What tends to go wrong with medical social media
What the person in charge struggles with most is not knowing how much they are allowed to write. Closure notices are fine, but the moment a post touches treatments or results, they worry about breaking a rule, and in the end only announcements go out.
On the other hand, some practices copy other industries and post patient comments or before-and-after photos. In medicine these generally cannot be used in advertising. If one person decides alone what to publish, nobody can stop such posts.
It is also an industry where the doctor or director is busy and has no time to check posts. You want to check before publishing, but the checker is never free, so posting stalls.
What medical advertising prohibits
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "Medical Advertising Guidelines" (last revised March 30, 2026) treat information as advertising when it is meant to attract patients (inducement) and identifies the medical institution (specificity). A social post made by a medical institution usually meets both. On top of that, the following kinds of advertising are prohibited (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: advertising regulations for hospitals and clinics under the Medical Care Act).
| Prohibited advertising | Examples that come up on social media |
|---|---|
| False advertising | Listing a treatment you do not actually offer |
| Comparative superiority advertising | "Best in the area", "better than other clinics" |
| Exaggerated advertising | "Guaranteed cure", "zero pain" |
| Advertising contrary to public order and morals | Extreme wording that plays on anxiety |
| Testimonials about treatment or results based on a patient's views or hearsay | Sharing "I got better thanks to the doctor" |
| Before-and-after photos that may mislead | Before-and-after photos without explanation |
Testimonials cannot be used in a medical institution's advertising, even when the content itself would be allowed. Before-and-after photos are not caught by this ban only when accompanied by detailed explanation of the treatment, cost and main risks or side effects. A patient writing a review on their own social media is not advertising, as long as the institution did not pay or otherwise ask for it.
For acupuncture and bone-setting practices, even what can be advertised is limited
For massage, acupressure, acupuncture and moxibustion practices, Article 7 of Japan's Act on Massage, Acupressure, Acupuncture and Moxibustion applies; for bone-setting (judo seifuku) practices, Article 24 of the Judo Therapist Act applies. These laws list what may be advertised, and anything else cannot be advertised by any means. The Ministry issued guidelines for treatment-practice advertising in February 2025 (Yokohama City: advertising for massage, acupuncture and bone-setting practices). Check any post that touches on the effects or skill of a treatment against these guidelines before publishing.
What to post
Even within the rules, there is plenty that helps patients.
- Closure days, changes to opening hours, how to book, busy times
- Inside the clinic, parking and entrance guidance, accessibility facilities
- Staff introductions and the flow from reception to payment
- Seasonal health topics (pollen season, heat stroke, flu shots opening)
- What the clinic is doing (infection control, ways to cut waiting time)
Posts that answer "what I want to know before I visit" get read even without claiming any effect.
How to run it in SNS TOWN
Tell the AI what not to write first
In "Things not to write" in the company profile, write: no testimonials, no definitive claims about effects, no comparison with other medical institutions. AI drafts are written with that in mind. The AI is not making legal judgments, though, so a person reads every post in the end.
Decide who approves, and check before publishing
Run the post cycle in "Draft mode". In draft mode, only what a person approves goes out (How approval works). In the company settings you can limit approval to admins. If staff polish the drafts and the director or office manager approves, no unchecked post ever goes out.
Members and roles has three roles: Admin, Editor and Viewer. You can give the director viewing and approval only, and staff the ability to post.
Make time to check in advance
Drafts line up under Awaiting approval by 15:00 two days before the publish date. Set up notifications by email or Slack when something is awaiting approval, so you can read between patients.
Frequently asked questions
Can we share comments patients send us?
The Medical Advertising Guidelines prohibit a medical institution from presenting them as advertising. Please avoid sharing them.
Should we avoid auto mode?
For medical content we recommend draft mode, where a person reads before publishing. Auto mode schedules drafts that pass the checks as they are.
Do we need to be careful with replies too?
Replies are also communication from the medical institution. Do not give diagnosis-like answers to symptom questions on social media; it is safer to simply direct people to a visit. If you use auto replies, set them to "Approve before replying".
I need to post a closure notice in a hurry
Sudden closures or changes in hours can be published right away from the post screen. For fixed messages such as closure notices, save a template and you only need to fill in the date.
We have several departments or branch clinics
You can keep a separate company or brand for each branch. Each branch can have its own company profile and its own approvers.
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