Ep 485: How Soberish Built a $1M+ DTC Brand Without Ads

4 snips

Feb 24, 2025

Kim Gamez, founder of Soberish, transformed her passion for non-alcoholic products into a thriving DTC brand, racking up over $1M in sales without paid ads. She discusses crafting viral content on TikTok and Instagram, turning organic reach into a marketplace success. Kim emphasizes the importance of humor in engagement and the power of community-driven marketing. She highlights the benefits of repurposing content and shares insights on navigating the challenges of selling hemp-derived products in a competitive landscape.

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ANECDOTE

Kim's Journey to Soberish

Kim Gamez started her entrepreneurial journey at 18, venturing into restaurants, real estate, and a quinceañera planning app.
This app grew to over 3 million users and was later acquired, leading her to explore the sober-curious movement.

ADVICE

Viral Video Anatomy

Start videos with the payoff to grab attention. Make content relatable and encourage comments and shares.

ADVICE

Don't Delay Gratification

Don't make your audience wait for the payoff in videos; show it upfront. This creates intrigue and encourages viewers to watch the entire video.

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Kim Gamez, founder of Soberish, scaled her business to over $1M in sales in under a year—all without spending a dollar on paid ads.

In this episode of the DTC Podcast, Kim shares how she:

✅ Engineered viral content on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to drive millions of views and thousands of purchases.

✅ Turned organic engagement into a scalable eCommerce business, transitioning from influencer to marketplace owner.

✅ Navigated the challenges of selling federally legal hemp-derived products while being restricted by major advertising platforms.

Key Takeaways:

The anatomy of a viral video: Why starting with the payoff and sparking discussion is crucial.

Using humor and mistakes strategically to drive engagement and boost algorithm reach.

How to make UGC-style content work for your brand—and why overproduction kills performance.

The power of social commerce: How Kim went from affiliate marketer to brand owner using data from her viral videos.

Why repurposing content is key: How Kim maximizes ROI on every piece of video she creates.

If you’re looking to grow your DTC brand through organic content, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Building a viral content strategy

02:05 – The origin story of Soberish

04:45 – From social media influence to a business

07:30 – Cracking the algorithm for organic growth

10:15 – How to make videos go viral

13:00 – The power of community-driven marketing

15:40 – The Soberish product lineup

18:20 – Growth challenges and the giggle grass strategy

21:10 – Navigating paid ads and retail opportunities

24:00 – Key lessons for entrepreneurs

Hashtags:

#DTC #Ecommerce #Soberish #Entrepreneurship #MarketingTips #ViralVideos #TikTokGrowth #SocialMediaMarketing #BrandBuilding #ContentStrategy #AlcoholFree #GiggleGrass #SmallBusiness #FounderStory #BusinessGrowth

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