Channel playbooks
Last updated · Published by Wellness Marketing Reports
These six playbooks cover the channels FemTech and sexual health brands can run without depending on ad platform approval. Each one explains why the channel works for restricted categories, the steps, what to measure, and the mistakes to avoid.
Start with the channel closest to how your buyers already decide. If clinicians influence purchases, begin with B2B outreach. If buyers research privately, start with search and email. Wellness Marketing Reports' 2025 research found 40% of the 63 companies interviewed ran strategic partnerships as a core channel, the most common answer.
Founder led, uncensored, and searchable for years.
Read the playbookCold lists become booked calls, affiliates, and wholesale.
Read the playbookThe channel no ad policy can switch off.
Read the playbookAnswer the questions ads are not allowed to.
Read the playbookEducation first, built around each platform’s rules.
Read the playbookVetted creators, with the return modeled first.
Read the playbook| Channel | Censorship exposure | 2025 research finding | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic partnerships and B2B outreach | LowDirect conversations with clinicians and partners | 40% of companies (25 of 63) run it as a core channel | Products doctors can recommend, wholesale, or prescribe; B2B services |
| Educational content and search | LowPublished on your own website | 30% cite educational content and trust building as most effective | Products that need explaining before someone will buy |
| Podcasts | LowHosts set their own rules | 14 of 63 companies use podcasts as a key channel | Founders who can teach; topics that need long form nuance |
| Email and SMS | LowOwned list, no ad review | Not quantified in the published research summary | Any brand with site traffic to capture and nurture |
| Organic social media | MediumPlatform specific content rules apply | Not quantified in the published research summary | Education and discovery that feeds owned channels |
| Creator partnerships | MediumPosts still live on restricted platforms | Not quantified in the published research summary | Brands with a clear buyer profile to match against audiences |
| Paid social and search ads | HighMeta, Google, and TikTok restrict body, hormone, and sex topics | ROAS below 1.0, a net loss, is the common outcome under medical censorship | Narrow tests with copy that stays inside platform policy |
The channels that hold up best are the ones ad policies cannot easily block: strategic partnerships, educational content, podcasts, email and SMS, and search. In Wellness Marketing Reports’ 63 interviews, 40% of companies ran strategic partnerships as a core channel, 30% cited educational content and trust building as most effective, and 14 companies used podcasts as a key channel.
See this answer in the full FAQPartnerships with clinicians, clinics, complementary women’s health brands, affiliates, and wholesale buyers are the most common. They work because a trusted partner introduces your product without an ad platform in the middle. In Wellness Marketing Reports’ research, 25 of 63 companies, or 40%, ran strategic partnerships as a core marketing channel.
See this answer in the full FAQOften, yes. Podcasts let founders explain the medical nuance that ad platforms strip out, and episodes stay searchable, so reach compounds over time. Fourteen of the 63 companies in Wellness Marketing Reports’ research used podcasts as a key channel. The podcast placements playbook explains how to pitch hosts and track sales through post purchase surveys.
See this answer in the full FAQEmail is one of the few channels you fully control, so it matters more when ads are restricted. In one Wellness Marketing Reports engagement, the abandoned cart recovery rate rose from 2.3% to 12.2% in two months. Wellness Marketing Reports cites a Klaviyo industry average of 3.33% for abandoned cart flows. Wholesale orders were removed from the reported email numbers.
See this answer in the full FAQSEO is search engine optimization, GEO is generative engine optimization, and AEO is answer engine optimization. Together they help your pages appear in search results and get cited in AI generated answers. Search matters for restricted categories because buyers type the questions ads cannot answer. HubSpot reports 32.9% of internet users aged 16+ discover new brands via search engines.
See this answer in the full FAQCreator partnerships can work when the creator’s audience overlaps your buyers and the deal is modeled before signing. Wellness Marketing Reports projects the return on each placement using rates, reach, and past conversion measured against category benchmarks. Creator posts still live on platforms with content rules, so briefs need the same care as your own social content.
See this answer in the full FAQEmail Wellness Marketing Reports and ask for a free channel audit.
Published by Wellness Marketing Reports