The Shift That’s Making So Many Businesses Invisible
You’re not imagining it. Getting clients and selling your courses is hard right now. You’re probably posting more, trying to show up in more places, and yet somehow, you’re seeing fewer clients sign up and fewer sales of your digital products and courses.
I’ve had this same conversation with countless coaches, course creators, and service providers and I’m here to say the thing nobody else seems willing to say out loud: the way people find and buy from coaches and online businesses has completely changed.
And if you don’t pivot now, you’ll slowly become invisible.
For years, the formula for being found online was predictable: a website, a blog, social media, an email list, and ads. Sure, platforms came and went, remember when everyone jumped from Facebook to Instagram, or when TikTok felt like the next gold rush? But the system stayed the same.
Until now.
The Collapse of Social Media as a Discovery Tool
Let’s be honest: Instagram engagement has basically collapsed.
The median engagement rate on any kind of post is less than half a percent. For accounts with fewer than 10,000 followers, organic reach is just two to three percent. That means most of your audience isn’t even seeing what you post.
Even Reels, the golden child of Instagram, are losing traction fast.
So if you’ve felt like you’re working harder than ever, posting constantly, just to stay visible… it’s not you. The platform you’ve relied on to bring in sales and clients has shifted under your feet.
And before you think, “Well, I’ll just run more ads,” let’s talk about that, too.
Facebook ad costs are skyrocketing. Targeting is weaker than it used to be. Bigger companies can outspend you a hundred times over and they do.
That cycle of more time, more money, fewer results is not a strategy. It’s a burnout plan.
We’ve Seen This Before And It Didn’t End Well
This isn’t the first time a platform change has blindsided online business owners.
Around 2018 and 2019, Etsy sellers were thriving. Thousands of them made consistent daily sales until Etsy changed its algorithm. Ads started getting priority, search rankings shifted, and overnight, visibility vanished for small shops.
Those who didn’t adapt were buried.
And now? The same thing is happening again but this time it’s not just Etsy or Instagram. The entire discovery system for how people find and choose who to buy from has changed.
The New Discovery System. AI Search
People aren’t scrolling Instagram for answers anymore. They’re asking AI.
Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity have become the new search engines.
When someone types, “Who’s the best business coach for new course creators?” or “What’s the best membership for yoga and scoliosis?”, AI is giving them answers and it’s not pulling from Instagram posts or Reels.
AI can only recommend content it can read, categorize, and verify.
That means:
Your stories? Invisible.
Your reels? Barely visible, AI can scrape the caption, but not the video.
Your podcast? Invisible unless you’ve transcribed it, posted it on a blog, and had it indexed.
If your content only lives in places AI can’t access, then to this new discovery system, you don’t exist.
How My Clients Are Already Getting Found by AI
This isn’t the future, it’s happening right now.
Clients in my YouTube Coaching Experience program are already being recommended by ChatGPT.
When I type, “Can you recommend someone to help me start living more frugally?” the top result is my client Hope. Her entire content library lives on YouTube.
When I search, “Who should I learn from if I want to write my website copy?” ChatGPT recommends another client, Ashlyn Writes.
And when I ask, “What’s the best yoga membership for scoliosis?” ChatGPT not only recommends my client Christine, but it links directly to her membership sales page.
Even my client Evelyn, known online as The Keto Lady, shows up when people ask ChatGPT for keto coaches for women over 40.
These aren’t huge influencers or celebrity creators. They’re small business owners, coaches, and educators who took the time to put their content where AI could read it, on YouTube and their websites.
That’s the power of visibility in 2025.
Why YouTube Wins in the AI Era
AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are indexing and recommending YouTube content right now.
Not just Google, AI itself is sending viewers to YouTube videos.
When I look at my own analytics, I’m getting more traffic from ChatGPT and Perplexity than from Meta ads I’m actually paying for.
That means my YouTube videos, once created, continue driving traffic, leads, and sales long after I hit publish.
Instagram posts vanish in 24 hours.
YouTube videos live and sell for years.
The Math Doesn’t Lie. Instagram vs. YouTube
Let’s break down the time investment.
Say you spend about 14 hours a month creating Instagram content, reels, posts, and stories. That content lives for roughly 24 hours each.
So you’re spending 14 hours to create content that disappears in a day.
Now, let’s apply that same 14 hours to YouTube.
You only need one video a week, four a month.
Each video might take around three hours to create, and each one lives on average for nine days, often much longer.
That’s 14 hours for content that lives and works for you month after month, instead of vanishing the next morning.
This is why you feel burnt out on Instagram. You’re feeding a machine that’s designed to consume and discard your content every 24 hours.
YouTube, on the other hand, builds momentum.
Each new video adds to your library of sales assets.
Each new view strengthens your authority.
Real Client Results from YouTube
If you think this only works for established channels, think again.
One of my clients hasn’t posted since February. She has about 100 videos on her channel, each one a sales asset. In August alone, six months after her last upload, she had 52,000 views, grew her audience by 1,000 subscribers, and made $1,000 from YouTube without posting a thing.
Another client started her channel just five months ago. She’s already grown to 3,300 subscribers, gained 24,000 views in August alone, made 40 sales, and booked two high-ticket clients all directly from YouTube.
This is what happens when you stop letting your content die after one day and start letting it live where people are actively searching for solutions.
How My Playlist Funnel Turns YouTube into a Sales Engine
Random, one-off video ideas won’t bring consistent sales—but a system will.
That’s where my YouTube Playlist Funnel comes in.
This system is made up of five strategic videos that guide your viewer from awareness to purchase all while building trust and authority along the way.
Video 1 reframes how your viewer thinks about their problem.
Video 2 gives them a quick win and builds trust.
Video 3 addresses common mistakes that hold them back.
Video 4 showcases proof—case studies, testimonials, or advanced insights.
Video 5 introduces your framework or system, leading naturally into your offer.
That sequence turns binge-watching into buying.
Just ask Belle, after publishing her first playlist funnel, she made $42,000.
Or Gina, She grew 3,300 subscribers in five months and books clients directly from her videos.
Or Alexis who now makes sales every week and took the summer off while still earning $2,000 in July and August.
This is the power of a compounding content system.
The Three Non-Negotiables for YouTube Success
I know it sounds exciting, but before you jump in, there are three things I need you to know.
First, your packaging matters.
Titles and thumbnails are everything. If your video doesn’t clearly speak to your ready-to-buy viewer, it won’t convert. Broad doesn’t sell, specific does.
Second, your first 20 seconds matter.
You can’t waste that time introducing yourself or adding fancy logos. You need to hook your viewer right away and deliver immediate value.
And third, your transitions matter.
Every video should lead naturally to the next. One clear call to action. No overwhelm, no clutter. This is how your funnel flows and how you keep both viewers and the algorithm on your side.
What This Looks Like in Real Life
Let’s imagine you’re a health coach who helps women over 40.
Your playlist funnel might look like this:
Video 1: Why Your Workouts Aren’t Working Anymore at 40
Video 2: One Habit to Boost Your Energy After 40
Video 3: Three Mistakes That Are Keeping You Stuck
Video 4: How My Client Lost 10 Pounds Changing One Thing
Video 5: The 90-Day Energy Plan for Women Over 40
Each video builds on the last, addressing real pain points and showing transformation.
When your viewer reaches that fifth video, they’re not a stranger anymore. They’re ready to work with you.
Your Next Step Starts Here
If you’re realizing your content isn’t future-proof, and you’re ready to finally build a strategy that works with the platforms of the future, not against them, now’s your moment.
Join me for my Build Your Big Reputation Virtual Conference, where I’ll walk you through how to map your Playlist Funnel to your offer, package your videos, and create a YouTube system that Google and AI can read, rank, and recommend.
Because here’s the truth: AI is already recommending your competitors.
If your content can’t be read, it can’t be recommended.
But when you start building your YouTube system, your content compounds. Your visibility grows.
And before long, you’re not chasing clients… you’re attracting them daily.
