Why Instagram Isn’t Getting You Clients—And What to Do Instead
In a world where you can become a millionaire by stroking your cat 500,000 times, or slicing bread to music, it’s no wonder people assume Instagram will make them money.
So many practitioners default to Instagram as their “marketing.” Most post nutritionally educational content because they’re passionate about empowering people through education. Except it’s not actually what most people want. To you it’s interesting and it’s your passion – but it’s not why people pick up their phones and open Instagram.
I hear all the time that it takes hours to create a single post, making consistency near impossible. Practitioners quickly become fixated on numbers—views, reach, followers—and feel pressured to create reels, even when many hate being on video. It ends up feeling like one big, frustrating experiment.
Instagram is not marketing. It’s not a business plan or a strategy. It’s just a tool—one based on the psychology and selling of attention. Yes, Instagram can be a great tool to generate clients. But not in the way people think, and most practitioners I work with hate using it but feel they must. This mindset is a recipe for inconsistency, resentment and time spent inefficiently that can be invested elsewhere for faster, income-generating results. A few do it well and enjoy it, but they are few and far between.
To make better, more aligned decisions about your marketing, you first need to understand how and why people use the app.
Here’s what typically happens:
Someone opens Instagram because they’re bored, low in dopamine, lonely, avoiding something, or just want entertainment. They watch a dancing video or a cat reel. It stops their attention and gives them a brief dopamine fix. It’s a temporary distraction from what they’re avoiding, or they forget about their problems for 60 seconds. In this endless sea of attention-grabbing content, you might post something about gut health. You’re passionate and want to educate. But this is a platform that rewards attention, not education. And your post might make someone feel bad about their habits—exactly what they were trying to avoid. So they scroll past or never even see it.
If you’re struggling with consistency and have no other way to get visible or reach new people, it’s time to shift toward more strategic, profitable and authentic decisions aligned with your purpose. Focus on efficient, income-generating activity.
Most practitioners I work with are intelligent, highly qualified, motivated—and very time-poor. That’s why I help them invest their marketing time wisely, in ways that get real results.
So what can you do?
The single skill we’re all born with is the ability to build relationships. Sometimes that skill gets weakened through negative experiences, but it’s still there. And it’s your marketing gold.
Real human connection that builds trust is vastly underrated. This is marketing. You don’t need to “sell” or “market” yourself in the way you might think. You started this journey because you believe in the transformative power of nutrition. Your mission is to share it with people who are ready to hear it.
That starts with being visible in the right places—places where people are receptive, not distracted. Think:
- Podcasts your ideal clients listen to
- Wellness events and fairs
- Complementary health exhibitions
- Online health magazines your ideal clients read
- Conferences, networking groups, gyms
- Women’s business memberships
- Social meetups for mums
You can even ask ChatGPT to find some of these groups and connections for you. Then choose a way to engage that feels purposeful to you. That could be online or offline. Share insights that move your audience one small step closer to their goals. It doesn’t have to be life-changing—it just needs to be helpful. And it needs to feel exciting and aligned for you.
That’s your marketing.
Take your audience on a journey through your communication channels of choice. Show them what’s possible. Share your values and express the results they can achieve—not just in terms of symptoms, but how their life could change.
When they trust you and understand the transformation you offer, tell them how they can work with you. Do it from a place of deep belief in your craft.
That’s your sales.
The beauty of modern marketing is you have choice. You can choose how to show up, where to show up, and who to work with.
It’s pure opportunity.
And here’s a final, simple action:
Start reaching out to one real, new connection every day. If you do that, your business will grow so quickly that you’ll never again wonder whether it’s worth spending two hours on another reel just to count the views.
What’s one way you genuinely enjoy connecting with people—and how could you bring more of that into your marketing this week?
Gwen is a renowned business coach, lecturer, and mentor with a background in leadership coaching, marketing, fitness, and nutritional therapy (DipION, 2006). Since 2015, she has trained thousands of nutrition & health professionals to build profitable businesses. She delivers expert business training for leading nutrition colleges, universities, and professional bodies worldwide.
