If you're a practitioner trying to grow on social media right now, I have some good news:
You do NOT need to become an influencer.
You don't need to dance.
You don't need a perfect studio.
You don't need to spend hours editing videos.
And you definitely don't need to post another generic graphic telling people to “drink more water.”
What you DO need is content that makes the right person stop scrolling and think:
“Wait. This is exactly what I've been dealing with.”
We analyzed more than 200 public-facing practitioner accounts across women's health, hormones, menopause, fertility, pelvic health, nutrition, mental health and integrative care to see what was actually getting attention.
And there was one thing the strongest accounts had in common:
They weren't necessarily the loudest. They were the clearest.
Clear about who they help.
Clear about what they know.
Clear about why someone should keep watching.
And clear about what that person should do next.
There's also been a HUGE shift in how social media works.
People no longer only see posts from accounts they follow.
Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and other platforms increasingly show people content based on what they're interested in right now.
Welcome to the world of Interest Media.
For practitioners, that is a massive opportunity.
Because it means you don't necessarily need 50,000 followers to get in front of the right people.
Every single post has the potential to reach someone who needs exactly what you do.
But your content has to give the algorithm (and the person watching) a reason to pay attention.
Here are the five things I would focus on.
1. Stop Starting Your Videos With Boring Hooks
The first few seconds matter more than ever.
But a “strong hook” doesn't mean being dramatic, controversial or shouting at the camera.
It means the person watching should immediately know:
“This is for me, and I want to know the answer.”
The strongest hooks we found generally did one of three things:
| Hook | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| A clear teaching promise | Tells people exactly what they're about to learn |
| A specific question or problem | Makes someone immediately recognize themselves |
| A myth or misconception | Creates curiosity because it challenges something they believe |
The big takeaway?
Specific beats broad. Every. Single. Time.
Instead of:
“Let's talk about hormones.”
Try:
“What should you ask when you're told your symptoms are ‘normal’?”
Instead of:
“Here are my favourite meals for meal prep.”
Try:
“3 protein-packed meals that make hitting your daily protein goal ridiculously easy.”
Instead of:
“Let's talk about pelvic floor health.”
Try:
“Bladder leaks after having a baby may be common. But that doesn't mean you have to live with them.”
See the difference?
One sounds like a lecture.
The other gives me a reason to keep watching.
Some of the strongest hooks we found were incredibly simple:
“Can you get pregnant at 40?”
“What's the best prenatal vitamin?”
“Why I meal prep with PCOS.”
“What's the best type of hormone therapy?”
None of these are complicated.
They are simply specific.
A great formula to steal is:
Specific person/situation + specific problem/question + what you're going to help them understand.
For example:
“If you're in perimenopause and suddenly waking up at 3 a.m., here are three things I want you to know.”
Compare that to:
“Today I want to talk about sleep.”
One stops the scroll.
The other gets scrolled past.
2. Give People Something Worth Following You For
This is where practitioners have a HUGE advantage over traditional influencers.
You actually know stuff.
You have years of education, clinical experience and conversations with real patients.
Use it.
Your content can answer the questions people are already typing into Google, asking ChatGPT, discussing with friends and wondering about at 11 p.m. when they can't sleep.
That could mean:
- Answering one question you hear constantly
- Sharing a simple checklist someone can save
- Clearing up a common misconception
- Explaining what someone can expect from a consultation, test or treatment conversation
- Breaking down something complicated into plain English
- Sharing one practical thing someone can do or think about next
And no, you are not “giving everything away for free.”
You are showing people how you think.
That matters.
Because before someone books an appointment, they are often silently asking:
Does this person understand my problem?
Do I trust them?
Do they seem knowledgeable?
Would I feel comfortable talking to them?
Your content can answer those questions before that person ever contacts your practice.
That's how social media builds trust.
3. Stop Hiding Your Expertise
There is so much health information online now that people genuinely don't know who to listen to.
Your credentials matter.
Your experience matters.
Your point of view matters.
But you don't need to recite your entire bio at the beginning of every Reel.
Instead, weave your authority naturally into what you're saying.
For example:
“This is a question I hear constantly in my fertility practice.”
“As a pelvic floor physical therapist, this is something I wish more new moms knew.”
“After working with women in perimenopause for years, this is one of the biggest areas of confusion I see.”
Done.
You've established why someone should listen without spending 30 seconds telling them where you went to school.
The strongest practitioner accounts we reviewed did this extremely well.
They weren't hiding behind vague “wellness” content.
You knew they were doctors, nurses, therapists, NDs, specialists and healthcare professionals.
They showed up as experts.
And that matters more than ever.
Because your goal isn't simply to get views.
Your goal is to become the person people remember when they finally decide they need help.
4. Stop Reinventing Your Content Every Week
This is one of the biggest reasons practitioners struggle to stay consistent.
Every week they sit down and think:
“What am I going to post?”
Don't do that.
You don't need 52 completely different ideas.
You need a handful of repeatable content formats that you can use again and again.
| Content Format | Example |
|---|---|
| Questions I Get All the Time | “A question I hear constantly about HRT…” |
| Myth vs. Reality | “Here's what people get wrong about…” |
| 3 Things to Know | “Three things I want every woman over 40 to know…” |
| What I Wish Patients Knew | “One thing I wish more people knew about…” |
| Q&A | “Someone asked me this yesterday…” |
| Save This | “Save this checklist before your next appointment.” |
| Behind the Expertise | “Here's how I think about this with my patients…” |
| Long-Form Clips | Pull one great moment from a podcast, webinar, interview or Live |
This makes content dramatically easier to create.
And here's one of the easiest content strategies I can give you:
Write down the 10 questions your patients ask you most often.
There are your next 10 pieces of content.
Seriously.
You don't need to constantly chase trends when your patients are already telling you exactly what they want to know.
5. Tell People What to Do Next
One of the biggest mistakes we see is ending a good post with:
“Follow, like, comment, share, save, DM me and click the link in my bio!”
That's six CTAs.
Pick one.
If you taught something useful:
“Save this because you'll want it later.”
If you want engagement:
“What question do you want me to answer next?”
If you have a resource:
“I put the full guide in my bio.”
If you want questions:
“Drop your question below and I may answer it in my next video.”
If you have a useful download:
“Comment CHECKLIST and I'll send it to you.”
One post. One next step.
Then pay attention to what happens.
And please, stop judging the success of every post by views alone.
Views matter. They tell you whether your content is being distributed.
But they don't tell you everything.
Look at:
- Reach
- Watch time
- Saves
- Shares
- Comments
- DMs
- Profile visits
- Link clicks
- Questions people ask
- Qualified inquiries
- And ultimately, bookings and new patients
A video with 100,000 views that attracts nobody remotely interested in becoming a patient may be far less valuable than a video with 4,000 views that generates three qualified inquiries.
Virality is not the goal. Relevance is.
The Simplest Social Media Plan You Can Start This Week
If you've been overthinking social media, start here.
- Write down the 10 questions patients ask you most often.
- Pick ONE question.
- Turn it into a specific hook.
- Answer it in the simplest way possible.
- Choose one clear CTA.
- Post it.
- Look at what happened and use that information to make the next post better.
That's it.
Then do it again.
And again.
You do NOT need to become an influencer.
You need to become easy to understand, easy to trust and impossible to forget.
The Bottom Line
What's working on social media right now isn't more content.
It's more relevant content.
The practitioner accounts standing out right now are doing five things exceptionally well:
- They start with something specific.
- They teach before they sell.
- They make their expertise obvious.
- They use repeatable formats instead of constantly reinventing the wheel.
- They give people one clear next step and pay attention to what happens.
That's the strategy.
Because the person scrolling through Instagram tonight does not need another generic health tip.
They need to come across a practitioner who makes them stop and think:
“Finally. Someone who understands exactly what I'm dealing with.”
And when that happens consistently, social media stops being something you feel obligated to post on.
It becomes an authority-building and new-patient engine for your practice.