How do you actually build an email audience in 2026 without burning your list or wrecking deliverability?
In this episode, Jordan Gordon breaks down the math and mechanics behind sustainable audience growth. From unsubscribe modeling to engagement windows, this is a tactical walkthrough of how smart operators forecast list health and protect future revenue.
If your list growth feels unpredictable (or worse, quietly shrinking), this episode shows you exactly what to measure and how to model what happens next.
Inside the episode:
• Why disengaged subscribers quietly kill future revenue
• The simple formula that predicts email revenue with surprising accuracy
• How unsubscribe rate compounds faster than most teams expect
• Why campaigns alone won’t reactivate cold subscribers
• The spreadsheet model that forecasts your list through Q4 2026
• How send frequency impacts both revenue per send and list health
Email remains one of the most controllable growth channels in ecommerce — but only if you understand the mechanics behind it.
00:00 Introduction
00:40 The core truth about repeat buyers and email reach
01:51 What still matters from the 2025 audience playbook
05:39 Why reactivation requires evergreen engagement content
09:01 The spreadsheet model to forecast your list growth
13:26 The unsubscribe math most brands underestimate
Work with Pilothouse: https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast
Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast
Subscribe to DTC: https://www.directtoconsumer.co/
Listen to DTC Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast
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