There's a mistake I see a lot of women's health founders making when it comes to their marketing.

You see a gap, you build something genuinely brilliant to fill it, you have the clinical expertise, the lived experience, the conviction that women deserve better than what they've been getting.

And then you sit down to write your homepage, or your first Instagram post - and without realising it, you describe what you've built from the inside out.

Your credentials, the clinical validation, the methodology, the thing you've created and why it works.

Now, all of that is real and none of it is wrong, BUT it is coming from your perspective - not the women you want to communicate with.

Here's the thing about the woman who lands on your website. She doesn't arrive thinking "I need a hormone-informed nutrition programme" or "I'm looking for a specialist in pelvic floor dysfunction."

She arrives thinking: "I haven't felt like myself in months and I need someone to understand that."

Why it happens

The inside-out trap isn't a failure of empathy. Every founder I've worked with cares deeply about the women they're trying to reach, that's why they built what they built.

It happens because you're so close to it. You've thought about your business from every angle, you know exactly what it is, what it does, and why it matters. The natural starting point is the thing you know best - which is your own perspective.

There's also a pressure, particularly in healthcare, to lead with credibility. To signal to the world that you're serious, rigorous, legitimate. And credentials do matter - they'll give women the confidence to buy or book, but they won't open the door.

A woman who has spent years being dismissed by authoritative voices is not looking for more authority. She's looking for recognition, she needs to feel that you already understand what she's been through before she'll trust that you can help her get somewhere better.

What this looks like in practice

The difference between inside-out and outside-in is easier to see than explain:

Inside-out about page: "We are a team of specialist clinicians offering evidence-based treatment across a range of women's health conditions."

Outside-in: "We started this clinic because we kept meeting women who'd been told their symptoms were normal. They weren't and you deserve better than that."

Inside-out homepage headline: "Advanced hormone testing for women, backed by clinical expertise."

Outside-in: "Finally understand what's been going on with your body."

Neither of the outside-in versions hides what the service is. They just lead with her experience before they explain yours. The clinical detail still needs to be there, it just comes second, once she already feels seen.

One thing to try this week

Find the first sentence on your homepage.

Read it as if you're a woman who has been dismissed, Googled her symptoms at midnight, and isn't sure this is going to be any different...

Ask yourself honestly: does this sentence say anything that makes her feel recognised? Or does it describe your business to someone who's already decided to trust you?

If it's the latter, try rewriting just that one sentence. Start with what she's feeling and show her you already know what she's carrying before you say a word about what you do.

Getting this right isn't about overhauling everything. It's about finding the right starting point, and sometimes just having a conversation is enough to see it clearly.

If you'd like to talk it through, drop me a message: mel@melschofield.co.uk - I'd love to help!

Next month 👀

I'm looking at the language gap - she's not searching for what you think she's searching for, and it's costing you the patients who need you most.

If this resonated, forward it to a founder in your world who's building something in women's health. And if you'd like to explore what this looks like for your brand specifically, I'd love to hear from you.

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