THE IDEA KITCHEN: CONTENT CREATION TIPS FOR NUTRITIONISTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH ABRA PAPPA
- Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN
- 2 minutes ago
- 4 min read
If you've ever opened Instagram with the best of intentions—only to close it ten minutes later, overwhelmed and unsure of what to post—this one’s for you.
Creating consistent, engaging content doesn’t have to feel like a guessing game. Whether you’re brand-new to social media or have a few hundred posts under your belt, sharpening your strategy can make showing up online not just easier—but actually fun.
Here’s how to stock your content pantry with nourishing, idea-rich posts that reflect your unique expertise and connect with the people who need it most.
Content Creation Tips
1. Start with Strategy: Narrow Your Niche
Let’s get one thing straight: if you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one.
One of the biggest mistakes I see nutritionists make is bouncing between too many topics—posting about gut health on Monday, PCOS on Wednesday, and intermittent fasting on Friday.
While all of those may be within your wheelhouse, your Instagram audience (and the algorithm) is looking for consistency.
The Instagram algorithm needs clear signals to know who to show your content to. If your posts are all over the place, it won’t be able to categorize you—and you’ll struggle to grow an engaged following.
🔑 Action Step: Choose one focus area for the next 30 days. That might mean you’re the “IBS girl” for a while, or the go-to account for hormone-friendly snacks. You’re not locking yourself into that topic forever—but anchoring your content in one area will streamline your message and spark creative momentum.
🗂 TNHC Supervision Program Members: I went deep on this in our latest marketing webinar—be sure to catch the replay in the PBWG folder!
2. Create a Master Brain Dump List
Once you’ve chosen your content focus, it’s time to head into idea-generation mode.
Think of this step like prepping ingredients before cooking. You don’t want to be scrambling to chop onions when the pan is already hot—similarly, you don’t want to come up with content ideas on the fly when you're supposed to be posting.
Start a Google Doc or grab a notebook and brainstorm:
Client questions: What have you answered multiple times in session?
Passions: What lights you up to teach? What do you rant about to your friends?
Misconceptions: What myths are you dying to bust?
This becomes your content bank. You can revisit it again and again to batch ideas, plan posts, or pull something quick on a busy week. Just like a well-stocked pantry, it saves time and reduces decision fatigue.
Bonus tip: keep your list organized by theme or content format (e.g., myth-busting carousel, story tip, personal reel) to make creating even faster.
3. Ride the Trend Waves (Authentically)
Here’s some good news: you don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time you post. Social media thrives on trends—and those trends are meant to be repeated.
Think of trends like pre-set recipe formats. Everyone might be using the same ingredients, but your version will taste different based on how you season it.
Current trends making the rounds:
“I’m not falling for the propaganda…” → Great for calling out nutrition myths.
“The butterfly effect is crazy…” → A creative way to show how one health habit created big change.
“I asked ChatGPT to act like my drunk bestie and explain what I do…” → Funny, relatable, and a smart way to talk about your services.
👀 Tip: Use the Explore page, Reels tab, or type your niche (e.g., “gut health”) into the search bar and scroll. Look for formats you like. Then reimagine them in your voice.
Just make sure to make it yours. Trends work best when you bring your perspective, clinical experience, or sense of humor to the table. That's how your ideal clients find and trust you.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Show Up as YOU
Here’s the truth we don’t say enough: your content doesn’t have to be perfect—it has to be you.
As nutrition professionals, we’re in the relationship business. People don’t hire a Canva graphic or a perfectly edited reel—they hire you, because they feel connected to you.
You’re allowed to share your face. Your quirks. Your dog. Your unpopular nutrition opinion. All of that builds trust. It tells your audience: “I’m human, and I get it.”
So stop waiting until you feel 100% ready or polished. The best-performing content is often the most real. Give people a reason to root for you—and they will.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been stuck in content paralysis, consider this your permission slip to start simple. Pick a niche. Brainstorm what you know. Ride a trend if it fits. And most of all—show up like you’d talk to a client or a friend.
Your idea kitchen is already full. You just need to open the fridge.
Cheering you on always! - Abra
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN is a CNS Supervisor, business coach and nutrition mentor with 19 years of experience in the field. Abra is a clinical nutritionist, CEO of multiple wellness businesses, including a hit food blog, and corporate wellness program. Abra specializes in eating disorders and related digestive and hormonal imbalances. After running her own mentorship program for years, she joined Rebecca Snow at the Nutrition & Herbal Collective. Abra brings her enthusiasm and mad marketing skills to the interns and CNS candidates at TNHC. Come meet the supervisors of our CNS supervision program for nutrition students, and learn about who they are.
Attend our monthly Practice-building Working Group to get support from an experienced CNS supervisor and clinical nutritionist on all things business and marketing: discuss nutrition business ideas, get feedback and tips on nutrition marketing, get content creation tips, and answer your questions on starting a nutrition private practice or group practice.