The highest-intent category in telehealth, with the least room for error.
- CACCost per first fill
Measured to the shipped prescription, since intake completions in this category often never convert.
- M4Month-four retention
The point where most programs cross into positive contribution on an acquired patient.
- PAYBACKCAC payback period
Decides how hard spend can be pushed when supply or pricing changes.
- ELIGEligible-visitor rate
Media that attracts ineligible patients inflates every downstream cost.
What makes GLP-1 & weight loss different.
The growth plan starts from how the category behaves. These are the forces that shape demand, cost and retention before any media is bought.
- 01
Demand is broad and price-aware
Patients compare programs on monthly price, medication source and speed to first dose before they compare anything else. Search and social both reward clear pricing above the fold and punish vague offers.
- 02
Economics live in months three to six
The first fill rarely covers acquisition on its own. Payback depends on refill cadence, dose titration and how well the program handles side effects that cause early drop-off.
- 03
Supply shapes the offer
Branded, compounded and oral options each carry different margins, claim rules and patient expectations. Offer architecture has to be rebuilt when supply changes, and creative has to follow.
- 04
Platforms police the category
Weight-loss advertising is restricted on every major platform. Body imagery, outcome promises and age targeting all have hard rules, and account health matters as much as CPM.
The patient journey in GLP-1 & weight loss.
Seven stages from first impression to retained patient. The stages never change. Where the leaks are, and what fixes them, does.
- 01
Attention
Education on how the medication works and who qualifies outperforms transformation imagery, and it clears review.
- 02
Click
Search captures branded medication demand; social builds it. Budget follows payback.
- 03
Landing page
Monthly price, what is included, medication source and time to first dose, all visible without scrolling.
- 04
Intake
BMI and comorbidity eligibility screened early so ineligible visitors leave before they cost a clinical review.
- 05
Clinical visit
Async where regulation allows it, with scheduling that keeps the gap between intake and approval short.
- 06
Prescription
First-fill conversion depends on shipping expectations and dose guidance, which the checkout page has to set.
- 07
Retention
Titration reminders, side-effect support and plateau messaging decide whether month four happens.
What we run for GLP-1 & weight loss.
The same four capabilities as every engagement, pointed at the parts of this category's funnel where the economics are decided.
- 01
Growth Strategy
- Offer architecture across branded, compounded and oral options
- Cohort payback modelling by medication and dose
- Channel mix set against first-fill CAC and month-four retention
- 02
Performance Media
- Paid search on medication and program terms
- Paid social with policy-compliant account structure
- YouTube and native for education-led demand
- 03
Creative Lab
- Clinician explainers on eligibility and side effects
- UGC on the first month, framed around routine rather than results
- Pricing-clarity statics that survive review
- 04
Conversion Lab
- Eligibility-first intake with early exits
- Price presentation and plan comparison testing
- Checkout, shipping and first-dose expectation flows
Rules we build inside.
Every category carries constraints on what can be said, shown and prescribed. They are known before the first concept is written, so tests are designed to clear them.
- Constraint
Weight-loss ad policy
Meta, Google and TikTok restrict weight-loss ads by age, imagery and claim. We design creative inside those policies and structure accounts so a rejected ad never takes the account down with it.
- Constraint
Medication claims
Efficacy language, compounding disclosures and comparisons to branded products all need clinical and legal review. Claims are agreed before the first concept is written.
- Constraint
Prescribing requirements
Intake, clinician review and pharmacy fulfilment have to satisfy state telehealth rules. Conversion work never shortens a step the regulation requires.
Questions GLP-1 & weight loss operators ask.
Something specific to your program? scale@scalewithsand.com
Do you work with compounded GLP-1 programs?
Yes, alongside branded and oral programs. The offer, claims and creative differ by medication source, and we build the growth plan around the supply you actually have.
How do you keep weight-loss creative from getting rejected?
By writing to platform policy from the start: no before-and-after body imagery, no outcome promises, adult-only targeting, and a review step with your clinical team before anything goes live.
What matters more, first-fill CAC or retention?
They are the same problem. A cheaper first fill that churns at month two is worse than a dearer one that reaches month six, so we report both together as payback.
Categories that share the playbook.
Programs often span more than one of these. Cross-sell between them is usually the cheapest growth available.
Build a stronger, more profitable patient acquisition engine.
Tell us about your program and current numbers. We will come back with a point of view on where the growth is.
