Founded in 2013, Nutrition Raw is a London-based nutrition business that helps people improve their health through a predominantly raw, plant-based diet and healthier lifestyle. For more than a decade, owner Ariel Belloso built Nutrition Raw through the medium he knew best: writing.
Ariel has spent more than 10 years studying nutrition and has read more than 400 books on nutrition, health, and related subjects.
His articles, newsletters, and educational content have allowed him to share that knowledge with thousands of readers worldwide.
But video was a different story.
"I really don't enjoy being in front of a camera," Ariel said.
That meant a potentially valuable channel for reaching new audiences remained largely untapped. Then, while looking for an AI avatar tool, Ariel discovered HeyGen.
Today, he's publishing a new Reel every day across four social platforms and beginning to see more people discover Nutrition Raw and join his email list.
Turning 13 years of expertise into video
Ariel's approach to content has always started with research.
His interest in natural health began after his mother was diagnosed with leukemia in 2001. The experience led him to explore nutrition and raw, plant-based diets, eventually inspiring him to launch Nutrition Raw.
Over the years, writing became the foundation of his business.
"I enjoy researching nutrition, developing ideas, and communicating those ideas through articles and emails," Ariel said.
Email is particularly important. Ariel uses social media to introduce new people to Nutrition Raw, then encourages them to join his email list, where he can build a deeper relationship and eventually convert some subscribers into customers.
Video offered another way to reach those people, but traditional production didn't fit how Ariel wanted to work. HeyGen did.
"It allows me to do the part I enjoy, researching, thinking about the subject, and writing the script, while the avatar does the part I don't want to do," Ariel said.
Instead of changing his content process to accommodate video, Ariel can turn the work he's already good at into a new format.
Publishing one video every day
Before HeyGen, Ariel wasn't producing video content.
Now, he produces one Reel every day and distributes it across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
That's seven videos every week without having to organize cameras, lighting, multiple takes, or traditional shoots.
"HeyGen is essentially allowing me to build a video side of the business without having to become someone who spends his life in front of a camera," Ariel said.
The daily Reels are only the beginning.
Ariel's next experiment is longer-form YouTube content. He plans to publish one four- to five-minute educational video every week, giving him another way to turn his nutrition research into content that can reach new audiences.
For Ariel, that consistency is one of the biggest advantages of using an avatar.
"The message comes across clearly every time, without bad takes, forgetting lines, or having to record something over and over again,” Ariel said.
Turning social reach into email subscribers
Ariel is still early in his AI video strategy, but he's already seeing encouraging signals.
His HeyGen videos are generating considerably more views than his previous content. More importantly, Ariel says more people come from Instagram and join the Nutrition Raw email list.
"For me, that's much more important than views alone, because my business model ultimately depends on moving people from social media onto my email list,” Ariel said.
That makes video part of a larger growth strategy.
Around 80% of Nutrition Raw's audience is women over 45, many of whom are looking for practical ways to improve their health through nutrition and lifestyle changes.
Ariel's goal is to reach more of those people with useful content, bring them into his email audience, and build relationships that can eventually support business growth.
Keeping the expertise human
Using an AI avatar also raised a question Ariel had to consider: Would his audience care that the person delivering the message wasn't physically sitting in front of a camera?
Some viewers have noticed the videos are AI-generated. So far, Ariel says most don't appear particularly bothered by it.
He isn't either.
"For me, the important part is the message," Ariel said. "I've spent many years studying nutrition, so the ideas and the scripts are mine. HeyGen is simply the vehicle that communicates them."
That's also his advice to other experts considering AI video.
AI doesn't have to replace the knowledge or perspective that makes their content valuable. Instead, it can remove the part of content creation that keeps them from sharing that expertise in the first place.
In Ariel's case, that means spending more time researching and writing while HeyGen handles the delivery.
"If you have something worthwhile to say but you don't particularly enjoy being in front of a camera, it's an incredible tool," Ariel said.
After 13 years of building Nutrition Raw primarily through the written word, Ariel now has a way to bring that same expertise to video every day.
