What social media do medical professionals use?

As you ramp up your practice marketing efforts and build your online presence, you may start to look for medical practice social media tips. With so many to choose from, you may be wondering which ones to prioritize. The key to choosing the best social platforms for your practice isn’t to head where other medical professionals are — it’s to head where your patients are going.

According to Tebra’s 4th Patient Perspectives report, 75% of respondents would follow their healthcare providers on Facebook. But other platforms included Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. And overall, 1 in 4 patients said they would follow their provider on social media if they posted regularly.

Depending on your patient demographics, communication style, and budget, certain platforms may lead to better connections with patients and prospects than others. Before making a decision, it helps to contextualize each platform.

Generally, most social networks skew more male than female (with no data available on various genders) and are dominated by Millennials and Gen Z. Both YouTube and TikTok cater to a wider age range. Facebook is popular among older generations.

All of these factors can play a role in which platform would work best for your physician’s practice.

But engagement rates and content types matter, too. If you hate recording videos and can’t outsource the work, TikTok or YouTube may not be the best place for your private practice to try to build a following. Likewise, if you prefer short writing and a more conversational atmosphere, Twitter might be ideal.

Facebook has been around since 2004, and it’s only natural that this legacy social media platform garners a lot of traffic. As of the end of 2024, 70% of US adults still use the platform regularly.

Businesses benefit from having a Facebook business page, even if they don’t use it very often. For example, since Facebook is considered a “high-quality” website by Google, having a Facebook page that links to your website can boost your overall SEO. A business page also opens the door to using other tools, like Facebook ads and Groups.

This platform also integrates well with Instagram and WhatsApp, both owned by Facebook’s parent company, Meta.

Facebook pros:

Facebook cons:

Instagram is the most popular social platform for both Millennials and Gen Z, making it ideal for catching the attention of adults and young adults looking for a primary care doctor, therapist, or other healthcare professionals. As a predecessor to platforms like TikTok, Instagram allows healthcare professionals to be flexible with their content, as you can post photos as well as videos. Another advantage to Instagram is that it links directly with your Facebook business page and you can leverage ads for both platforms from the same dashboard. 

Instagram pros:

Instagram cons:

LinkedIn is a career-based platform, so it’s easy to see why many Millennial, Gen X, and younger Baby Boomer users are active on it. Unlike other social platforms, users head to LinkedIn to post about their expertise and network with other professionals. 

Users are also very active, as LinkedIn has an average engagement rate of 3.16% — far higher than Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Furthermore, it’s possible to gain traction not only with a medical practice page but also with your personal LinkedIn account. This means that no matter where you go or what you do with your practice, your reputation is linked to your name. 

For clinicians who want to do more than attract patients, such as publish thought leadership pieces and connect with other health professionals, this is the place to do it. 

LinkedIn pros:

LinkedIn cons:

Doximity is one of the top social networking sites for clinicians in the United States. It describes itself as the LinkedIn for doctors, and while you can’t use it to interact with patients, it has features like a universal clinician directory, a HIPAA-secure forum, and ways to stay up to date with healthcare industry news and research.

The platform also offers a residency program directory for medical students to make informed decisions on their residency.

Sermo is a private social network for physicians. It allows users to complete paid medical surveys, chat with peers in the medical community, solve patient cases, stay on top of medical news, and access and contribute to a large drug review database.

Despite the controversy over TikTok, the platform continues to grow and attract a wide audience. More popular among Gen Z users than any other demographic, TikTok is an intuitive video app with a high organic engagement rate. In other words, more users are commenting, liking, and sharing content without a company investing advertising dollars. 

How does that compare? TikTok’s engagement rate is 4.25% versus Facebook’s 0.15%. While “free” or organic reach is declining across social media platforms, TikTok provides the highest rate. It is also replacing Google as a search engine among Gen Z. For that reason alone, this social network is worth considering. 

TikTok pros:

TikTok cons:

Twitter (now officially known as X) is another social media network with an uncertain future. After Elon Musk purchased the platform in 2022 and implemented significant changes, many staff and users fled the platform. Only 21% of US adults now use Twitter. But some decided to stay.

In particular, you’re likely to see more users between the ages of 25–35 and many in their 40s. This is in part because Gen Z users prefer Instagram and TikTok. Boomers tend to stick to Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

If you prefer short-form writing and interacting with other users over videos and images, Twitter might be the place for you. All you need to get started are words and your expertise, making it attractive for someone just getting started with social media. 

Twitter pros:

Twitter cons:

YouTube is one of the largest social media platforms in the US, second only to Facebook, and serves a whopping 74% of the population. In fact, the same study shows that usage is generally the same across gender and age. The only significant difference is that YouTube use drops significantly after the age of 54.

In other words, YouTube is an opportunity to reach a vast audience. For specialties that serve patients from all walks of life — such as chiropractors and therapists — it can be a prime tool to highlight your expertise. 

Also, if you currently have a podcast or thinking about creating one, many podcasters repurpose episodes on YouTube.

YouTube pros:

YouTube cons:

While it’s exciting to start ideating what social media posts to create, an important rule to remember is to not share any patient medical information in posts if you do not have the patient's authorization. This is because it publicly discloses individually identifiable health information that could be used to commit fraud or identity theft.

Medical professionals must comply with HIPAA and protect patient confidentiality in their content.

On your social media platforms, it’s better to share best practices and educational tips rather than specific medical advice.

Social media settings don’t allow you to examine patients securely or provide patient care without exposing them to privacy threats. Leave that for dedicated appointments and treat social media as a space to provide general tips.

To start creating or further developing your strategy, you don’t need to be everywhere — just where your patients are. Start small by choosing 1 or 2 social media sites that align with your audience and comfort level. From there, focus on consistency, patient privacy, and value-driven content.

With the right approach, a strong social media presence can become a powerful tool to grow your practice, build trust, and stay connected with your community.

Want to learn more? Tebra can help you grow your practice, attract new patients, and keep them engaged. Learn more and book a free demo today.