LinkSports

LinkSports was a sports scouting app startup based in Canada with 50 employees, connecting soccer players, coaches, and soccer schools through a subscription-based platform. As Head of Marketing and Growth, Kleber acquired 10,000 app users in 90 days at $6 CAC, 33% below the $9 target.

The acquisition strategy combined three integrated channels. Paid social campaigns across Google, Facebook and Instagram targeted soccer players and coaches with highly segmented creative and messaging based on user personas. The soccer schools were visited prior to the campaign launch to test product-market fit and create some network effects (NFx) that contributed to the initial acquisition traction. Each campaign was continuously optimized based on cost-per-install, activation rate, and 30-day retention metrics.

Influencer and ambassador programs were central to the strategy. Rather than treating influencer content as separate from performance marketing, every piece of creator content was used as raw material for performance testing. Athlete influencer content was turned into performance ads, and ambassador programs were structured with performance-based compensation. These programs contributed 60% of new user acquisitions, creating the initial growth loops to make paid channels more effective.

Content marketing campaigns supported both awareness and conversion, providing educational and engagement content for the soccer community that fed the top of funnel while reinforcing brand credibility.

The signup-to-activation funnel was optimized by 19% through systematic onboarding experiments and personalized in-app communications. A/B testing on messaging, timing, and incentive structures identified which combinations drove the highest conversion from download to active engagement.

A full analytics stack was implemented (GA4, Mixpanel) enabling cohort tracking, funnel analysis, and weekly KPI monitoring. Lifecycle communications improved product-market fit signals while maintaining monthly churn below 10%. The combination of acquisition efficiency, activation optimization, and retention management created a repeatable growth playbook that demonstrated scalable unit economics.