What to post on social media (and when), part 2

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In part 1, I laid out why the order of your posts matters as much as the posts themselves. We covered the first two pillars: who you are and what you do. If you missed it, scroll back and start there. This part picks up with Pillars 3 and 4.

Pillar 3: proof that it works

Now you’ve got a follower who knows who you are and understands what DPC is. What they need next is proof that it works in real life, for real people.

This is where you show what DPC makes possible in practice. You removed the skin tag at a regular follow-up visit because you had the time. You told the sick patient to come in at nine the next morning instead of sending them to urgent care. You did a quick telehealth call for the patient who was traveling and didn’t know where else to turn. Each one of those is a post. Each one shows something most doctors probably couldn’t do in regular fee-for-service practice. (Of course, the stories are anonymous or posted with permission.)

Patient stories carry more weight when the person sharing them has already earned some trust. That’s why this is Pillar 3 and not Pillar 1. Your DPC success story stops the scroll, because they already know you. 

Pillar 4: what to do next

This is where most DPC docs either move too fast or wait too long.

You can add a call to action before you’ve checked off the other three pillars. At first, just place a quiet call to action in a few posts: a line at the end that tells someone what to do if they want to learn more, book a meet-and-greet, or send you a message. Just keep it low pressure and make it one step only.

As you build trust, people receive that call to action differently. From a stranger, it feels like a pitch. If a patient has been following you for a few weeks, they feel like they already know a little, and they feel comfortable moving forward. The words might be identical, but the difference is everything that came before them.

So start scattering calls to action in your posts. A meet-and-greet booking link, a cost comparison tool, an invitation to send you a DM. One next step per post, clearly stated. The goal of the framework is to make sure the trust is building alongside your CTAs.

What to do with this

These aren’t four phases you move through once and finish. They’re four types of content you’re rotating through over time, building a foundation on your story. The ask can come whenever someone’s ready. The point is you can’t skip straight to asking for a meet-and-greet and expect it to work.

The measure of whether it’s working isn’t likes or follower counts. It’s more subtle than that. Someone at their meet-and-greet mentioned they found you on Instagram. A DM asked how DPC works. An uptick in people who already feel like they know you a little when they show up. 

So to recap, your social media needs to tell your story, explain DPC, offer proof that it works, and ask people to take the next step. You don’t have to put up perfect posts. Show up consistently as the most honest version of yourself, and the right people will find you. 

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About Anne Gonzalez, MD

Dr. Anne Gonzalez runs Emerald Health DPC in Western North Carolina. That was enough, until she kept seeing DPC doctors struggling to do it all themselves: marketing, patient follow-up, scheduling, social media. She developed Harmony Ops, a DPC specific CRM, so you don’t have to figure it out alone. Your practice can grow without all that extra effort eating up your life. When she’s not seeing patients or tinkering with automations, she hosts the DPC Life Podcast. Established DPC doctors talk about what works, and she coaches new DPC docs on creating their brand vision and messaging. Turns out, once you escape fee-for-service medicine, the sky really is the limit--which is why she’s got more projects than she probably should have.