Reels That Work Now + Getting AI to Recommend Your Business

The wellness creator landscape is shifting fast, and we're here to break down exactly what's working right now. From the death of hyper-produced content to the sneaky ways AI is changing how clients find you, we've got the inside scoop on trends that actually matter for your business.

Think of these variety show episodes as your private peek into our daily conversations – the stuff we're Slack messaging each other about at 9 PM when we’re supposed to be “off.” Let’s tackle the first topic.

Face-to-Camera Storytelling is Dominating Short-Form Video

Remember when Instagram Reels had to be perfectly choreographed mini-movies? Those days are officially over, and honestly, we couldn't be happier about it.

What's working now: Authentic, unpolished, face-to-camera storytelling. We're talking about you, sitting in your car after a client session, sharing what just happened. No fancy lighting, no scripted transitions, just real human connection.

This trend started on TikTok (because, of course, it did) and has fully migrated to Instagram Reels. The algorithm is rewarding content that feels like you're talking to your best friend, not performing for a camera crew.

Why This Matters for Wellness Creators

This shift is actually brilliant for our industry. Wellness is deeply personal. People want to connect with real humans, not perfectly curated avatars. When you share the moment right after a breakthrough session with a client (keeping it confidential, obviously), or talk about the technique that just clicked for you, that's gold.

Pro tip: The magic formula seems to be stories that hook people immediately. Think "Here's what happened to me an hour ago" rather than "Welcome back to my channel."

The Crowdsourcing Question Trend

Here's something we're seeing everywhere on TikTok but barely anywhere on Instagram (opportunity alert!): asking your community direct questions. Not the generic "What's your favorite self-care Sunday activity?" but specific, practical stuff.

Picture this: "Hey, it's summer and I'm looking for a new sunscreen that doesn't make me look like a ghost. What are you using?" Then you read the comments, boost engagement, and genuinely get great recommendations. It's authentic because these are real questions we're all asking anyway.

For wellness creators, this could be: "I'm looking for a great breathwork app that's not $30 a month – what do you love?" or "Where are you finding affordable organic produce in [your city]?" The key is asking questions you actually want answers to.

Carousels Are Back (With a Musical Twist)

Plot twist: Carousels are trending again, but with a modern upgrade. We're seeing them perform really well when paired with trending music, which makes total sense when you think about it.

Why we love this: Carousels are incredibly easy to create, especially with tools like Canva that can whip up graphics in seconds. Plus, they're perfect for Facebook and Instagram ads, so you're killing two birds with one beautifully designed stone.

The Editing Reality Check

Here's where it gets interesting – while face-to-camera content should stay raw and unedited, other types of content are actually being rewarded for good editing. The platform wants variety, not the same style of content over and over.

Summer homework assignment: Pick one or two AI video editing tools and get comfortable with them. Tools like CapCut for quick edits or Descript for longer content can cut your editing time from hours to minutes. We use Riverside for our podcast recording and editing, and it literally creates our social clips automatically. What used to take us (or our team) hours now happens in minutes.

Captions Are the New Hashtags

Here's something that's flying under the radar but shouldn't be: captions are now searchable and SEO-optimized on most platforms. Hashtags? They're basically decorative at this point.

This means you can't just slap "New episode out!" on your posts anymore (sorry, we're calling ourselves out here). The words you use in your captions are how people discover you now. AI tools and search engines can read your entire caption, so make those words count.

What we do now: We have AI create 2-3 sentence summaries of our actual content and use those across platforms. It's the same format every time, but it's describing real content we created, not robot-generated fluff.

The Reddit vs. Anthropic Drama (And What It Means for You)

Okay, this one's a bit spicy. Reddit is suing Anthropic (the company behind Claude AI) for allegedly scraping their content without permission. But here's the kicker – Sam Altman (OpenAI's CEO) has a major ownership stake in Reddit, and Reddit just signed a deal with OpenAI.

Suspicious , right? It feels a bit like using your platform to take down your competition, but that's just us speculating with our conspiracy minds.

The Bigger Picture for Content Creators

Here's what this really means: everything we put online is potentially training AI models. Your blog posts, podcast transcripts, social media captions – it's all fair game for AI training data.

We're not saying this to freak you out (though we did have a moment of "wait, what?" when we realized this). It's just the reality of creating content in 2024. The good news? Your unique voice, perspective, and human experiences can't be replicated by AI, no matter how much it scrapes.

How to Get AI to Recommend Your Business

Now for the big one – the trend that's quietly revolutionizing how clients find wellness creators. Google's AI summaries are reducing click-through rates by up to 34.5% for websites. That's not a typo – people are reading AI summaries instead of clicking through to actual websites.

Translation: If AI isn't recommending you, you're becoming invisible.

Write for Questions People Actually Ask

This isn't that different from old-school SEO, but it's more important than ever. You need to create content that answers the exact questions your ideal clients are typing into ChatGPT or Google.

Instead of: "Holistic Wellness Transformation Journey"
Try: "How to Sleep Better When You Have Anxiety"

Instead of: "Mindful Movement for Self-Care"
Try: "Best Yoga Poses for Lower Back Pain"

People aren't asking AI about "self-care" – they're asking about specific problems they want solved. Match that language exactly.

The FAQ and How-To Content Strategy

AI loves content that's structured in question-and-answer format or step-by-step guides. This is where you can really shine as a wellness creator.

Blog post ideas that AI will love:

• "What's the Best Online Platform for Yoga Teachers to Sell Memberships?"

• "How to Start a Wellness Business with No Experience: 10 Steps"

• "Pilates vs. Yoga: Which is Better for Beginners?"

Structure these with clear headings (H1, H2, H3) that mirror the exact questions people are asking. Keep the language simple and specific – no wellness jargon that sounds pretty but means nothing.

Drop Your Own Name (A Lot)

This feels weird at first, but it works. Mention your business name and your own name throughout your content. Instead of saying "wellness practitioners often recommend," say "at [Your Business Name], we help clients by..."

AI needs to know who you are to recommend you. Make it obvious.

The "Best Of" Content Goldmine

Here's a secret weapon: "best of" content performs incredibly well with AI. People are constantly asking things like:

• "What's the best meditation app for beginners?"

• "Best supplements for hormone balance"

• "Best time of day to do breathwork"

Create content that positions you as the expert giving these recommendations, and AI will start including you in those conversations.

The Technical Shortcut (For the Brave)

If you're feeling adventurous, you can use something called schema markup – basically little bits of code that tell AI "this is an FAQ post" or "this is a how-to guide." You can ask ChatGPT to create this code for you and paste it into your blog posts. It takes two minutes and can make a huge difference in how AI interprets your content.

Not tech-savvy? Just focus on the FAQ and how-to format. That's honestly 80% of the battle.

Staying Human in an AI World

Here's our biggest piece of advice: use AI as your assistant, not your replacement. We use AI to help with captions, summaries, and administrative tasks – the stuff we used to hire assistants for. But the core content? That's all us, talking into microphones about stuff we actually care about.

The conductor analogy: Think of yourself as the conductor of an orchestra. You're directing the AI tools, telling them what you want, editing their output until it sounds like you. You're in control, not the other way around.

AI can help you write better captions, but it can't replicate your unique perspective on helping people heal. It can't share your personal breakthrough moment or your specific approach to working with clients. That's your superpower.

The Bottom Line

The wellness creator landscape is evolving rapidly, but that's nothing new. We've weathered algorithm changes, platform shifts, and industry transformations before. This AI revolution is just another wave to surf.

What hasn't changed: People still want genuine connection, authentic guidance, and real solutions to their health and wellness challenges. They still want to work with humans who understand their struggles and can guide them toward feeling better.

What has changed: How they find you and how you can position yourself to be found.

The creators who thrive in this new landscape will be the ones who stay curious, adapt quickly, and remember that behind every search query is a human being looking for help. And that's exactly what we're here to provide.

Keep showing up, keep being human, and keep helping people feel better. The rest is just tactics we can figure out together.

What trends are you seeing in your corner of the wellness world? We love hearing what's working for our community – it's how we all stay ahead of the curve together.

RESOURCES:

Marvelous Software Platform
Well Well Well Marketplace