Podcast Summary: Marketing Operators

Episode: Channel Diversification in Ecommerce: Biggest Mistakes & Wins
Hosts: Connor Rolain, Connor MacDonald, Cody Plofker
Date: March 31, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the intricacies of channel diversification for ecommerce brands. The hosts reflect on their own experiences—both successes and failures—as they’ve scaled brands across multiple marketing channels. They break down strategic frameworks, share war stories about influencer marketing, TV buying, creative flywheels, and offer actionable advice for operators at all stages. The tone is candid, data-driven, and often self-critical, making it both insightful and relatable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Biggest Mistakes in Channel Expansion

• Leaning Too Heavily on Organic Influencer
  Cody: "One of our biggest mistakes, we were leaning way too heavy into Organic Influencer and trying to like make that work when in reality we should have been leaning paid first, organic second." (00:02)

• Premature Diversification
  Connor McDonald: "We diversified before we got good at Meta and I would have in hindsight have just said, hey, let's really develop the skill sets and simply gotten really good at Meta." (00:12)
  Insight: Brands often diversify channels too early before mastering their primary ("hero") channel, leading to scattered resources and missed depth.

• Chasing "Shiny Objects"
  Connor McDonald: Diversification is sometimes out of FOMO or because of trends, not because core channels are maxed out. Newer operators may lack pattern recognition to time diversification well.

2. Case Study: David Protein Bar Scandal and Marketing Response

Section: 01:05–07:00

• Discussed the lawsuit against David Protein over calorie counts, and how the brand turned controversy into compelling marketing.
• Hunter: "[Peter] has done a fantastic job... being very forward about it... their defense is that the lawsuit is based on something called bomb calorimetry." (01:30)
• Cody highlights David’s bold Expo West activation: branding trucks with a "jacked cow" and previewing new ice cream—even though David couldn’t formally attend the expo.
  • Quote: "It was awesome... they positioned around Expo West... the jacked cow is so attention grabbing." (04:38)
• Hunter praises David’s rapid content response:
  • Hunter: "It was a produced video... the punchline was, you can’t believe everything you read." (06:17)
  • Connor McDonald: "Within like 36 hours of it blowing up online... the video itself was fantastic and... out really quickly." (06:17–06:31)

Memorable Takeaway:
Utilizing controversy, rapid response, and creative branding can help a brand seize narrative control during a potential PR crisis.

3. Channel Expansion: Strategic Frameworks & Key Principles

Section: 09:04–21:00

• Customer Number vs. Revenue as Diversification Trigger

  • Connor McDonald: "It feels like it’s more accurate to be speaking on [channel expansion] from a customer acquisition perspective, the number of customers you need to acquire rather than a revenue one." (09:27)

• Decision Criteria for Diversification

  • Cody: "Once you believe that the next customer is more profitable to acquire on the new channel compared to your hero channel... and once you have the resources to do these things..." (11:19)
    • Not just gut—should be data-driven (CAC, content, team resources).
    • Caveats: Still requires intuition to know where your customers are.

• Order of Operations

  • Connor McDonald: "Your ability to acquire the first 10 customers on TikTok more profitably is actually dependent on you having maximized the channel of Meta." (13:24)
    • Maximizing Meta (creative, funnel, offer) gives you assets and learnings to transfer to other channels.

• Aggressive Scaling vs. Deliberate Growth

  • Cody: If your ambition is to rapidly scale (e.g., from $10M to $50M), at some point you must expand into new channels—even if core channels aren't exhausted.
    • "We absolutely need to expand channels if we are going to scale this aggressively…" (16:58)
  • Connor McDonald points out startup examples (e.g., Groons) that “scorched earth” on diversification off the bat, but notes that’s the exception—usually for operators with deep expertise and capital.

4. Core Mistakes and What I’d Do Differently

Section: 31:26–49:50

Common Mistakes Recounted by Each Host

• Hunter:

  • Would have started TV earlier—waited too long because he assumed it required "big scale"
  • Should have diversified more before Meta fatigued: "It would have been really nice to find something else that worked before I needed it." (20:06)
  • Wishes he’d gone harder & earlier on podcasts and influencers.

• Connor McDonald:

  • Ridge was early to YouTube and influencer, but could have gone even harder and built deeper expertise, instead of spreading resources across everything.
  • Regrets time and headcount spent on low-leverage channels like email newsletter sponsorships.

• Cody:

  • Biggest influencer mistake was prioritizing organic over paid in creator deals:
    • "Early on... we were leaning way too heavy into Organic Influencer... when in reality we should have been leaning like paid first, organic second." (00:02, 37:15)
  • Wouldn't sign long-term influencer deals without testing performance via short, paid-focused partnerships first.
  • Now structures influencer programs as "shorter term deals up front... validate the influencer and the funnel then expand it to a longer term deal and... 80% paid, 20% organic."

Influencer Marketing Learnings

• Budget should heavily favor paid ads over organic posts for creators/influencers.
• Use "content cost" and "media cost" as two separate buckets when budgeting partnerships.
• Content generated via creators/affiliates should feed the creative flywheel for paid media.

"Now we are saying we're going to do a very specific list of deliverables for paid with like 3-4 months of usage and then get a bunch of juice out of it, test it, and then we'll extend it." — Cody (39:34)

• New programs like TikTok Shop bring a tangle of accounting and attribution challenges.

5. If Launching a Brand Today: What’s the New Playbook?

Section: 49:53–54:45

• All Hosts Agree: Content is Everything
  • Hunter: "I would get really good and have some type of a creator creative flywheel that is not just, hey, I'm going to script you and pay you to post, but is actually like... a creator program that flywheels into an ad account." (49:53)
  • Connor McDonald: "Content creation isn't a channel, but it feels like everything... It's the 80/20 of getting good at Meta." (50:00)
• Organic First, Paid Second
  • Cody: "If you can get distribution from organic and not have paid be your number one source... I just think that foundation is so much stronger." (51:56)
    • Organic social is now a real testing ground for hooks/narratives.
    • Organic-driven traffic improves the paid ad pixel and ad efficiency.
• Creator/Community Flywheel
  • Build a community of creators whose organic content can be recycled as paid ads—especially effective with tools like GMV Max, whitelisting, and TikTok Shop.
• Measurement & Attribution Remain Critical
  • Before expanding channels, have a measurement model in place or risk failing by “winning” without proof.

6. Nerdy Channel Tactics & Media Buying (TV, Sports, Streaming)

Section: 60:13–65:58

• Baseball (especially the World Baseball Classic) on linear TV is an underrated buy:
  • High intent audiences, strong CPMs, and noticeable traffic surges.
  • Shifts in MLB rules and viewing habits have created new value for TV advertisers.
• Preemptible vs. guaranteed TV spots: Preemptible offers huge value if brand is flexible on placement.
• Emerging trend: Testing sports, out-of-home, and event-driven media buys for incremental audiences.

"It's fun to see it in real time like that and then go to your Shopify once the data pulls in and see that uptick." — Cody (63:01)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Pressure makes diamonds.” – Connor McDonald on thriving under controversy (03:12)
• “The odds that [your first dollar is] best spent on Snapchat versus Meta feel very, very low.” – Connor McDonald on where to start (15:45)
• "When Meta does fatigue, we have it ready, and now we're launching... that's the hard part about our job." – Cody on balancing channel prep and timing (20:41)
• “If you found product market fit... and you want to go to 50 [million]... you probably need to expand channels to do that... it's gonna be tough to do that with only Meta.” – Cody (16:58)
• “If you are organic first and you want to get bigger, you very quickly land on the conclusion that you need to be spending ad dollars.” – Connor McDonald (53:34)
• "I think TV is an extremely interesting channel right now, especially once you get into the nitty gritty..." – Connor McDonald (64:43)

Segment Timestamps

• [00:00 - 00:30] | Opening question: Biggest mistakes in channel expansion
• [01:05 - 07:00] | David Protein saga: Marketing a scandal
• [09:04 - 21:00] | Frameworks for channel expansion; sequencing; battle-testing on Meta first
• [31:26 - 49:50] | Deep dive: Channel expansion mistakes, what hosts would do differently
• [49:53 - 54:45] | The new playbook if launching today: content, creators, organic flywheels
• [60:13 - 65:58] | Media buying deep dive: TV, sports, baseball vs. NBA CPMs, live traffic
• [Throughout] | Actionable quotes, lessons, and retroactive self-critique

Final Takeaways

• Master your hero channel before diversifying.
• Lean into paid influencer partnerships, not just organic.
• Have rigorous measurement and modeling in place before expanding.
• If launching today: Build a content-first, creator-driven flywheel, prioritize organic social, and use learnings for paid.
• Bold creative responses—especially in crises—can build brand equity.
• Niche/bargain media opportunities (like baseball TV) still exist; be tactical and opportunistic.

This episode is a masterclass in nuanced, experience-driven channel diversification with actionable frameworks, revealing stories, and a vibe that resonates for ecommerce operators both new and seasoned.