⚡️ BTS & More: https://openresidency.com/nick-shackelford

In this episode, I sit down with Nick Shackelford, Head of Retention and Partner at BREZ, to break down modern customer acquisition and retention strategies for 2025.

Nick has managed over $200M in ad spend and brings hard-won insights from scaling multiple brands — including his own agencies, Structured and Konstant Kreative — into this conversation.

We get into:

Why creative is now the new targeting, with Nick giving the keys on Meta’s evolving algorithm
The ideal framework for customer acquisition in today’s landscape
How to structure your testing budget between proven winners and fresh creative
Conversion tactics that immediately lift performance — from mobile-first design to offer structure
The retention strategies behind BREZ’s drop in subscription churn from 24% to 17%, on a mission toward sub-5%
The tactics powering BREZ, one of the fastest-growing beverage brands in the country, on pace to hit $50M in just two years
How celebrities like Drake and Druski use subtle content strategies to drive massive viewership — and what brands can learn from it

This is a deep dive on what’s actually working in marketing in 2025.

Enjoy the conversation!

Chapters

00:00 Trailer
00:57 Customer Acquisition & Creative Testing
05:52 How to Optimize Ads with Smart Creative
09:13 Targeting in a Post-iOS World
11:56 Media Buying Meets Creative Strategy
18:03 Influencer Army
19:35 Clipping Culture (Cheat Code)
25:13 Running Ads as a Founder + Managing Creative
33:38 Marketing Funnel Breakdown
39:32 Organic Content’s Role in Paid Performance
43:24 Learnings from Running a Creative Agency
45:30 Conversion Optimization & Offer Strategy
55:32 Retention Marketing + Subscription Tactics
01:04:35 Building Products & Activating Loyal Customers
01:08:06 Smart Product Strategy and Feedback Loops
01:16:20 Building a Brand in Public (Pros & Cons)
01:24:43 Playing the Long Game: Brand, Business & Burnout
01:27:49 Work-Life Balance, Tools & Final Reflections
01:35:00 How Big can Brez Be?
01:36:00 Outro

Redemption: The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore (Book 7, Chapter 18)