Welcome to the world of AI, where content is infinite, formats are familiar, and attention is no longer scarce.

Can brands still win at organic?

Absolutely.

💀 Isaac Medeiros on why virality is dead + how to scale organic

🤐 Cody Plofker on finding and fixing your “quiet” hemorrhages

💰 Connor MacDonald shares 3 don’ts and dos for selling more

Along with the top five headlines from consumer (DTC) news, with links, executive summaries + a bonus that just broke 🐻

Cody Plofker CEO, Jones Road Beauty

Is Your Checkout (Quietly) Bleeding Revenue?

The most dangerous part of checkout is that it rarely fails loudly.

It just underdelivers.

My friends at PDQ built Checkout Index to surface that quiet underperformance. How?

Enter your URL, and it gives you a personalized score comp’d against millions of other checkouts from over 500 brands. Plus, it identifies your specific issues and friction points instantly.

We ran it on Jones Road.

Not because something was wrong. Because I was curious. The results were uncomfortable ... but in a really useful way.

First off, even though we have upsells in both our cart and checkout — incentivized by a free-shipping threshold — we’re burying them during checkout below the …

• Order summary
• Express payments
• Shipping options
• Payment methods

​Checkout Index instantly recommended placing our upsells above shipping methods, where the cost savings matter.

Makes sense, right? But we’d missed it.

The other thing it found was that shipping protection was offered only as a bonus after free shipping had been unlocked.

We’d done that on purpose, since shipping protection can feel scammy when it’s added with black- or grey-hat methods.

So here’s what really impressed me …

It didn’t tell us to slam shipping protection into every order, squeezing as much out of our customers as possible.

Instead, it got specific about our product’s vulnerability. Then anchored its suggestion in buying psychology (loss aversion).

Checkout Index gives you best-in-class CRO and tons of inspiration. Optimization becomes execution, not debate.

I got early access from Pretty Damn Quick (been working with them for a few years now) and convinced them to give away access for free. Let me know what you think.

It’s custom. And it generates instantly.

Isaac Medeiros Founder, Content Forge

Why Virality Is Dead + How Brands Can Scale Trust Through “Nichemaxxing”

Over the last 5 years, I grew Mini Katana to $50M in sales.

My team and I did that on the back of organic content; 200M+ views our first year on TikTok. Today, we’ve driven over 30B+ views across the internet.

But the environment that once rewarded those formats has changed — permanently. Attention is cheap, formats are familiar, and reach alone no longer creates trust or sales.

What replaces it?

Content that feels made for a specific person.

Here are three forces that have killed mass virality + how brands can scale through nichemaxxing.

1️⃣ AI Caught Up

In 2022, AI was good enough to be impressive … and bad enough to ruin anything it touched. I caught my team using it in the early days and banned it from our workflow for the next year. The quality just wasn’t there.

Now?

It’s good enough that you sometimes can’t distinguish between what’s real and what’s AI-generated.

One person can generate dozens of videos a day that are structurally “viral” — absurdist, watchable, and engineered to hold attention.

Feeds are increasingly dominated by AI-generated content …

The implication is clear. When anyone can produce viral-grade content at scale, virality stops being a moat:

• Infinite supply
• Finite attention
• Zero differentiation

2️⃣ Internet Culture Caught Up

Back in 2021, Mr. Beast was still quasi-new.

The idea of a YouTuber doing challenge videos and giving away cash worked because no one else was spending big budgets on individual videos.

A recipe of high-quality + mass-appeal content; stuff that could go big in any language, with any group of people.

We also dumped time and money into mastering short-form media, something very few brands or creators were doing.

This gave us a huge leg-up.

But now, that advantage is gone.

The skills and spend that once differentiated us at Mini Katana are familiar to consumers ... and table stakes for creators.

3️⃣ Brands Caught Up

When I started with video, it was still creator-centric.

Brands saw it as a waste of time. CPMs on Meta were efficient. Attention was abundant. Want scale? Buy it.

That’s no longer true.

Today, most brands have a …

• Content team
• Tons of social profiles
• And an organic mandate

When brands entered en masse, they didn’t just increase competition — they changed the economics of attention.

Because brands optimize for predictability.

That means more volume, more replication, more budget behind the same ideas. Attention got more efficiently extracted.

 What Comes Next? 

If there’s one thing that’s constant in media, it’s change.

• Radio & broadcast
• Cable television
• Streaming (Netflix)

Each shift expanded distribution, weakening the power of incumbents.

We’re living through the next shift: democratized distribution.

20 years ago, I’d have had to get lucky in Hollywood to make it as a visual creative. Today, anyone can get distribution with good ideas + speed of execution.

Even the final moat, cost, is eroding; AI allows a scrappy solo producer to create effects that used to require massive budgets.

So the question becomes:

How do brands win when content is infinite, viral formats are familiar, and attention is no longer scarce?

 The Answer: Nichemaxxing 

Nichemaxxing means optimizing content for relevance and trust with a defined audience, rather than trying to appeal to the widest possible group.

In a world where everything is fake, real gets ahead.

• Real value
• Real POV
• Real people

Especially for brands.

AI content is watchable, but emotion is what drives people to buy, and emotion requires real people. Content that AI can’t easily reproduce.

We’re already seeing niche influencers on Instagram pull huge views; people like Oren John, The Sourcing Guy (Isaac Hetzroni), or Jesse Cole (YellowTuxJesse).

We also see niche media taking off outside of Instagram.

TBPN (a tech livestream that started with two guys reading tweets) pulls only thousands of views on YouTube, but nearly everyone watching is a CEO, founder, or other tech leader.

Not to pander, but Operators is another great example. It has an audience of real entrepreneurs in the consumer industry. All listening to (and reading) nichemaxxed knowledge delivered by people who run +$100M businesses.

Or a personal example is Going(.)com.

We created an in-house studio that produces hard-to-replicate, in-destination travel content for the brand. The videos are shot largely in Asia and Spain — real places, real experiences.

Even my very small Instagram account, where I’ve posted only 40 videos, has hit 100k in the last 30 days. However, the follow rate is a very high +1%.

My entire audience is CEOs and other founders, particularly with a focus on media.

That’s the heart of nichemaxxing.

It’s how brands are going to earn trust and make sales with organic content going forward.

In fact, it’s already happening …

Boredwalk makes comedy content for a niche demographic. They are friends of mine, so I know they’re crushing it: 40M views a month and their brand is growing 100% YoY.

Frost Buddy uses simple POV-driven short-form to repeatedly highlight everyday annoyances caused by warm drinks and condensation, connecting with its target audience while promoting its product.

The Woobles create content that feels like a shared hobby space — recurring characters, community requests, inside jokes, and moments pulled straight from the making process. It essentially created a niche hobby within an existing hobby.

Derschutze’s profile feels more like an art project than a clothing brand — slow visuals, intentional pacing, strong silhouettes, and a consistent point of view.

The result is an audience that not only likes the clothes, they identify with the brand.

Peachybbies’ content is a playground built around one obsession. By centering every video on slime experiments, challenges, and community-driven ideas, it turns the product itself into repeatable entertainment.

Resparked inspires everyday creativity using its engraving pen as the starting point. Many videos turn something ordinary — a lamp, a mirror, a plant pot, a rock — into something personal through simple, hands-on projects.

100 Thieves lives at the center of gaming culture — drops, team moments, travel, collaborations, and competitive wins — with clothing woven naturally into the narrative.

By leading with culture and community, the brand earns attention + loyalty long before asking for a sale.

Where mass virality optimized for:

• Views
• Follower count
• Shareability

Nichemaxxed content goes after:

• Engagement depth
• Follower quality
• Repeat exposure
• Brand recall
• Incremental lift

Plus, inbound opportunities — collabs, wholesale, press.

If a video gets 2M views and zero memory, it’s noise. If it gets 20k views and 200 saves, that’s a win. Attention without trust doesn’t convert. Trust scales poorly through mass virality.

The era of mega influencers is dying. We may never see another Mr. Beast come from YouTube.

You don’t have to hire a full production crew or reinvent your marketing team.

It starts with focus. Every brand above chose a clear lens for their content and committed.

• Boredwalk: Niche humor
• Frost Buddy: Problem POV
• Woobles: Hobby creation
• Derschutze: Apparel as art
• 100 Thieves: Cultural content
• Peachybbies: Product party
• Resparked: Everyday creativity

Pick one audience, one problem, or one perspective your brand is uniquely qualified to speak to. Then, run every piece of content through that lens.

The future isn’t about reaching everyone. It’s about reaching the right people, authentically. And you’re not too late.

The best time to start is today.

Isaac Medeiros is the founder of two DTC brands — Mini Katana and Kanpai Foods. He’s also the founder of Content Forge, a production house creating the best content for the world’s best brands. Connect with him on Twitter (X) and LinkedIn.

Connor MacDonald CMO, Ridge

Short-Term Hacks Vs. Long-Term Profit

At some point, most operators have stitched together post-purchase widgets and gotten some lift — but nothing they can confidently standardize.

For us, what changed wasn’t just AOV. It was control.

Aftersell treats post-purchase as a system:

• Real sequencing
• Margin-aware offers
• Behavioral segmentation

Powerful monetization that doesn’t compromise UX.

Other tools add post-purchase offers.​
​Aftersell controls the entire intent layer.

Other tools optimize for clicks and AOV.​
​Aftersell sequences by margin + behavior.

Other tools increase revenue in isolation.
​Aftersell lifts profit without hurting UX.

With Aftersell, we got control, clarity, and compounding AOV. You can, too. For a limited time, click below to …

THE FEED

​Dropout to David Beckham’s Cofounder: Danny Yeung, CEO of IM8 (Operators Titans)​

​8 Practical Money-Making Tips for 2026 (Part 2)​

​The New Ecommerce Playbook: DR Funnels, CRO, and Buyer Behavior​

The Trends

Curated by the editor of CPG Wire, the five top stories in commerce and DTC.

 BONUS 🥳 

Grüns Unveils The Üniverse: LinkedIn​

Less than an hour ago, Grüns’ founder and CEO Chad Janis revealed the future of gummy-based health. Not to mention, the brand’s continued plan for world domination! Ü Snacks brings together Grüns, Nütrops, Jüced, and Immün …

1. Highlander Partners Acquires Tapatio: Food Dive​

Highlander Partners, a Dallas-based private equity firm, has acquired Tapatio, the #5 hot sauce brand in the United States.

Founded in 1971 by Jose-Luis Saavedra Sr., Tapatio is hugely popular in the Western US, and there are significant growth opportunities in nascent geographies. Hot sauce can be big business. In 2020, L Catterton sold Cholula for $800M after holding it for only two years.

2. FoodNerd Secures $7.5 Million: LinkedIn​

FoodNerd, a Buffalo-based toddler nutrition startup, closed a $7.5M seed round led by Selva Ventures. Spacestation Investments, Cistern Capital, and several others also participated in the round.

FoodNerd produces nutrient-dense toddler snacks that are made with real ingredients like fruits, vegetables, and sprouted seeds. The company uses Nutrient Lock Cold Processing to preserve key macronutrients and phytonutrients.

3. P&G Purchases Wonderbelly: Twitter​

CPG giant Procter & Gamble has acquired Wonderbelly, a clean-label digestive medicine brand, for an undisclosed sum. Launched in 2023 by brothers Lucas & Noah Kraft, Wonderbelly quickly secured distribution at nationwide retailers like Target, Walmart, CVS, and Kroger.

Unlike most of the players in the space, Wonderbelly was cleverly branded and free from unsavory ingredients like titanium dioxide and artificial sweeteners.

4. Paine Schwartz Backs BERO: Inc. Magazine​

Paine Schwartz Partners just invested in BERO, a fast-growing non-alc beer brand founded by actor Tom Holland. Paine Schwartz made the investment via BetterCo Holdings, a new vehicle focused on earlier-stage opportunities.

BERO debuted in late 2024 and is already the #2 non-alc beer at Target and a top seller on Amazon. The company expects to do $30M in sales in 2026.

5. simplyFUEL Partners with Humble Growth: PR Newswire​

Fast-growing protein snack brand simplyFUEL announced a strategic partnership with Humble Growth, a consumer-focused growth equity firm.

Founded in 2016 by former Kansas City Royals Sports Dietician Mitzi Dulan, simplyFUEL produces protein balls that retail at Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, and Target. Humble Growth is also an investor in Momentous and Salt & Stone.

 Want Links to All the Examples? 

Massive thank you to Isaac for his incredible contribution. He went hard on the examples!

The thing is … we had to cut his links to them for fear of you not clicking on the sponsored stuff.

Those are the people who make this possible.

If you want the links, hit reply with:

With thanks and anticipation,
Aaron Orendorff 🤓 Executive Editor

PS (Disclaimer): Special thanks to PDQ and Aftersell for sponsoring today’s newsletter.

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