Introduction
In this episode of Pathmonk Presents, Matt Carter, Director of Marketing at Napreva, shares how they approach growth in the highly sensitive chronic pain space. Napreva offers a plant-based supplement designed to help people struggling with long-term pain, but the real challenge lies in building trust with an audience that has been repeatedly let down. Matt breaks down how transparency, customer empathy, and honest messaging outperform traditional aggressive marketing tactics.
He also dives into channel selection, why Facebook communities matter, and how aligning messaging with real customer experiences drives conversions. This episode is packed with practical insights for marketers navigating regulated industries and skeptical audiences.
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Hey everybody, welcome back to Pathmonk Present. Today we’re joined by Matt, Director of Marketing at Napreva. Matt, welcome to the show.
Matt Carter: Thanks for having me. Pleasure to be here.
Rick: Pleasure to have you, Matt. Let’s go right to the basics. Tell us about Napreva—what’s the big idea behind the company?
Matt Carter: Napreva is a plant-based chronic pain supplement. It sits at the intersection of wellness, nutraceuticals, and traditional pain care.
The problem we’re trying to solve is chronic pain. Many people—especially in the U.S.—have been let down by the pain management industry and aren’t finding solutions that work. There are also broader issues tied to opioids and their addictive nature.
Our product is natural, made from plant terpenes, and aims to provide pain relief without those risks. There’s a lot of research supporting the ingredients, even though the industry itself isn’t fully clinically standardized.
Rick: That’s a delicate space to be in. Who is the best fit for your product?
Matt Carter: That’s both the benefit and the challenge—it’s broad. Chronic pain can come from surgeries, chemotherapy, or many other causes.
One key thing we’ve learned is that trust is everything. These customers are frustrated, they’ve been let down, and they’re often in real pain.
So we offer a 100% money-back guarantee and are very transparent: nothing works for everyone—not even aspirin.
We also keep negative reviews visible on our site. We want people to see real experiences and decide for themselves.
Rick: That level of transparency is rare—and powerful.
From a marketing perspective, who’s your ICP and where do you find them?
Matt Carter: I come from a strong D2C background, so I know the audience is there—about 52 million people in the U.S. live with chronic pain.
The challenge is finding them and creating demand without strong brand equity.
Right now, Facebook is our main channel. That’s where a lot of these communities exist—people sharing experiences and looking for solutions.
The tricky part is compliance. We can’t make strong claims like “this cures pain,” so we have to be careful with messaging.
Still, with a broad enough audience, we’ve been able to generate traction and sales.
Rick: That makes sense. Facebook communities are powerful in this space.
What about your website—what role does it play?
Matt Carter: It’s everything—it’s our storefront.
Trust is the main focus. People don’t just land and buy—they need information, reassurance, and credibility.
We’ve had to balance providing enough detail (ingredients, science, reviews) without overwhelming people.
We also tailor landing pages depending on traffic sources—Facebook vs. Google, top vs. bottom of funnel.
There’s no perfect formula yet—it’s constant experimentation.
Rick: Sounds like a continuous optimization process.
Let’s talk about your day-to-day. What does a typical day look like?
Matt Carter: It’s dynamic. There’s always more to do than time allows.
A big part of my day is customer interaction—emails, comments, messages. These people are often going through something serious, so empathy is key.
Beyond that, it’s balancing immediate tasks with long-term planning. That’s the startup challenge—managing today while building for tomorrow.
Rick: That human connection must also inform your marketing.
Matt Carter: Exactly. We can’t compete with big pharma on budget, but we can compete on customer experience.
Even if the product doesn’t work for someone, if we handle it well—refund quickly, communicate transparently—that builds trust.
Rick: That’s powerful. Let’s do a quick rapid-fire.
When it comes to content—watching, reading, or listening?
Matt Carter: Watching.
Rick: What’s something you recently watched that stuck with you?
Matt Carter: My two-year-old watches these bizarre AI-generated cat videos on TikTok. One was a cat giving “chocolate” to other cats, then another cat reveals it’s actually goat poop—and they all start crying.
It made me realize how much content creation is evolving. Someone built that and has 50,000 followers. There’s an audience for everything.
Rick: That’s… wild. If you had a magic wand to fix one marketing challenge?
Matt Carter: Customer engagement. We get a lot of repetitive questions. If AI could respond accurately to symptoms and product fit, that would save a lot of time.
Rick: And one task you’d automate forever?
Matt Carter: Facebook comments—especially dealing with trolls. It’s tough balancing empathy with negativity.
Rick: Totally fair. Last question—what’s one thing people should remember?
Matt Carter: Don’t chase platforms—chase people. Algorithms change, channels change, but understanding your audience is what matters.
Rick: Love that. Where can people find you?
Matt Carter: napreva.com — N-A-P-R-E-V-A.
Rick: Perfect. Thanks again, Matt.
Matt Carter: Thank you.
Rick: Bye everyone.