Your Customer Acquisition Strategy Is Way Too Narrow

Your customer acquisition strategy probably looks like this:

 70% Meta. 20% Google. 10% email. 

When Meta's working, life is good. 

When the algorithm shifts, CPMs spike, or performance drops, everything stalls. 

Most DTC brands have the same problem. 

They've built their entire acquisition engine on one or two platforms, and when those platforms hit saturation or raise costs, growth flatlines. 

After working with brands for years, I've realized that relying on just one or two channels creates fragility. 

In this email, we're breaking down: 

• Why concentrated acquisition channels create risk 

• How to identify which channels to test next 

• The framework for building a diversified acquisition strategy 

Let's dive in. 

The Concentration Risk 

Concentrating acquisition in one or two channels feels efficient until it isn't. 

Meta works, so you scale it. 

Google performs, so you push harder. 

Then Meta CPMs jump 40%, Google's CPC climbs, your ROAS drops, and you're stuck because you don't have other channels ready to absorb that spend. 

The brands that scale profitably aren't the ones crushing one channel. 

They're the ones spreading acquisition across multiple platforms so no single algorithm change can kill their momentum. 

Where to Expand Next 

The challenge with diversification isn't just picking new channels. 

It's knowing which ones make sense for your product, your audience, and your budget. 

• Channel Selection Framework 

Evaluate channels based on these three factors…

Audience overlap: Does this platform reach your target customer at scale? 

Creative requirements: Can you produce the content format this channel needs? 

Test budget: Do you have enough runway to properly validate performance? 

Channels like TikTok, Pinterest, connected TV, and native advertising platforms all offer different advantages depending on your category. 

The key is testing methodically rather than throwing budget at every platform hoping something sticks. 

Building Your Marketing Mix 

High-performing brands typically allocate budget across: 

• Core channels (60-70%)

Your proven winners that drive consistent ROAS.

•  Growth channels (20-30%) 

Platforms showing early traction that need more budget to scale. 

• Test channels (10%) 

New platforms you're validating for future expansion. 

This ensures you're not starving your core revenue drivers while still investing in diversification. 

• What 25+ DTC Leaders Are Doing Right Now 

On October 29th, the Operators Titans Masterclass is covering exactly this. 

25+ operators including Sean Frank (Ridge), Mike Beckham (Simple Modern), Jason Panzer (HexClad), and Cody Plofker (Jones Road Beauty) are breaking down their channel expansion strategies for Q4. 

What's Happening: 

Taylor Holiday (Common Thread Collective) and Miranda Pettinger (Cuddle Clones) kick things off with two keynotes on diversification strategies you can implement immediately. 

Then five lightning panels with leaders from Ridge, True Classic, Tushy, MUD\WTR, HexClad, and Musely sharing what's working in their marketing mix right now. 

Finally, the live Operators Hotline where you can bring your toughest questions on customer acquisition, channel testing, and budget allocation. 

Get direct answers from operators running $50M+ brands. 

Plus, spend $5K on AppLovin and get $5K back in matched ad credits. 

Only 100 codes available, though. 

You’ll also get first access to the Operators Step-by-Step playbook.

Free to attend. Recorded for replay. 

You can register for the masterclass right here. 

October 29th, 1pm–2:30pm EST (10am–11:30am PST).

Final Thoughts 

Customer acquisition built on one or two channels is fragile. 

When costs rise or performance dips, you need other channels ready to pick up the slack. 

The brands that win long-term don't wait until their main channel taps out to start diversifying. 

They test new platforms early and structure their marketing mix to reduce dependency on any single platform. 

If you're asking where to expand next, how much budget to allocate, or what your ideal marketing mix should look like, the Operators Titans Masterclass on October 29th is where you'll get those answers. 

25+ operators who've already solved this at scale. 

Live Q&A. Free to attend. Don't wait until your main channel stalls.

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Thank you for reading! I appreciate you.

Disclaimer: Special thanks to Operators for sponsoring today’s newsletter.