With Youll, Wellness Creators Turn Content Into Cash

Designed by the agency behind the Headspace app, Youll allows creators to monetize content without turning off their followers

The fitness and wellness space is teeming with talented and passionate creators, many of whom have built impressive audiences through social media. But a large following doesn’t always translate into steady income, as creators often struggle to monetize their engagement or worse, they alienate their followers with overt forms of advertising. 

Youll, a company created by Work in Progress, the agency behind the Headspace app, helps creators tap into the lucrative app subscription business with a fraction of the usual barriers to entry. Offering the same quality as top-tier apps like Headspace, Youll provides an affordable alternative to constructing an app from scratch. With the platform, creators can have their own tailor-made, branded app ready to roll in just 30 days.

The platform works with all types of creators, but it’s gained significant traction among fitness and wellness professionals, including personal trainers, fitness coaches, yoga instructors, therapists and nutritionists. Youll uses a “no-code” approach to app development, meaning creators don’t need any technical knowledge to set their app up or manage it once it’s up and running. 

“The app can be used to provide exclusive access to content, courses, or programs, which (creators) can charge for on a subscription basis,” Alex Bejan, CEO of Youll, tells Athletech News. “Moreover, by having their own app, they can tap into in-app purchases, upsells and affiliate marketing, adding more streams of revenue.”

Building Your Brand

Youll also helps creators curate unique experiences for their community members and foster brand loyalty. 

“Youll isn’t just a tool; it’s a bridge between creators and their followers,” Bejan says. “By allowing creators to deliver constant and quality content via their customized app, it nurtures a deeper connection.” 

To help creators build community through their custom app, Youll offers features including push notifications to remind users about new content like workouts or meditation programs. With membership tiers, creators can offer different subscription levels to their followers, including exclusive content for premium subscribers.

Another feature, Journeys, allows creators to design curated content playlists to ensure their followers engage with content in a meaningful sequence, like a “beginner’s journey” for someone new to the app. Youll is also leaning into gamification, incorporating things like challenges, badges and leaderboards to motivate users, encourage consistent app usage and boost overall engagement.

In all, Youll offers more than 100 tools that creators can pick from to ensure their app provides an experience that best speaks to their followers, including a customized home screen with optional user-specific recommendations. 

“It’s all about making followers feel they’re part of something bigger – a genuine community,” Bejan says. “This sense of belonging is priceless in building loyalty.” 

Put Your Followers First

One of the biggest mistakes creators make when trying to monetize their following is turning away from what originally made them popular, according to Bejan. 

“The real pitfall for many creators is forgetting their roots,” he says. “While brand deals can be lucrative, creators often sideline their original content, which is what won their audience over in the first place.” 

Fitness and wellness creators that become popular should be wary of “putting dollar signs before genuine content,” Bejan suggests, since they run the risk of losing touch with what their audience truly desires. 

“Bombarding followers with endless ads or putting too many things behind a paywall is a surefire way to put off your tribe,” Bejan notes.

The balance between content and business is a tough one for many creators to strike. Youll effectively takes much of that struggle away with the content-monetization features it builds into apps, freeing creators up to spend more time focusing on their art and less on dollars and cents. 

Just the Beginning

Youll is just getting started; expect to see more innovations and features down the line as the company listens to feedback from creators and leverages the expertise and relationships of Work in Progress, which has collaborated with organizations including Stanford University, Kama, Bitdefender, Zenefits and Staples in addition to its work with Headspace.

“Being part of the Work in Progress ecosystem means Youll isn’t just another app; it’s a product built on a history of innovation and excellence,” Bejan says. “This pedigree ensures that Youll not only thrives in the market but also continues to evolve and lead.”

The company is already working with Othership, a boutique wellness studio whose app is built on Youll, to integrate with Apple Vision Pro to deliver immersive VR content. Youll is also gearing up to release a quick app builder on youll.com, allowing people to experience the company’s app features first-hand and get a feel for their capabilities.

“As always, we’re receptive to feedback and are constantly exploring new features and improvements to empower creators even more,” Bejan says.