Shaping words that build trust at scale
I created the content system BetterHelp runs on: the style guidelines, the voice and tone, a privacy policy rewrite in plain language, and content leadership across features, press, and compliance adherence.
I built BetterHelp's content style guidelines from scratch, establishing the editorial standards, vocabulary, and structural rules designed to scale across every team, content type, and platform.
Content style guidelines + voice
Most privacy policies are written to protect the company, not inform the user. Working with BetterHelp's legal team, I rewrote ours from the ground up to be something people might actually read.
Plain language privacy policy
Words move metrics.
These experiments show how targeted copy changes across onboarding flows, email redesigns, and conversion funnels drove measurable lifts in retention, conversion, and engagement across BetterHelp's platform.
New users were dropped into the product with no guidance, leaving them without a clear path to completing key onboarding steps or booking their first session.
The checklist structure gave users a clear sense of progress, and the copy reinforced each step with just enough context to keep them moving forward.
The checklist guided users through three key onboarding steps in sequence, consolidating a previously fragmented experience into a single flow.
The default therapist match email was functional but impersonal — a missed opportunity at a critical moment in the user journey.
📈 38.86% lift to email CTR
⏱ 3.11% reduction in sign-up to first session
🔁 1.33% lift to month 2 retention
Hey {name},
Good news! You've been matched with <<Therapist Name>> <<LPC>>. Ready to get started?
Get started →
Next steps:
2. Introduce yourself
3. Attend therapy
Schedule session →
Replacing "discount code" with "benefit code" across the conversion funnel to better align with BetterHelp's brand and reduce the perception of therapy as a discounted service.
Cost: $90 $80 per week (charged every 4 weeks) – cancel anytime.
Individual therapy discount applied.
Your cost: $80/wk $72/wk (charged every 4 weeks).
Your card will be charged $320 $288 (you save $32).
Promotional discount applies through December 30, 2023.
Apply for financial aid
Enter payment information to start:
Secure transaction
Replacing "discount code" with "benefit code" reframed how users perceived the value of their plan at the most critical conversion point.
Words move metrics.
These experiments show how targeted copy changes across onboarding flows, email redesigns, and conversion funnels drove measurable lifts in retention, conversion, and engagement across BetterHelp's platform.
New users were dropped into the product with no guidance, leaving them without a clear path to completing key onboarding steps or booking their first session.
|
The checklist guided users through three key onboarding steps in sequence, consolidating a previously fragmented experience into a single flow. |
Problem New users were dropped into the product with no guidance, leaving them without a clear path to completing key onboarding steps or booking their first session. Hypothesis A consolidated onboarding flow with clear, sequential copy and small moments of progress would reduce drop-off and increase first session bookings. Results and insights 6.32% lift to first live session booking rates with a positive trend on key retention metrics. The checklist structure gave users a clear sense of progress, and the copy reinforced each step with just enough context to keep them moving forward. |
The default therapist match email was functional but impersonal — a missed opportunity at a critical moment in the user journey.
|
Before — plain text
Subject: You were matched to [Therapist Name]!
Hey {name}, Good news! You've been matched with <<Therapist Name>> <<LPC>>. Ready to get started? Get started → Next steps: 1. Schedule your first live session
2. Introduce yourself 3. Attend therapy Schedule session → Overview The default therapist match email was functional but felt impersonal. I redesigned the copy and visual hierarchy to better reflect BetterHelp's brand and give new users a clearer, warmer path to their first session. Results
📈 38.86% lift to email CTR ⏱ 3.11% reduction in sign-up to first session 🔁 1.33% lift to month 2 retention |
After — redesigned
|
Replacing "discount code" with "benefit code" across the conversion funnel to better align with BetterHelp's brand and reduce the perception of therapy as a discounted service.
|
Cost: $90 $80 per week (charged every 4 weeks) – cancel anytime. Includes a weekly live session and text, audio and video messaging whenever you like. Individual therapy discount applied. ✓ Benefit codeconanalso applied!
Your cost: $80/wk $72/wk (charged every 4 weeks). Your card will be charged $320 $288 (you save $32). Your promotional discount applies to all payments through December 30, 2023. Apply for financial aid Enter payment information to start: ✓ Credit Card
G Google Pay
Card numberMM / YY CVC
VISA
MC
DISC
AMEX
(FSA/HSA cards accepted)
Secure transaction Start Therapy
I can't afford therapy
Replacing "discount code" with "benefit code" reframed how users perceived the value of their plan at the most critical conversion point. |
Result
~$5M
Estimated annual profit lift from a single terminology change.
What changed A single word swap reframed how users perceived the value of their plan. Rather than signaling a marked-down product, it positioned therapy as something they'd earned access to. |
