DTC877: Q4 Offer Tests, Common Amazon Mistakes and Friction Words

Good morning, 

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

💡 Crafting a Top Performing Offer  
Expert tips for scaling confidently in Q4.

🔢 Common Amazon Mistakes
And how to succeed on the competitive platform. 

🚨 Daily Tariff Tracker
U.S. and China trade update.

‍✏️ Upgrade Your CTAs
Ditch friction words and use these phrases instead. 

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Albus & Flora, myco soul, and Bob’s Red Mill. 👋

👀 The Ad Format Delivering 53% Higher Engagement Rates for DTC Brands

Meta is actively prioritizing Meta Partnership Ads (formerly Whitelisting) — delivering 53% higher engagement than traditional brand ads.

Recent updates make them even stronger: catalog integration, creator-handle-only ads, and more. By amplifying influencer authenticity, they build trust, improve performance, and drive measurable growth.

Not sure where to start with MPA? Insense makes it simple:
• 68,500+ vetted influencers in 35+ countries
• Creative brief templates
• 1-click FB Ads Manager connection
• Automated contracts and payments

Brands like LARQ, Glovo, JLO Beauty, and Bones Coffee are already crushing their paid social goals with Insense. 👀

👉 Want help getting started? Book your free strategy call by Aug 22 to receive a $200 campaign credit.

P.S. Download Insense’s FREE Creative Brief Template to align influencer content with your brand objectives from day one.

💡 Scale With The Strongest Offer in Q4

If you are second-guessing which offer will work best for Q4, follow these tips from Pilothouse.

They are seasoned experts when it comes to running structured offer tests in Q3 to prep for scaling with the strongest offer in Q4.

Here's what the Pilothouse team recommends doing if you are feeling lost:

1️⃣ Test more than just discounting: It’s common to default to a flat “15% off” offer, but it’s important to test a variety of offers, including:

• Bundling: Helps to increase AOV and can support clearing certain inventory
• Gift with Purchase: Adds perceived value without cutting into margins as deeply
• Tiered Discounts: Incentivizes higher AOV (e.g. $10 off $50, $25 off $100, etc)
• Subscription Trials: If available for your brand, subscription offers can lower first-purchase friction while boosting lifetime value
• $ Off vs % Off: Positioning an offer as a % off and a $ off to determine what resonates strongest with your audience

2️⃣ Use Meta as a starting place: Meta is the perfect platform for validating offers quickly.

You can make variations of the same creative and isolate the offer as the variable, then run split tests to compare.

Here are a few examples:

• 20% off sitewide vs. BOGO
• Free shipping vs. free gift
• 20% off vs. $20 off orders over $100

3️⃣ Measurement with offer testing: Track CTR, CPA, AOV, and ROAS rather than just conversions.

• The top-performing offer isn’t the deepest discount, it’s the one that aligns best with your customer’s perceived value. 

Reply to this email with what offer works best for your brand!

4️⃣ Transfer learnings across channels: once you find a winning offer on Meta, apply it across channels:

• Update your PDPs and banners
• Add the winning offer and messaging to email and SMS campaigns
• Test in influencer scripts and UGC
• Incorporate offer messaging into your site’s checkout
  

Then, when Q4 hits, you’ll be all set to scale.

And if you’re looking for a second opinion on your strategy, reach out to the Pilothouse team today to explore your options.

📦 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. 

August 11, 2025 update:

• Trump Announces Another 90 Day Pause on China’s Tariffs
  
  • On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that prevented high U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from taking effect again for another 90 days.
    
  • This was the expected outcome from the latest round of talks between U.S. trade negotiators and their Chinese counterparts, which took place in Stockholm, Sweden, late last month.

🌄 Yotpo Is Sunsetting Email & SMS—And Omnisend Is One Of Just Two Official Partners Chosen To Support Brands Through The Transition

📰 You’ve probably already heard the news. 

And if you’re one of the Yotpo customers using these features, you’re probably already thinking about what comes next. 🤔

Migrating platforms can feel overwhelming, but Omnisend is dedicated to making it as smooth as possible. ✨

As a trusted platform used by 150,000+ ecommerce brands, Omnisend offers:

• 👉 A seamless migration experience
• 🔗 Deep integrations with Yotpo Loyalty & Reviews
• 🧑‍💻 24/7 human support on every plan
• 🌐 Global SMS from day one
• 🔍 Transparent pricing with no hidden fees
• 💵 $68 average ROI for every $1 spent

And to help Yotpo customers make the move, Omnisend is offering 30% off all plans for 12 months.

During sales, boost urgency with strikethrough pricing on PDPs and a countdown timer in your site banner. 

These simple urgency cues can lift conversion rates across all traffic sources. 

Sale periods are the perfect time to test and refine this tactic ahead of Q4.

🎧 What Smart Brands Do Differently on Amazon

In this episode of All Killer No Filler, we are joined by the Pilothouse Amazon team to dive into key changes and trends on the Amazon platform. 

From misconceptions about Amazon to tactical advice for brands looking to optimize their presence, the team breaks down the most common Amazon mistakes and how to avoid them.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Misconceptions About Amazon: Amazon isn't "free sales.” It requires proactive investment, much like retail.
  
  "If you're just putting your product on Amazon and waiting, you're missing a huge opportunity."
  
  
• Amazon Isn’t ‘Just Another Sales Channel’: To stand out, your approach must be tailored specifically for Amazon since competition is fierce.
  
  "On Amazon, you're competing with hundreds of similar products. You can't just translate your DTC approach and expect it to work."
  
  
• Mindset Shift: Just as you would pay for shelf space in a retail store, you need to fund your presence on Amazon.
  
  "You can't just expect free traffic. Think of Amazon like retail: if you want to stand out, you have to pay for it."
  
  
• Spending Wisely on Amazon: The team discusses the importance of strategically allocating ad spend and which type of keywords to target.
  
  "Spending wisely is crucial. Don’t blow your budget on broad keywords that don’t convert."
  
  
• Seller Feedback Issues: Clifford explains how the new changes to seller feedback, like removing the option to flag certain reviews, could harm brands.
  
  "Amazon's new seller feedback system is a disaster. Brands are about to lose control over feedback that affects their account health."
  
  

👉 Listen to the full episode with Rob and Clifford here.

[Screenshot via @dailycopywriter / X]

Watch out for friction words. 

Using words like ‘Buy," "submit,” and “sign up” are common CTAs but can feel like effort to the consumer. 

Shift the focus to what the customer gets, not what they have to do.

Example: swap “Sign up” for “Get instant access.”

Small tweak, smoother conversion path.

Can't view the image? Click here

🚨 Don’t miss this BFCM-ready masterclass happening tomorrow! Learn the 6-step post-purchase funnel driving $200K/month at 82% margin. Register now. *

📥 Got a B2B Biz? 

Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 150k brand leaders and founders this year. Talk to our team to learn more.

Have you heard our latest podcasts?

• ✏️ Ad-venturous 14: Q4 Prep Edition! 
• 🔢 TWBERP 45: 7 Post-Click Metrics to Benchmark your Funnel
• 🐶 Plufl’s TikTok Strategy, Tariff Setback, and Product Pivot
• 💡 AKNF 530: Copy Pilothouse’s Creative System for Q4 Scale
• 💄 Ad-venturous 13: Lipstick, Labubus, and the Little Treat Economy
• 💸 TWBERP 44: Stock the Pond, Fill The Funnel, Make the Money 

Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.

Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content.