From Oprah’s Favorite Things to $9 Million: How PopSmith Built a Breakout Brand
In this episode of the Harvest Growth Podcast, Jon LaClare sits down with Tal Moore, founder and CEO of PopSmith, to break down how a premium stovetop popcorn brand went from a new product concept to a rapidly growing direct-to-consumer business approaching $9 million in annual revenue.
Tal shares the behind-the-scenes story of developing PopSmith’s premium stovetop popcorn popper, including nearly three years of branding, engineering, product development, and testing before launch. He also reveals how one cold LinkedIn message eventually landed PopSmith on Oprah’s Favorite Things — an opportunity that caused the company to sell seven months of inventory in less than three weeks and opened the door to additional national media exposure.
The conversation also dives deep into the marketing strategies driving PopSmith’s continued growth. Tal explains how the company rebuilt its Meta advertising strategy after initially spending nearly 50% of revenue on ads, why creative testing and customer-focused messaging matter so much, and how PopSmith uses direct customer feedback to guide everything from new products to new colorways. You’ll also learn how equity crowdfunding can give loyal customers the opportunity to become actual investors in the brands they support.
In today’s episode of the Harvest Growth Podcast, we’ll cover:
How PopSmith developed a premium stovetop popcorn product from the ground up
How a cold LinkedIn message helped PopSmith land on Oprah’s Favorite Things
How national television exposure generated major sales growth
The difference between traditional crowdfunding and equity crowdfunding
How PopSmith is using its community to help fund future growth
Why scaling Meta Ads too quickly can burn through your marketing budget
How creative testing helped PopSmith dramatically improve advertising efficiency
The three messaging pillars driving PopSmith’s marketing
Why owning your customer relationship matters for direct-to-consumer brands
How customer surveys can guide smarter product development decisions
Why founders should plan for more time and capital than they think they’ll need
And so much more!
You can listen to the full interview wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Or, click to watch the full video interview here!
Want to learn more about Tal and PopSmith?
Visit PopSmith.com to explore the PopSmith stovetop popcorn popper and its growing line of popcorn products. To learn more about PopSmith’s equity crowdfunding campaign, visit InvestInPopSmith.com.
Ready to launch your product or grow your brand? Visit HarvestGrowth.com to book a free consultation and learn about the Perfect Launch Blueprint, a process designed to clarify your audience, messaging, offer, and marketing strategy before you invest in media.
Visit HarvestGrowth.com to book a free consultation and learn how our team has helped generate over $2 billion in product sales.
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