Good morning,
Hereâs what youâll find in todayâs DTC:
Youâre reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Dr. Paw Paw, Golftini, and SharkNinja. đ
âđ˘ Using Meta Value Rules to Prioritize High-LTV Audiences Â
Do you have lifetime value (LTV) data broken down by demographics?
If so, Metaâs value rules are one of the most underused ways to turn that data into better performance.
Value rules allow advertisers to signal which audiences are more valuable to the business by assigning higher conversion value to specific segments (e.g. age, gender, location, or device).
Instead of optimizing purely for the cheapest conversions, Meta can prioritize users who are more likely to generate long-term revenue even if they cost more upfront.
The Pilothouse Meta team has been seeing faster and more consistent gains from using value rules, especially for brands with clear LTV differences across audiences.
Peek Inside a Pilothouse Account:
One brand Pilothouse works with consistently sees stronger LTV from customers aged 25â44, but Metaâs default optimization historically skewed spend toward the 45+ demographic.
To correct this, the team implemented value rules on new ad sets and prioritized the 25â44 audience.
The result:
Historically, 25â44 had delivered softer short-term ROAS.
By pairing value rules with more targeted creative, Meta was able to find higher-intent buyers within that segment and performance improved quickly.
These customers are also more likely to repurchase, compounding value over time. The team is continuing to scale this approach into 2026.
If youâre new to value rules, the Pilothouse team recommends starting with Metaâs setup guide.
The takeaway:
If your brand sees meaningful LTV differences by age, location, or device, value rules are worth testing.
Start with one clear segment, apply modest value adjustments, and monitor early ROAS and spend shifts.
Even small optimizations can redirect budget toward higher-value customers and unlock more profitable growth over time. đ
âđ§ Bundles Arenât Discounts. Theyâre Strategy
Bundles can lift AOV fast. But they can also quietly destroy your conversion rate if you do them wrong.
In this episode, Aves breaks down how to bundle strategically across the customer lifecycle.
She shares what works for first-time buyers usually doesnât work for returning customers, and treating them the same is one of the most common DTC mistakes.
Youâll learn how to approach bundles at the top of the funnel without adding friction, how landing pages actually earn their place again, and how to design lifecycle bundles that feel obvious, not forced.
What we cover:
âśď¸ Watch the full episode on YouTube.
đ§ Or listen here on Spotify.
Searches for âUpScrolled appâ hit an all-time high last week.
Why is this happening? After the U.S. TikTok deal was announced, TikTok users began exploring alternative apps like UpScrolled amid uncertainty about the platformâs future and moderation policies.
Launched last year, UpScrolled has similar features to TikTok (e.g. short-form videos, photos, text posts) and positions itself as a âfree expressionâ platform with minimal moderation and claims of no shadowbans.
The app quickly rose to #1 on the App Store. Reports suggest that roughly 85% of UpScrolledâs total downloads happened in the past week.
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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.
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