Distribute the checklist, get the assets created, and start converting more site visitors.
{beacon}
Happy Sunday!
If you’re reading this, I hope you’re feeling relaxed, you’re hydrated, and you’re ready for a tactical newsletter to make your PDP funnels stronger. Before we get into that...
Vendor of the Week
Highbeam — The AI copilot your finance team will actually get behind.
Let me preface this... I did a live demo because I didn’t fully believe this was all real, but it is very real and I constantly had my mouth open from disbelief.
Highbeam Intelligence is a new product, whether you DO or DON’T use Highbeam for banking, it allows you to ask any question about your business, and get an instant answer.
“What is the LTV of customers who subscribe from Meta ads?” Or, “If I cut my ad spend by 30% for the next 4 weeks, how does that impact my 12-week cashflow model?” These are two actual questions I asked on the demo, and it fed the information back immediately and updated the cashflow model.
With Highbeam Intelligence, you can also automate manual finance tasks with their AI agents. Forecasting, treasury, cash management, bookkeeping — all of it can be automated. Yes, you still check for errors, but you won’t find them.
Highbeam Intelligence wasn’t built for work like ChatGPT, in the sense that it should be usable by everyone. It’s AI built specifically for CPG/DTC brands. That’s why it’s so good and constantly had my mouth open in awe.
This past week on Limited Supply I recorded part 2 of 2, of the Landing Page deep-dive. If you haven’t listened to both, I recommend listening to them back-to-back.
If you’re a reader of this newsletter, you know that I’ve talked about landing pages forever — the underlying theme being that every person who comes to experience your brand should experience it in the most accessible way possible, for them. When an influencer is driving traffic, it should speak to that influencer’s reasoning to use/buy/consume the product, their favorite assortment of products, and an angle that their audience can relate to.
While that sounds great, most brands don’t even use landing pages for their most popular products, bundles, offers, or customer acquisition channels. Why? No idea! I think it's laziness or a lack of clarity on how to get these pages up. Since 2017, I’ve always used landing pages for acquisition — the conversion rate is higher, the AOV can be higher, and you can ensure a new customer comes into the brand in the best way. Still... It’s not the most common thing.
For those who don’t use landing pages for customer acquisition, my next best recommendation is to build out your PDPs to be like landing pages (LPs), themselves. You may not have an individual angle, but at least you can ensure that you have enough content to let someone decide if your product is right for them. The worst thing you can do when you spend $1 to $5 on traffic is let someone leave due to a lack of information. And, if you run dynamic product ads (DPAs) or catalog ads, all of that traffic goes directly to individual product pages. While I have seen some brands run alternate versions of PDPs with their catalog ad traffic, most don’t. So, for today’s email, I am going to call out the most common missing pieces to 99% of website PDPs:
Above the fold content
Visual storytelling
Social proof.
Navigation & UX.
Above the fold (ATF) hooks + upper-funnel friendly.
When someone comes to your site, especially from an ad, you have to remember their intention was never to open their phone, find an ad, and go to a product page. It’s on YOU to make someone care, even when they arrive on your product page. Most PDPs start with the same format — a large image taking up 30-50% of the page, with a big white background (40% wasted space), and then very rudimentary product details beside it. You’re not convincing anyone you have the best product with that format.
ATF content should focus on answering three questions:
What exactly is this?
Why should I care?
How do I buy it right now?
If you assume someone knows the answer to this, you’ve lost them. Use clever copy to convey product value and make it easy to learn, then purchase.
Lack of visual storytelling.
Visual storytelling elements are my favorite pieces of a good landing page — icons, graphs, comparison charts, GIFs, UGC videos, product demonstrations, “Best Seller” badges, etc.
In fact, even each of the above-mentioned elements can be their own modules in a PDP. No one wants to read paragraphs explaining what makes your product so good, and assuming most of your traffic is mobile (likely, 80%+), no one wants to read bunches of text on phone screens. Mobile optimization doesn’t just mean changing the layout of content, it also means ensuring the content fits the context it's displayed in — a mobile screen by a user who doesn’t have much time.
Social proof.
Everyone’s first counter to more social proof is, “But we already have reviews at the bottom of the page!” Exactly, it’s at the bottom; if you’re lucky, 15% of your site visitors will make it to that part of your product page.
I like to insert a lot of social proof, wherever I can. This includes elements like:
Standard product reviews widget
Selected reviews throughout the page, highlighting benefits
Best seller / award-winner badges
UGC and influencer content describing the product experience
Press/media mentions speaking to the product efficacy
Quotes/testimonials from authority figures (doctors, licensed operators, thought leaders... basically, smart and trustworthy people)
Star + review count badges next to the “Add to cart” button
The best way to sell isn’t to force a sale, it’s to say, “Look at how this person’s life got better, and here’s why you should trust them.”
Unclear navigation (UX + journey)
Ask yourself: can someone land on the product page and feel like they have a path to follow? Or, are there just a bunch of opportunities to click something different that don’t focus a path to checkout?
Foundational to the UX of the product page, you have to have a path for your customers. You don’t want to give them decision paralysis while learning about your product — no one should guess twice about what a button does, or where they go next. My favorite analogy is to treat a site visitor on your product page like an A-list celebrity on a red carpet, and you (the brand) are the assistant. You need to have all the information clearly displayed/laid out, so there are no questions by your visitors (celebrity).
The Checklist.
Now, I’m assuming you would want to get some of these actioned for your own PDP. I’ve put together a quick hit list of deliverables. Implement some or all and see how much you can improve your conversion rate.
Above-the-Fold (ATF) Content
Headline: Craft a compelling headline that immediately clarifies what the product is and its core benefit.
Clear Explanation: Include a brief, punchy sentence or two that explicitly explains why the product matters (address pain points or benefits directly).
CTA Visibility: Ensure a clearly visible, eye-catching Call-to-Action (CTA), such as “Buy Now” or “Add to Cart.”
Layout Optimization: Redesign the layout to reduce wasted space, emphasizing core messaging (avoid excessive whitespace and oversized images).
Essential Questions: Confirm your above-the-fold content answers these key questions:
What exactly is this?
Why should I care?
How do I buy it right now?
Visual Storytelling
Iconography: Use icons to visually communicate key product benefits clearly.
Demonstrative Content: Create and insert GIFs or short videos demonstrating product usage or effectiveness.
Comparison Graphics: Build and incorporate comparison charts or graphics to highlight your product’s advantages over competitors.
Trust Badges: Utilize badges such as "Best Seller," "Top Rated," or "Award Winner."
Mobile Optimization: Ensure visuals are optimized specifically for mobile devices (avoid text-heavy graphics, use easily swipable image carousels, vertical formatting).
Social Proof
Reviews Placement: Move your standard reviews widget higher on the page—do not bury it at the bottom.
Highlighted Reviews: Select standout reviews and strategically place them throughout the page, tied to relevant product benefits.
Ratings Visibility: Include star ratings and review count badges directly next to your primary CTA button (“Add to Cart”).
Press Mentions: Add recognizable press and media mentions clearly on the page as trust indicators.
Authority Testimonials: Prominently feature testimonials from influencers, authority figures, or trusted experts, especially those highlighting product effectiveness.
UGC Integration: Strategically highlight user-generated testimonials and visuals across the product page.
Navigation & UX (Customer Journey)
Defined Path: Clarify a single, clear path to purchase on your product page, minimizing alternative distractions.
Button Clarity: Audit buttons and links to ensure each clearly states its purpose and intended destination.
Decision Simplicity: Reduce decision paralysis by eliminating unnecessary or ambiguous navigation options.
Logical Structure: Arrange your page logically to guide users smoothly from awareness to education to purchase action.
User Experience Analogy: Treat each visitor as an "A-list celebrity on a red carpet," making information immediately accessible, clear, and eliminating guesswork.
That's all for this week
I hope today’s newsletter was actionable and helps you make more money. Side note — the same way I like to break down and maximize product pages, you should do the same with social shops, mainly TikTok Shop. Use that product card to its absolute max.
Tonight is Sunday, so I hope you get 9 hours of sleep and have an amazing start to your week. I am working on a newsletter about the intersection of AI and consumer brands—where I am seeing opportunity, what software is impressing me, what workflows I’m leveraging, AI agent building, etc.
