Marketing GLP-1 & Weight-Loss Telehealth Responsibly: A CMO Playbook

Linda Orr
4 days ago
6 min read

GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and others) have completely changed the weight-loss conversation—and they’ve also created a marketing mess.

On one side:

Sky-high demand
New telehealth brands launching every month
Investors expecting rapid growth

On the other:

Tight regulations and medical ethics
Drug shortages and supply constraints
Complex eligibility criteria and side-effect profiles
Growing scrutiny from regulators and clinicians about “too good to be true” promises

If you run or advise a GLP-1 or weight-loss telehealth brand, your marketing can’t just be “DTC weight-loss ads with a doctor logo slapped on.”

You need to grow and protect trust. This playbook lays out how to do both.

The Core Tension: Demand vs. Duty of Care

Most GLP-1 or weight-loss telehealth marketing sits in a tension between:

Demand: people want help losing weight now
Duty of care: safe prescribing, realistic expectations, and long-term health

Unethical or sloppy marketing typically looks like:

Before/after photos with unrealistic timelines
“No diet, no exercise, just shots!” messaging
Fine print that contradicts the headline promises
Zero mention of side effects, contraindications, or medical oversight

Responsible marketing accepts three truths:

You’re not selling thinness; you’re helping people manage a chronic metabolic disease.
Medication is one tool in a broader care plan—not the whole plan.
The most valuable asset your brand has is trust—with patients and clinicians.

Your marketing needs to reflect that from day one.

Principle #1: Lead With Education, Not Hype

People have heard of GLP-1s—but what they know is usually a mix of:

Headlines
TikTok snippets
Anecdotes from friends

Your job is to turn confusion into clarity.

Turn Confusion Into Clarity

Create content that:

Explains in plain language how GLP-1s work in the body
Differentiates FDA-approved indications (type 2 diabetes vs obesity treatment)
Sets realistic timelines for weight loss and metabolic improvements
Talks honestly about common side effects and when to seek care

This isn’t just “nice to have.” It’s a filter:

People who want a magic bullet will self-select out
People who want a clinical, supported program will lean in

Practical assets to ship:

“Is a GLP-1 Right for Me?” explainer page with clear eligibility factors
“What to Expect in the First 12 Weeks” guide (dose titration, side effects, lifestyle changes)
Short videos from clinicians walking through risks, benefits, and alternatives

Every educational asset should end with a simple, low-pressure CTA:

“If you’d like a clinician to review your situation, start with our brief intake questionnaire.”

Principle #2: Sell the Program, Not the Drug

If your entire value prop is “we can get you [drug name] fast,” you’re a commodity—and a risky one.

Stronger brands position themselves around:

Comprehensive care: medication, nutrition guidance, behavior support, sometimes mental health support
Monitoring & adjustments: regular check-ins, labs where appropriate, dose changes when needed
Long-term outcomes: metabolic health, energy, mobility, comorbidities—not just a number on the scale

Reframe Your Offers

Instead of:

“Get Ozempic Online in 24 Hours”

Try:

“Clinician-led weight-management programs that may include GLP-1 medication”

Your messaging should make it clear:

The program is the product
Medication is a tool in that program, prescribed only when clinically appropriate
Some patients won’t be candidates—and that’s part of responsible care, not a failure

This framing helps with:

Regulatory risk: you’re not advertising a prescription drug as a consumer product
Patient expectations: they understand there’s a real clinical process, not a vending machine
Business durability: you’re building a program that can evolve as guidelines, supply, and coverage change

Principle #3: Build Trust Through Process, Not Just Testimonials

Testimonials are powerful—but in healthcare, they’re not enough on their own and can easily slide into inappropriate claims.

Instead of leaning only on “I lost 40 pounds in 3 months” stories, show your process:

How intake works
How you screen for contraindications and red flags
How often patients hear from the care team
How you adjust treatment plans over time

Make Your Safety Net Visible

You likely already have guardrails:

Standardized intake questionnaires
Protocols for labs and monitoring
Escalation paths for side effects
Clear policies for discontinuing or switching therapies

Turn those into marketing assets:

“Here’s what we won’t do:– Prescribe without a full medical intake– Ignore contraindications or serious side effects– Promise specific weight-loss outcomes we can’t guarantee”

That kind of transparency:

De-risks your brand with regulators and clinicians
Attracts patients who are serious about their health
Differentiates you from “get-thin-quick” operators

Principle #4: Design Funnels That Respect Clinical Judgment

Most DTC funnels are designed to minimize friction: fewer questions, fewer steps, faster purchase.

In GLP-1/weight-loss telehealth, your goal is different: maximize appropriate fit.

Rethink the Classic DTC Funnel

Instead of:

Click ad
Glam before/after landing page
Pay for “doctor consult”
Get pushed to prescription as fast as possible

Try:

Ad focuses on “clinician-led support for metabolic health”
Landing page sets realistic expectations and outlines the process
Pre-qualification quiz screens out obviously ineligible or unsafe cases
Intake gathers detailed medical history
Clinician consult (async or live)
Care plan options: may include GLP-1s, other medications, or non-pharmacologic paths

Yes, this may reduce your raw conversion rate from click to paid consult.

But it increases:

Patient quality
Clinical appropriateness
Long-term retention and word-of-mouth

In a regulated, high-scrutiny category, that’s the trade-off you actually want.

Principle #5: Align Incentives Across Marketing, Clinical, and Operations

If the only KPI that matters internally is new starts / first-month revenue, your incentives are misaligned.

Instead, define success as:

Retention in care (e.g., 6+ months in-program where appropriate)
Engagement with counseling/nutrition and monitoring
Clinical outcomes (where you can measure them)
Referrals and NPS from satisfied patients

Then build reporting that:

Gives marketing visibility into retention and churn by acquisition source
Shows ops and clinical leaders how different channels produce different types of patients
Informs creative and targeting (e.g., which messages bring patients who stay vs churn in 30 days)

This is where a CMO with a data and research background adds real value: not just driving “more leads,” but optimizing for sustainable, clinically sound growth.

Creative Guardrails: What to Use and What to Avoid

Generally Good Directions

Human-centered storytelling: patients talking about energy, mobility, daily life—not just the scale
Clinician voices: clear explanations from MDs/NPs/RDs about how the program works
Small wins: walking further, climbing stairs, better labs, improved confidence
Realistic timelines: “over months, not weeks”

Generally Risky Directions

“Drop 20 pounds fast” promises
Over-reliance on dramatic, decontextualized before/afters
Implying GLP-1s are for anyone who wants to lose a few vanity pounds
Minimizing side effects (“no side effects,” “zero risk”)
Framing medication as a way to avoid nutrition and movement changes

As you develop campaigns, use a simple test:

“Would our most conservative clinician and our most skeptical regulator both feel this is honest, fair, and not misleading?”

If not, change it.

The Role of a CMO in GLP-1 & Weight-Loss Telehealth

In this space, a CMO or fractional CMO is not just a “growth driver.” They are:

A translator between marketing, clinical, legal, and operations
A steward of brand trust, not just pipeline
A designer of measurement, tying marketing inputs to outcomes that actually matter

Typical responsibilities include:

Positioning the program as long-term metabolic care, not a quick fix
Building compliant funnels with clinical and legal input
Setting creative guardrails and approval workflows
Designing dashboards that include retention and clinical KPIs, not just CAC
Navigating channel choices (how and where to safely use Meta/Google/YouTube, affiliates, influencers, etc.)

Done well, marketing in GLP-1 telehealth becomes a force for better care: matching the right patients with the right programs, setting honest expectations, and supporting real change.

Bringing It All Together

Responsible GLP-1 and weight-loss telehealth marketing isn’t about being boring or timid. It’s about being:

Clear about what you offer
Honest about what medication can and can’t do
Serious about safety and long-term outcomes
Creative in how you tell real, human stories and educate patients

If you get that right, you don’t just acquire more patients—you build a brand that clinicians respect, regulators can trust, and patients stay with for the long term.

How I Can Help

If you’re building or scaling a GLP-1 or weight-loss telehealth brand and want marketing that:

Drives growth and passes the “regulator and clinician” test
Connects acquisition to retention and outcomes
Aligns program design, messaging, and funnels

I work as a fractional CMO to:

Clarify positioning and program design
Build responsible, high-performing funnels
Set up analytics so you can see what’s really working

If that’s where you are, we can start with a short diagnostic call and map out what a responsible growth plan would look like for your brand.