DTC Podcast Ep 590: How WeNatal Grew to 30,000 Families with $0 Paid Ads
Date: March 2, 2026
Host: Eric (DTC Newsletter & Podcast)
Guest: Vida (Co-founder, WeNatal)
Overview
In this episode, Eric sits down with Vida, co-founder of WeNatal, to discuss how the bootstrapped DTC supplement brand scaled to support over 30,000 families—entirely without paid advertising. The conversation centers on the founding story rooted in personal loss, the gap in male fertility support, education-first marketing, product formulation, and WeNatal’s unique approach to sustainable, integrity-driven growth in a highly competitive supplements market.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Founding Story: Transforming Loss into Mission
- Personal Loss as Origin: Both co-founders, Vida and Ronit, experienced miscarriages within a week of each other despite being informed by their doctors that everything was “normal.” This shared heartbreak led to deeper research into fertility, ultimately founding WeNatal.
- Discovery: Ronit’s research revealed men are “50% of fertility outcomes and 50% of miscarriages,” yet the medical focus and market offerings overwhelmingly target women. (“The biggest, like, duh… No one even turned to [my husband] to ask a single question.” [05:10])
- Mission: Empowering both partners to take ownership of their fertility and health pre-pregnancy, treating conception as a team sport instead of a women-only issue. (“Our biggest PSA… was that you have a couple months, both partners, to step up so you can show up knowing you put your best foot forward.” [00:33], [06:36])
2. Market & Fertility Landscape
- Rising Infertility: U.S. fertility has dropped from 1 in 8 couples facing infertility (2020) to 1 in 6 today (2024). (“A few short years later… it’s now one in six is what the American Health Organization was saying…” [11:18])
- Male Factor: 25% of couples using assisted reproductive tech haven't even checked the male partner. The male’s optimization is often overlooked by both industry and practitioners. (“The male is not even checked until maybe a year of struggling or more.” [09:05])
- Fertility as a Health Barometer: Fertility is closely tied to overall wellness and longevity. (“Health and fertility are hand in hand. It is one biomarker of your health.” [12:25])
3. Product Development: Quality over Speed
- Medical Board Approach: Assembled a “dream team” of medical advisors (e.g., Dr. Mark Hyman) for research-backed formulation. Spent two years on development, prioritizing ingredient quality, optimal dosages, and a positive user experience.
- Transparent Formulation: Full ingredient breakdowns and research citations published online. (“…we share all of that on our website. If there’s ever like, why do you have this much vitamin D… we share it, we cite the research articles.” [15:54])
- Premium Experience: Chose elegant, glass packaging and a refill system to destigmatize vitamins and encourage compliance (“if it’s nice enough, maybe you leave it out… a vitamin is only as good as if you’re going to take it.” [18:55])
4. Unique Go-to-Market & Growth Strategy
- No Paid Ads: “We didn’t do any paid media… grew organically through word of mouth, medical experts, and trusted practitioners.” [18:09]
- Practitioner Relationships: Focused on educating OB-GYNs, doulas, midwives, and fertility doctors; these experts became WeNatal’s key “influencers.”
- Design-Driven Virality: The attractive packaging (her & him kits) created organic social sharing.
- Content Marketing: Investment in expert-led educational content, including a free fertility Masterclass and authoritative blog series, fueled email acquisition and nurtured leads.
- Community Engagement: Panels, podcast appearances, and events consistently reinforce educational leadership.
5. Expanding the Market: “We” in Prenatal
- Dual-Focus Product: 50% of sales are “Together Kits” (for both partners), and 20% are men-only; men now readily engage in the prenatal conversation.
- Brand Voice: “Men are well-intentioned, there just wasn’t the focus on them… [Now] this is a low-hanging, tangible thing that they can do to support their partners.” [21:48]
- Beyond Pregnancy: Both products are formulated for use before, during, and after pregnancy; many customers stay on them for longer-term health and wellness.
6. Challenges and Ethics in Supplement Marketing
- Integrity First: Vida highlights frustration seeing competitors “with 40+ million in VC funding” compromise quality for scale and mislead with marketing.
- Bootstrapping Benefits: “We’ve 2x our business every single year… we’re profitable from day one and have no one to answer to. I think that’s sexy.” [32:11]
- Slow & Steady Philosophy: “It’s like the book I read to my kids, right? The slow and steady turtle will win the race… sometimes it is stressful… but you gotta do the homework yourself.” [33:41]
- Consumer Education: Urges consumers to turn over every label and do their own research in an industry rife with “smoke and mirrors.”
7. Product Line Expansion & Future Vision
- Intentional Releases: Launch no more than 1-2 carefully considered products per year. (“We will only launch if it’s something we truly believe doesn’t exist on the market.” [35:08])
- Protein Plus Launch: Newly-released product combines full prenatal with whey protein & collagen—designed for those with pill fatigue or nausea.
- Postnatal & Beyond: The core product serves through pre, during, and post-pregnancy phases; seeing demand for future expansion into children's multivitamins and postnatal support.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Our darkest moment turned into our life’s mission… sometimes you don’t see the why when it’s happening. But something great can come out of the darkest moments.” — Vida [00:00], [13:27]
- “It wasn’t about fancy seeding boxes… it was the doctors, doulas, midwives, people who are experts… word of mouth through very trusted practitioners.” — Vida [00:20], [18:16]
- “For men, you are the superheroes in this equation… generating 1,500 sperm a second. In about 72 days, you could have a completely different fertility situation.” — Vida [10:16]
- “Fertility is a biomarker of your overall health. Staying on high-dose antioxidants and vitamins is going to help your longevity, health, wellness, immunity…” — Vida [24:11]
- “If people miss a day of their vitamins, they freak out. Our customer care, it needs to be genuine. This is not just toothpaste.” — Vida [26:43]
- “We did not do any paid advertising… we are probably the non-traditional marketers.” — Vida [18:09]
- “I don’t even advocate for people to take WeNatal. I advocate for people to do their own research.” — Vida [30:55]
Important Timestamps
| Timestamp | Topic / Quote | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Founders’ darkest moments, personal mission, and the “why” of WeNatal | | 05:10 | Realizing male factor is 50% of fertility/miscarriage but easily overlooked | | 08:52 | “Shrink it and pink it” – critique of male-centered healthcare research | | 11:18 | U.S. infertility rates rising; global crisis in falling birth rates | | 15:40 | Two-year process of R&D, assembling a medical board, focus on dosage and quality | | 18:09 | Organic/relationship-based marketing, not paid ads | | 21:36 | “Together Kits” for couples and male participation in prenatal supplementation | | 23:43 | Formulating for pre, during, and postnatal periods — lasting customer relationships | | 25:46 | The failed experiment with paid advertising and deep focus on content-driven growth | | 30:39 | Frustration with “smoke and mirrors” in supplement marketing; importance of consumer vigilance | | 32:11 | Pride in sustainable, profitable, bootstrapped growth | | 34:40 | New product updates (Protein Plus); strategy for slow, intentional expansion |
Conclusion
WeNatal’s journey is a powerful case study in integrity-led, education-first DTC growth. Their ability to reach 30,000+ families while skipping paid ads, focusing on practitioner relationships, and prioritizing genuine customer outcomes stands as a beacon for challenger brands in crowded markets. The episode resonates with founders, marketers, and health-focused listeners alike—reminding us that the slow, transparent route, while challenging, can build lasting impact.
Connect with WeNatal
- Website: wenatal.com
- Instagram: @wenatal
- Contact: care@wenatal.com
For the full show, visit directtoconsumer.co.