Dissecting the Pitch:

Why did I choose Ditto Insurance?

1. In 2020, a close friend of mine, lost his father to COVID-19. Without health insurance, his family had to bear the medical expenses entirely out of pocket, causing significant financial strain. This incident opened my eyes to a broader issue: approximately 63% of Indians finance healthcare costs from their own pockets. With healthcare costs rising up by 14% annually, it is leading to families going bankrupt [2]
2. The way insurance agents are often perceived in pop culture adds to the problem. A popular Telugu movie called Oye humorously shows an insurance agent training by enduring customer complaints and frustrations. While exaggerated, it reflects the negative perception people have of insurance agents, making the industry a tough yet interesting space to disrupt.
3. There’s a growing awareness of personal finance among Millennials and Gen Z, driven by online content and financial education platforms. This new generation is more open to insurance but demands better experience.
4. Personally, I’ve always been passionate about the healthcare sector and have worked with several founders solving niche problems in this space. From my experience, disrupting the health and life insurance market is essential for India to achieve better health outcomes and financial security in the future.

All these factors—my personal interest in Healthcare, the growing need for financial security, the challenges and perceptions surrounding the insurance industry, and the increasing awareness among Millennials and GenZ—led me to choose Ditto Insurance for this project.

Methodology:

To understand Ditto Insurance’s users better, I’m conducting user research by speaking with different groups of people:

1. Ditto Customers (4) – People who have used Ditto to purchase insurance.
2. Non-Renewing or Unconverted Customers (2) – Those who either didn’t proceed with Ditto after the first call or chose not to renew their insurance.
3. Customers of Other Insurance Providers (3) – Individuals who have purchased insurance from companies other than Ditto.
4. Uninsured Individuals (1) – People who don’t currently hold any form of insurance.

Note: I am focusing on older Gen Z and younger Millennials aged 24–35 wherein the internet-based product adoption is high. As Ditto is an internet-first platform, this demographic is most likely to interact with its services and provide relevant insights.

Although the data might be skewed due as the sample size is not statistically insignificant, this information can form basis to test the channels that could work for Ditto Insurance

Discussion Guide:

1. Who is the Interviewee?
2. 1. Age
   2. Gender
   3. City of Residence
   4. Occupation
   5. Relationship Status
3. General User Questions
4. 1. When you think of health or life insurance, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Why?
   2. How did you know that insurance important for you?
   3. Have you ever faced or heard of a situation where insurance played a significant role? If yes, how did it impact your perception of insurance?
   4. What look for you before buying a health insurance?
5. Specific Questions
6. 1. Ditto Customers:
   2. 1. What prompted you to choose Ditto for your insurance needs?
      2. How would you describe your experience with Ditto so far?
      3. Was there anything Ditto did particularly well or something you think they could improve?
      4. Did you refer Ditto to anyone else?
   3. Unconverted Customers:
   4. 1. Where did you get your current insurance from?
      2. Did you interact with Ditto policy? What was your experience
      3. What made you decide not to proceed with Ditto after your initial interaction?
      4. Was there anything Ditto did particularly well or something you think they could improve?
   5. Customers of Other Insurance Providers:
   6. 1. How did you choose your current insurance provider, and what stood out to you about them?
      2. What’s been your experience with your current provider’s services, especially when buying or claiming insurance?
      3. If you were to switch providers, what factors would influence your decision?
   7. Uninsured Individuals:
   8. 1. Have you considered buying health or life insurance before? If not, what’s held you back?
      2. What do you think would make insurance more appealing or relevant for you?
      3. If you were to look for insurance, where would you start, and what would you look for?

Raw Data:

Sharing an excel sheet categorising and filling up all the answers received from the personal interviews.

Click here to access the sheet

Top 4 Trends from Customer Interviews:

There are four patterns that I've observed from the interviews

Insurance as a Financial Safety Net

A significant number of respondents’ understanding of insurance stemmed from either personal experiences or those of friends and family. For example:

• Respondents mentioned incidents where insurance helped cover hospitalisation costs for close acquaintances, making them realise its importance.

• For some, the absence of insurance during emergencies (e.g., a friend’s hospitalisation without coverage) was a wake-up call to explore it further.

• A few respondents credited their awareness to educational platforms like blogs, YouTube, and recommendations from family members, rather than formal financial education or marketing.

Key Trigger Points for Purchasing Insurance

Respondents revealed clear moments in their lives that acted as triggers for purchasing insurance. These include:

• Starting to earn: This is a common time for individuals to consider their financial future and begin planning for security.

• Life milestones: Events like marriage or planning for children often prompt people to think about the well-being of their dependents.

• Aging parents: Concern for aging parents’ health drives many to explore insurance options to avoid financial strain during medical emergencies.

• Policy expiration: Renewing or upgrading an expiring policy is another key driver, particularly when users re-evaluate their needs.

Awareness Influenced by Personal Experiences and Word of Mouth

A significant number of respondents’ understanding of insurance stemmed from either personal experiences or those of friends and family. For example:

• Respondents mentioned incidents where insurance helped cover hospitalisation costs for close acquaintances, making them realise its importance.

• For some, the absence of insurance during emergencies (e.g., a friend’s hospitalisation without coverage) was a wake-up call to explore it further.

• A few respondents credited their awareness to educational platforms like blogs, YouTube, and recommendations from family members, rather than formal financial education or marketing.

Key Decision-Making Factors: Trust, Transparency, and Simplicity

When choosing a health or life insurance policy, respondents consistently highlighted these factors:

• Trust: High claim settlement ratios and long-standing reputation in the industry were top priorities for many.

• Transparency: Hidden clauses, unclear exclusions, and complicated claim processes were major deterrents. Respondents valued insurance providers who were upfront about their policies.

• Simplicity: The ability to understand policy details without excessive jargon or rules was critical, especially for first-time buyers. For example, some respondents used blogs and YouTube to compare providers based on these criteria.

Understanding your ICP

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ICP prioritisation table:

Analysis

1. ICP 1: Young Professional

• Strengths: High adoption rate and distribution potential due to their tech-savvy nature and presence on social platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. They actively seek solutions for financial independence and future preparedness.

• Challenges: Frequency of use case is low as this segment primarily invests in insurance as a one-time setup or early-career milestone. They also need significant education on why insurance matters.

• TAM Insight: This segment has a larger TAM due to the high number of professionals entering the workforce annually. With targeted educational campaigns, they can become long-term customers.

2. ICP 2: Family-Oriented Individual

• Strengths: High appetite to pay and frequency of use case due to their focus on protecting family and dependents. They seek comprehensive solutions (health + life insurance) and prioritise trust and transparency in brands.

• Challenges: Adoption rate is moderate as they tend to rely on recommendations from family, friends, or agents. Acquisition requires strong relationship-building strategies.

• TAM Insight: Smaller but more lucrative market due to higher disposable income and willingness to invest in policies with significant coverage.

Conclusion:

Based on the analysis, ICP 2 (Family-Oriented Individual) emerges as the primary target segment due to their high appetite to pay, frequent use cases, and focus on securing their family’s future, making them a more lucrative market with strong monetisation potential. Tailored strategies emphasising trust, transparency, and comprehensive solutions can drive adoption in this segment. Meanwhile, ICP 1 (Young Professional), with a significantly larger TAM and high adoption rate, serves as an excellent secondary segment for long-term growth. Educational content, affordable plans, and leveraging their tech-savvy behaviour can help establish Ditto as their go-to insurance provider early in their financial journey.

Exploring the Product

The product is rather simple to use. Customers interact with Ditto through its website and advisory calls.

Process of buying Insurance from Ditto:

Here is a conversation with Ditto Insurance:

This interaction demonstrates Ditto Insurance’s commitment to simplifying insurance processes through personalised and transparent communication. Their WhatsApp-based advisory is well-suited for tech-savvy customers, emphasising clarity and accessibility. However, opportunities exist to further streamline decision-making by offering stronger, prioritised recommendations or scheduling follow-ups to expedite resolutions.

Sample comparison report:

Top Features of the Ditto:

• Extensive knowledge repository on navigating insurance
• Jargon-free policy explanations
• Personalised free advisory calls
• Transparent pricing comparisons
• Support during claims processes
• No spam calls

Strong PMF:

Ditto Insurance has successfully achieved strong Product-Market Fit (PMF) by addressing a significant gap in the insurance landscape. This is evident from the overwhelming positive feedback from customers across platforms, who emphasise Ditto’s customer-first approach, transparent communication, and seamless claim support. With testimonials highlighting the no-spam policy, easy-to-understand recommendations, and emotional connection during critical moments, Ditto has solidified its position as a trusted partner in insurance. Its ability to deliver consistent value to diverse audiences, from young professionals to families, underscores its alignment with market needs and customer expectations.

​Core Value Proposition of Ditto

For individuals and families who need clear, reliable, and hassle-free insurance solution, our personalised advisory-first platform simplifies complex decisions, ensures transparency, and provides dedicated support during claims.

Market Landscape:

Here is a quick illustration on the market landscape of Insurance industry in India:

Basic Competitor Analysis:

Feature Comparison:

Key Insights from the Comparison:

1. Ditto Insurance dominates in personalisation with personalised consultations, transparency, and spam-free service, Ditto offers a unique user-first approach.
2. Policybazaar excels in comparisons but lacks transparency. While it provides extensive comparison tools, it fails in delivering clear terms or personalized services.
3. InsuranceDekho falls behind in customer experience. Though it offers basic claim support and comparisons, it lacks the depth of educational content or transparency required by today’s ICPs.

Market Trends for Insurance:

1. Under-penetration of Insurance in India:

Despite being one of the fastest-growing insurance markets globally, India’s insurance penetration remains low at ~4.2% of GDP (IRDAI 2023). Health and life insurance are gaining traction, but adoption is still limited due to complexity and lack of awareness.

2. Digital Transformation:

The rise of internet usage (~759 million users) and smartphone penetration (~50% of the population) is driving a shift toward online platforms for financial services, including insurance reshaping customer expectations.

3. Increased Awareness Post-COVID-19:

The pandemic acted as a major trigger for health and life insurance adoption. Families realised the importance of financial safety nets, driving a surge in first-time insurance buyers.

4. Regulatory Push:

IRDAI reforms, such as simplified processes and guidelines encouraging digital distribution, are fostering innovation in the sector.

5. Younger Workforce:

Millennials and Gen Z, comprising ~60% of the workforce, are actively investing in financial security, including health and life insurance.

Market Sizing:

• Total Addressable Market (TAM)
• • Who: Active adult internet users in India who could potentially purchase insurance.
  • Size: ~410 million active adult internet users.
  • Reference: Statista reports (2024) and IAMAI-Kantar report indicate ~759 million internet users in India, ~54% of which are adults actively using digital platforms for transactions and financial research.
  • Assumption: Includes individuals across all demographics, irrespective of their current financial literacy or interest in insurance.
• Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM):
• • Who: Adults in urban areas actively searching for insurance or considering financial security products like health and life insurance.
  • Size: ~139 million users.
  • Reference: Based on NITI Aayog and IRDAI reports, ~28% of urban adults using internet are either purchasing or actively considering insurance.
  • Assumption:  Focused on tech-enabled, financially aware adults in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities.
• Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM):
• • Who: The subset of SAM specifically aligned with Ditto’s offering—urban Gen Z and millennials seeking personalised, jargon-free insurance advisory.
  • Size: ~13.9 million users
  • Reference: Reports by Google India and McKinsey Digital India suggest ~10% of GenZ & Millennials group actively engages with digital platforms for financial services like insurance.
  • Assumption: Ditto Market Focus is Urban, tech-savvy users (ages 24–35) likely to value personalised advisory.

Designing Acquisition Channel

Ditto is in Early-Scaling Stage

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Based on the prioritisation of acquisition channel, I'd like to focus on the following channels:

1. Paid Ads are essential for driving immediate visibility and capturing high-intent users actively searching for insurance solutions, providing quick wins and measurable ROI.
2. Content Loops leverage customer advocacy by incentivising social sharing, reviews, or referrals, creating a self-sustaining growth engine that scales with user engagement and builds brand virality.
3. Organic Channels like SEO blogs and YouTube videos align with Ditto’s educational-first approach, building long-term trust and driving sustained traffic at minimal cost.

Organic Channel

Ditto benefits from a strong organic reach, significantly bolstered by its distribution channel through Finshots, which provides a steady stream of engaged and informed users. However, despite this advantage, Ditto struggles to appear on the first page of Google search results for the most critical keywords that its ICP actively searches for. This gap in visibility highlights an untapped potential to capture a larger share of organic traffic by optimising for high-intent search terms. Addressing this issue can enable Ditto to align its strong advisory proposition with the moments when its target audience is actively seeking insurance solutions, thereby converting search interest into actionable leads more effectively.

How do users get to know about Ditto?

Summary of Channels:

1. Strong Channels - FinShots, LinkedIn UGC, Colleagues, and Friends & Family due to their trust-building ability and targeted outreach.
2. Emerging Channels - Instagram & LinkedIn Ads leverage social sharing and modern discovery behaviour.
3. Opportunities for Growth: Optimising Google Search and collaborating with financial blogs can expand reach to digitally active ICPs.

Keywords Identified

1. Use-Case Based Keywords:
2. 1. Best health insurance for families in India
   2. Affordable health insurance plans for couples”
   3. Life insurance with tax benefits
   4. Health insurance for pre-existing conditions India
   5. Which health insurance covers maternity benefits?
3. Product/Service Keywords:
4. 1. How does Ditto Insurance work?
   2. Ditto Insurance reviews
   3. Simplified health insurance advisory platform
   4. Is Ditto better than insurance brokers?
   5. Free insurance advice platform in India

Search Volumes

Observations:

1. Health Insurance consistently dominates search interest, indicating strong demand year-round.
2. Policy Bazaar maintains steady search interest, showcasing high brand recall and credibility.
3. Ditto Insurance shows sporadic spikes in search interest but remains low overall, indicating early-stage brand awareness.
4. InsuranceDekho has minimal search visibility, making it a less significant competitor compared to Policy Bazaar.
5. Search interest for health insurance lacks significant seasonal trends, suggesting it’s an evergreen category.

Insights:

1. Health Insurance is a priority category with broad and generic traffic, showing consistent user demand.
2. Policy Bazaar’s dominance stems from its strong brand equity and trusted position as an aggregator.
3. Ditto Insurance’s sporadic spikes indicate successful but isolated campaigns, needing sustained efforts for consistent awareness.
4. InsuranceDekho struggles with brand awareness, making Ditto’s focus on differentiation a key opportunity.
5. The evergreen nature of health insurance suggests potential for year-round engagement rather than seasonal bursts.

Implications for Ditto:

1. Focus on capturing health insurance-related keywords to tap into high-demand generic traffic.
2. Build consistent, sustained marketing campaigns to improve Ditto’s brand recall and search visibility.
3. Leverage Ditto’s unique advisory-first, no-spam approach to differentiate from competitors like Policy Bazaar.
4. Target awareness campaigns that educate users and emphasise Ditto’s trustworthiness, especially for niche needs.
5. Maintain a year-round campaign strategy for health insurance to align with consistent user interest.

Traffic Engagement:

Ditto has shown strong traffic growth with 2.169M visits globally, marking an 87.7% increase from the previous month. The majority of users (66.58%) access the site via mobile, highlighting the need for mobile-first strategies. Engagement metrics are solid, with a 3:43 average visit duration, 3.71 pages per visit, and a bounce rate of 45.4%. Ranked #4,079 in India and #625 in the investing/insurance sector, Ditto has a strong foothold in its target market but can optimise further to climb the industry rankings. The upward trend in traffic is promising, driven by effective campaigns and increasing visibility.

Focus Areas:

• Optimise for mobile users.
• Improve bounce rates to boost conversions.
• Identify what’s driving the recent growth and scale those channels further.
• Keep building trust and visibility to climb industry rankings.

Distribution Plan:

Primary Platform

A. Google Search (SEO)

Method:

• Target high-volume, evergreen health insurance keywords like “best health insurance for families in India” or “health insurance for pre-existing conditions.”
• Use long-tail keywords such as “simplified insurance advice platform” to capture niche searches.

Why: High intent search behaviour for health insurance terms shows consistent demand year-round.

Content Ideas: SEO-optimized blogs and landing pages for FAQs like “How to choose health insurance in India.”

B. LinkedIn

Method:

• Promote thought leadership through posts that highlight Ditto’s differentiation (e.g., no spam, transparency, family focus)
• Amplify user testimonials to build credibility and trust
• Tailor content towards mid-career professionals and family-oriented ICPs

Why: Users in professional networks (e.g., ICP 2 and ICP 3) frequently engage with recommendations and are likely to trust insurance advisors through LinkedIn.

Content Ideas: Share relatable user stories, “How Neha secured her family with Ditto.” or "Repost UGC testimonial"

C. Finshots

Method:

• Create dedicated segments for insurance advice, integrated into the existing FinShots newsletter.
• Offer exclusive call-to-actions in FinShots content for readers to book advisory calls.

Why: Established FinShots readership trusts its content and is already aware of Ditto.

Content Ideas: “5 Insurance Tips for Every Indian Household.” or FinShots-exclusive user benefits, such as priority advisory slots.

Secondary Platforms

A. YouTube:

Method: Publish explainer videos like “Health Insurance 101” and “How Ditto Makes Insurance Simple.”

Why: Helps capture intent-based searches with visual, engaging content.

Content Ideas:

• “How We Simplify Insurance Advisory in 30 Minutes.”
• Comparison videos: “Policy A vs B – What Makes them Different.”

Content Loop

Preferred Content Loop:

Why can this work?

1. Alignment with ICP 2 (family-oriented individuals): During the interviews, one of the respondent shared, “I want to know if I’m doing enough for my family’s future. It’s hard to tell if what I have is sufficient or if I’m missing something.” This group often struggles with understanding how well-protected their family is, as highlighted during interviews. The Family Protection Score addresses this uncertainty by offering a clear, actionable metric. Hence improving the probability to create User-Generated awareness through the quiz
2. Increasing Social Signalling: A family-oriented user mentioned, “I often share financial milestones or achievements with my family and colleagues. It feels good to be seen as responsible.” The ability to share their Family Protection Score on platforms like LinkedIn and WhatsApp not only allows users to showcase their planning but also encourages others to take the test, creating a natural referral loop.
3. Encourages Iterative Engagement: Many users expressed confusion about whether their current insurance policies were adequate. One respondent stated, “I’ve bought insurance, but I’m still not sure if it’s enough.” The Family Protection Score offers iterative value by recommending additional steps to improve their score, such as adding health or life insurance policies.
4. Insurance is often perceived as boring and complex. A scoring system makes it tangible and gamified, encouraging users to interact with it out of curiosity or social competitiveness. The gamified aspect and sharability create a natural 1-few or 1-many loop within family and friend groups.

Distribution Plan:

The key-platforms for distribution for users are:

1. LinkedIn: Professionals, especially family-oriented individuals, can share their Family Protection Scores in posts with captions like, “My Family Protection Score is 90! Feeling proud and secure thanks to Ditto Insurance. How about yours?”
2. Instagram Stories: Using engaging visuals and polls, users can share their scores with captions like, “How protected is your family? Take the test at Ditto!”
3. WhatsApp Groups: Easy sharing options encourage users to post their scores in family or friends’ groups, sparking curiosity and peer comparisons.

These align with the current channels that Ditto is pushing for right now.

What's the Life-Time Customer Value for Ditto?

1. Average Order Value (AOV):
2. 1. The average commission rate for agents in India is 10% [1]
   2. The average health & life insurance policy premiums in India are typically around ₹20,000–₹25,000 per year. [2]. Average of ₹22,500 per policy
   3. Therefore, AOV = 22,500 * 10% = ₹2250
3. Frequency:
4. 1. Insurance policies are usually renewed 1.5 years (if multiple policies are purchased).
5. Retention:
6. 1. Given Ditto’s exceptional customer experience and industry trends, customers are likely to stay for 10 years (as long as claims are smooth and policies remain competitive).

LTV = AOV * Frequency * Retention

LTV = 2250 * 1.5 * 10 = ₹33,750

To maintain a healthy CAC:LTV ratio of 1:3 - Ditto can spend up to ₹11,250 to spend on paid ads to acquire one customer.

Choosing an ICP:

I want to choose ICP 2 - Family Oriented Individuals as my ICP for running paid ads. Family-oriented individuals are highly motivated to secure their loved ones’ futures, making them an ideal target for insurance products. Their life stages—such as planning for marriage, having children, or caring for aging parents naturally align with the need for comprehensive insurance coverage. This segment values trust, simplicity, and transparency, which perfectly matches Ditto’s no-spam, customer-first approach. This will allow us to secure the future customers today.

Channels:

LinkedIn and Google Search complement each other to effectively target Ditto’s ICP of family-oriented individuals.

• LinkedIn offers precise targeting based on professional attributes like job title, income, and location, making it perfect to engage working professionals who are more likely to invest in insurance. Its professional tone and focus on financial security align seamlessly with Ditto’s customer-first approach, building trust and credibility.

• Google Search captures high-intent users actively looking for insurance solutions. By targeting keywords like “best family health insurance” or “how to choose life insurance,” Ditto can reach users at critical decision-making stages. This ensures Ditto stays visible at the moment users are most likely to convert.

Core Marketing Pitch:

Insurance isn’t about policies, it’s about peace of mind. At Ditto, we don’t sell plans—we secure your loved ones with advice tailored to you. No jargon. No pressure. Just clarity and care. Let’s redefine what insurance feels like—book your free call now.

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