Startups at an early stage often face a dilemma: focus on improving the product or invest in marketing to acquire users? At Levelty, we found a way to do both at once through deep collaboration with therapists. Transforming customer development (CustDev) into content, co-marketing opportunities, and real-time product iteration allowed us to maximize our reach without traditional advertising budgets.
Here’s how we did it and what other early-stage startups can learn from our approach.
Turning Customer Development into Scalable Content
Instead of conducting traditional user interviews behind closed doors, we turned these conversations into public-facing content. We invited therapists to open discussions and recorded them as podcasts and expert articles. These interviews provided such benefits:
- Trust and credibility – Potential users saw industry professionals validate our approach.
- SEO & content marketing – The conversations became evergreen blog posts and social media snippets.
- Organic reach – Therapists shared the content, expanding our audience within their professional networks.
For any startup working in a B2B2C model, this can build credibility while ensuring every interaction adds long-term value.
Using Therapist Insights for Immediate Product Refinements
Rather than gathering feedback in isolation, we built a continuous feedback loop where therapists' insights directly influenced product updates. For example:
- Therapists highlighted the need for more structured habit formation tools. We quickly refined Levelty’s reward system to reflect clinical recommendations on positive reinforcement.
- User psychology insights shaped onboarding. Based on therapist feedback, we simplified the first-time user experience to reduce cognitive overload for parents.
- Co-creation of content within the app. Some therapists suggested specific guides for children, which we integrated into the platform, for example: “Guide to Chores the Montessori Way” by Certified Conscious Parenting Coach and Montessori enthusiast Kayla Tychen or “How to Stop Overparenting Kids at Different Ages” by Licensed Therapist and Anxiety Expert Robyn Isman.This real-time implementation of expert advice positioned our product as a tool therapists actively wanted to recommend.
Growing Through Co-Marketing, Not Paid Ads
Instead of running paid campaigns, we incorporated marketing into our partnerships. Every therapist we collaborated with became a natural advocate for Levelty, seamlessly integrating it into their content. Here’s how we made it work:
- Guest features on podcasts and social media. Rather than relying on traditional PR, we invited therapists as guests on podcasts and highlighted them across our platforms, securing authentic endorsements from experts in their communities.
- Affiliate-style partnerships with unique promo codes. Each therapist received an exclusive promo code to share with their clients, making referrals organic and effortless instead of feeling like a sales pitch.
Levelty became a powerful marketing channel through its real value for therapists without spending on traditional advertising.
Integrated Strategies for Startup Success
Our experience at Levelty showed us that in early-stage startups, marketing and product development should never operate in isolation. Embedding customer insights into both content and product iteration allowed us to refine our product continuously based on real-world expert feedback, create scalable content that positioned us as thought leaders, and drive user acquisition through trust and organic referrals.
For startups with limited resources, every interaction should serve multiple purposes. If you’re running CustDev, record it. If you’re improving the product, tell that story publicly. And if you’re engaging with industry experts, turn them into partners rather than just consultants.