Curious for those into nutrition / bodybuilding

[DW85014]

I have a client who is building a new brand in the nutrition/supplement space.

The client doesn't exactly want to (or have the time) to be a spokesperson for the brand and we've had mixed results as far as building his email list and getting sales. I do the paid ads and I'm working with an organic social media person and also an email marketer.

Is there anything that stands out to you that would encourage you to try a new supplement or nutrition brand in terms of content?

Thinking of reaching out to TikTok influencers. Would love thoughts on other ideas on what might spark your interest - as someone into nutrition - to try a new product on the block?

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Is there anything that stands out to you that would encourage you to try a new supplement or nutrition brand in terms of content?

Content?

No.

Ingredients?

Yes.

No artificial sweetners. Plant-based / dairy free. No artifical colors or dyes (red 40, blue 1000, cancer 300).

Quality methylated ingredients over cheap crap, for example, methylcobalamin overe cyanocobalamin.

 

[Shono]

Content?

No.

Ingredients?

Yes.

No artificial sweetners. Plant-based / dairy free. No artifical colors or dyes (red 40, blue 1000, cancer 300).

Quality methylated ingredients over cheap crap, for example, methylcobalamin overe cyanocobalamin.

This hit the nail on the head for most points. But the general population might not be so thorough on parts like plant-based/methylated ingredients, as that is niche. (I myself am plant-based too, so I can appreciate that and always buy methylcobalamin b12. )

As a general consumer the things I myself appreciate most is when brands don’t use artificial coloring, and that the supplement mixes very easily. And depending on what the supplement is, for long term re-purchase I would emphasize on flavor profile before anything else. I’ve taken protein powders with great ingredients that didn’t mix/tasted like chalk, similarly pre workout powders that tasted like chemicals or overtly sweet. The only stuff I am a repeat customer for is a simple balanced flavor profile. It should be palatable long term and therefor be as basic as possible IMO.

 

[socaldude]

I spend a ton of money on supplements mostly at Vitamin Shoppe.

The industry has caught on to things like gluten free, dairy free, soy free, keto or vegan.

There’s definitely a trade-off between making things healthy and making them taste good. For example; sucralose is horrible for your gut but what else can be used?

I want something as natural as possible and preferably tasty. Simple ingredients.

 

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[Johnny boy]

Ah yes, the “I’m going to do nothing to add anything valuable to the marketplace, launch some bs dropship product and expect to be a millionaire” client. Love those.

I built websites for them. This chick thought she was going to dropship boxes of tea, run Fb ads to them and actually make a profit. Lmfao.

“Hm, looks like we got one sale for a $7.50 profit and only spend $476 in ads”

If it was that easy I would be a billionaire immediately.

There are thousands and thousands of supplements, I can open up Amazon and find any supplement and they will all have great packaging, 50,000 reviews, work as advertised, and have very little profit since they are all competing. They know what they’re doing. Why does your Joe Schmo client think he’s going to strike it rich without adding anything else to the market in terms of value?

 

[MarcusAurelius]

Content?

No.

Ingredients?

Yes.

No artificial sweetners. Plant-based / dairy free. No artifical colors or dyes (red 40, blue 1000, cancer 300).

Quality methylated ingredients over cheap crap, for example, methylcobalamin overe cyanocobalamin.

I am a big consumer of sports supplements. Without spam, which brand meets these requirements?

 

[MarcusAurelius]

Ah yes, the “I’m going to do nothing to add anything valuable to the marketplace, launch some bs dropship product and expect to be a millionaire” client. Love those.

I built websites for them. This chick thought she was going to dropship boxes of tea, run Fb ads to them and actually make a profit. Lmfao.

“Hm, looks like we got one sale for a $7.50 profit and only spend $476 in ads”

If it was that easy I would be a billionaire immediately.

There are thousands and thousands of supplements, I can open up Amazon and find any supplement and they will all have great packaging, 50,000 reviews, work as advertised, and have very little profit since they are all competing. They know what they’re doing. Why does your Joe Schmo client think he’s going to strike it rich without adding anything else to the market in terms of value?

I agree on bs about dropshipping products.

Creating a company, serious, of supplements, means investing a lot of money in research and development.

Adding something, in terms of quality, to a supplement means spending thousands of dollars to develop the right formula.

Nick Bare and Ben Greenfield, who founded integration companies, did so after making some money with their training/lifestyle programs/books/blogs.

And I’m convinced that even in there, in both Bare’s and Greenfield’s, there aren’t 100% healthy elements.

 

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[morbius13]

For me and for the vast majority, the process of choosing supplements is pretty straightforward, you just choose overall best product in its price segment.

In this niche there's no way around it, you need to have better products than your competitor to succeed.

If your product don't have any advantage over other, the only people you'll encourage to buy through content or tiktok (if any) will be people without any knowledge about it or kids or both. And they're not good and regular customers.

 

[DW85014]

Content?

No.

Ingredients?

Yes.

No artificial sweetners. Plant-based / dairy free. No artifical colors or dyes (red 40, blue 1000, cancer 300).

Quality methylated ingredients over cheap crap, for example, methylcobalamin overe cyanocobalamin.

Thank you for the feedback @MJ DeMarco !

 

[AceVentures]

I spend a lot of money on fitness related products.

What I would advise is your client has to be an INSIDERS in order to penetrate the market effectively. What I mean is if they themselves don’t know what’s good and what’s bullshit, then good luck trying to win over someone that does know their shit.

If the brand has strong values, it’ll come across based on what ingredients they advocate for. If they’re legit, they’ll recognize and promote values outside of supplementation. That’s what I personally look for when I’m about to pull the trigger on a new product.

In summary: if they’re about it, they’ll be well read on the latest and greatest bio hacking solutions. If they’re just selling whey or creatine or some basic shit everybody and their momma sells already, I don’t know if they’ll even reach me with all the ad spend in the world.

 

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[HoneyBadger302]

I spend a fair bit on supplements - while I eat healthy in general, I find supplements help fill in a lot of the holes created through life, training, etc.

Personally I've found a company who I'm happy with - I was first introduced by a friend who liked and vouched for them. Tried the products and got the results I wanted. Mixed good, tasted good, not the cheapest, but I had results and they have continued to perform over time and as I've tried other items in their line up, I've had similar desired results and high quality.

To get me to switch or try something new at this point the competing product would have to show how the ingredients were the same or higher quality AND I could get either a) better results at a similar price point or b) similar results at a cheaper price point and enough of a difference for it to be worth dealing with ordering from multiple sources.

It's a saturated market with a lot of great brands covering the needs of most - what need or hole is this brand filling that isn't already covered by one of the long(er) established companies? What is the target audience and branding going for, and how is it being accomplished?

I have no niche needs or strong preferences myself, therefore, getting me to switch would be a hard sell and I wouldn't just do it on a whim - samples from trusted sources might convince me to try if it touted benefits I wasn't currently getting.

 

[MarcusAurelius]

I spend a fair bit on supplements - while I eat healthy in general, I find supplements help fill in a lot of the holes created through life, training, etc.

Personally I've found a company who I'm happy with - I was first introduced by a friend who liked and vouched for them. Tried the products and got the results I wanted. Mixed good, tasted good, not the cheapest, but I had results and they have continued to perform over time and as I've tried other items in their line up, I've had similar desired results and high quality.

To get me to switch or try something new at this point the competing product would have to show how the ingredients were the same or higher quality AND I could get either a) better results at a similar price point or b) similar results at a cheaper price point and enough of a difference for it to be worth dealing with ordering from multiple sources.

It's a saturated market with a lot of great brands covering the needs of most - what need or hole is this brand filling that isn't already covered by one of the long(er) established companies? What is the target audience and branding going for, and how is it being accomplished?

I have no niche needs or strong preferences myself, therefore, getting me to switch would be a hard sell and I wouldn't just do it on a whim - samples from trusted sources might convince me to try if it touted benefits I wasn't currently getting.

@HoneyBadger302 what's the name of the company?
I'm searching for a good supplements' company because I work out a lot, because of my endurance workouts.

 

[HoneyBadger302]

@HoneyBadger302 what's the name of the company?
I'm searching for a good supplements' company because I work out a lot, because of my endurance workouts.

I've been using the 1st Phorm products. I know not everyone loves them, and I've seen some people go on rants, but for me, they've worked great, and I've not had any complaints (which, if I did, I have full confidence would be dealt with well and quickly).

 

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[DW85014]

Thank you everyone for the feedback - I really appreciate it!

 

[Qeno]

Is there anything that stands out to you that would encourage you to try a new supplement or nutrition brand in terms of content?

I really liked the book $100M Offer. It's not that long and easy to read, especially chapter 2 and 3 would be helpful I guess. I think it could help you refine the supplement and the things surrounding it, so that you can deliver value to the customer.

 

[Devilery]

I'm actually building a brand in the nutrition/supplement space during my time off. Here would be my key insights:

1. It's nearly impossible to compete by creating better products. Top-quality products are easily accessible and affordable.
2. It's possible for the founder to stay behind the scenes, but someone has to stand behind the brand. If the founder won't do it, work with influencers. An entirely faceless brand would only work if you go the more medical route. E.g. most who are into fitness, know who developed Gorilla Mind preworkout, but very few have any idea where their omega oil complex comes from (they likely bought it at the local pharmacy or Amazon).
3. You have to spend millions on launch, or go niche. Going niche is easier, there are so many directions you can go - different audiences, different product types, different purposes, different price points, different "brand feels", etc.

What I'm doing is going for a niche that I live and breathe. I am also talking to influencers who will create lots of content which I will repost on social media and use for ad creatives. I will also be the face of the brand eventually and lead it toward the big vision (not just promote products randomly).

To give you an example, it makes no sense to white-label another whey protein unless you're massive, lean, and have a ton of followers, however, something like this can do very well: https://spacegoods.com/

I am and I believe some of the others starting out in this niche should be aware that they likely won't have the best products but you can have a brand that can develop a loyal community based on your vision, mission, values, lifestyle, etc. It's certainly following your passion.

 

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[DW85014]

I really liked the book $100M Offer. It's not that long and easy to read, especially chapter 2 and 3 would be helpful I guess. I think it could help you refine the supplement and the things surrounding it, so that you can deliver value to the customer.

Thanks I got that book read it and just sold it back to a book reselller ! - I will have to check it out again - Thank you!

 

[James90]

Personally,

My decision making when purchasing/trying new supplements has been

-100% based on recommendations from friends and fitness influencers that i've showed admiration from a long time...
-Needs to have TONS of testimonies based on results, ingredients, price, & research

 

[DW85014]

Personally,

My decision making when purchasing/trying new supplements has been

-100% based on recommendations from friends and fitness influencers that i've showed admiration from a long time...
-Needs to have TONS of testimonies based on results, ingredients, price, & research

Thank you sir!

 

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