The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

How a Nicotine-Free Vape Brand Grows *Without Ads*

Episode Summary

DTC HARD MODE w/ Conrad Kurth of Cyclone Pods

Episode Notes

He sells vapes with no nicotine. Every ad platform, payment processor, and carrier treats him like Big Tobacco anyway.

Conrad Kurth founded Cyclone Pods in 2018 after watching every friend he had get hooked on Juul. Eight years later the brand has grown every year with a 60 percent repeat customer rate, no paid ads, no Shopify Payments, and no USPS. This is what selling on hard mode actually looks like.

What you'll learn:

• Why a product with no addictive ingredient still gets a 60% repeat rate
• Where a new customer really comes from when Meta, Google, and TikTok won't run your ads
• Why "alternative advertising" on age-restricted sites sent traffic that never converted
• The Sunday morning Shopify Payments shut off with no warning, and the standalone store he keeps ready for next time
• How UPS and FedEx agreed to ship after seeing lab data, and why USPS never will
• Whether publishing third-party lab results helps SEO (his honest answer: he can't prove it)
• Why Wisconsin only allows vapes from Philip Morris, Altria, and Reynolds
• The Focus Pouch story: caffeine plus lion's mane, reishi, and cordyceps, two years before caffeine pouches were a category
• Vapes for dogs, the leaking device that got pulled, and what he'd tell his 2018 self
• His advice for anyone selling a restricted product: ignore the ad people, do the legwork yourself

Guest: Conrad Kurth, founder and CEO of Cyclone Pods, a nicotine-free vape and nootropic pouch brand based in Santa Monica, California. Former software engineer.

Show Links:

• Cyclone Pods: https://cyclonepods.com
• Email Conrad: conrad@cyclonepods.com

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The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.