Swurl:

The Anti-LinkedIn

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.

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.