🍯 Retention vs. Acquisition: Stop Ruining Both

Hello You DTC savage,

Treating retention and acquisition as separate? It works – until it doesn’t.

Yes, they require different strategies, but ignore the connection, and you’ll ruin both.

• Retention without acquisition? Starving.

• Acquisition without retention? Bleeding.

We’ve seen the strongest 8- and 9- figure brands have separate teams for each, but they are heavily intertwined and communicate daily. And if you're wondering: “Where does the profit live?” - I break it down below.

1. Acquisition is Where Most Brands Drop the Ball

Brands love to throw cash at:

• More ads

• New creatives

• Higher spend

Yet they completely forget the basics:

• Email captures that don’t leak customers

• Welcome Flows that convert leads into buyers

Here’s the reality:

• Brands with optimized email capture see 30% more revenue from their traffic.

• A strong Welcome Flow can drive up to 20% of total email revenue.

This is the #1 biggest mistake we see 8- and 9- figure brands make and it’s the easiest to fix and test. If you’re not capturing potential customers effectively, you’re lighting ad dollars on fire.

2. Retention is Where the Profit Lives

Retention isn’t flashy. It’s not as adrenaline-pumping as scaling Meta ads. But here’s the truth:

Loyal customers are your profit center:

• They spend 3–5x more than new ones

• They cost 5–7x less to convert again

• They become free marketers, bringing in referrals and organic growth

3. And Yet… Most Brands Mess This Up

Brands spend months perfecting their acquisition funnels, only to forget:

• Post-purchase emails that build loyalty

• Personalized offers that bring customers back

• Rewards programs that actually incentivize purchases

Retention isn’t a “set it and forget it” game. It’s a system – one that feeds sustainable growth.

4. Retention + Acquisition: Codependent Growth

Fix the holes in your funnel.

• Step 1: Dial in your pop-ups, campaigns, and flows to convert.

• Step 2: Keep customers engaged with retention strategies that actually work.

Otherwise, you’re pouring water into a bucket full of holes.

5. Test the Shit out of Everything

This is a friendly reminder that your capture, along with the first 1-2 emails in all your critical flows should be tested in perpetuity to increase Revenue Per Send.

Takeaway:

Acquisition keeps the lights on. Retention builds the house.

Hammer the fundamentals of each – or risk ruining both.

Lastly, I would love to chat with you on LinkedIn if we aren’t already connected.

Talk soon,
Feras