How to attract new patients to your practice with Instagram
(Updated 2025) Looking for healthcare marketing strategies or ways to advertise your veterinary hospital in 2025? Let's talk about patient acquisition on Instagram, baby!
My Instagram tips for doctors look a little different than what other marketing gurus will share. Anyone can update you on the specific social media strategies for your practice. Yawn. Boring posts get boring results. I'm here to help you grow your practice online by being anything but boring!
This is where we gotta get SPECIFIC and stop being GENERIC.
In this blog, you'll learn some key ways to attract patients to your practice with Instagram:
Post boldly using the Transparency Play.
Build trust through storytelling.
Share your unique perspective with POV posts.
Let's jump in, baby!
Attracting new patients to your practice with Instagram starts with defining your dream client, so let’s start with a brainstorm!
Questions to ask before trying to attract patients on Instagram:
What kind of patients or clients would make me feel lucky to own my practice?
What types of problems are they facing that I'm best suited to help with?
How do I solve those problems in a unique way?
Congrats! Answering those questions is key to social media patient acquisition... if you want clients you actually enjoy working with. And I'm here to help you create a veterinary or medical practice you feel lucky to own.
Now that we know who those patients are, you can use Instagram for patient growth. Jackpot, anyone?
I'm going heavy on the casino lingo with this, but I can't help it. A lot of people will tell you how to get new patients, but I want to tell you how to get the RIGHT patients using Instagram. We don’t do cliché clinic BS here.
Now increase patient acquisition on Instagram by using these types of posts:
1) The Transparency Play: Build Trust with Bold Messaging
You took some time to think about who you want coming to your practice, so why hide it? Be bold, baby! Attracting new patients to your vet clinic or medical practice is like dating. We gotta be clear on what we want if we wanna get lucky. ;)
The Transparency Play is one of my favorite social media tips for doctors because - hello! A lot of people are scared to do it, and that means it’s an opportunity. Doctors can have people-pleasing tendencies, and I’m here to knock those right outta you.
To play this card, try these prompts to create an IG post:
We're the (vet clinic/med spa/dentist) for you if...
Here's what we love about our favorite patients...
Our skills are awesome for handling (x type of cases)...
POV: You ask a group of (veterinarians/doctors/etc) who their dream clients/patients are...
Now these prompts are a little yawn, I'll admit. But you gotta add the spice, baby! Like - you could make an Instagram reel music video with your whole team rapping about your favorite types of patients. You could do a high-brow profile of a pet owner and their dog, like a magazine story detailing what they do in your city and why they come to your practice.
I'd need to know more about your practice's brand to give specific advice, but those prompts will get you started!
The Long Game mastermind member, Latah Creek Animal Hospital, crushes it when it comes to bold messaging to attract dream clients. So I’m going to cite them a few times. Check out this post that clarifies what they expect from pet parents:
2) The Storytelling Play: Showcase Real Results
I'll preface this by saying always get consent to share patient stories and abide by the ethics that guide your chosen medical profession. But telling stories about how you helped people or pets is a key strategy to attracting new clients to your practice.
The Storytelling Play is great because it offers social proof, showing potential clients that people trust you and you get results. In a world where there is increasing mistrust of medical and veterinary professionals, bring it back in with this one!
To play this card, use any of these prompts:
Here's how we helped (description of patient) get (x result)
If you came to us with (x issue), here's how we'd help get you (x result)
The second one is great because it can be more hypothetical if you have any privacy concerns, or if you are a startup practice. Just showing how you handle things will help build trust with potential patients.
For example, check out how Fauna Veterinary Collective shows what an annual exam looks like on an iguana. Even without results, it’s telling a clear story of what to expect! That’s also a strong option to use when playing the storytelling card.
Pro tip: Make sure you have the link to book with you in your Instagram profile!
3) The POV Play: Share Your Unique Perspective
I saved the spiciest type of Instagram post for doctors or veterinarians for last. But when done right, this one is how you hit the jackpot.
Potential clients or patients want to know how you think, so it's time for you to have a point of view. Now - I'm not saying go write a billion "UNPOPULAR OPINION, BUT..." posts. That trend is definitely overplayed for 2025, but having an opinion is always a strategy.
POV posts establish authority, in addition to building trust. They're also going to filter out clients who would disagree with you and be difficult to work with. Attracting more dream clients with Instagram AND repelling the energy-sucking demons? Ding ding ding!
(Don’t freak out - I say "demons" to be tongue-in-cheek. When you've got patients who are a bad fit for your practice, you're being pulled away from work that would be more rewarding. I want you to feel LUCKY to own your practice!)
To play this card, try these prompts:
A lot of doctors will tell you (x) about (y) issue, but I will tell you (z)
Visits with me aren't like visits with other doctors. When you come to me, (describe the experience you deliver)
Something I think needs to change about healthcare/veterinary care is...
When using any of these prompts, go back to those initial brainstorm questions. You want to ensure you're speaking to your dream client and telling them how you can help them! Otherwise, your practice's Instagram is going to blend in with the sea of other veterinarians and doctors.
Pro tip: Once you have a few of these posts you especially love, pin 'em to the top of your profile. That way, people will see right off the bat if you're the right fit for their needs!
Whatever you do, don't do generic "How to care for your puppy" or "Improve your dental health in 3 steps" type posts on Instagram. To attract new clients to your practice, you want to be clear on who you want, show them how you work, and avoid being boring at all costs.
That doesn't mean you have to do a dance or be funny, but you need to be YOU to attract patients to your practice using Instagram. Look how Latah Creek Animal Hospital addressed clinic-hopping in this post - that’s POV!
Quick FAQs about patient acquisition on Instagram:
What should I post on Instagram to attract new patients?
Refer to the prompts listed above, and be sure to include whatever came up during your brainstorming. This way, you're going to create unique content that doesn't just attract anyone. You'll attract new patients who are dream clients for your practice!
How often should healthcare providers post on Instagram?
This is tricky to answer because there is no one-size-fits-all. You could do a 9 grid of key posts and just update Reels and stories, or you could post to your feed daily. Depending on your current goals, it's going to look different. Generally speaking, I advise my clients to choose whatever posting schedule they can consistently stick to!
Can Instagram Ads help me grow my practice?
Of course! But before you start running ads, we need to know what we are advertising and marketing. This is why I have you doing brand strategy work in this blog, like defining your dream client and how you do things differently. You need those ingredients to create an ad that will attract dream clients, not just a bunch of randos.
Need help with patient acquisition on Instagram?
-Enter to win a strategy call with me where we can start unpacking what to do ($777 value)
-Book a Lucky Break private strategy day with me where we can dive deep and create a plan on this together in just a few hours
-Apply to work with my agency, The Snout Group, if you want a brand and marketing strategy done for you. Don’t let the pet-specfic name fool you - we are open to any type of independently-owned practice.