HR is your secret buyer
🧠If you think your product is “just DTC,” you’re missing one of the fastest-growing GTM unlocks in 2025, Google Brings AI Match Type to Search Ads, Revamps Site Insights, and more!
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In this newsletter, you’ll find:
🧠 Selling to Startup HR Without Feeling Like a Vendor
🔍 Google Brings AI Match Type to Search Ads, Revamps Site Insights
🚀 Ad of the Day
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🧠 Selling to Startup HR Without Feeling Like a Vendor
If you think your product is “just DTC,” you’re missing one of the fastest-growing GTM unlocks in 2025:
selling directly into startup HR budgets, without sounding like a sales rep.
You’re not pitching. You’re placing. And when done right, your candles, beverages, skincare kits, or merch become part of someone else’s employee experience strategy.
Why HR Is Your Most Underrated Buyer
Founders may love your brand. Consumers may rave about it.
But it’s the People Ops team that controls how your product shows up in Welcome kits, Swag bags, Holiday drops, Offsite experiences, Employee care budgets
These aren’t one-off wins. They’re recurring, scalable pipelines. Yet most DTC teams never build for them, because they don’t know how to sell without selling.
The Key: Soft Entry, Not Direct Pitching
You don’t need a deck. You need relevance. Here’s how top brands initiate this motion:
Lead with occasion: “We’re curating sustainable gifting options for remote onboarding programs this fall.”
Suggest simplicity: “No contracts or bulk commitments, you can just ship as needed, fully branded.”
Offer plug-and-play: “Here’s a quick menu with 3 options, all under $50, deliverable in <5 days.”
Close with personalization: “Saw your team just hired 10+ folks, congrats.”
You’re not acting like a vendor. You’re solving an HR problem they already have.
Now, to win this system, you need to find the right HR lead before everyone else does. That's where Apollo comes in; it helps you:
Filter by titles like People Ops, Employee Experience, Workplace Lead, Chief of Staff
Target startups hiring 5–50 people or teams that just closed funding
Save segments by city, vertical, or headcount to trigger recurring outreach
Bonus: The 3 Role Types That Convert
People Ops Manager – owns onboarding, gifts, and morale
Workplace Experience Lead – usually involved in offsites, events, and culture drops
Chief of Staff – stealth buyer for exec gifting and perks
You’re not just selling a product. You’re making them look good internally.
Final Thought: Every DTC founder wants more B2B revenue. But most approach it like a vendor, not a partner.
The secret? Stop asking for bulk orders. Start solving onboarding problems, retention challenges, and culture gaps. You’re not selling a product. You’re becoming part of their team.
🔍 Google Brings AI Match Type to Search Ads, Revamps Site Insights
Google just launched two updates aimed at transparency and control: a dedicated AI Max match type in Google Ads and a redesigned Search Console Insights tab. Together, they give advertisers and publishers deeper clarity into AI-driven performance and content visibility. Both features are now rolling out gradually across platforms.
The Breakdown:
1. AI Max Now Has Its Own Match Type in Ads - Google Ads’ new “AI Max” match type segments search terms driven by AI logic, blending broad match, landing page content, and asset signals. Marketers can now view AI Max performance separately in the Keywords tab by ROAS, CPA, and more.
2. Insights Report Now Fully Integrated in Search Console - Search Console Insights is now a permanent feature within the main dashboard, no longer a standalone beta. The update consolidates content performance data into a unified view under the “Insights” tab.
3. New Reports Highlight Discover and Query Trends - The redesigned interface showcases top-performing Discover pages, trending keywords, and total impressions and clicks. These Insights appear in card-style snapshots, making it easier to spot what content is driving results.
As AI drives more campaign decisions and content rankings, Google is handing back some visibility to marketers. With AI Max and new Insights tools, teams can finally separate automation gains from blind spend and build smarter strategies around what actually works.
🎥 Ad of the Day
What Works:
Upgrade Framing = Instant Value Boost - “Your home gym just got an upgrade” immediately reframes this as a premium enhancement, not just new equipment. It triggers a desire for progress and refinement, perfect for fitness-forward audiences who want tools that match their evolving goals.
Close-Up = Product Quality Emphasis - The macro detail on the PVOLVE resistance bands signals durability, function, and intentional design. This isn’t flimsy or generic, it’s made to look like boutique-quality fitness gear that belongs in a curated home setup.
Broader Insights:
Wellness-conscious consumers who want intelligent tools that blend into their home, elevate their health, and signal quiet sophistication. This ad doesn’t yell. It whispers authority. And in today’s overstimulated content climate, that makes it louder than the rest.
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