples below include adding a simple frame or badge over the product image, using each image to highlight one USP, or even incorporating organic images into a running carousel.

The Bottom Line: Carousel ads aren’t just visually versatile. They get a second chance in the feed, which means more visibility, more engagement, and ultimately, more conversions. If you haven’t tested them yet, now’s the time.

📦 Your Daily Tariff Check-In

Whether it’s a minor tweak or a major shift, we’ll keep you posted on the latest tariff changes—so you’re always in the know. 

June 30, 2025 update:

• Canada Drops Digital Services Tax To Resume Trade Talks
  
  • Last Friday, Trump called off trade negotiations with Canada and criticized the Digital Services Tax as a "blatant attack" against U.S. tech firms like Amazon, Meta, Google, and Apple.
    
  • The Digital Services Tax would impose a 3% charge on companies generating over $20 million in Canadian revenue.
    
  • In response, Canada eliminated the tax, allowing trade talks to resume between Canada and the U.S.

🎧 How RYSE Used Meta Ads To Raise $10M+ in Equity (Not Just Sales) 

In this episode of the DTC Podcast, we’re covering a topic we’ve never discussed before.

We’ll unpack how Trung Pham, founder of RYSE, is using equity crowdfunding like an ecommerce funnel to raise over $10 million to fuel smart home hardware innovation.

Trung shares how they've leveraged IP enforcement via Amazon’s APEX program and how they deal with knockoff competitors on TikTok. 

In this episode, we dive into:

• Equity Crowdfunding Meets DTC: Learn how Trung structured investor acquisition just like customer acquisition using Meta, Google, newsletters, and conversion-optimized funnels.

“We built the funnel. We drove traffic to the landing page, acquired emails, educated the investors on our company. And that's what we've been doing for the last couple of years, just to fund the company and its growth.”

• Patent Strategy at Work: Discover how RYSE leverages Amazon’s APEX program to automatically take down copycat products.
  
• Smart Brand Architecture: Hear how RYSE plans to monetize knockoff competitors with a lower-priced TikTok-focused sister brand.
  “If you can’t beat them, monetize them. Instead of trying to shut them down, we decided to just buy from them and private label it.”
  
• Reacting to Tariffs: Learn how Trung is using geographic manufacturing production flexibility to hedge against rising tariffs.

👉 Listen to the full episode with Trung here.

Body care brand Billie partners with Ian Charms on a colorful bikini collection just in time for summer. 

The cheeky swimwear line includes custom charms that encourage body positivity and self-expression. 

This marks Billie's first move into fashion and jewelry. 

The collection is now available on Ian Charms' website.