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 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!

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.

To be a guest on our next episode of the podcast, contact us today!

Do you have a product or brand that you’d like to launch or grow? Harvest Growth has helped launch and scale hundreds of consumer brands totaling more than $2 billion in revenue. Visit HarvestGrowth.com to book a free consultation with our team today!