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Inside a New DTC Brand’s Ad Engine, Run in 6 Steps: Operators Build (E10)

October 26, 2026 · 1 h 7 min

Show notes

“Creative supply chain is the essential ingredient of demand.”

Get all the resources from this episode: https://9ops.co/abchwj

★ 6-step framework

★ Brief template

★ Hook training guide

Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case & Lomi) and Cody Plofker (Advisor & fmr. CEO, Jones Road) launched Winks with more ads than lessons. Now they walk through the six steps every ad faces, starting with the message.

1. Message

2. Source

3. Media Formats

4. Creative Approach

5. Funnel Role

6. Production Checks

More ads went live, but Cody still didn’t know what was working. The fix is research by hand, down to an Instagram feed trained to think like the buyer. With AI editing and uploading their ads, taste is the job left for people.

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Aftersell

https://9ops.co/aftersell

Richpanel

https://9ops.co/richpanel

Runneth

https://9ops.co/motion-runneth

Skio

https://9ops.co/skio-9operators

Omnisend

https://9ops.co/omnisend

Iris

https://9ops.co/iris

Operators Portal

https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard

Operators Newsletter

https://9operators.com/

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