You’ve probably seen those Hims ads. You know the ones — the wilting cactus that suddenly perks up, or the guy staring pensively at his hairline in the mirror. At first glance, they seem like just another trendy DTC brand with good designers and a meme budget.

But here’s what stopped me in my tracks: in a world where men would rather Google their health symptoms for 3 hours than talk to a doctor for 15 minutes, Hims somehow got millions of guys to not only talk about their health problems… but pay monthly to solve them.

This isn’t just about clever marketing. While their competitors were still making men awkwardly shuffle into pharmacies, Hims built a telehealth empire that’s now worth $1.6B. They turned taboo topics like hair loss and ED into casual conversations — and more importantly, into solutions men actually follow through on.

Hims welcome around 7.5M monthly visitors on the website according to Semrush.

I have signed up for their Erectile Disfunction product and spent hours studying what they did right — or wrong, who am I to judge?

Ad in NYC

Let’s break down how they did it.

Stigma and men

The healthcare industry has traditionally treated men’s wellness as an afterthought — probably because guys are famously terrible at going to the doctor.

Hims was born in 2017. Instead of trying to drag men to doctors’ offices, they brought the doctors to men’s phones. Revolutionary? Maybe not. But timing is everything — they launched just as millennials were getting old enough to worry about men’s health issues but young enough to trust an app more than their local pharmacy.

While traditional healthcare was still sending faxes (yes, in 2017), Hims built a seamless digital experience that turned embarrassing pharmacy runs into discreet monthly deliveries. It’s like they took everything men hate about healthcare — the waiting rooms, the awkward conversations, the white lighting — and killed it with fire.

I created a profile to test their full-funnel (sorry, Hims analytics team), and tracked every touchpoint from the website to checkout.

I also analyzed their retention tactics across different product lines because keeping someone subscribed to hair loss meds is different from converting them to ED treatment.

The Psychology Behind

Here’s what most people miss about the Hims story: it’s not just about bringing healthcare online. It’s about deeply understanding the male psyche and systematically dismantling every psychological barrier that keeps men from seeking help.

Let’s talk about those barriers for a second.

Studies show 72% of men would rather do household chores than visit a doctor.

Let that sink in. Guys would rather clean than talk about their health. It’s not just about convenience — it’s about deep-seated fears of vulnerability, judgment, and appearing “weak.”

The ‘3-Minute Assessment’

When I created a test profile, I noticed something interesting about their communication.

They open with “78% of Hims clients feel more confident in bed”. It’s chosen to trigger hope and possibility before diving into the issue. They’re essentially saying, “Hey, you’re not alone, and this actually works.”

Hims questionnaire

The “Precision effect” says that specific numbers (like 78%) are perceived as more credible than round numbers (like 80%).

Interestingly, they use the same approach in their other questionnaire for hair treatment:

Prescription treatments can help you fight these root causes, so you can grow visibly thicker, fuller hair in just 3 to 6 months.

The micro-wins

The progress bar moves faster in the beginning — that’s not an accident.

It’s based on a psychological principle called “early momentum.”

Get someone invested quickly, and they’re more likely to finish. Every answer reveals a relevant stat or fact, making you feel smarter and more confident with each click.

Interestingly, Hims asks users to sign up only after the questionnaire is finished:

Hims questionnaire

The sunk cost effect says that when people invest time in something, they feel more committed to completing the process.

When users get to the signup page, their brain thinks “I’ve already put in all this time and shared all this information…”. So rather than leaving, they’re more likely to sign up just because they’ve already invested time in it.

Hims also addresses the big fear men have: having to talk to a doctor about their erectile dysfunction and saying it out loud. Instead, it mentions “No call required” policy.

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The post-assessment magic:

Hims questionnaire results

The treatment page includes a few blocks:

1. Customized treatment preview with 2 other options to have a feeling of freedom of choice.

2. Price transparency (and low prices) before commitment to tackle the most common barrier “I can’t afford it”.

3. Details about how the meds work to build trust and transparency.

While their flow for hair loss treatment is quite similar, one more strategy they used to increase the conversion rate was “Before/After” photos and reviews.

Emails! More emails!

On the first day, I received 4 emails from them. I felt like I met a persistent guy and he started chasing me after the first short meeting.

But it was just the beginning.

Step by step

Day 1 was all about validation. They promised that I’ve made the right choice, that I’m taking control.

Days 2–3 focus on education and normalization. They shared success stories, explained the science, and made it all feel routine. They were creating a new normal for me.

Days 4–5 were about momentum and action. They reminded me about my assessment, shared more success stories, and kept the energy high.

First-week phenomenon

Welcome emails have an exceptionally high open rate of 82%, compared to the average open rate of 19.7% across all industries. (source)

Welcome emails show an impressive conversion rate of 56.8%, significantly higher than the average conversion rate of 15.22% for regular marketing emails. (source)

This shows the effectiveness of engaging subscribers early on.

Email design

Subject lines seemed like emails were sent by different people, some of them friendly, some formal:

We’re just reminding you about your online assessment

A provider is waiting — you’re so close to getting the help you want

Hello again! Look in this message for answers to your questions

Complete your online assessment and get connected with a provider

Re: your free, online visit

Many emails were aimed at activating the user, a simple bold message with a clear CTA visible before the fold on mobile:

Emails from Hims

A study showed that optimizing emails for mobile can increase clicks by 15%. (source)

Other emails highlighted the benefits of Hims:

• Ability to message a provider;

• Discreet nature of the product: get pills delivered to your home;

• More materials about the disorder and what to expect from the treatment;

• Licensed medical providers working with you;

• Answering 3 most common questions, etc.

Emails from Hims

An email “Learn about telehealth from Dr. Stahl” I received on day 6 caught my attention:

Email from Hims

They tackle men’s biggest worry (embarrassment) right away by saying things like “1 million guys have been able to treat ED” — basically telling clients “hey, you’re not alone in this.” They share success stories and stats throughout their emails to keep reinforcing this “normal guy” feeling.

Normalisation shows up in how Hims makes everything feel everyday-normal instead of medical-scary. When they talk about health issues, they frame them as regular life challenges rather than shameful medical problems.

They also create this feeling of being part of a group rather than being alone with your problem. They do this through language too — they say “guys” instead of “patients” because nobody wants to feel like a patient.

Email from Hims

This casual, friendly approach makes the whole experience feel more like joining a club of guys who’ve got their act together, rather than admitting to a medical problem. It’s the difference between feeling like you’re fixing a common issue versus dealing with a shameful secret.

A few emails are triggering strong emotions:

• “A provider is waiting!” We all know how valuable the time of doctors is and we don’t want to make our doctors wait

• Social proof and a promise of “the best sex of your life”:

Email from Hims

I couldn’t help but notice how different the email styling is, too.

In total, I have received: 4 emails on day 1; 2 emails on day 2; 2 emails on day 3; 4 emails on day 4; and 2 emails on day 5; 2 emails on day 6 and day 7.

In the first week after the booking, I enjoyed 18 emails from Hims.

Each email served a specific psychological purpose. Some built authority (“A provider is waiting”), others created urgency (“You are almost done”), and others normalized the experience (“Join thousands of men who…”).

Alex Hormozi mentions that contacting the client or a prospect 4 times a day after the signup is a good approach. Hims has probably tested the cart abandonment sequence on the scale and it seems this approach works well for them.

What times of day will your emails have the most impact?

2024 data reveals a surprising peak of open rates at 8PM (59%), followed by 2PM (45%) and 11PM (40%). These times consistently outperform traditional sending windows across local time zones. (source)

Wrap up

Sometimes the biggest barriers aren’t technological — they’re psychological. And when you solve for psychology first, everything else falls into place.

Hims didn’t just make healthcare more convenient; they made it emotionally accessible.

Hims sends a lot of emails — 18 in the first week — but they’re smart about it. The first emails welcome and reassure clients, and then they teach them about treatments and push them to take action.

They’re easy to read on phones. Most importantly, they make men feel normal about getting help for sensitive health issues.