Brian Moran

Co-Founder & CEO

Your ad costs are not the problem.

If you're spending $50 to get a customer who spends $50, do NOT shut off your ads. 

Add one upsell and that $50 customer becomes a $70-85 customer on day one. 

You don’t need to be spending less on ads, just make each customer worth more.

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Founder of SamCart • Scaled to $300M. Acquired Typeset ($75M valuation). Watch me sell them for $1B.

Helping 100,000 creators sell $7B+ with SamCart. Focused on making it easier for creators to launch & grow.

If nobody has ever complained about your price, your price is too low.

Cheap pricing doesn't attract more customers, it attracts worse customers. The people who haggle over $50 are the same people who will drain your support team, leave bad reviews, and churn in 30 days.

Price with confidence or don't price at all.

Worst niches to print money 

- Gaming 
- General lifestyle 
- Travel guides
- Anything targeting 16-22 year olds (they’re broke)

Best niches to print money 

- Fitness (especially women's)
- Finance/Investing 
- Business Education
- Health & Wellness

Study what people with real disposable income buy, then build an offer around that.

6 marketing skills to scale past $10K/month...

1. MARKETING EMAILS

Email is still the most reliable lever in digital products. Period. 

Promotions, newsletters, nurture sequences. Even if you’re not actively posting, you can get repeat buyers without paying for every single click. Worst case, your audience trusts you more. 

Your email list is one of your greatest assets. 

2. DIGITAL ADS

This is how you buy attention, fast. 

You can run ads on websites, social platforms, or search to get in front of new people.

But the real value is the data. Reporting shows what creative works, who’s engaging, and when they convert.

Ads turn marketing into a scoreboard.

3. ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA AND BLOG POSTS

You can pay for attention (ads), or you can earn it by posting on social media. 

Social posts educate and build trust with your audience. You can launch a product and they’re already ready to buy. 

It’s time-consuming, but it’s an audience you own. 

4. BRAND WEBSITES

It doesn’t even need to be a full website.

Just one landing page that convinces strangers to buy from you. No “about us” page needed.

If you do it right, it will do all the selling while you sleep. 

5. GRAPHICS AND INFOGRAPHICS

People online like to skim. 

They decide to engage with content within less than a second. 

Great visuals convey ideas faster. 

You can turn abstract concepts into something that can be easily understood and shared without a single word. 

6. WHITE PAPERS AND CASE STUDIES

White papers let you educate and frame the problem. 

Case studies show your audience you know what you’re talking about. 

Both help justify the purchase, especially when your product is higher ticket. 

The best way to get people to buy is proof.

—

♻️ Repost if someone you know needs to learn these skills

Paid subscription communities are the biggest scam in the creator economy and nobody wants to say it.

Here's what actually happens when you launch one.

Month 1: 100 members, you feel like a genius.
Month 3: 65 active subscribers, you're on a hamster wheel trying to get back what you had constantly.

A recurring subscription is harder to sell than a high-ticket product because you're not asking for money once, you're asking someone to commit to paying you forever.

And when your community eventually dies (it will), everyone can see it. A dead Skool group is public and that kills your brand.

If you want to argue with me on this, please name one major entrepreneur who built their fortune on a paid recurring community. You can't.

Marie Forleo, Hormozi, Jeff Walker, Ryan Deiss, all of them made their money the exact same way: low ticket products on the front end, high ticket on the backend. One-time purchases.

We watched membership sites die in 2010 and we're watching the same thing happen with Skool in 2026.

The model is simple. 

Cheap product to build a buyer list, high ticket offers for the people who already like you.

The stuff that changed my life the most is stupid simple: 

> My dad always had a side-hustle but family came first no matter what. 
> Playing baseball taught me more about business than any book.
> Mastering self-talk has created every positive result I ever got. 
> Scaling SamCart from 0-$300M with my brother Scott. 
> Kids changed everything. My net worth 10X’d since having them.
> Lastly wife. Nothing else on this list comes close.

DUMBEST ways to use AI to PRINT $$$:

- Run 15 different SaaS tools 
- Code 15 apps in a weekend
- Act like every new feature is the next big thing 
- Spin up 14 businesses (stupidest thing in the world) 

BEST ways to use AI to PRINT $$$:

- Focus on one business (unless you’re Elon) 
- Speed up your workflows 
- Treat it like a crazy smart assistant to help your business.
- Use it for things that actually generate revenue: product, copy, content, etc. 

Keep falling into the AI influencer hype and you'll still be poor in two years.

How to 10x your team's output with AI (without hiring more people): 

1. Fire anyone against AI use
2. Use AI to remove roles from your hiring plan 
3. Cut workload first
4. Document everything
5. Plug into AI model of your choice
6. Have each member find 5 AI use-cases per role in 7 days

AI doesn’t magically make you more money.

It helps you generate revenue faster and more accurately.

Why I decided to build in public for SamCart:

1. Forces clarity on why we build 
2. Trust compounds faster than numbers
3. Keeps me showing up like day one
4. Gain more affiliate partners
5. Reach better customers 
6. Stronger brand moat
7. Attract more A+ players 
8. Reminds me why I started
9. Forces us to build better software
10. Get more introductions from the right people 
11. Helps me live with balance and work with purpose

You don't need a new job. You need a bigger game.

Two roles. One engineer, one marketer. Both AI-native.

The kind of opportunity that makes you quit something good for something great. SamCart. $30M+ ARR. Nearly $100M raised. $7B+ processed. We're building something brand new inside of SamCart. The next era of eCom. AI that doesn't assist. AI that builds your entire business for you. I need two people who want to be at the center of it.

AI Engineer You've built AI products real people use. Production, not demos. You think like a founder. You ship fast and own the outcome. If you haven't written 500K+ lines with Claude Code or Cursor, don't apply.

AI Growth You've been THE person behind the growth. Not part of a team. THE person. If you haven't had AI managing your ads, spinning up creative, running your blog, writing your emails, and building your funnels, don't apply.

This is NOT a title play, a management role, or a 9-to-5.
This IS founder-level impact, founder-level comp.

You'll work with me daily. Small team. Massive mission. Hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs are about to build businesses in a way that's never existed before. The hardest, most rewarding thing you've ever done.

Apply here → https://lnkd.in/g3MWDYk5 
60 seconds. No resume. Just proof.

Open article: My branded typeform by samcart.typeform.com

Me...

> Did the bare minimum in school
> Hated every job I ever had
> Took a paper shredding job for $15/hr & covered in dust 
> Living in a basement apartment
> Every waking moment I was trying to find a way out
> Studied online business relentlessly for a year
> Made my first sale
> By the end of the year I was doing $80k/month
> Didn’t quit my job because I was too scared it wouldn’t last
> Work found out and fired me on the spot
> Scaled to $100k-$150k/month fulltime 
> Got bored and had the idea for SamCart
> Dumped $1M of my savings into it
> Built SamCart to a $300M+ valuation 
> Building toward $1B exit

graphical user interface, text, application, email

20 y/o using AI:

- Actually uses it 
- Tries every tool out there
- Figures out what's possible in real time
- Spends 20 hrs/day learning thru YouTube

50 y/o using AI:

- “Too busy” to learn
- Barely understands it 
- Outsources it to low level employees
- Doesn’t watch YouTube/X so they stay ignorant

The people who dominate the future will treat AI like an advantage, not a passing trend.

Everyone’s asking me what to sell in 2026.

SamCart powered 75K+ businesses and processed $7B+ in digital product sales, so I never guess what's working or not. 

These 10 fitness digital products are printing money (they’re not slowing down):👇

1. 7-DAY MOMENTUM PLAN

People don’t need another pep talk. 

Build them a simple plan for the next 7 days: 

• Training
• Routine 
• Mindset 

They’ll stop starting over every Monday.

2. WEEKLY MEAL PLANNING SYSTEM

Healthy eating falls apart when it becomes a second job.

Makes eating clean easy with the right system: 

• Mealplans
• Grocery lists
• Macros/Calories 

Simple to deliver. Easy to recommend.

3. NO-GYM BODYWEIGHT PROGRAM

Convenience sells. 

Create step-by-step home workouts with beginner-intermediate progressions.

Zero equipment. Zero excuses.

4. PROGRESS TRACKER

Nothing kills progress faster than guessing. 

Create a central hub to track: 

• Workouts
• Habits
• Weight
• Measurements 

It turns “I feel stuck” into clear next steps.

5. AT-HOME STRENGTH SPLIT

Beginners quit when they’re forced to improvise.

A simple strength split with clear recordings will help people stick to their routine and use correct form. 

“Tell me what to do today” sells forever.

6. MONTHLY RECIPE PACK

A monthly drop of clean, repeatable recipes makes healthy eating easy to maintain.

Works great as a recurring offer without relying on group chat hype.

7. 5–7 DAY FITNESS EMAIL SERIES

Give them daily workouts and a simple nutrition plan.

If you get them a quick win, the next offer becomes an easy yes.

8. HOME GYM STARTER BLUEPRINT

People waste money buying random, overpriced equipment.

Tell them exactly what to buy and how to train with it.

Clear path, strong perceived value.

9. WORKOUT VAULT ACCESS

Build a library of: 

• Past routines
• Challenges
• Recordings 

Consistency is easier when you’ve already done the planning.

10. 30-DAY WELLNESS JOURNAL

Fitness is bigger than workouts.

A daily journal that tracks sleep, energy, food, workouts, and habits helps people connect inputs to outcomes.

Better feedback loop = better adherence.

—

People buy fitness products because they want to be told exactly what to do. 

Less thinking. More doing. Faster progress.

Package it like a system, not a pile of tips.

♻️ Repost if someone you know wants to print money in the fitness niche.

lies about internet money: 

- get-rich-quick coaches are grifters
- courses are pyramid schemes
- u need 10,000+ followers minimum 
- u need a perfect funnel before you can start

truths about internet money: 

- u only need 6 weeks if you execute
- outcomes & experience > information 
- it’s easier to sell to someone who bought
- human touch is MORE valuable than ever

Stop overthinking what to sell in 2026.

These 10 RELATIONSHIP digital products will print money:

(after processing $7B+ and powering 75K+ businesses with SamCart)

1. CONNECTION CARD DECK

Sometimes you’ve got nothing to talk about besides logistics.

Make a deck for couples, friends, or families:

• Light
• Deep
• The stuff people avoid

It turns, “so what’s new?” into actual conversation.

2. BOUNDARIES SCRIPT PLAYBOOK

People don’t struggle with having boundaries.

They struggle with setting them.

Give them a workbook that helps them:

• Name the line
• Say it clean
• Hold it when it gets uncomfortable

A great relationship starts with self-respect.

3. ATTACHMENT PATTERNS GUIDE

A lot of toxic relationships are the same fight on repeat.

Different person. Same pattern.

Teach the basics:
• How each style shows up
• Common triggers
• What to do instead

Help people label it so they can change it.

4. THE FIGHT FAIR CHEAT SHEET

Arguments go sideways when everyone’s improvising.

Create a one-pager for the moment things start heating up:

• De-escalation lines
• Reframes that work
• The next thing to say

Less fallout. Faster repair.

5. THE DATING PROFILE REWRITE KIT

Dating apps punish vagueness.

Build a fill-in guide that helps people:

• Write a bio that filters
• Pick prompts with intent
• Stop wasting time early

Better profile = better options.

6. LOVE LANGUAGE ACTION TRACKER

Knowing your love language is just trivia.

Doing it is the relationship.

Make a tracker that turns it into reps:

• What to do
• When to do it
• How often

Consistency beats intensity every time.

7. RELATIONSHIP RESET JOURNAL

If people don’t process after a breakup, they’re doomed to repeat it.

Build a guided journal that walks them through:

• What happened
• What they allowed
• What they’ll do differently next time

Help them stop dating the same person in a different body.

8. COUPLES ALIGNMENT WORKBOOK

Couples drift apart when there’s no shared vision.

Make a workbook that gets alignment on:

• Finances
• Travel
• Family
• The next 12 months

Do the talk now, not after arguing.

9. DEALBREAKER CLARITY WORKSHEET

Some people ignore dealbreakers.

Other people label everything a red flag and wonder why they’re still single.

Give them a worksheet to sort:

• Dealbreakers
• Growth areas
• Real examples

Better standards. Less chaos.

10. 7-DAY RECONNECT CHALLENGE

A lot of break ups don’t need to happen.

The relationship just needs a reset.

Create a 5 or 7-day challenge with daily actions:

• Connection
• Appreciation
• Quality time

Small moves are all you need to reignite that spark.

People buy relationship digital products because they want a plan they can follow.

Give them structure.
Give them prompts.
Give them reps.

That’s what they need.

♻️Repost the first post of this thread to help someone get rich in 2026

Most operators are losing 8-15% of top line revenue to random fees they don’t even know about. 

(Read this so you can save up to $240K-$450k/yr)

Your first sale is not revenue, it’s proof. 

Proof that someone in the real world will exchange their money for what you built. 

That changes everything because now the only question is how many. 

Not "will this work" but "how do I scale this." 

The problem is that people never make that first sale because they're still perfecting the thing instead of shipping it. 

Launch ugly, and just tweak it every single day based on DATA.

15 ways AI can save you hours every week (whether you run a business or not)

(P.S. Last tip will tell you how to make more money)

1️⃣ Run your calendar automatically
Schedules meetings, blocks focus time, detects conflicts.

2️⃣ Summarize long emails into 3 bullets
Key actions and decisions only. Reply in seconds.

3️⃣ Auto-generate meeting notes
AI joins calls, records decisions, sends summaries.

4️⃣ Build your to-do list from your inbox
Pulls tasks from emails, meetings, and notes. Updates as priorities shift.

5️⃣ Draft emails in seconds
"Follow up on the invoice" becomes a full email in your tone.

6️⃣ Generate personalized workout plans
Goals, schedule, fitness level. AI builds and adjusts the plan.

7️⃣ Track nutrition from a photo
Snap your lunch, get calories and macros instantly.

8️⃣ Brainstorm ideas on demand
Content, campaigns, product names. Creative partner in seconds.

9️⃣ Write reports in minutes
Tell AI the structure, give it data, edit instead of starting from scratch.

🔟 Research without reading 100 articles
Hours of research can be condensed into a clean summary.

1️⃣1️⃣ Get recipe ideas from your pantry
AI suggests meals from what you already have.

1️⃣2️⃣ Plan travel based on your preferences
Recommendations that match your style, adjusted in real time.

1️⃣3️⃣ Learn a new language with AI
Private tutor, real-time corrections, available 24/7.

1️⃣4️⃣ Detect suspicious financial activity
AI flags anomalies and learns your spending patterns.

1️⃣5️⃣ Build presentations without touching slides
Key points in, polished deck out.

And if you're a business owner or creator, AI goes even further.

At SamCart, AI creates your products, writes your copy, builds your site, and sets up your checkout. What used to take 40 people, AI handles for you now.

See what that could look like for your business 👇🏻
https://lnkd.in/gZijvnzW 

♻️ Repost if you're using AI for more than just ChatGPT prompts

samcart.com

Creator Revenue Calculator — How Much Could You Earn?

“My market can’t afford high-ticket” > no u just suck at selling
“Nobody understands the value of my product” > no u just suck at communicating 
“People’s attention spans are down” > no u just suck at holding attention
“My following just wants freebies” > no u just suck at getting them to buy 
“Nobody wants to read our landing page” > no u just suck at writing copy 
“Organic content is dead” > no u just suck at making organic content
“My customers don’t buy software” > no just suck at building software
“Facebook ads don’t work for me” > no u just suck at Facebook ads

I've watched THOUSANDS of digital creators sell $7B in digital products on SamCart. 

The ones doing $1M-$50M/year sell these 10 business digital products: 

1. THE LAUNCH RUNBOOK

Build a step-by-step timeline for before, during, and after: 

• Email schedules 
• Post templates 
• Day-by-day actions

The creators doing this consistently treat every launch like a repeatable system, not a one time event.

2. THE BUYER INTEL KIT

I've watched creators build products nobody asked for and wonder why they're not selling.

Build a kit with: 

• Survey templates 
• Interview questions 
• Frameworks

Find what people will actually pay for. Stop guessing.

3. THE CLIENT INTAKE PACKET

The first 48 hours of a client relationship sets the tone for everything after.

Bundle everything into one reusable packet: 

• Welcome docs 
• Intake forms 
• Kickoff emails 
• Expectation-setting templates

The best sellers treat their process like a product.

4. THE CONVERSION PAGE FRAME

A blank page is the reason most people never launch.

Give them a proven layout with: 

• Copy prompts 
• Section structure 
• Headline formulas

We've seen what converts across $7B in transactions. Structure wins every time.

5. THE EMAIL CAMPAIGN VAULT

The creators burning out before their launch even closes are usually writing emails from scratch every time.

Bundle the templates they need: 

• Welcome sequences 
• Launch emails 
• Cart close copy

Build it once so they can use it forever.

6. THE CONTENT PIPELINE CALENDAR

Build 30-90 days of content ideas with: 

• Hooks organized by content type 
• Topics mapped to the buyer journey 
• Enough variety to stay consistent

The ones posting every day aren't more creative. They're more organized.

7. THE DM CLOSING SCRIPTBOOK

Closing in DMs doesn't have to feel like being a used car salesman.

Build fill-in-the-blank scripts for: 

• Discovery conversations 
• Handling objections 
• Following up without being weird

The best closers have a repeatable process.

8. THE BRAND BUILDER PLAYBOOK

People make a decision before they read a single word of your copy.

• Colors and fonts 
• Tone and voice 
• Positioning that builds trust fast

The sellers who look like real businesses get treated like real businesses.

9. THE LOW-TICKET OFFER STARTER

Every creator I've talked to has knowledge worth $27-$97. 

They just don’t know how to package it.

Build a mini-course that covers: 

• How to pick the topic 
• How to structure it 
• How to price and launch it

The first product doesn't even need to be good. It just has to exist.

10. THE NICHE VALIDATION WORKSHEET

The most expensive mistake I see is someone building a product for a market that was never going to pay.

Build a guided workbook to: 

• Pick a profitable niche 
• Define the exact buyer 
• Validate demand before building anything

♻️Repost this to help someone make more money in 2026

I help DTC brands turn $1 into $43.80 | Scaled Chronos from 0 → 85 team members

Hey! Thanks for stopping by my profile.

I'm Josh 👋, co-founder of Chronos - a retention and lifecycle marketing agency for 7 - 9 figure DTC brands (say that 3 times fast).

In short, we help fast growing brands nail repeat purchases, so they can scale their acquisition efforts with confidence.

Over the past 7+ years, we've worked with over 500+ brands and have generated over $300M in tracked, attributable revenue. Some of the results we're proud of:

👉 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞: 2x-ed email rev in 90 days, $44M in first 12 months

👉 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲: 26% increase in cart recovery AOV

👉 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐌+: 288% increase in total email revenue

👉 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐈𝐂𝐄: 2.53x in customer return rates

👉 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐲: 32% increase in customer AOV

In a sea of retention agencies, choosing the right one can be tough. Here's why brands choose Chronos:

🏷️ 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬: We've been in the game for 7+ years and focus on building long term relationships by consistently delivering results.

🏷️ 𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬: We've seen a lot. Having worked with over 500+ brands, we bring a proven playbook of what works - and what doesn't - to get you results faster.

🏷️ 𝐖𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬 No 'yes men' here. Our team actively challenges ideas and collaborates with you to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Making that leap is never easy - but if you're ready to partner with a team that's as invested in your growth as you are, let's chat.

Feel free to DM me, or check us out at: chronos.agency

Joshua Chin

Be me:

> Started running a weekly check-in with my wife 
> Borrowed it from how we run client accounts 
> How are we feeling, what's working, what's not 
> No waiting for problems to pile up 
> No burying things under gifts or distractions 
> Just honest, directional conversation 
> Turns out the best business lesson I learned 
> Was also the best marriage advice I never got 
> Ownership fixes everything

Helping DTC Brands Turn $1 into $43.80 | $300M+ Revenue Driven for 500+ Brands | Scaled Chronos from 0 → 85+

Ready to Make Retention Your Growth Engine? Let's Chat!

The Retention Playbook That Scaled 500+ Brands

CEO, Chronos Agency | Retention systems that turn $1 into $43+ | $400M+ attributed revenue via Email, SMS, Push | Free Audit Below

9 years ago I never would’ve believed I’m having so much fun running a business. 

> built a $1m year business, 60% margins
> felt absolutely miserable all the time
> business took off
> purely brute force, no systems
> caught up to me quick
> lost all freedom + autonomy
> constantly answering to everything
> gave up profit
> built a team + systems
> got my life back
> don’t have 60% margins
> but I have my life again
> the game of business is actually fun now
> don’t quit the game, just make it fun

I've been a Whoop subscriber for 5 years. And not because their emails are good.

Wearing it changed how I saw myself. 

Your product needs to make your customer FEEL something.

• A segment 
• A good campaign
• Your win-back sequence

Until your product gives your customer a new identity, emails don’t really matter.

Like me with Whoop.

• I started going to CrossFit
• Started seeing other people with Whoops 

And without anyone saying it out loud, there was this signal between us: We were people who valued our health.

Wearing a Whoop gave me a new identity.

Then the product did something smart. They created habits with an app.

Every morning I answer a short journal in the app. Sleep, recovery, habits. Simple questions. But the data it builds over time is mine. Personal to me. The longer I use it, the more it knows me. Now I’m attached to using their app every single morning.

Two retention loops running at once. Community on the outside. Habit on the inside.

If your product gives the customer a new identity that makes them feel good, you won’t need to constantly battle for attention in the inbox. They’ll be excited to read your emails.

Flows are great for retaining customers. But your customers want a new identity, that’s why they buy your product.

Make them FEEL the identity. That’s what they want.

After 8 years managing email for 500+ DTC brands, here's every retention flow tip I could come up with:

1. If you don't have a pop-up offer on your site, you're leaving the cheapest leads on the table.

2. Aim for a 4-9% pop-up submission rate. If you're under that, your offer or timing is off.

3. 70% of visitors won't scroll past your hero section. If your best offer isn't there, it doesn't exist.

4. Your abandoned checkout flow should convert at 7-10%. If it's not, there's room to tighten up.

5. Max ONE SMS in your abandoned checkout flow. They're still cold. Don't overwhelm them.

6. Browse abandonment is not the same as cart abandonment. The psychology is completely different. Treat it that way.

7. Your browse abandonment email has one job: show them the product they viewed is the solution they're looking for.

8. Abandoned cart visitors are blocked by something. Shipping cost, reviews, comparisons. Answer those objections before they have to ask.

9. Site abandonment visitors aren't ready to buy yet. Don't sell. Just guide them back and let your brand do the work.

10. Failure-to-Launch Flow targets people who signed up in the last 30 days and never engaged. Take one strong swing before they go cold.

11. Your highest open and click rates will always be right after someone buys. Use that window.

12. Most second purchases happen within 30 days of the first. If you're not pushing for that, you're leaving easy revenue behind.

13. Ask new customers "why did you buy?" Offer a small incentive for the reply. It boosts deliverability and tells you exactly what's working.

14. A win-back flow is part reminder, part nudge, part proof. Lead with value, not just a discount.

15. Your sunset flow isn't a failure. End the relationship well. Ask for a referral or review. Leave the door open.

16. A second purchase is a satisfaction signal. That's your best moment to ask for a review and actually get one.

17. VIPs should feel like VIPs. First access to drops, sales, and launches. If they don't feel special, they won't stay loyal.

18. Cross-sell recommendations only work when they're relevant. If it doesn't feel helpful, it feels pushy.

19. Replenishment flows exist for one reason: to catch one-time buyers before their product runs out and they forget about you.

20. Subscriptions aren't just good for retention. They're good for customers too. Lower cost, more convenience. Lead with that.

21. Running all of these at once will usually add 20-30% more revenue from the same list.

22. The list you already have is worth more than you think. You just have to work it properly. Save this and implement it all.

7 retention lessons I learned by questioning everything I was told:

1. The "1–2 emails per week" rule was never tested. It was just repeated enough that everyone stopped asking why.

2. Best practices only work under specific conditions. Most teams inherit them without validating them.

3. First principles means anchoring to real customer behavior. Not the playbook someone else built.

4. Not all rules deserve to be challenged. Test what's recoverable. Protect what's not.

5. Engagement, revenue, and list health tell you when it's safe to push further. Pay attention to the signals.

6. Email forgives slowly. SMS punishes fast. Your experimentation should match the downside.

7. No email or SMS campaign can create demand that doesn't exist. The product is the foundation. Retention is the amplifier.

I've spent 8+ years running retention for DTC brands.

Supplements. Fashion. Home goods. Food.

And if you asked me where retention works perfectly?

It's beauty.

Beauty hits on four levels that no other category touches at the same time.

Psychological. Emotional. Habitual. Economic.

People don't buy a serum because they want a serum.

They buy it because they want to feel young again.

They want their spouse to look at them the way they did 10 years ago.

There are layers to why people buy beauty products.

Most brands only market to the surface.

Fix your wrinkles. Clear your dark spots.

But the real driver is deeper.

It's emotional. It's identity.

When you understand that, your emails stop sounding like product pitches.

They start sounding like you actually get the customer.

Now the economics.

Beauty is replenishable by nature.

Even when the product solves the problem it leads to the next one.

Or at the very least maintenance of the outcome.

Theoretical LTV doesn't end.

The customer always needs more.

And the replenishment cycle gives you a predictable window to drive the next order.

That changes the math on everything.

Then there's the habitual side.

Beauty customers are sticky.

Way stickier than most categories.

They've been dealing with their issue for months. Sometimes years.

They buy a product and it doesn't work immediately.

But they don't bounce.

You can anchor them with small wins along the way.

"Seeing redness after week one? That's actually a good sign."
"Here's what results look like at week two. Week six. Week twelve."

Those mini milestones keep people on the path.

Even before the product fully delivers, they stay.

Because they feel like they're making progress.

That's lifecycle marketing at its purest.

You're building a habit around the product so they keep using it.

See results faster.

Run out sooner.

This actually works too. Not just some concept or idea.

We work with a beauty brand mid 8-figures.

Core product is a microinfusion device.

Helps with fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots.

Replenishment cycle is every 3-6 months.

Here's the ecosystem we built:

- Bounce back flow offering a discount within 24-48 hours of purchase to pull forward LTV instead of waiting 6 months

- Educational sequences mapped to their timeline. What to expect at week two. Week six. Week twelve. So they don't quit.

- Product-specific cross-sell flows. Not one generic post-purchase flow. Each product gets its own flow tying the cross-sell back to what they already bought.

- Campaigns feeding the whole machine. Even when click rates dip from higher frequency those clicks push people back into browse abandonment, cart abandonment, checkout abandonment. Flows absorb the pressure.

This is why beauty brands win at retention. 

Every layer feeds the next one. 

Psychological → Emotional → Habitual → Economic

This might sound crazy.

But hear me out...

You shouldn’t be rebuilding your retention strategy every time you onboard a new brand.

The brands change. The buying behavior never does.

Once you understand the psychology driving purchases in a vertical, you stop reinventing campaigns and start deploying a structure that works every time.

You learn this after 700+ campaigns a month.

→ You stop asking what worked for this brand.
→ You start asking what works for this type of buyer.

That answer becomes the structure. The structure is what scales.

For example: 

I see this again and again with pet brands. They have the same exact problem.

Their emails were written for the owner. Not the pet.

Pet parents don't buy for themselves. They buy for the animal.

That sounds obvious. But watch how many pet brands still lead with product specs, stack features in the body, and bury the discount like it needs to be earned.

Once we understood that the pet purchase is almost always an act of care and not a transaction, the email structure changed.

Every product benefit is written through the pet's experience. Because that's what the owner is actually buying.

Same structure. Can be applied to other brands too.

Stop caring about the product, the features, the benefits...

Until you understand why and how the buyer will buy.

The buying behavior doesn't change. So the framework doesn't either.

We grew our retention agency to easily run 100s of campaigns a month.

• 75 people
• Strategist-led
• Making our brands $8M/month total

Here’s exactly what I’d do if I had build my agency from scratch:

GET CLEAR ON THE FOUNDER’S ROLE:

> Don’t get tied to day-to-day campaign execution.
> Track core retention metrics: list growth, 90-day LTV, content retention, contribution margins.
> Compare metrics to track progress (last year, past campaigns, etc)
> Founder’s Role: Oversee strategy and performance.

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT WITH BUSINESS GOALS:

> Every email, SMS, and campaign should support core business objectives.
> Ensure your retention strategy integrates with marketing, product, and growth goals.
> Have a Strategy Lead acting as the glue across operations, product, and marketing.

SPLIT THE ROLES:

> Strategy Lead: high-level planning and alignment with business goals.
> Activation Specialist: operationalizes campaigns and ensures deadlines are met.
> Clear separation = better accountability, focus, and results than one person juggling both.

DEDICATED CREATIVE RESOURCES:

> Bring in copywriters and designers dedicated to retention if possible
> Having the right creative resources ensures your strategy turns into action smoothly.

Get the structure of your agency right and the results follow.

I'm watching a $50M health and beauty brand build an app right now and it's changing everything about how they retain customers.

The old way will fizzle out in 2026.

- Email open rates hovering around 30%
- SMS getting lost in the noise
- Push notifications on web that nobody opts into

Now compare that to an app.

- No load times. 
- No clunky mobile web. 
- Everything is seamless. 
- A premium-feeling mobile experience

Push notifications through an app are free. You click send and you're in front of millions of eyeballs instantly. 

That's an entire channel of communication that didn't exist before.

And the habit-forming angle is where it gets powerful.

We use Klaviyo's recency, frequency, monetary scoring to rank customers. 

There's always a middle band: 

People who bought recently but haven't crossed a spend threshold. Or spent a lot but haven't come back in a while.

Life got in the way. An app reminds them of their habit.

An app is that gentle, consistent touchpoint that makes a customer feel: “Despite what happened today, I'm still a person who takes care of my skin.”

When you can instill that thinking, two things happen:

→ Stickiness to the brand goes up 
→ Replenishment periods get shorter

And here's the part that surprised me.

It's way easier to introduce new product categories when your customers are on an app. Because you're not selling a solution anymore. You're selling an identity.

I'm an Apple guy now. 10 years ago I would've never called myself that. 

But here I am with the whole ecosystem. It's not about any single product. It's a being, not a doing.

When your customer identifies as "a person who takes care of their skin," launching a new SKU becomes a no-brainer. (Especially paired with mobile push notifications)

We know excitement spikes at key moments: 

- Right before someone places an order. 
- Right after they order.
- When the new product arrives.

But that energy fades fast. Not with an app.

An app lets you capture that peak intent and extend it just long enough to build the habit. 

And then the cycle continues.

2026 is the year smart DTC brands stop treating apps as a nice-to-have. And start treating them as the retention infrastructure they've been missing.

It’s never been easier.

Only 50% of your list opens your emails on a good day. 

For supplement brands, that 50% is the difference between a one-time buyer and someone on a 30-day replenishment cycle.

The best way to run retention as a supplement brand:

Copying retention strategies from other industries is one of the most expensive mistakes in DTC.

Every industry has a different retention logic.

• Supplements run out
• Beauty gets used up
• Subscriptions auto-renew
• Fashion has none of that

A fashion brand running a supplement playbook is running a system designed for a customer who doesn't exist.

Fashion retention runs on desire, not depletion.

1. Lead with identity, not inventory
2. Win-backs need a reason to want, not a reminder to reorder
3. Loyalty programs work when they reinforce who your customer wants to be

If your retention strategy could work for a supplement brand, it couldn’t possibly work for yours.

Make 2026 the year you make MILLIONS in repeat revenue.

Here's 13 core retention flows you can implement today:

1. Welcome Flow
2. Abandoned Checkout Flow
3. Browse Abandonment Flow
4. Abandoned Cart Flow
5. Site Abandonment Flow
6. Failure to Launch Flow
7. First-Time Purchase / Thank You Flow
8. Win-Back Flow
9. Sunset Flow
10. Repeat Purchase Flow
11. VIP Flow
12. Cross-Sell / Upsell Flow
13. Replenishment Flow

Brands doing $5M+ are using all 13 of these.

This email came in 42% above our average campaign revenue.

After a heavy Q4, our list had seen the same pitch dozens of times. 

Discount. Urgency. Repeat. 

Performance was dropping across the board.

So we led with story instead: 

• The history behind their best-selling product.
• Influencer GIF in the hero.
• Problem agitation in the body. 
• Social proof at the close. 
• Discount in the CTA

What the data told us:

→ Most of the revenue came from returning customers 
→ The email reminded them why they bought in the first place 
→ It didn't need to convert, just reconnect

Not every email has to sell. Some exist to refill goodwill so the next promo lands harder. The brands that figure out that balance tend to keep their lists a lot longer.

If campaign revenue has been slipping, it might not be the offer. It might be how often you've been making one.

Review request emails are usually begging in disguise.

CALECIM didn't beg. They just led with:

"Was It Love At First Swipe?" 

It doesn't ask if the customer liked the product. 

It assumes they did. 

The relationship is already real. They're just being invited to talk about it.

That's a completely different ask. And it changes how the whole email lands.

By the time readers hit the offer, it doesn’t feel like a bribe, it feels like a thank you.

That confidence is what gets people to actually click.

I see AMAZING products flop because the launch strategy is horrible.

If your product launch starts on launch day, you already lost.

Get them excited a week beforehand...

Send a "raise your hand" email before the product page even exists:

"Want first access? Click here." 

Immediately identifies your highest-intent buyers before there's anything to buy.

By the time you go live, they've already decided they're in.

Then don’t mess up the launch email.

Put someone wearing or using the product in the hero. 

• Not a flat-lay. 
• Not a product on white. 
• A person your reader can see themselves as. 

That visual sells harder than any copy underneath it.

Stack the offer to push AOV. 

• Buy one get 10% off. 
• Buy two get 15%. 
• Buy three get 20% plus free shipping. 

They just need a little nudge to get over the edge. This does it and then some.

Then throw a short banner at the bottom for the skimmers. 

Half your list scrolls straight to the footer. Meet them there.

Most brands treat a launch like one big blast. 

One email
One shot
Move on

Do this and you’ll flop.

A real launch sequence has warmup, early access, the main push, a reminder with social proof, and a last-chance close. 

Five touches minimum.

Your list already trusts you. 

Build the launch around that trust.

Been watching the discourse around Meta's credit card ban. 

It’ll be fine, they’ll fold within 90 days. 

Invoice billing becomes an option, not the default. Third-party providers build workarounds so brands can still run cards and collect points. This already exists in other markets anyway.

What actually dies is the arbitrage seller. People running products at breakeven just to harvest points and fund a travel lifestyle. 

We're like a rounding error to Meta. The SMB world below $200M is a tiny slice of their revenue. Nike isn't tweeting about losing points. 

Platforms will always change the rules. Build so you won’t constantly fall victim to them.

I was talking with a friend who owns a $50M health and beauty brand. 

They’re doing something that will permanently change the retention game.

Building an app. 

Here's why it's changing how you should think about retention heading into 2026.

1. Email is plateauing: open rates hovering around 50% with diminishing upside

2. SMS is getting noisier: harder to stand out, rising costs, declining response

3. Web push adoption is weak: most customers never opt in

4. App push = direct, frictionless access: one tap, zero load time, premium experience

5. Apps reinforce identity, not just product: customers become "a person who takes care of their skin," not 
just a buyer

6. RFM scoring + app = powerful reactivation: Klaviyo flags the middle band, the app brings them back

7. Easier cross-sell and category expansion: you're not selling a new product, you're extending an identity they already hold

Soon apps won’t be a feature, but they’ll be a foundation for any good DTC brand to help their customers build habits.

Unlock your revenue potential with a free customized audit:

chronos.agency

Book an Appointment with Chronos Agency Experts

The average holiday promo leads with the discount.

ForChics led with the customer.

"Let's Celebrate YOU." was the opener. National Compliment Day was the hook. The 20% off came after.

By the time readers hit the offer, it felt like a reward.

The product naming did the same thing:

→ "Boost My Brows" 
→ "Unleash My Lashes" 
→ "Elevate My Lashes"

Those do so much more than sell the product. They’re reinforcing identity and reaffirming WHO the customer is (someone who uses this product).

The discount didn't change. The sequence did.

Lead with identity then follow with the offer. The emotional weight of the whole email shifts.

This post reminds me of brands that just give up on retention.

They try it, build something, don't see the return they expected, and move on. 

Retention is an amplifier. The better your lifecycle program runs, the more efficient every other channel gets. Lower CAC. Better ROAS. More room to scale.

Shutting it down doesn't ever free up bandwidth. It just makes everything else harder.

83% of Chargeasap’s newest product drop was funded by people already sitting in their CRM. 
Here is the technical breakdown of how they did it without redlining their ad account.

Welcome back to the LTV Profit Lab. If I walked into your office and told you that 83% of the money for your next launch was already sitting in your d

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