Post answers to the questions your patients already ask you. Every question you hear in clinic is a video someone is searching for. Film yourself answering it in plain language, in under a minute, the way you would in the exam room. That one habit will carry you further than trends or polished graphics.
01Start with what patients ask you in clinic
Most doctors open Instagram, stare at the blank screen and decide they have nothing to say. Then they go to work and answer the same twenty questions all day.
Those questions are your content plan. If a patient asked it in the room, hundreds of people are typing it into Google, TikTok or ChatGPT at eleven at night. Keep a note on your phone for a week and write down every question you hear. You'll have a month of videos by Friday.
0240 ideas you can film this week
Fill in your own specialty and pick the ones that sound like you.
Questions about treatment:
- What actually happens during [procedure]?
- Does [treatment] hurt?
- How long is recovery from [procedure]?
- What's the difference between [option A] and [option B]?
- When is [treatment] not worth it?
- What does [treatment] cost and why?
- How do I know if I'm a good candidate?
- What should I do the night before?
- What are the side effects nobody mentions?
- How long do results last?
Myths and mistakes:
- The myth about [condition] I hear every week.
- Three things I'd never do as a [specialty].
- What TikTok gets wrong about [topic].
- The supplement I tell patients to skip.
- The home remedy that makes [condition] worse.
- Why I don't recommend [popular product].
- What people misunderstand about [test result].
- The mistake people make before seeing me.
- A Google result that scares patients for no reason.
- What I wish people knew before coming in.
Behind the scenes:
- A day in my clinic.
- What I'm looking for in the first minute of a consult.
- Why I became a [specialty].
- The case that changed how I practice.
- What my team does before you arrive.
- How I prepare for a long surgery.
- What I do differently from most doctors in my field.
- A question I couldn't answer early in my career.
- The equipment I'd buy again.
- What I do when a patient is nervous.
Opinions and stories:
- My honest take on [trending treatment].
- When I'd send you to a different doctor.
- What I'd do if I were the patient.
- The advice I give my own family.
- Something I changed my mind about.
- A patient story I'm allowed to share.
- Why I turn some patients away.
- What good care looks like.
- The question I wish more people asked.
- What I'd tell a new graduate.
03Which posts actually bring in patients?
Not every video has the same job. Some get you found by strangers, some make people trust you and a few push someone to book. You want a mix.
Broad myth-busting and opinion videos travel furthest. Detailed treatment explainers get fewer views but they're the ones that make someone think you're the doctor to see. Behind-the-scenes videos let people see who they'd be sitting with, which matters more than most doctors expect.
When we looked at a US plastic surgeon's public account, videos showing real patient journeys pulled hundreds of thousands of views, while plain talking-to-camera clips sat in the low thousands. The lesson wasn't to stop talking. It was to show the work and tell the story behind it, with patient consent.
04What to avoid
Don't share anything that could identify a patient without written consent. Avoid promising results, since every patient is different and your licensing board cares about that. And skip the generic stock graphics. People follow doctors to hear from a doctor.
?Frequently asked questions
How many ideas do I need to start?
About twelve. That's enough for three or four weeks if you post three times a week, and by then you'll have more questions from your own comments.
Should doctors post educational content or personal content?
Mostly educational, with some personal posts mixed in. Education builds trust and personal posts make people like you. Patients book with doctors they trust and like.
Do I need to show my face?
It helps a lot. Patients want to see the person they'll be trusting with their care. Even a simple talking video filmed on your phone builds more trust than a polished graphic.