In healthcare, ads have limits and content does the work: how we build doctor videos

Digital marketing for an aesthetic clinic, a urology practice or a physiotherapy centre is very different from marketing a cafe. The viewer is not choosing a product but someone who will treat their body. In Türkiye, the promotion of healthcare services is also governed by a dedicated regulation, and the ad platforms have their own rules for health content. So in healthcare, growth does not come from louder ads; it comes from informative content that earns trust.

In this article I share the approach we have settled on while working with healthcare clients such as Dr. Erol Bulut Aesthetic Clinic, Altik Üroloji, Fizyoheal and Akademik Lens Optik.

First, the frame: what we don’t do

Türkiye’s regulation on promotion and information activities by healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities allows promotion and information, but restricts content that is misleading, exaggerated or designed to create demand. Meta and Google also apply extra rules to health-related ads. Meta, for example, does not allow ad copy that implies it knows the viewer’s health condition. So for our healthcare clients we rule out these patterns from the start:

• Promises such as “guaranteed results”, “a definitive cure” or “painless”
• Patient testimonials and patients’ before/after images
• Lines that target the viewer’s condition directly, such as “Struggling with acne?”
• Campaigns that attract patients with prices and discounts

Because the limits vary by specialty and regulations get updated, we review every script with the doctor before it goes live. This article is not legal advice; it is a summary of our own practice.

Format 1: the doctor explains, the camera listens

The video we shot for Dr. Erol Bulut Aesthetic Clinic on post-summer skin problems (“Yaz Sonrası Cilt Problemleri”) is a typical example: 46 seconds, one topic, one speaker. The decisions we care about most:

• The doctor’s own setting. Shot in the practice, at the doctor’s desk. Plants and soft light in the background soften the clinical feel while keeping the setting real.
• Work clothes and a lavalier mic. The doctor faces the camera in the clothes he works in. The collar mic keeps the sound clean and gives the talk the weight of an expert explanation.
• The topic on screen in the first second. The opening shows a label with the topic. Viewers know from the start what they will learn.
• Subtitles on every sentence. People watching on mute can follow along, and medical terms are not misheard.
• Vertical 4K. The footage was shot vertically in 4K, so separate cuts for Reels, stories and the website can come from the same source.

Format 2: an interview for international patients

For content aimed at patients abroad, we prefer an interview over a single speaker. In the English-language interview we produced on early diagnosis of childhood cancers, the screen is split in two: the interviewer or the professor on top, supporting footage below. The question-and-answer structure voices the question already in the viewer’s mind and makes the expert’s answer more convincing.

Format 3: the website, the last stop for trust

Video creates interest; the website usually seals the decision. After watching a video, a prospective patient checks who the doctor is, which treatments they offer and how to get in touch. On our healthcare clients’ sites we prioritise three things:

• Doctor and team information: specialty, training and experience written out clearly and, where possible, described to search engines with schema.org Physician and MedicalClinic structured data.
• Plain treatment pages: what the treatment is, who it is for and how the process works. No promises, no hype.
• One-tap contact: phone, WhatsApp and location visible on every page.

What we measure in healthcare content

Measuring healthcare success in likes is misleading. The metrics we watch: how many people watch the video to the end, profile-to-site visits, phone and WhatsApp taps on the site and appointment requests through forms. In ad management we set up conversion tracking around these events, so we can see which content actually brings in prospective patients.

Before you shoot your first video

1. Pick the question your patients ask you most often as your first topic.
2. One topic per video; 30 to 60 seconds is enough for most topics.
3. Write or approve the script yourself; we edit, you do the final check.
4. Shoot in your own practice; prospective patients want to see you in your own setting.
5. End with an informative line such as “contact us with your questions” rather than “book now”.

See our video production and website work for healthcare brands.