Social Media Marketing for Occupational Therapists
If your practice page is a mix of holiday graphics, closure reminders and "we're hiring" posts, a parent scrolling past can't tell what you help with or why they should call you.
Quick answer: Pick one main platform where your families already spend time (for most pediatric OT practices, that's Instagram and Facebook). Post 3 to 4 times a week. Make most of your posts answer the questions parents already ask you about dressing, handwriting, feeding, sleep and meltdowns, in plain language. Show real faces, keep every post HIPAA-safe, and give people one clear next step.
Why does social media matter for an OT practice?
A pediatrician's referral gets a family to your name. Your page is often where they decide whether to call. Parents want to know who they'll meet, what a session looks like and whether you understand what their child is going through.
Occupational therapy is also one of the hardest professions to explain. Most parents can picture speech therapy or physical therapy. "OT" can sound like a job program. Social media is where you translate what you do into words a tired parent understands at 9 p.m.
Which platform should occupational therapists focus on?
Pediatric practices: Instagram and Facebook. Parents follow local accounts on Instagram and ask for recommendations in local Facebook groups.
Adult, hand therapy and geriatric practices: Facebook first. Adult children often research care for an aging parent there.
Referral relationships: LinkedIn is useful for staying visible to physicians, school administrators and other providers. Treat it as a relationship channel more than a place parents find you.
Start with one. Once posting there feels easy, share the same content on the second platform.
What should an occupational therapy practice post?
Rotate through these five types and you'll never stare at a blank screen.
Translate OT into parent language. Skip "sensory processing disorder" as the headline. Try "Why your child falls apart the minute they get home from school." Then explain it.
Answer the questions you hear every week. "Is it normal that my 4-year-old won't hold a crayon?" "When should I worry about toe walking?" Every repeated question in your clinic is a post.
Explain the why behind the fun stuff. Parents see a swing, an obstacle course or a bin of rice. You know the goal. A 20-second video explaining why you use the swing before handwriting practice builds more trust than a stock photo ever will.
Show your space and your people. Your entrance, your treatment rooms, your therapists' faces. A family who has seen your clinic walks into the first visit calmer.
Community and trust. Local events, a parent workshop, a review shared with written permission, a thank-you to a school you partner with.
10 post ideas you can use this month
3 signs your child might benefit from an OT evaluation
What happens at a first OT evaluation (step by step)
A morning routine visual you can print for the fridge
Why we work on core strength before handwriting
Picky eater or feeding concern? How to tell the difference
Meet the therapist: one fun fact and one thing she loves about OT
Holiday gift ideas that build fine motor skills
What OT can help with besides handwriting
A quick tip for getting shoes on without a battle
Myth vs. fact: "They'll grow out of it"
How do you keep social media HIPAA-safe?
Get written authorization before posting any photo, video or story about a client. Get it on paper even when a parent already said yes in the hallway.
Check the background of every photo and video. Schedules, whiteboards, name tags and paperwork are easy to miss.
Never confirm in a comment or reply that someone is a client, even when a parent tags you or thanks you publicly.
When in doubt, use your hands, your therapy tools or a team member to demonstrate instead of a client.
How often should an OT practice post?
Three to four times a week on one platform is a realistic target. In Buffer's analysis of 2.1 million Instagram posts, accounts that went from 1 to 2 posts a week up to 3 to 5 more than doubled their weekly follower growth. The full breakdown is in How Often Should a Therapy Practice Post on Social Media?
How do you turn followers into evaluations?
Make the next step obvious. Your bio should say who you help, where, and how to book. One link that goes to your intake or booking page beats a menu of ten.
Answer DMs quickly. A parent who messages you is often messaging two other clinics too.
End posts with a clear action. "Save this for your next IEP meeting," "Send this to a parent who needs it," or "Call us if this sounds like your child."
Connect social to Google. Many families will look you up on Google after seeing your post. Make sure your Google Business Profile is complete, too.
What should you measure?
Likes feel good. The numbers that lead to booked evaluations are saves, shares, profile visits, link clicks and DMs. Then add one question to your intake form: "How did you hear about us?" That answer tells you more than any dashboard.
Frequently asked questions
Does this work for speech therapy and PT practices too?
Yes. Speech, PT and OT practices serve the same parents with the same questions. Swap in the questions your families ask most.
Do I need to be on TikTok?
No. Get consistent on one platform first. If short videos are working on Instagram, you can post the same videos on TikTok later.
Do I have to show my face?
You don't have to, but it helps. Parents are choosing a person to trust with their child. Even a short "hi, I'm the OT you'll meet" video goes a long way.
Can I post client success stories?
Only with written authorization from the parent or guardian, and only the details they've agreed to share.
If writing captions is what slows you down, grab the free caption guide. If you'd rather hand it off completely, book a free strategy call.
Keep reading
Occupational Therapy Marketing: A Practical Guide for Practice Owners
5 Reel Ideas for Therapy Practices That Parents Want to Share
About Courtney
Courtney is a licensed occupational therapist with 10+ years of clinical experience and the founder of Social-OT, a done-for-you marketing company for OT, PT and speech therapy practices. She still treats patients herself, so every strategy she shares is built for clinicians with a full caseload. More about Courtney and Social-OT.
