Ep 541: Mastering the First Second: How Chris Erthel Hooks Attention in Meta Ads

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If you’re still sending Meta traffic to a single product page—you’re leaving revenue on the table.

In this episode of the DTC Podcast, Eric reconnects with global growth strategist Chris Erthel, whose playbook for Meta ads, landing page optimization, and strategic A/B testing has helped eCommerce brands scale from $30M to $100M+ and exit at nine-figure valuations.

Chris shares real-world insights from helping 142+ DTC brands and breaks down exactly why collection pages consistently outperform product pages, how to use humor and pattern interruption in the first second of your ad, and why the right discount depth can actually save you money.

We also get into:

✅ The one change that boosted ROAS and AOV by 20%

✅ Why 40% discounts outperform 30% (and reduce ad costs)

✅ The 5 ad hook formats that stop scrolls without looking like ads

✅ How to pre-seed comments for maximum social proof

✅ A roadmap to expand your DTC brand into the Nordics and Poland

✅ The real cost of SaaS bloat—and why tools like Omnisend and WeeVee are better bets

✅ A 30-second breathwork tool to calm your nervous system before big decisions

Whether you're running media, building funnels, or growing a global brand, this episode is a tactical masterclass on eCommerce growth, international expansion, and creative excellence.

Timestamps:

00:00 Cold open and common ecom mistakes

00:02 Chris’s origin story and early wins

00:07 Creative focus and the “send to collections” landing page test

00:12 First-second hooks that work now

00:18 Comment strategy that boosts ROAS

00:23 Building a testing culture across the funnel

00:25 Creator partnerships driving outsized revenue

00:27 Scaling to exit and stronger offers for BFCM

00:34 Smart international expansion playbook

00:38 AI creative toolchain in one canvas

00:41 Email ROI and tool cost comparisons

00:46 Big goals, happiness, and breathwork

00:53 20 connected breaths demo

00:57 Final advice for founders

Hashtags:

#DTC #Ecommerce #MetaAds #FacebookAds #CreativeStrategy #ABTesting #UGC #BlackFriday #InternationalExpansion #EmailMarketing #Omnisend #Klaviyo #AIinMarketing #RetentionMarketing #LandingPages #CreatorEconomy #ROAS #Podcast

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