
Do you love Brain Driven Brands but only have 20 minutes to spare today? We’ve got some great news for you - in this episode, Sarah and Nate break down the top 3 simple messaging tweaks Original Grain has put in place this year that has made them...
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Nate
Foreign. Welcome back to Brain Driven Brands. Happy Friday. I don't think these come out on Friday, so maybe that doesn't make any sense to you guys, but we record on Fridays.
Sarah
Tuesdays and Thursdays is typically one week.
Nate
All right? So Happy Tuesday. Or Thursday.
Sarah
Happy Tuesday. Or Thursday. Depending on which day in the future you're listening to this podcast, Happy Days.
Nate
You can also listen to it on a Friday if you want to.
Sarah
You actually could. You could listen to it any day of the week because these are pre recorded. And anything that goes on the Internet, still days on the Internet, I'd like to make that reminder psa. Anything you put out there gonna be out there forever. So be real careful about what you put on.
Nate
I wish I knew that before I did 82 of these episodes where I've been bullshitting, you know.
Sarah
People are gonna come back and be like, nate, that episode that you ran five years ago, you said this one phrase in the middle of the podcast that I took offense to. How dare you, sir? And you're gonna be like, what? Yeah, the Internet's forever. The Internet is forever. We've been kind of shooting the shit before this episode about some forever Internet things that I always love talking to you guys about because one, we're real angsty off air. You think we're angsty on air? Just wait till you hear about talk about off air. Our anginess, though, today was predominantly this, like, random topic that came up from producer Scotty, which was talking about what I roas. Has anybody ever heard of IRO As? That's like, new to me. Incremental ROAS is now a thing.
Nate
Yeah, everyone's hot on incremental what is going on?
Sarah
And I feel like we come up with new acronyms basically every month to try and help us. Help. Maybe. Maybe it's not even helping, but they try and come up with these new acronyms that are like, maybe we should go over here and see if this acronym will help us grow faster. And I keep coming back to, like, I don't think the metrics matter. People like the teeny tiny ones like this aren't going to do anything to grow a brand. They. They're just going to make you more and more crazy is all they're going to do.
Nate
So, yeah, you know my thing, I always say, don't chase metrics that don't pay your bills 100%.
Sarah
Thank you.
Nate
Pay salaries and mortgages and can't pay for whiskey with your incremental roas.
Sarah
I just don't even know what to think. About that. This is like. This is after we started using, like, what is NP and cpa? New customer cpa, which it was.
Nate
Should have always just been cpa. For the record.
Sarah
That's what I said. I was like, isn't that the same thing?
Nate
No. Well, people started blending it and they were doing, like, cost per order, basically. Not cost per.
Sarah
Oh, my gosh. Well, and it's fine. Like, I understand some of this stuff is helpful because it helps.
Nate
No, it's not, though. No, it's not, though. Hold on, let me.
Sarah
Some of these things are helpful.
Nate
If you're doing less than 250 million a year, none of this matters.
Sarah
Okay. That I would agree with 100. I don't think the majority of the metrics that we look at are incredibly helpful. Yeah, but people like them. People like them a lot. We're not here to talk about metrics today, though.
Nate
Okay.
Sarah
I just wanted to put that out there. That one. Today we're gonna be talking about messaging. Messaging in particular. I wanna. I wanna run a stat by you and make sure this stat is correct before I just, like, throw this out on my podcast as something that promotes it. You guys, can you say with confidence that from what we have done on this podcast in the last, like, four years working together, you've made somewhere in the range of a million dollars off of what we do. Can you confidently say that?
Nate
Sure, sure.
Sarah
Otherwise, I'm not gonna put that on the podcast.
Nate
Hey, sure. Let's say it's only a million so you don't jack up your prices.
Sarah
Okay. All right. Okay. All right. I mean, that makes me feel a gonna say the title of this podcast is the Three Messaging Tweaks Behind a Million Dollars in Sales. But I was like, I gotta check with Nate to make sure he made a million dollars, because I don't want to make that claim. I just did an episode about, like, legality. I talked to Robert Freund, who was a lawyer in D.C. real smart guy. Now I'm terrified of every claim I make. So. Hey, everybody.
Nate
Yeah, you can call it, like, messaging for millions.
Sarah
Okay. Yeah, that's a good idea. Messaging for millions. Yes, Scotty. It was a great episode, by the way. Actually, I don't know if you've listened to that one, Nate, because I know.
Nate
You don't actually don't listen to the podcast. No, not a fan of it.
Sarah
But that episode in particular was so good. Like, Robert, if you listen to this, you're a killer in the space. Okay, so we're going to talk about the three messaging tweaks behind millions in sales. Possibly over 1 million in sales. Specifically, I want to talk about what's coming up for you guys. Father's Day. Yeah, he's on the rise. We've got lots of people talking about when they're going to start their Father's Day sales because we just kind of ended, like, Mother's Day. Some people haven't even launched them. I heard you guys already have yours launched.
Nate
We launched ours the day after Mother's Day.
Sarah
That is so bonkers. Every time I hear this, I'm like, you guys are, like, above the curve. You're just. You're just smarter thinkers, I think.
Nate
Yeah. Well, here's the deal. One, I started earlier, if I could.
Sarah
You cannot start before Mother's Day, though. You guys get so canceled. Please don't do it.
Nate
Right. We did it one year and.
Sarah
Did you really?
Nate
Yeah, I think we launched on May 1. And a bunch of moms in the Facebook comments were very upset. And we need those moms because those are the ones who are going to buy from us after.
Sarah
Oh, my. Oh, my God.
Nate
So, yeah, we don't do that. Let me pull up some stats. Yeah, we launched on May 12.
Sarah
Okay. Of this year. You're talking about this year's.
Nate
Of this year. Yep.
Sarah
Okay. May 12th.
Nate
So day after Mother's Day, we have already spent six figures advertising our Father's Day sale.
Sarah
Bonkers.
Nate
And yeah, for me, I look at it like, fully aware. Nobody thinks about Father's day till, like, June 3rd.
Sarah
Yeah, I would agree with that.
Nate
We are very early.
Sarah
Yep.
Nate
The point of starting the sale early is because our customers have a long consideration cycle before they buy.
Sarah
Very true. Yeah.
Nate
Yeah. We, I don't know if I told you this. Have a post purchase survey up asking people when they first heard of us. The biggest cohort of our purchasers heard of us over a year ago.
Sarah
Yep. That's typical.
Nate
And then like, the next bigger one is like over a month ago.
Sarah
These, like, high luxury products. Yeah. It's typically a really long consideration period. That's really interesting. I do find the fact that you guys start early in May, though, is very, very different. Usually DTC brands that I work with don't start until June 1st. They're like, Father's Day launch on June 1st. I do think that this is like a temporal thing. Like, I think the marketers actually are basically just. What's the word? Like, they are a victim. Thank you. Of their own humanness. And they want to start on the start date of the month. That they're trying to promote, in which I don't know if I agree with, because for you guys, starting right after Mother's Day has been really, really beneficial.
Nate
Well, and, like, here's what I know. By June 1st of this year, when you guys all launch your Father's Day campaigns, I'll already have my top ads and landing pages and messages and prices and offers completely dialed in because we tested them for most of.
Sarah
Dang, dude. Okay, so I want to talk about these messages today because we only have. We have, like, just a little bit of time for Nate because he's busy, man, very popular, gotten meetings, all kinds of things. So I want to talk about the fact that I really do think that your ads, in particular, teach more about emotional messaging than any copy course I've ever taken. Like, your ads, in particular, are the gold standard in copy. And I want to talk about three different tweaks that I've seen you guys do in your ads that are, like, incredibly powerful, starting with the one that you sent me through Slack today, which was, like, a gorgeous ad, by the way.
Nate
Yeah.
Sarah
All of your ads are just real pretty. They're really nice to look at, which helps a lot. But tweak, number one, I think, has to do with emotional repetition. You guys build truth into your ads by repeating things. And I'm not talking just like, oh, the headline says something that's similar to the subhead. That's similar to the bullet list. You actually take the same phrase and repeat it three different times. So they did a study on this that was published in 2021. Cognitive research principles and implications was the title of the actual study where they found that repetition, even as little as two times, makes a statement feel more true, regardless of the accuracy. Now, you guys are obviously saying things accurately. Like, your statement, right? Like, he's worth every second, or whatever it is, is very, very accurate. So in general, though, repetition really isn't about redundancy. It's about reinforcement. And this particular study, they said they tested it in different ranges. So they tested repeating something twice, and then they tested it in every single increment, all the way up to 27 repetitions.
Nate
Whoa.
Sarah
And they found that all that all you needed was basically two to three times.
Nate
Yeah.
Sarah
People will remember it about the same. So keep one on here. I love your, like, he's worth it. Repetition in here. How long have you been running that message, by the way? Because we drafted that ages ago.
Nate
Yeah, so I think we. We drafted this for Valentine's Day. This year was, like, the, the he's worth it three times in a row. And I just sent you that bottom one. It was basically that ad. And then it just said Valentine's Day sale on it.
Sarah
Yes.
Nate
So we started running this one that says Father's Day on it in our first round of Father's Day ads. And then I was thinking the other day, you know, we had such a big win last year when we changed the Father's Day messaging from show him he's worth every second to show dad he's worth every second. Just making it more specific. So we just whipped up a couple more variations of it that says dad's worth it three times in a row. Those are going live now. But yeah, it's crushing for us. And like the repetition thing, I remember when you told me it, I was like, I don't think I'm gonna like the way this looks on an ad. Chris, my guy who designs all the ads is going to be like, really? You don't want me doing anything more creative than that. And it's like, nope, just. Just write dad's worth three times and.
Sarah
It'Ll repeat it three times. It'll be fine. This is what I find interesting about, like, science and behavior. Like behavior psychology in particular is. It sounds very counterintuitive. It's like you put the same phrase on an ad three times. Aren't people going to find that weird? No, no.
Nate
Well. And when we first tested this for Valentine's Day, we did the same exact photo and backdrop with just one headline on it and then repeating three times. And the one that repeated three times crushed.
Sarah
People. Baby science. So try that one. Because clearly this is how we get to that, like millions of dollars in sales by using psychology and science. Emotional repetition. You guys are super good at that. So number two tweak that I've seen is time based framing. So you guys are obviously really, really tied to specific holidays in the year, especially since you're going after like, dads or like husbands, fathers, whatever it is. But time based framing holds a lot of emotional weight. So show dad he's worth every second. You're basically tying value directly to time. So you're using a lot of symbolism in here, which I. I'm like, oh, kind of obsessed with. So they did another study, this one was in 2014 posted in management science. People are more likely to take meaningful action, including purchases after moments that feel like a reset. So we talked a little bit about, like temporal, right? Like temp. What do they call that last episode? Like temple Anchoring Right. Or there's a specific word for it. But my again, my brain. Done. My kid was up super, super late last night, so I can't think at all. Poor little guy had like a giant fever. So anyways, he hates steak. None of my children will eat a whole lot of meat. They'll eat chicken nuggets. Does that count? They've been basically like pseudo vegetarian for quite a long time. Anyways, I digress. So for the, for this one, you guys are selling moments like throughout the year that are attached to symbolism. And I love this because you really do anchor. Your CTA is like an emotionally fresh kind of timestamps. What's the next one coming up? So Father's Day is obviously big. What's the next.
Nate
Yeah, Father's Day is big for us. And then we don't really have anything until Christmas. So we just kind of go with our like Evergreen made for the moments that matter, handcrafted for time well spent kind of messaging. We, you know, mention every event that could be happening between now and then. Graduation, wedding, anniversaries, birthdays. Yeah, but there's no like big moment.
Sarah
There's gotta be something. Oh, interesting. Do you guys follow like, like the pro rodeo circuit?
Nate
We're working on it.
Sarah
Okay. Do you guys follow like Cheyenne Frontier Days?
Nate
Nope. Don't know what that is.
Sarah
You don't know? Oh my God. You don't know Shine Frontier Days is. This is one of the largest festivals for specifically like the country style lifestyle person in the United States. Cheyenne. It's massive. They get like big name country stars to come in. It's like a giant thing. They have a giant rodeo that does it. What am I saying? I digress. There's other things throughout the year other than just like the national holidays that I think you guys could follow specifically. Like Shad Frontier Days or like if you're working on pro rodeo circuit, they have big rodeos that happen throughout the year. Yeah. Sky says back to school would be really interesting. Like other things pop up.
Nate
Yeah. We looking to get involved in some rodeo, some bull riding stuff. We've done some back to school stuff. It doesn't hit hard. A lot of 20 year olds aren't in the market for watches.
Sarah
It's also more a bomb thing than a dad thing. So.
Nate
Yeah, for sure. But like for us, like we have, you know, outside of Valentine's Day, Father's Day and Christmas, we try to tie our watches to moments that matter to you. So it doesn't have to be a big holiday. It can be you know, like a birthday, wedding anniversary or it can just be like, no, this is crafted for the moments that matter to you. Time spent with your, your, your family. Our newest headline, crafted for the quiet moments is Doing well so far.
Sarah
Oh, good. Okay. I was gonna say we just came up with that one on a couple episodes ago.
Nate
Yeah. So yeah, it's been like really big for us. Our brand tagline for years has been handcrafted for time well spent. It's pretty good. But like just finding more ways to communicate that and make it more tangible to people has done really, really well.
Sarah
Messaging, man, that messaging is huge. Especially since any. Anything that you can tie to your specific products like entity. So you sell watches, it's all about time. So the more you could talk about time, the more connections people will make do that people in your copy make a connection between whatever your product is and whatever your copy is communicating.
Nate
I think this is also such a big reason why we've been able to grow our AOV and increase the price of watches because we're not just selling a physical thing anymore. And like, if I tell you like, hey, I have a watch, it's made from wood and steel and has this movement in it, it's 500. People are going to be. It's kind of steep. But I'm like, no, no. This is something that every time you look at it, you're going to think about time spent with your family. It's like, all right, 500.
Sarah
Repeat it. You repeat it everywhere to repetition. Goes back to that first week that we talked about. It's all over the site, it's all over the landing pages, everywhere in the emails. Repetition, repetition. Oh, you guys crushing. This last week on here is going to be distinctiveness. Right? So made from these whiskey barrels. Obviously it's just not a feature. It's more of a flex type of a thing because it feels premium. It feels like a story. One of the studies that I saw around this specific type of psychology use was in 2004, posted in the journal Behavioral Decision Making. When people compare options, they overvalue standout features, even if they're irrelevant till kind of long term satisfaction for you guys. I don't think it's irrelevant though. I think the reason these guys really like these watches is they're like, I'm also a whiskey guy and so I want a whiskey barrel watch. So if your product is unique or has kind of some bold origin, make it super loud. Even if it's just like a tiny quirk. Yeah. Because it's A it's a conversation lover more than anything else.
Nate
So 100%. And like we have tested doing less marketing on the material side of things. It's important for us to include it, but it's important for us to include it as kind of like subtext. I kind of learned like we are selling them on the idea of buying a watch from us first. And that's where all the moments that matter, time will spent, show him he's worth it. Stuff like that is convincing you to buy a watch from us. Then the materials are like, all right, which watch are you going to buy from us? And kind of helps them pick it.
Sarah
Emotion at the top of the funnel, people, emotion on the top. Mostly because as you get down into your more exploratory journey of evaluating products, exploring, exploring what's out there in the industry, your, your customers are going to look for those signals of what is it made of, what's the material like? All this different stuff, but at the very end of the day, they're trying to connect who they are to the product itself. And you guys do an incredible job. So if you guys haven't seen Nate's ads, just go to the ad library and take a look at what OG is running because all of their ads are incredibly well focused on all these different emotions. But to wrap up here, you guys are real good at repetition because that emotional repetition is just going to equal truth every single time. You're really good at that time based framing and you guys are really good at distinctiveness. So this is like a super quick, quick tip because we had to like squish this one down a little bit today. But in general, I'm excited to see how these run. You guys got. You have to let us know we need to do some like wrap ups of all the things you keep saying. We're gonna do it and then we just run out of time.
Nate
I emailed you the this week.
Sarah
I know you did.
Nate
Problem is I don't listen to the podcast, so I don't know what we're supposed to follow. Just tell me. We'll follow up on it.
Sarah
Okay. We'll send you a whole list. Where can people find you if they want to follow your journey? Get to work with you, whatever it is.
Nate
You can follow me at nade Legos or listen to the technical and practical podcast. That's it. It's like this one, but a little bit better. There's not some old lady on it.
Sarah
Screaming about, oh my God, first of all, I'm not that old.
Nate
No, I know, but like almost 50, right?
Sarah
36.
Nate
Right. So pushing 50.
Sarah
Okay. We just talked about this. Just because you're an old soul doesn't mean that everyone else is old. It just.
Nate
Yeah, but if I repeat it enough, just like we talked about, people start to be a game, sir.
Sarah
Then it becomes real. Then they're gonna be like, geez, you're looking great for 50. And I'll be like, thanks, I'm 36. Okay. Follow me at Sarah Lovinger. Everywhere you consume content, please come over and check out. We have the school that just opened. If you guys want to join a community of all these like like minded psychology based marketers who are learning how to apply this to their marketing. Thank you, Scotty. That's S K O O L School. School. It's technically not like an actual like, I mean it's kind of a school. I don't know. Can you say it's a school? It's a community and a school at the same time. You can actually check it out. I'll start out in the show notes. You guys can go ahead and click that link. Check it out because there's a lot of people joining. We're all kind of learning the same things and we're all getting focused on psychology and advertising and marketing. So come on over, come join us. Otherwise, great episode. Thanks for. Thanks for joining us. Like subscribe. Brain Driven Brands is part of the Learn and Laugh series on the Quickfire Podcast network and is presented by Tether Insights. For more information go to tetherinsights IO.
Brain Driven Brands Episode Summary: "The 3 Messaging Tweaks Behind $1M in Sales"
Release Date: June 5, 2025
In this insightful episode of Brain Driven Brands, host Sarah Levinger delves into the nuanced strategies that have propelled brands to achieve remarkable sales milestones. Co-host Nate joins her to unpack the three pivotal messaging tweaks that have collectively driven over a million dollars in sales. This detailed discussion offers valuable takeaways for e-commerce brands aiming to enhance their marketing effectiveness through psychological and scientific principles.
The episode kicks off with a light-hearted exchange about podcast recording schedules and the permanence of online content. Sarah emphasizes the importance of thoughtful messaging, highlighting how their collaborative efforts have significantly impacted sales figures.
This early conversation sets the tone for a candid and strategic exploration of effective marketing tactics.
Before diving into messaging strategies, Sarah and Nate briefly touch upon the pitfalls of obsessing over intricate metrics like Incremental ROAS (IROAS).
Sarah (01:26): "I don't think the metrics matter. People like the teeny tiny ones like this aren't going to do anything to grow a brand."
Nate (01:53): "Don't chase metrics that don't pay your bills 100%."
They argue that focusing on substantial, revenue-driving metrics is more beneficial than getting lost in minor analytical details that may not contribute to real growth.
Shifting the focus to the core topic, Sarah confirms their collective success in generating over a million dollars through strategic messaging.
Sarah (03:09): "Can you confidently say that you've made somewhere in the range of a million dollars off of what we do?"
Nate (03:12): "Sure, sure."
With this validation, they proceed to dissect the three key messaging tweaks that have been instrumental in their success.
Definition & Importance: Emotional repetition involves the strategic reiteration of key phrases to reinforce the message and evoke stronger emotional connections.
A study cited from 2021 underscores that repeating a statement two to three times enhances its perceived truthfulness.
Application: Nate shares how their campaigns incorporate this tactic effectively.
For instance, phrases like "He's worth it" or "Dad's worth it" are repeated three times in ads, significantly boosting their impact.
This method not only solidifies the brand message but also makes it more memorable to the audience.
Definition & Importance: Time-based framing ties the product or message to specific moments or periods, leveraging the emotional weight and symbolism associated with those times.
Referencing a 2014 study from Management Science, they highlight how people are more inclined to take meaningful actions, including purchases, following moments that feel like a reset.
Application: Nate discusses their strategic timing around events like Father's Day.
By launching early, they cater to customers with longer consideration cycles, ensuring their messaging resonates when buyers are ready to act.
This approach ties the product (watches) to meaningful life moments, enhancing its perceived value beyond its physical attributes.
Definition & Importance: Distinctiveness involves highlighting unique or standout features of a product that differentiate it from competitors, often tapping into niche interests or premium qualities.
Citing a 2004 study from the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, they explain that unique features can make products more memorable and desirable.
Application: Nate illustrates this with their whiskey barrel watches.
By emphasizing the unique materials and craftsmanship, they create a compelling narrative that appeals to specific customer segments, such as whiskey enthusiasts.
This tactic not only differentiates their products but also fosters a deeper connection with customers who value these distinctive attributes.
Sarah and Nate discuss upcoming campaigns, especially focusing on Father's Day, and contemplate expanding their time-based framing to include events beyond major holidays. They consider engaging with niche events like rodeos to tap into specific audiences.
While acknowledging some challenges, they emphasize the importance of aligning messaging with both major and niche events to maintain relevance and emotional resonance throughout the year.
Wrapping up the episode, Sarah reiterates the significance of the three messaging tweaks:
She invites listeners to engage further through their community and educational offerings, emphasizing the continuous learning and application of psychology in marketing.
Repetition Enhances Truth: Repeating key phrases solidifies the message and makes it more believable.
Timing is Crucial: Launching campaigns in alignment with significant or emotionally charged moments can greatly influence purchase behavior.
Stand Out to Succeed: Emphasizing unique product features can differentiate a brand and attract niche markets.
By integrating these psychological principles into their messaging strategy, Sarah and Nate demonstrate how thoughtful communication can drive substantial sales growth. E-commerce brands looking to emulate this success should consider adopting these messaging tweaks to connect more deeply with their audiences and enhance their marketing efficacy.
Notable Quotes:
Sarah (00:38): "Anything you put out there is gonna be out there forever. So be real careful about what you put on."
Nate (01:53): "Don't chase metrics that don't pay your bills 100%."
Sarah (08:18): "Repetition really isn't about redundancy. It's about reinforcement."
Sarah (10:35): "Time based framing holds a lot of emotional weight. So show dad he's worth every second."
Sarah (15:25): "Distinctive features even if they're irrelevant can affect long-term satisfaction."
Sarah (16:56): "Join us if you want to join a community of like-minded psychology-based marketers."
Connect with Hosts:
Nate: Follow on Twitter at @nadeLegos or listen to the Technical and Practical Podcast.
Sarah Levinger: Connect through various content platforms and join the SKOOL community to engage with other psychology-driven marketers.
For more insights and to become part of a growing community focused on psychology in marketing, visit the links provided in the show notes.
This episode serves as a valuable resource for marketers seeking to harness the power of psychological principles in their messaging strategies, demonstrating how subtle tweaks can lead to substantial financial rewards.