The ABCs of a Period Health Claim
The common lines we all have heard before
Getting help from someone experienced in period and reproductive health can be tricky – the influencer environment makes it even harder to know who is qualified and who is not. And with the endless coaching programs and courses being advertised, it seems like everyone has some sort of “cure” or quick fix for better periods.
The marketing training involved in making these programs is interesting as well (I took some in the past when I used to think making a program would make me lots of money and therefore happy in my work). A big premise to promote a program, including those of period health, is to identify a “pain point” or a struggle that your ideal audience has, and to show how your course fights back or repairs that struggle.
Some marketing tactics also ask you to challenge beliefs that your audience holds around something, and educate them on how your program will bring them to better health and build new values. Real cognitive stuff.
It can get tricky because marketing can say almost anything to get a person to buy a product or a program. In today’s day and age where everything from skin care to vitamins to cook ware uses social media and influencer marketing, we add the element of making it look real to a viewer.
So how can you know what you’re actually looking at when someone makes a claim about period health or a program for it? Let’s look at the structure of a claim… you can use this to compare with the messages you see and decide what suits your needs and values!
1. “I’ve always struggled with…” This sets the background story of the person promoting the product – it gives us relevance to the product they’re promoting and it makes them more relatable to us. If they’re like us, it must mean their product will work for us too, right? This section may or may not divulge the elements of healthcare or support they had to go through to get more information – no one owes us this information but it’s good to keep in mind that self-diagnosing can be a thing too.
2. “So I did some research…” We don’t know for sure what intensity of research happened here. It could be a quick Google search, it could be a literature review, it could be a book they read. Again, we don’t know who they’ve worked with at this point and what information they gathered. Some people might explain in further detail, many don’t.
3. “And I developed a program that addressed [symptoms mentioned earlier]…” This is usually where they hook us, because if they have a condition like us and they have symptoms like us, and now they have an answer for it, we want to be involved. Again, we have no idea who they worked with to create this. And we definitely can’t guarantee that it works for everyone, because there’s no way one person has all the exact same symptoms as literally every other human. There’s definitely no way that one program addresses the needs of every single person without fail. Not to mention, if they recommend supplements, we might not know if they’re making money by commission on sales.
4. “If you want to [x, y, z changes], you can join my [insert free webinar here OR insert paid program]…” A free webinar brings people to your content quickly, and can sell them on a bigger product later. A paid program might be at a low cost with mention of the “typical” price that you won’t have to pay today. Creating a sense of urgency to spend, essentially. Listen, you’re allowed to do with your money as you choose. And there’s nothing to say folks aren’t allowed to promote stuff for money – being mindful of what’s happening at this stage can reduce the accidental overspending.
Do I think that all marketing in this way is a bad thing? No.
Do I think it’s important consumers are informed about marketing tactics and the folks using them? Yes.
You can keep influencers and program developers accountable by asking for more information about the research they conducted, their qualifications, and their business practices. And the most powerful thing you can do in a capitalist economy… is not spend your money
About the Creator
Emily the Period RD
Canadian Registered Dietitian with a special focus in reproductive medicine & gynecology. I write about nutrition for periods, hormones and everything in between!
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