BetterHelp's Aggressive Growth Strategy

Building a company is hard. Building trust with strangers is even harder.

Today, it feels like everyone is shouting online - more ads, noise, and fake promises, but some brands don’t just shout louder.

They find a smart way to connect, and BetterHelp is a perfect example. It was a small startup trying to make online therapy normal a few years ago.

Today, it’s a $7 billion giant. The crazy part?

They didn’t do it with big TV ads or fancy Super Bowl commercials. They grew fast by partnering with YouTubers and telling emotional stories.

The Big Idea:

Challenging the Traditional Ad Strategies

Let’s think about something simple.

Most people don’t wake up and say they were signing up for therapy.

It doesn’t work like shopping for shoes or buying a pizza.

People look for therapy when they feel hurt, stuck, or overwhelmed.

But only when they need it the most.

They often don't know where to start. BetterHelp saw this gap. They realized they would be too late if they waited for people to search for therapy.

So, instead, they showed up inside moments when people felt emotional.

• Watching a gaming video and feeling stressed?

• Listening to a podcast about self-improvement?

• Following a YouTuber opening up about anxiety?

BetterHelp made sure their name popped up there.

Not as a cold ad but as a warm hand offering help, and they did this by aggressively partnering with thousands of YouTube and Podcast creators.

Here’s one on BetterHelp’s YT channel:

And instead of just selling therapy, they told emotional stories that felt real.

That was their core idea:

• Meet people where they are emotionally.

• Tell stories, not ads.

• Make it easy to ask for help.

And that idea unlocked massive growth.

Behind the Magic:

Partnering Aggressively

BetterHelp’s growth wasn’t an accident.

They didn’t just try some YouTube ads and hope for the best.

They built a serious machine around two big moves:

• Aggressive Creator Partnerships

• Emotional Storytelling at Scale

How did they make this work?

1. Aggressive Creator Partnerships

Most brands act shy when working with creators.

They pick a few, run a test, and then wait months for results.

BetterHelp did the opposite.

They flooded the market with partnerships - big YouTubers, small YouTubers, podcasters, vloggers, gamers, finance channels, and wellness influencers.

All these creators got a shot to promote BetterHelp.

It worked for the brand because of:

• Trust transfer: People trust creators more than brands.

• Constant visibility: Viewers kept hearing about BetterHelp again and again.

• Low risk, high spread: Instead of betting $100K on one ad, they spread smaller bets across hundreds of creators.

At their peak, BetterHelp sponsored so many videos in a year.

They understood that:
In today’s world, winning is not about the biggest ad.
It’s about being everywhere when your customer needs you.

2. Emotional Storytelling at Scale

BetterHelp didn’t make creators read boring discount codes.

They asked creators to open up genuinely.

Instead of: Use code BetterHelp123 to save 10%, you heard: A few years ago, I struggled with anxiety... and therapy changed my life.

That tiny difference changed everything. And this worked because it:

• Felt authentic: Viewers knew when creators were speaking from the heart.

• Reduced stigma: Therapy felt less scary and more normal.

• Built urgency: When people feel understood, they act faster.

BetterHelp even trained some creators on how to talk about sensitive topics properly. They invested in ensuring the storytelling felt right and not promotional.

BetterHelp didn’t just buy attention. They earned trust by showing up in people’s most human moments. That’s not a growth hack.

That’s smart, patient brand building at scale.

And if you want real, lasting growth, it’s the only way.

Where It Fits:

Ready-to-Use Marketing Strategy

• The Emotional Scale Playbook
  (Use This to Grow Your Brand Like BetterHelp Did)

Step 1:
Find Where Emotions Run High

Your product solves a problem. Now, think deeper:
When do people feel the pain of that problem the most?

For example:

• A fitness app? → When people feel guilty after overeating.

• A finance tool? → When someone is stressed about bills.

• A productivity app? → When people feel overwhelmed at work.

Write down 3-5 emotional moments when your customer needs you the most.

That is your attack zone.

Step 2:
Build a Creator Army (Fast)

Don’t overthink it. Start small but wide, like BetterHelp.

• Find 30-50 small creators on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, or podcasts.

• Look for high-engagement creators (even if they have small audiences).

• DM or email them offering a simple partnership:

• “I love your content! Would you be open to trying [Product]? I’d love to sponsor a piece where you share your real experience.”

Remember to give them the freedom to tell real stories.

Don’t kill their voice with stiff scripts.

Step 3:
Package Emotional Storytelling

You don’t want boring ads but testimonials disguised as stories.

• Tell creators to share:

  1. A personal moment they felt the problem your product solves.

  2. How your product made life easier.

  3. Why they would recommend it to their audience (in their words).

Example Script Template (if they need help):
I remember [painful moment]. I felt [emotion]. That’s when I found [your brand], and honestly, it [specific result]. I think it could help a lot of you too.

Step 4:
Stay Consistent (Even When It’s Boring)

The magic isn't in one viral video. It’s in showing up again and again.

• Plan a 90-day creator partnership sprint.

• Sponsor at least 10–20 pieces per month.

• Track which creators drive real engagement (comments, saves, shares).

(You will start seeing compounding trust.)

Step 5:
Keep the Funnel Frictionless

BetterHelp didn’t send people to a complicated website.

They used simple, direct CTAs, like Click the link below to get started.

• Ensure clicking on your link takes people to a simple action: Sign up, book a demo, and start a free trial - no extra steps and confusion.

Emotional Moments ➔ Creator Storytelling ➔ Repeated Exposure ➔ Easy Action ➔ Trust Builds ➔ Sales Follow.

This works because this isn’t just influencer marketing. This is emotional timing + trusted voices + easy action working together.

That’s why BetterHelp exploded. That’s why you can, too.

Resources For You

Templates: Struggling to create high-converting DTC ads? Get 60+ proven DTC ad templates used by top brands. Plug, tweak, and launch winning ads instantly.

Hunting Marketing Jobs: Check out GrowthRoles. It's a job board just for marketers. From email marketing to social media marketing, find your dream role today.

Blog:

• Why emotional marketing works & 6 steps on leveraging it

• Master funnel building: Essential strategies for marketers

YT Video: Emotional marketing - How does it work?

That's all for today, marketers! Got feedback? 
Help us write what you need by answering the poll below and commenting.

Any requests for the next breakdown? 
Let me know by replying to this email!