The future of health communication on social media

Lyn Cruickshank
Jul 24
4 min read

Social media has changed the traditional rules of healthcare communications. According to Ofcom’s Online Nation 2024 report, UK adults now spend over four hours a day online and mostly on their phones (1). For the vast majority of people, at least half of that time is taken up by social media giants YouTube and TikTok (1).

That means more people are turning to social media for health information – whether they intend to or not. And for healthcare organisations, this shift presents both a challenge and an opportunity: ignore these platforms, and risk being drowned out by misinformation. Embrace them, and you can build trust, reach new audiences, and improve public health at scale.

The rise of social media health content

The NHS remains the top organisation people turn to for their health-related concerns (1). But with most people spending their time on social media and the wealth of health content on them, these platforms are rapidly becoming health informers whether they like it or not.

Social media platforms offer unmatched reach – but they demand a new kind of storytelling that can build trust and engagement in seconds. They tend to be more informal and often prioritise relatable patient stories over plain facts and data.

As we’ve explored before, healthcare brands and organisations not only have to consider what they say online, but how they say it in the first three seconds. With fierce competition for attention and trust, the brands that cut through are those that combine clarity, credibility and strategic creativity. A catchy edit might pull people in, but if it feels too sensational or manufactured and lacks sincerity, it risks alienating the very audiences they’re trying to support.

TikTok’s Clinician Creator Network: where credibility meets the algorithm

Misinformation continues to be a significant concern on social media. There’s also evidence to suggest misinformation around hormonal birth control and infertility is partly responsible for the dip in long-term usage among women in England and Wales (3).

A study by the Guardian found more than 5 in 10 of the top 100 mental health TikToks were rife with misleading, harmful claims (2).

To tackle this problem and boost reliable health content on its platform, TikTok launched its UK Clinician Creator Network in 2024 (4). This network has 19 NHS-qualified clinicians who create short-form, relatable content that is both accurate and engaging.

They meet twice a year to discuss the online health landscape, their own experiences and offer feedback to TikTok on areas that need improving. TikTok also hopes this initiative will encourage more health professionals to join the platform and share their knowledge.

But TikTok’s emphasis on bite-sized content and an algorithm that promotes virality still poses some challenges. The need to condense complex medical information into short videos that are easy to consume can lead to oversimplification.

There are many layers to health and boiling topics down to 30 second videos in a 10-part series is having an observable impact on health decisions and outcomes. Balancing nuanced health information with engaging content remains a delicate task.

Even still, combined with YouTube’s own initiative with the Health Shelf and WHO’s recent partnership with TikTok (6), things are certainly moving in the right direction.

What does this mean for health comms?

Traditional messaging still remains strong, but it’s no longer enough for effective communication in healthcare. Social media has become a staple in many people’s lives, which means it’s become an integral part of the patient journey, too.

However, around 4 in 10 UK adults report to have seen misinformation online, and only a quarter go on to fact check it (5). Algorithms that govern content visibility on social media often prioritise virality over accuracy. This often shines the spotlight on pseudo-scientific or misleading claims that draw in clicks and views, especially around mental health and diet topics.

Addressing this issue requires a collaborative effort to change algorithms to favour credibility and accuracy over pure engagement metrics. Having trusted clinicians and organisations in digital spaces seems like the right move. They’re quickly becoming a primary source of reliable and authentic health content for a huge audience, particularly young people.

For healthcare businesses, this is more than a reputational challenge – it’s a strategic opportunity. By investing in expert-led, credible content, brands can not only combat misinformation, but also boost their visibility, attract new patients or customers, and position themselves as trusted authorities in their field.

Embracing social media to build brand trust and grow your reach

Healthcare communication is shifting fast – and for commercially minded organisations, there’s real opportunity in getting ahead of the curve. Clinicians and health brands who take the lead in digital content creation are seeing the rewards - increased reach, stronger brand trust, and a more engaged audience.

Any organisation looking to reach people with health information should take advantage of the opportunity shifting trends in social media use provide – whether that’s to promote public health or to build brand awareness and trust with your target audience.

Want to stand out in a crowded digital health landscape? Get in touch to see how we’re helping health brands use social media to build trust, reach new audiences and drive commercial results.

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