Physiotherapy and chiropractic are regulated professions. That means your website, your Instagram post and your Google ad are all advertising, and your regulator may have something to say about them. Most clinics only find out when a complaint arrives.
This guide is a checklist of what to look at before you publish. It cannot tell you your local rules, because they differ by country, province, state and profession. It will help you ask the right questions.
Start with your regulator, not a blog
The most important page for you is your regulator’s advertising guidance:
- Canada: your provincial college (for example, a college of physiotherapists or chiropractors).
- United States: your state board, and for some topics, your national association’s code of ethics.
- Australia: the National Boards and Ahpra.
- United Kingdom: the ASA and CAP advertising codes apply to health claims, and the HCPC (physiotherapists) and the GCC (chiropractors) set professional standards. Check their current guidance.
- Elsewhere: whoever registers you.
Search “[your regulator] advertising” and read the page once. Save the link. If something is unclear, email them. Some regulators will answer questions about what is allowed. Ahpra, for example, says it cannot check or approve your advertising in advance, so you may need independent advice.
Nothing in this post is legal advice.
Testimonials and reviews
This is where rules vary most.
Australia. Section 133 of the National Law bars advertising a regulated health service in a way that uses testimonials. Ahpra says a testimonial is a recommendation or positive statement about the clinical aspects of a service: the symptom, the diagnosis or treatment, or the outcome. Comments about service, such as “friendly staff” or “easy parking”, are not treated as testimonials. Ahpra does not advise editing reviews, because edited reviews risk being misleading. It also warns that engaging with reviews on third-party websites may be considered using a testimonial (Ahpra testimonial tool).
Ontario physiotherapy. The College of Physiotherapists of Ontario allows testimonials that are true, verifiable and accurate, written by patients who received care and not paid for or written by the clinic. You need informed consent to use a patient’s name, photo or personal health information (CPO).
Other places. Other colleges and state boards may ban, restrict or allow testimonials. Don’t guess. Look it up.
The US consumer rules. Whatever your board says, the FTC’s endorsement guidance says endorsements must be honest and not misleading, and that you should disclose material connections such as complimentary services or discounts given to the reviewer (FTC). Its rule on consumer reviews bars buying fake reviews and offering rewards conditioned on a positive or negative review, and restricts using unfounded legal threats to remove negative ones (FTC Q&A).
For the practical side, see putting Google reviews on your website.
Google reviews you ask for
Google’s own policy is separate from your regulator’s. It prohibits incentivised reviews, and says businesses must not discourage negative reviews or selectively ask only for positive ones (Google). Ask everyone, and offer nothing in return. See how to ask patients for Google reviews.
Before and after claims
Before and after photos and results claims carry more risk than they seem:
- They are a promise. A photo of one patient’s outcome suggests that is typical. The FTC says that if an endorser’s experience is exceptional, the advertiser needs proof it reflects what people generally achieve, or must say what results are typical (FTC).
- They are health information. A photo, a story or an X-ray is personal health information. You need clear, written, informed consent, and some regulators and privacy laws set stricter rules.
- They may be restricted by your regulator. Some prohibit them outright, or treat them as testimonials. Check.
- Platforms limit them. Meta restricts before-and-after images and claims about health in ads. Check its current advertising standards before you run one.
If you can’t show a result honestly, describe the care instead: what you assess, what you do, what to expect at each visit.
Claims on your pages and posts
Whatever the platform, check every claim you make:
- “Cure”, “fix” and guaranteed results. Avoid them. Say what you treat and what people can expect, in general.
- “Best”, “number one” and comparisons. The Ontario physiotherapy standard, for instance, does not allow comparative claims such as “the best in the city”. Statements about your own care alone are acceptable (CPO). Other regulators may differ.
- Titles and qualifications. Use only the titles you are entitled to use, written correctly. Title rules differ by profession and place, so check yours.
- Research. If you cite a study, link it, and don’t stretch what it says.
- Treatments with weak evidence. Don’t claim benefits your profession’s own guidance wouldn’t support.
Offers and discounts
Discounts are allowed in many places, but with conditions. The Ontario physiotherapy standard, for instance, says discounted services must still include a comprehensive assessment, and package deals must say what’s included, that services can be bought individually and that unused services are refunded (CPO).
Check:
- Is a discounted or no-charge first visit still a proper assessment?
- Does a package say what’s in it, what happens if the patient stops, and how refunds work?
- Are you offering a gift or reward for a referral? Some regulators restrict it.
- Does an “offer ends Friday” countdown pressure people into care they might not need?
Paid ads
- Google Ads treats health conditions as a sensitive category and limits targeting. Customer lists and lookalike audiences aren’t allowed for these ads (Google Ads policy). Check Google’s current policy before you run one.
- Meta doesn’t allow ads that assert or imply the viewer has a health condition. Naming the service is fine (“Back pain physiotherapy”). Talking at the person is not (“Is your back pain getting you down?”) (Meta).
Who is responsible
Usually, you are. If an agency, a freelancer or a software tool writes or posts for you, the regulator tends to hold the advertiser responsible. Ahpra says the advertiser, meaning whoever controls the advertising, is responsible. Ask anyone who produces your marketing which rules they check, and read what they send before it goes live.
A pre-publish checklist
Before you publish any ad, page or post, ask:
- Does it make any claim I can’t prove?
- Does it use a patient’s words, name, image or story? Do I have written consent, and does my regulator allow it?
- Does it compare me with other clinics?
- Does it promise a result or a timeframe?
- If it is an offer, is it clear, fair and compliant with my regulator?
- Are my name, title and registration shown correctly?
- Would I be comfortable reading it aloud to my regulator?
Keep a copy of what you published and the date. If anything is unclear, ask your regulator before you publish.
If you reply to a patient’s review, remember that your reply is public too. Our guide to responding to negative reviews covers what to leave out. If you publish fees or insurance details, read how to explain direct billing on your website with your regulator’s rules beside it.
Check it today
Open your website’s homepage and your three most recent social posts. Run the seven questions on each. Most clinics find one or two things to fix.
If you’d like us to look through your website and Google profile for anything worth checking, send us the links and claim your marketing audit and we’ll tell you what we find.