The New Way to Run Meta Ads in 2025
⚡️ BTS & More: https://openresidency.com/nick-shackelford
In this episode, I sit down with Nick Shackelford, Head of Retention and Partner at BREZ, to break down modern customer acquisition and retention strategies for 2025. Nick has managed over $200M in ad spend and brings hard-won insights from scaling multiple brands — including his own agencies, Structured and Konstant Kreative — into this conversation. We get into:
- Why creative is now the new targeting, with Nick giving the keys on Meta’s evolving algorithm
- The ideal framework for customer acquisition in today’s landscape
- How to structure your testing budget between proven winners and fresh creative
- Conversion tactics that immediately lift performance — from mobile-first design to offer structure
- The retention strategies behind BREZ’s drop in subscription churn from 24% to 17%, on a mission toward sub-5%
- The tactics powering BREZ, one of the fastest-growing beverage brands in the country, on pace to hit $50M in just two years
- How celebrities like Drake and Druski use subtle content strategies to drive massive viewership — and what brands can learn from it
This is a deep dive on what’s actually working in marketing in 2025. Enjoy the conversation!
Chapters 00:00 Trailer 00:57 Customer Acquisition & Creative Testing 05:52 How to Optimize Ads with Smart Creative 09:13 Targeting in a Post-iOS World 11:56 Media Buying Meets Creative Strategy 18:03 Influencer Army 19:35 Clipping Culture (Cheat Code) 25:13 Running Ads as a Founder + Managing Creative 33:38 Marketing Funnel Breakdown 39:32 Organic Content’s Role in Paid Performance 43:24 Learnings from Running a Creative Agency 45:30 Conversion Optimization & Offer Strategy 55:32 Retention Marketing + Subscription Tactics 01:04:35 Building Products & Activating Loyal Customers 01:08:06 Smart Product Strategy and Feedback Loops 01:16:20 Building a Brand in Public (Pros & Cons) 01:24:43 Playing the Long Game: Brand, Business & Burnout 01:27:49 Work-Life Balance, Tools & Final Reflections 01:35:00 How Big can Brez Be? 01:36:00 Outro
🎙 Guest: Nick Shackelford, Head of Retention and Partner at BREZ
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamnickshackelford/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickshackelford/
- X: https://x.com/iamshackelford
- Website: https://www.drinkbrez.com/
📬 Get in Touch:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/
- Website: https://openresidency.com/
- Contact: info@openresidency.com
Powered by IKONICK
- Get 30% off motivational art at https://ikonick.com/openresidency
- Use code: OPENRESIDENCY30
⚡️ BTS & More: https://openresidency.com/nick-shackelford
In this episode, I sit down with Nick Shackelford, Head of Retention and Partner at BREZ, to break down modern customer acquisition and retention strategies for 2025. Nick has managed over $200M in ad spend and brings hard-won insights from scaling multiple brands — including his own agencies, Structured and Konstant Kreative — into this conversation. We get into:
- Why creative is now the new targeting, with Nick giving the keys on Meta’s evolving algorithm
- The ideal framework for customer acquisition in today’s landscape
- How to structure your testing budget between proven winners and fresh creative
- Conversion tactics that immediately lift performance — from mobile-first design to offer structure
- The retention strategies behind BREZ’s drop in subscription churn from 24% to 17%, on a mission toward sub-5%
- The tactics powering BREZ, one of the fastest-growing beverage brands in the country, on pace to hit $50M in just two years
- How celebrities like Drake and Druski use subtle content strategies to drive massive viewership — and what brands can learn from it
This is a deep dive on what’s actually working in marketing in 2025. Enjoy the conversation!
Chapters 00:00 Trailer 00:57 Customer Acquisition & Creative Testing 05:52 How to Optimize Ads with Smart Creative 09:13 Targeting in a Post-iOS World 11:56 Media Buying Meets Creative Strategy 18:03 Influencer Army 19:35 Clipping Culture (Cheat Code) 25:13 Running Ads as a Founder + Managing Creative 33:38 Marketing Funnel Breakdown 39:32 Organic Content’s Role in Paid Performance 43:24 Learnings from Running a Creative Agency 45:30 Conversion Optimization & Offer Strategy 55:32 Retention Marketing + Subscription Tactics 01:04:35 Building Products & Activating Loyal Customers 01:08:06 Smart Product Strategy and Feedback Loops 01:16:20 Building a Brand in Public (Pros & Cons) 01:24:43 Playing the Long Game: Brand, Business & Burnout 01:27:49 Work-Life Balance, Tools & Final Reflections 01:35:00 How Big can Brez Be? 01:36:00 Outro
🎙 Guest: Nick Shackelford, Head of Retention and Partner at BREZ
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamnickshackelford/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickshackelford/
- X: https://x.com/iamshackelford
- Website: https://www.drinkbrez.com/
📬 Get in Touch:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/
- Website: https://openresidency.com/
- Contact: info@openresidency.com
Powered by IKONICK
- Get 30% off motivational art at https://ikonick.com/openresidency
- Use code: OPENRESIDENCY30