Doctors Making 7 Figures on YouTube?

The value of social media for healthcare practices & practitioners

Author

Steve Kolock
January 30, 2025

First time here? Subscribe

Hey again — it’s Steve with Healthcare Marketing Vitals!

Think social media isn't for serious healthcare providers?

Tell that to the doctor making seven figures 💰 on YouTube (and still practicing medicine).

But first, a quick win: Swapping the word "Submit" on your forms can boost conversions by 3%.

Small tweaks add up!

In This Week’s Email:

  • [1 min] Better CTAs: Turn website traffic into bookings with effective calls-to-action

  • [3 min] Social Media Strategy: Best platforms for healthcare growth (plus what some Doc-fluencers earn)

  • [30 sec] Helpful tools: For social media and landing page optimization

QUICK TIPS

Better Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

Are you getting plenty of website traffic, but not enough appointment bookings?

Your call-to-action—the prompt that tells visitors what to do next, like "Book Your Appointment" or "Schedule a Free Consultation"—might be the culprit.

A strong, descriptive CTA (like the 2 examples above) can increase click rates by up to 161%.

While changing your CTA alone won't work miracles, it's an easy win.

Here's how to get more clicks and bookings with a better call-to-action:

🔥 Use Active Verbs for Actions

Choose one primary CTA per page that clearly states what you want visitors to do.

Make it:

  • Visible without scrolling (mobile and desktop)

  • Styled as a button, not a link

  • Repeated strategically throughout the page

  • Different from your navigation CTA

Instead of “Submit,” try:

  • "Schedule an Appointment"

  • "Call Now"

  • "Request Information"

  • "Schedule Your Root Canal"

  • "Choose Your Doctor"

🔥 Use Short, Descriptive Phrases for Information:

For secondary CTAs, use links within your content (like those sprinkled throughout this email).

Replace "Learn more" with more descriptive words and phrases like:

  • "Our Patient Care Team"

  • "How Dentures Work"

  • "Non-invasive Options"

  • "Clinic Locations"

  • "Knee Replacement Surgery"

Why it Matters

While the average conversion rate of a website is 2.4%, a well-crafted CTA can push it to 11.5% or higher.

So yeah, It’s worth the effort.

MAIN CONTENT

Social Media: Practice vs Provider

4 min. read

We’re a few weeks into 2025 and I’m gunna go out on a limb and say this social media thing is here to stay.

So with that decree, healthcare providers have two paths on social media:

  • Career: Elevate yourself as a provider and thought leader

  • Practice: Grow your patient base and local presence

Your goals determine which platforms deserve your attention.

💸 1. For Your Career: Thought Leadership That Pays

Yes, "healthcare influencers" are real (I know, I know).

And they have access to very serious money, recognition, and opportunities through their social reach:

  • Travel Nurse Travails: @scrubhacks (Lindsey Shelton) posts stories of her experiences working as a travel nurse. She brought in over $28,000 from her social media in December 2023, with 490k followers on TikTok and ~4k on Instagram at that time.

  • PCP by Day, YouTuber by Night: @DoctorMike (Dr. Mikhail Varshavski) has 13.3 million subscribers on YouTube and over 25 million on all social media. He is still a practicing PCP, despite estimates he makes over $1 million annually on brand sponsorships alone.

  • Pivot…Pivot! Pivaat!: @AliAbdaal pivoted from being a doctor in the UK into a full time YouTuber focused on productivity, after his channel took off. Three years after starting his channel he made almost $1 million from YouTube.

It’s clear which platform gives clinicians the biggest boost…

🏆 Best Platform for Thought Leadership: YouTube

Video builds trust, and both short and long-form content give you the chance to get show off expertise with deep dives.

This is exactly why video is dominant when it comes to social media. YouTube in particular is well-positioned here:

  • Offers most leverage and staying power

  • Content works for both short and long form

  • Clips can be repurposed across other platforms

Content That Works:

  • Treatment walkthroughs

  • Expert interviews

  • Healthcare myth-busting videos

  • Patient education series

  • News commentary in your specialty

Share your YouTube videos in LinkedIn posts to further extend your reach and gain subscribers more quickly.

Terrified of Being on Video?

Start with LinkedIn:

  • Post 3-5 times weekly

  • Include images for better reach

  • Engage with others' content

  • Lead with value

  • Get over your fear as soon as you can, and post on YouTube anyway 🙃 

If you’re new to social media, putting yourself out there can be scary.

That’s okay though.

We still love you ❤️.

🏥 2. For Your Practice: Local Patient Growth

Social media usage splits along age and gender lines, knowing your demographic will help you pick where to focus:

  • 👍 Facebook: 54% female, best for 25-40 age range and older

  • 📸 Instagram: 68% female, mostly under 34

  • 🎬 YouTube: 54% male, mid-20s and up

🏆 Best Social Media for Getting New Patients

In almost every case it’s best to start with Facebook and Instagram.

  • Facebook: Relatively low-key compared to alternatives such as TikTok and Instagram, Facebook is great for any local practice to connect to their community

  • Instagram: You’ll often have higher engagement on Instagram, but the audience you reach may live too far away to become patients

If you are a men’s health clinic, then you may want to pick YouTube instead.

However, YouTube requires more time and resources (ex: an editor) than Facebook or Instagram.

(Sample) Your Weekly Content Calendar:

It’s easier to be consistent if you plan your content.

Then, just set aside time to chunk through it with a plan instead of scrambling to think of something right before you post.

  • Monday: Educational content ("Why does a tooth hurt after filling?")

  • Tuesday: Behind-the-scenes (team spotlight, office tour)

  • Wednesday: Patient success story (with express, written, legal permission)

  • Thursday: Healthcare tips/preventive care

  • Friday: Community engagement/local events

Platform-Specific Winning Content:

Get into a regular cadence of collecting testimonials (with signed consent to share), photos, and other inspiration for your posts.

Facebook

  • Patient testimonials (with permission)

  • Staff introductions

  • Local health events

  • Q&A session highlights

Instagram

  • Before/after treatment photos

  • Team culture snapshots

  • Quick tips as carousel posts

  • Educational infographics

Essential Do's and Don'ts:

You always want to lead with providing value in your posts.

Of course, with healthcare there are also strict legal, ethical, and HIPAA guidelines you need to follow.

Do:

  • Maintain strict HIPAA compliance

  • Focus on education over promotion

  • Share peer-reviewed research

  • Highlight your unique approach

  • Consider seasonal trends (sports, events, school, etc.)

Don't:

  • Give specific medical advice

  • Share patient info without consent

  • Make unrealistic promises

  • Post controversial opinions

Getting Started:

  1. Choose one platform based on your target audience:

  2. Post consistently:

    • Facebook: Daily

    • Instagram: 3x/week minimum

    • YouTube: Weekly (long) or 2-4x/week (shorts)

  3. Track engagement and adjust your strategy monthly

Start with one platform, master it, then expand.

Consistency beats perfection!

Once You Start Posting

Reply to this email with your social profiles and I’ll follow you.

If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll get to be your first subscriber!

Helpful Tools

*This is an affiliate link. We earn money if you use it to sign up at no extra cost to you, which helps support this newsletter.

When you’re ready, here’s how I can help:

  • Get a free PPC audit: Our digital marketing agency, Cedar Web Agency, specializes in PPC for Healthcare & dental practices. We’d love to help you find more efficient growth.

  • Partner with our agency for digital marketing: If you manage a dental or healthcare practice—no matter your practice area—we will get you more patients.

That’s All for Now

Have a great week and remember—be social.

See You Next Week,

Steve