From influencer to big business, this nutritionist organically grew her company – JSHealth – through effective online personal branding. She discusses how she manages to organically grow a 231K following, the ups and downs of having a personal brand and how it Instagram became her revenue stream.
Jessica Sepel is a bestselling health author and international health and wellness influencer who took her business from half a million to several million in 12 months.
Her business initially was her blog, endorsement deals and sales from her books, however in February 2017 she launched the JSHealth 8- week program which grew the business from 400K – $7 Million in 12 months.
She credits her success to having authenticity online and building a loyal community of engaged followers from that real, personable approach.
In 2018 she launched new new game-changing App, the JSHealth App and her Vitamins range and in the past 5 months. In just the last 5 months, the vitamins range revenues are already up 326%, total business revenue is up 400% and community engagement and growth has increased by 430%.
Jess has achieved all of this at just 29 years of age. We had the pleasure of learning all about her journey and how she has achieved an engaged, ready-to-purchase 231K audience on Instagram.
What are the main reasons you believe your organic growth has been so successful on Instagram?
We believe that JSHealth’s biggest strength has always been the community. Instagram is an incredible platform that helped me foster this. A strong, loyal community naturally leads to organic growth for a brand, so we’ve been very lucky in that respect.
Another factor that has contributed to our growth is my willingness to be open. I’ve always been honest and vulnerable about my journey. That’s just how I am. From the beginning, I opened up about my fears, my daily struggles and how I’ve found healing. In fact, I still do this today. It’s so important to share who you really are on social media. We’re so surrounded with everyone’s ‘highlights reel’, so it’s important to share the real day to day.
Honestly, I think that’s what connected so many people. I feel fortunate that they’ve been on this journey with me. I always listen to the community, ask them questions and create content to keep them inspired and connected. For me, it’s always been about that connection and genuinely wanting to help others.
What are the biggest challenges in having a personal brand with your image and name?
To be the face of JSHealth is enormously beneficial, as the community have someone to connect and relate to. Having a name and face associated with a brand is powerful and comes with responsibility that you cannot take lightly. That said, I don’t think of myself as a ‘brand’.
I’m just another girl, like anyone else out there, going through the motions of my daily life. I’m sharing my truth and opening my heart to others, in the hopes of helping them do the same. Truthfully, I think of Instagram like a big friendship group where we share our thoughts and experiences – both good and bad.
When did you realise you could make an income from your social following?
I don’t really look at it like that. When I first started out, I was sharing my health tips, healthy recipes and advice on nutrition. In fact, I still share a lot of this with the community. I’ve always believed in providing people with a service and being of value. I guess that’s why my Instagram has grown; it has really helped people live a healthy life and overcome dieting, calorie counting and deprivation.
The products I’ve created have been requested by the community. They wanted more in-depth health guides, so I created my first e-book The Clean Life and then our signature 8-week Program. Then, I had a lot of requests for an app to make day-to-day nutrition advice more accessible, so we set out to build one.
The same goes for the vitamins. I chatted with the community and saw the need for extra nutritional support. Plus, I’ve always believed in the therapeutic benefits of good-quality supplements, so we set out to create our own. The transformations we’ve seen from our program, app and vitamins are phenomenal. They make all of the hard work worth it.
How important has Instagram been in your business & success
Instagram has been instrumental in the growth of JSHealth as a brand. It’s the tool that allowed me to share my innermost struggles, fears and desires. It’s also the tool – in addition to my blog – that allowed me to connect with other people all around the world who were struggling with health issues and disordered eating like I did.
Instagram has been incredibly important because it’s helped me connect with my audience. Some people might not realise this, but it’s actually me logged in to @jshealth, replying to every message and comment. To me, success is helping people live healthier and happier lives – it’s that simple.
Jessica Sepel is a clinical nutritionist, best-selling author, international health blogger and the beloved voice behind JSHealth and @jshealth. She is passionate about helping people overcome fad dieting and disordered eating, having gone through her own struggles with food. Her philosophy is focused around balance, rest and building a healthy relationship with food. She recently launched the JSHealth App, which features a world-first nutrition clinic, hundreds of healthy recipes, a daily meal planner, health guides, body love support and much more.
