Swurl:

The Anti-LinkedIn Platform

User interface of a motivational goal-setting app with a dark purple background. The top displays a greeting: 'Good morning, Laura,' and a logo written as 'Swirl.' Below, there are sections for short- and long-term goals, each with horizontal progress bars showing 50% completion for various tasks. A button labeled 'Manage short term goals' is visible. On the left sidebar, there are menu options like Notifications, Home, Community, Resources, My library, Feedback, Messages, Jobs, Profile, Support center, and Settings, with the user name 'Laura Steiner' at the bottom. The lower part of the screen features a section titled 'Coaches and mentors,' showcasing circular profile pictures and names of several UX designers, including Sophia Perez, Leo Baptista, Ammar Foley, Sienna H., Ashwin Santiago, Drew Cano, and others, with a dark theme and minimalistic design.

Case Study Overview

In 2025, Swurl—a startup building the anti-LinkedIn for professionals who hate performance culture—needed to transform deep user research into a clear, actionable go-to-market plan.

Despite conducting over 20 customer interviews, the founders struggled to communicate their value in plain language.

Their pitch was loaded with jargon and feature-speak, leaving even insiders confused.

A screenshot of a video call with three people, two women and one man, in different indoor locations, engaging in conversation.

Key Challenges

  • Disconnect Between Research and Messaging: Swurl’s interviews revealed users wanted to escape LinkedIn’s performance anxiety, but their pitch focused on AI and algorithms, not the real emotional pain.

  • Generic Positioning in a Crowded Market: Competing against LinkedIn, Discord, and coaching apps, Swurl’s “professional networking platform” message was lost in the noise.

  • Feature-Focused, Not Problem-Focused: Messaging led with technology, ignoring the core user problem: the need for a safe, non-performative space.

  • No Campaign or Implementation Roadmap: The team lacked a plan for tailoring messaging to different audiences and rolling it out across channels.

The Process

  • Re-examined every user interview to surface the real story:
    Professionals felt pressure to perform on LinkedIn, leading to anxiety and reluctance to share real challenges.

    Supplemented with secondary research:

    • LinkedIn anxiety linked to 2.1x higher depression rates

    • Professionals spend 12+ hours daily on media, with low retention

    • Companies with mentoring programs see double the profits

  • Positioning: Swurl isn’t another LinkedIn—it’s the opposite: a safe space for vulnerability, not performance.

    Customer Belief Chain:
    A five-stage journey from “LinkedIn sucks” to “I need to back this Kickstarter”: Pain → Belief → Value → Different → Action.

    Persona-Specific Messaging:
    Crafted hooks for privacy-seekers, career changers, and entrepreneurs.

    Content Templates:

    • 9 LinkedIn posts and 9 email templates, segmented by readiness to buy.

  • Video Script:
    Focused on the pain of LinkedIn anxiety and Swurl as the solution—no feature demos, just story.

    A/B Testing Framework:
    10-day plan with variables, segments, and metrics.

    Editorial Calendars:
    Covered pre-launch, campaign phases, and post-campaign.

    Project Management Plan:
    Step-by-step guide for the team, with organized templates and frameworks.

  • Delivered all assets in a logical, accessible structure.

    Built audience segmentation by readiness, ensuring tailored messaging at every stage.

    Designed the system for scale across channels: blog, social, sales, and investor pitches.

Results

  • Positioning Clarity:
    Swurl now owns the “anti-LinkedIn” space, instantly understood by prospects.

  • Messaging Transformation:
    The founder’s pitch shifted from feature lists to:
    “You know how LinkedIn makes you perform instead of getting help? We’re building the opposite.”

  • Complete Go-to-Market System:
    Swurl received frameworks, templates, and a campaign plan that aligned product, marketing, and team.

  • Operational Clarity:
    Product and user acquisition decisions became easier and more focused.

  • Emotional Impact:
    Every team decision now asks: “Does this help people feel safe being vulnerable?”

Summary

Swurl’s transformation shows the power of grounding messaging in real user insight, building frameworks that scale, and delivering a go-to-market plan the whole team can use. The result: a differentiated position, a confident team, and a brand that finally resonates with the right audience.