Subscription Box Answers - podcast cover

Subscription Box Answers

Liam Brennanwww.buzzsprout.com

Welcome to Subscription Box Answers, the podcast for anyone looking to start or scale a successful subscription box business. I'm Liam Brennan, co-founder of BusterBox, a dog subscription box company that we started in a spare bedroom back in 2016. 

Since then, we've grown to thousands of subscribers and over $13 million in sales, and along the way, I've learned a ton about what it takes to make a subscription box business thrive.

In this no-nonsense podcast, I'll be sharing all of my proven tips and strategies for building a successful subscription box business, from sourcing products to marketing to reducing churn.

Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your existing business to the next level, you'll find valuable insights and actionable advice here. 

I will show you that it is possible to start your own subscription box business from your spare bedroom with little money and turn it into a full-time income.

Got a question you want answered on the show? Join my free Facebook group at www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com and post it there or email me at liam@subscriptionboxanswers.com. Thanks for tuning in, and I can't wait to help you build the subscription box business of your dreams!

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Episodes

How To Quickly Add MRR With Post Purchase Upsells!

On today’s episode of Subscription Box Answers, I’m sharing a simple way to add extra MRR and make more money from your existing customers — using post-purchase upsells. It’s a small tweak that can make a big difference to your bottom line… and help the finances of your subscription box business work so much better. Got a question you want answered on the show? Head over to www.SubscriptionBoxAnswers.com, join the free Facebook group, and post your question there!...

Jul 14, 202510 min

Open or Closed? The Subscription Box Cart Debate

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers, we're diving deep into one of the biggest decisions every subscription box owner has to make: Should you keep your cart open all the time or use a closed cart launch model? Both can work,but they come with very different pros and cons depending on your niche, your offer, and your traffic strategy. I'll share what’s worked (and what hasn’t) from running a 7-figure dog subscription box, and give you the truth about the benefits and negatives of both. If...

Jul 07, 202512 min

Retention Secrets: How To Keep Subscribers For A Long Time!

We all know churn is a killer. If your customers keep leaving, you’re building a business on sand. But if you can boost retention? You make more money. You grow faster. And your business becomes way more valuable. In today’s episode, I’m sharing 5 secrets that will immediately help you boost your retention and keep your subscribers around for the long haul. Got a question you want answered on the show? Head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com , join the free Facebook group , and drop your q...

Jun 30, 202520 min

How I Would Launch A Subscription Box In 2025

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers , I break down exactly how I would launch a subscription box in 2025. It’s all about verifying demand before you waste time or money—so you give your box the best possible chance of success. Whether you're brand new or already running a box and thinking of launching a second one, this episode is a must-listen. Got a question you want answered on the show? Head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com , join the free Facebook group, and post it there....

Jun 23, 202520 min

How We Reached Our First 1000 Subscribers!

On today’s episode of Subscription Box Answers , I’m rolling back the clock and breaking down—step by step—exactly how we got our first 1,000 subscribers. The tactics may have evolved over time, but the core message hasn’t changed: If you want your business to hit a big milestone, you might need to forget about being fancy and drag it there kicking and screaming. If you’ve got a question you want answered on the show, head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com , join the free Facebook group, ...

Jun 16, 202520 min

This Chicken T-Shirt Subscription Has Hit 1000 Subs (with Jared Latigo)

On today’s episode of Subscription Box Answers, we are welcoming back Subscription Box Experts member Jared Latigo. Jared is the founder of The Chicken Bawks, a chicken-themed T-shirt subscription. He recently hit 1,000 subscribers, and today’s episode is all about what he did to reach that milestone! I hope you enjoy it. If you have a question you want answered on the show, head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com and join the FREE Facebook group, then post your question there....

Jun 09, 202535 min

The Power Of Doubling Down And Finding Your Niche.

On this episode of Subscription Box Answers… I’m diving into why niching down is one of the most powerful moves you can make when building your subscription box business. You’ve probably heard the phrase “the riches are in the niches” —and it’s true. Too broad and you’ll struggle with everything from targeting to pricing. But get the niche right… and everything gets easier. Your messaging becomes sharper. Your customer is easier to find. And you stop competing on price. If you want your question...

Jun 02, 202516 min

10 Lessons I’ve Learned from Running a Subscription Box for Over 9 Years

What I’ve Learned After Nearly 10 Years Running a Subscription Box On today’s episode, I’m sharing 10 lessons I’ve learned from nearly a decade in the subscription box world. From marketing and operations to retention and everything in between — these are the insights that helped me grow a multi-million dollar box. Learn from somebody who’s been doing this a very long time. Take a listen. To get your question answered on the show, head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com and join the free f...

May 26, 202526 min

Your Summer Doesn't Have to Be a Subscription Box Wasteland

Summer Slowdown? Not Anymore We all know summer can be a slower season for retail and subscription boxes are included in that But that does not mean you have to accept a dip in sales In today’s episode I cover three simple things you can do right now to keep subscribers coming in and revenue flowing during the summer months Take a listen because this could be the difference between a quiet season and a strong one If you have a question you want answered on the show head over to www.SubscriptionB...

May 19, 202516 min

The Secret to Making Your Subscription Box Stand Out (Product Differentiation)

In today’s episode of Subscription Box Answers , we’re diving into one of the most crucial topics for subscription box owners — product differentiation . If you think you can just put a random collection of products in a box and send it out… think again. That might have worked back in 2018, but the subscription box market has evolved. To succeed today, you need to make your box stand out. Because if you don’t, you’ll be forced into a brutal price war — a race to the bottom. That’s where product ...

May 12, 202521 min

Subscription Box Challenge: Your Road To Recurring Revenue...

I want to personally invite you to The Subscription Box Challenge – Your Road to Recurring Revenue. This free 4-day challenge kicks off on Monday, May 19th — and it’s designed to help you finally launch your subscription box or grow the one you’ve already started. By the end of the challenge, you’ll know exactly how to launch your box and start getting paying subscribers — without any guesswork, confusion, or overwhelm. It’s 100% free to join , and it could be the turning point in your subscript...

May 05, 20259 min

Do These 2 Things Now to Make Your Subscription Box a Success

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers, I cover 2 things you need to do right now to make your subscription box a success. If you are stuck or you are very serious about pushing your business on. I highly recommend checking this out.

Apr 28, 202525 min

Reducing Failed Payments - (This is working great for us)

This is a follow-up episode about a tool we’ve been using called Stunning . It’s really helping us reduce failed payments. Take a listen to hear how our churn is looking after using it for the past five months. It’s a shorter episode today as I’m on holidays, but normal service will resume next week! If you have a question you’d like answered, head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com , join the FREE Facebook group, and post your question there....

Apr 21, 20255 min

Reels Follow-Up – (I share what’s working and what isn’t)

On this episode of Subscription Box Answers , I’m following up on last week’s episode about Reels. We’ve been testing what I covered, and it’s working really well for us. Hopefully, this helps you with your customer acquisition. If you have a question you’d like answered, head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com , join the FREE Facebook group, and post your question there!

Apr 14, 202511 min

The Biggest Opportunity On Meta In 2025 Is Reels..

Last week, myself and the two other BusterBox co-founders were invited into Meta HQ in Dublin for a full day of marketing strategy sessions focused on 2025. We got a behind-the-scenes look at what’s working right now—and the biggest opportunity to lower customer acquisition costs in 2025 is clear: Reels . In this episode, I break down exactly what we learned, how to take advantage of this shift, and what you should start doing now to get ahead of the curve. If you’ve got a question you’d like an...

Apr 07, 202524 min

Boost Your Subscription Box with SMS: What Works & What Doesn’t

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers , I share the most effective ways we've used SMS marketing to grow our subscriber base, sell more products, and retain customers. If you want to boost your subscription box business with SMS, you won’t want to miss this! Got a question you’d like answered on the show? Head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com , join our FREE Facebook group, and post your question there!

Mar 31, 20258 min

Going Global: How to Take Your Box to New Countries

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers , I share how you can test your subscription box in new countries using a method called direct inject. This is the strategy we used to expand BusterBox from Ireland to the UK quickly, without massive overheads. If you have a question you'd like answered on the show, head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com , join the free Facebook group, and post your question there!

Mar 24, 202514 min

Organic Marketing Isn’t FREE

A common misconception is that paid marketing is bad because you have to pay for it, while organic marketing is good because it's free. But in most cases, that’s simply not true. Effective organic marketing that actually moves the needle requires time, money, and resources. In this episode, I break down why. If you have a question you want answered, head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com and join the FREE Facebook group to post it there."...

Mar 17, 202510 min

Using Insert Swaps + Partnerships To Grow Your Subscription Box Business

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers , I discuss a few underrated, old-school strategies to grow your business: partnership marketing and insert swaps . When done correctly, these tactics can significantly lower your customer acquisition costs (CAC) and generate additional revenue for your company—all while reaching customers you might not have been able to reach otherwise.

Mar 10, 202511 min

You may have to "patch" things together to make your business work.

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers , I explain how you may need to piece together a variety of different elements to make your business work. In an ideal world, simpler is better—but for most boxes, that isn’t the case. To keep your business running smoothly and the numbers in your favour, you may need to get creative. Listen to this episode for more details.

Mar 03, 202514 min

Can Chat To Cancel Lower Your Churn Rate?

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers , I share something new we’re testing in BusterBox called Chat to Cancel . This is still in the very early stages, but I’m sharing what we’ve done so far and what we’ve learned. Churn reduction should be a top priority for any subscription box business, and getting creative with your approach can make a big difference. If you have a question you want answered on the show, head over over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com and join the FREE Facebook gro...

Feb 24, 202511 min

Using Stunning To Lower Your Churn Rate And Make More Money!

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers , I’m sharing how we are testing a new dunning tool in BusterBox called Stunning. The results so far have been very positive, and it has helped us recover a lot of money. Passive churn can account for up to 40% of overall churn, so it’s crucial to have a process in place to manage it effectively. You can check it out here https://stunning.co/ If you have a question you want answered on the show, head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com and join th...

Feb 17, 202513 min

More Emails, More Subscribers

In this episode, I explain a couple of changes we made to our email marketing that have greatly increased the number of subscribers we’re getting while lowering the CAC. You'll learn from this that the general opinion about something isn’t always right. If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com , join the FREE Facebook group, and post it there.

Feb 10, 202512 min

How Emotional Triggers and Masterful Copywriting Drive Subscription Box Success

You've probably heard that customers buy based on emotion and justify with logic—but are you truly applying this in your marketing? In this episode, I break down a powerful marketing and copywriting strategy that has helped BusterBox sign up more subscribers than ever before. I’ll show you: How to identify the emotional triggers that make people want your subscription box Why logical triggers seal the deal and boost conversions A simple system for incorporating these triggers into all your marke...

Feb 03, 202512 min

What Subbly's Churn Report Reveals About Subscription Boxes

Subbly recently released a fascinating churn insights report, revealing key data from subscription box businesses across their platform for 2024. In this episode, I dive into the most important takeaways and share my thoughts on what these insights mean for subscription box owners. Check out the full report here: Subbly's Churn Data Report Want to take your subscription box business to the next level? Join the waitlist for Subscription Box Experts at www.SubscriptionBoxExperts.com...

Jan 27, 202515 min

This Is How You Grow Your Subscription Box Business With Meta Ads In 2025!

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers , I explain exactly how to grow your subscription box business using Meta ads. For the vast majority of subscription box niches, Meta ads are still the best channel by far. Advertising on Meta successfully with a subscription box is different compared to other businesses, and you need to know what you're doing, or you’ll end up wasting a lot of time and money. This episode will help you. The Subscription Box Experts Academy opens on February 11th. You ...

Jan 20, 202525 min

The Correct Way To Use Urgency & Scarcity To Send Your Subscription Box Sales Through The Roof

In today’s episode of Subscription Box Answers , I lay out five different ways you can use urgency and scarcity to send your sales through the roof. Urgency and scarcity are some of the most powerful tools you have when it comes to marketing, and if you use them correctly, they can have a massive positive impact on your results. We use them regularly at BusterBox, and they have done great things for our business. Subscription Box Experts will be open again in a few weeks. You can join the waitli...

Jan 13, 202513 min

Get Clear on Your 2025 Subscription Box Goals—and Go After Them!

No matter where you are in your subscription box journey, now is the time to get crystal clear on your goals for 2025 and put a plan into action. Whether you're preparing to launch, scale, or sell, having a clear strategy with actionable steps is essential. Commit to pursuing your goals aggressively, so by the end of 2025, you can look back with pride at everything you've accomplished If you have a question you want answered on the show make sure you head over to www.SubscriptionBoxResources.com...

Jan 06, 202513 min

What’s Keeping You Stuck in Your Subscription Box Business (and How to Fix It)

In this episode of Subscription Box Answers, I explain the biggest reason that keeps Subscription Box Owners Stuck. You may have been running your business for awhile, and you're stuck on a certain subscriber number, and no matter how hard you work, you can't break through. This has happened to us in BusterBox a few times and the solution was always the same. If you are frustrated where you are and feel like you're going around and around in circles and all you want to do is break through, grow ...

Dec 30, 202417 min

Warehouse or Fulfillment Center? My Perspective. (We have done both)

When we started BusterBox, we moved into our first office space/warehouse immediately. It didn’t take long before we outgrew that space and had to move again. Soon after, we outgrew the new space too and relocated to a much bigger warehouse. Then Brexit hit, and we were forced to transition to using a fulfillment center. In this episode, I share my perspective after experiencing both options. A big question I often see in the subscription box space is: What’s the better option – managing your ow...

Dec 23, 202416 min
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