When you’re banned from Meta, denied bank accounts, and blacklisted from billboard placements… what do you do? If you’re Viv Conway, you build a brand so strong, people can’t stop talking about it.
Viv is the co-founder of Girls Get Off, the unapologetically fun and fiercely honest sexual wellness brand taking Australia and New Zealand by storm. Since launching during lockdown in 2020, Viv and her co-founder Jo have grown the sex toy brand into a household name, building a community of over 40,000 fans, notching up millions of organic video views, and even sparking headlines in the New Zealand Herald.
Girls Get Off isn’t just selling vibrators. It’s rewriting the ecommerce rulebook for restricted categories. In this episode of Add To Cart, Viv shares how she’s grown a high-engagement, high-trust brand without relying on paid media or traditional ecommerce levers.
Content Is Your Competitive Edge
With her ad channels constantly blocked due to her spicy content, Viv doesn’t try to outspend — she out-creates. Instagram is the brand’s main playground, where she posts engaging, often hilarious Reels that drive reach and relevance -by building trust, interest and conversions organically.
I think the biggest mistake people make when they are creating content for Instagram from a brand’s perspective is they forget that people don’t care what you have to say…you are competing for eyeballs against that person’s best friend, against their person who got married, against someone’s baby.
Girls Get Off uses humour and relatability to get attention—but Viv knows that reach isn’t enough. The brand ties every piece of content back to a conversion pathway.
“The content brings them in, but the systems need to do the rest. That’s why we’re so deliberate about email flows, website copy, and story links.”
For Viv, organic content isn’t a side project—it’s the main act. And right now, she sees Instagram as one of the best platforms to grow.
“At the moment, now is one of the best times to grow on Instagram because it’s taken on that algorithm like TikTok where it actually shows you to people who aren’t your followers.”
Turn Rejection into Rocket Fuel
Girls Get Off isn’t just blocked by Meta and TikTok. It had products refused by FedEx, ads banned from billboard spaces, and even had banks deny basic services. But Viv doesn’t get disheartened—she gets scrappy.
One of the wildest examples? The time the Bank of New Zealand refused to open them a bank account. Instead of backing down, Viv saw an opportunity for a story.
“So we applied for a bank account… they go, actually something’s flagging here, it’s not gonna quite work. I’ll check with my manager…and we got an email back saying your industry’s against our terms of service or something like that. So we got denied.”
Viv didn’t hesitate. She immediately released this would be perfect for a media opp. She sent the email straight to journalists, and the story exploded—resulting in front-page coverage, a surge in orders, and even a direct line to the BNZ CEO.
I actually messaged him on LinkedIn because I thought, oh my God…this poor guy, like some computer system’s just been like, no, and then this guy’s getting dragged through it. Like his face is on the first page.
Instead of playing it safe, Viv turns every restriction or refusal into a potential PR win. It’s the kind of storytelling ecommerce founders dream of. And she’s doing it without a PR agency in sight.
Let Your Community Write the Roadmap
At Girls Get Off, product development doesn’t start in a boardroom. It starts in the comments section, the DMs, and most importantly, inside their Facebook group of 40,000+ members.
“We get everything from like, I’m staying at my boyfriend’s house this weekend but his parents are home. I need suggested sex positions for a Suzuki Swift. You know, hilarious things like that.”
That group is where Viv listens, learns and builds. Fans openly share what toys they’re using, what they want more of, and what features they wish existed—often with more honesty than you’d get in any product survey. Viv also keeps an eye on reviews for other brands and has regular in-person chats with customers at expos to validate ideas.
Recently, the team started developing a vibrating butt plug after receiving a wave of DMs and emails from loyal customers asking for it.
The reason we’re making this product right now is because everyone keeps DMing us for one… A customer replied to one of our emails the other day saying, capitals, MAKE MORE PRODUCTS. Like we have all of them and we’re like, okay.
It’s a perfect example of community-led innovation: when you give customers the space to speak freely, they’ll tell you exactly what they want next—and even sell it to each other before you do. The result? Products that feel like they were designed with the customer, not for them.
When the Rules Don’t Work, Rewrite Them
Viv Conway’s approach to ecom is as rebellious as it is strategic. She’s not waiting for ad approval or investor permission. She’s building a business that thrives on authenticity, agility, and audience insight. In a category riddled with restrictions, she’s built a brand that thrives because of its creativity, resilience and community-first mindset. Viv and her team have turned every limitation—be it blocked ads, banned billboards, or banking knockbacks—into an opportunity to tell a better story, connect with customers more deeply, and build something genuinely memorable.
Want the full, unfiltered story—including FedEx bans, creature cocks, and the power of a well-named sex pillow? Listen to the full episode here.
