Are you tired of only getting new patients from other doctors or from old ads? Today, people use social media for health advice. They do not just search for foot pain on Google. They ask TikTok for advice about running shoes or home help for bunions.

This TikTok Ads for Podiatrists guide will show you how to find those people and make your practice the trusted expert they are looking for.

What is TikTok Ads?

TikTok Ads is the advertising platform provided by TikTok, allowing businesses to create and run paid campaigns to reach a massive and diverse global audience. Unlike organic TikTok content, TikTok Ads enables precise targeting, specific campaign objectives (like lead generation or sales), and detailed performance tracking. It integrates seamlessly into the user experience, delivering ads that feel native to the “For You Page” and other placements, making them highly engaging and less intrusive than traditional advertising formats. 

TikTok Ads lets you show your message to many more people than just your followers. This puts your services in front of millions of people who might not find you otherwise.

Can you get new clients with TikTok Ads?

Yes, it is very effective. TikTok Ads help you find people who are looking for help with their foot and ankle problems, even if they have not heard of you before. The ads let you reach people based on their interests (like running) or what they watch (like health videos). The short videos are great for teaching people and building trust.

You can make a video showing a simple stretch or have a patient talk about a new treatment. TikTok is the perfect way to turn a person watching a video into a new patient.

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Step 1: Creating Your Podiatry Clinic’s TikTok Business Profile

Before you make a campaign, you need to set up your business on TikTok and get access to the ad tool.

1.1 Set Up Your TikTok Business Profile

1. Download & Sign Up

Get the TikTok app and create a new account using your business email.

2. Switch to a Business Account

In your profile settings, choose “Manage Account” and “Switch to Business Account.” This gives you access to analytics and business features.

3. Optimize Your Profile

• Profile Picture — Use your clinic’s logo, or a professional headshot of doctor.
• Display Name — Your full clinic name (e.g., “Los Angeles Foot & Ankle Clinic”).
• Bio — A clear, concise description of your services and location (e.g., “Expert foot and ankle care in LA | Bunions, Plantar Fasciitis, Sports Injuries”).
• Website Link — A clickable link to your booking page.

TikTok Profile Sample:

1.2 Access & Set Up TikTok Ads Manager

This is your advertising hub, separate from the app.

Step 2: Creating Your Podiatry TikTok Ad Campaign

Now, let’s build your ad campaigns!

2.1 Campaign Name

It’s a label you assign to your overarching ad campaign to identify it within your Ads Manager.

Suggested Name: LG_Podiatry_LA_NewPatients_Q32025

• LG: Lead Generation (Our primary objective for Podiatrists)
• Podiatry: Industry
• LA: Specific geographic target
• NewPatients: Campaign goal/focus
• Q32025: Quarter and year for easy tracking

2.2 Advertising Objective

It’s the primary goal you want your ad campaign to achieve.

1. Awareness — good for introducing your clinic to a new neighborhood, launching a new specialized treatment, or building general brand recognition. It’s about getting your name out there.
2. Consideration 
   • Traffic — useful for getting users to explore your full list of services, read patient testimonials, or learn more about specific conditions like heel pain or diabetic foot care.
   • Video Views — excellent for showcasing educational content like how to choose the right running shoe, stretches for common foot pain, or simple “at-home tips” that build credibility and trust.
   • Community Interaction — helps build a loyal community around your brand. Educational content and Q&A sessions can turn viewers into advocates and future patients.
3. Conversion
   • App Promotion — only relevant if your practice has its own dedicated mobile application for booking, client management, or patient portals.
   • Lead Generation — this is ideal for most podiatry practices. It minimizes friction for interested individuals to request a consultation or inquire about a specific condition.
   • Sales — suitable if you have an e-commerce aspect (selling orthotics, specialized footwear) or if your online booking system involves immediate payment for services.

For now, we’ll continue with Lead Generation as our primary objective for Podiatrists.

2.3 Choose Your Campaign Settings

TikTok Ads for Podiatrists Campaign Settings:

This is where you’ll tell TikTok exactly what you want your ads to do.

Manual Campaign

Manual Campaign gives you full control over your budget and targeting. Let’s start with this option, not the automated one.

Why We Choose Manual Campaign

• You Have the Control
  • With a Manual Campaign, you set a specific budget for each ad group. This means you can decide exactly how much you want to spend on a specific service (like heel pain relief) or on a specific audience (like runners in your area). This level of control is crucial when you’re just starting and need to understand what works best.
• It’s Better for Testing
  • To find your most profitable ad, you need to test different videos and target audiences. A Manual Campaign allows you to set the same budget for two different ad groups, ensuring you get a fair and accurate comparison of which ad creative or audience is the winner.
• It Supports Your Strategy
  • Your clinic offers a variety of services, from routine care to specialized procedures. A Manual Campaign lets you allocate more budget to your high-ticket services (like custom orthotics) and less to lower-cost ones, so you can direct your ad spend exactly where you want to see the biggest returns.

Instant Form

While TikTok offers a wide range of advertising objectives and destinations, the combination of Lead Generation and Instant Form is the most powerful and strategic choice for a Podiatry clinic. This is the best choice based on how people decide to buy healthcare services.

A patient’s journey from a social media ad to a booked appointment is rarely a one-click transaction. It’s a “high-consideration” purchase that involves trust, a specific health concern, and a personal consultation.

The Lead Generation objective focuses on getting a qualified lead (name, number) directly, allowing for a personalized human follow-up. This is far more efficient than sending them to a website where they might get lost or distracted.

The Instant Form is the most effective way to collect this information. It pops up instantly within TikTok, without the user ever leaving the app. This low-friction experience leads to a significantly higher conversion rate. It bypasses potential issues like slow-loading websites and provides your team with a ready-to-call list of people who have already expressed interest.

The Goal

Your goal is Complete Registration (when someone submits the Instant Form).

Deep Funnel Optimization is simply a way of telling TikTok to go beyond just showing your ad. Instead, it will focus on finding the people most likely to become a high-quality lead or a booked consultation.

2.4 Placements

This tells TikTok where your ads should appear on its network.

• In-Feed Ads — These are the videos you see as you scroll through your “For You Page.” They are the most common and effective type of ad because they blend in with organic content.
• Pangle — This is TikTok’s audience network, which shows your ads on other third-party apps. While you can include it, sticking with In-Feed Ads on the main TikTok app is usually your best bet, especially when starting out.

Recommendation:

Just leave the setting on “Automatic Placements” or specifically select “TikTok In-Feed Ads.” The algorithm is smart enough to find the best spots to get your message in front of the right audience, helping you find patients who need your services.

2.5 Targeting

This is where you define your ideal patient for your podiatry services. Precision is key.

a. Demographics — characteristics of your audience

• Location — You can also include nearby suburbs or expand to the broader county if you attract patients from a wider radius.
• Age — the age range of your target audience. This depends on the services. For sports-related injuries, you might target 18-45. For general foot care, diabetic foot health, and arthritis, a broader range of 35-65+ is ideal.
• Gender — Target “All” unless you have specific services that are gender-specific, like custom orthotics for certain shoe types.
• Languages — Target “English” and possibly “Spanish” to reach a broader local audience.
• Spending Power — TikTok’s estimated ability of users to spend money, based on their purchase behavior on e-commerce platforms like TikTok Shop. Very useful. Look for “Medium” or “High” spending power to reach those who have health insurance or can afford out-of-pocket care.
• Household Income — Very relevant for targeting patients who have the disposable income for premium services like custom orthotics or laser treatments. Target higher income brackets.

b. Audience — advanced targeting options based on user interests, behaviors, custom lists, and lookalike audiences.

• Interests — “Running & Jogging,” “Hiking & Walking,” “Fitness,” “Diabetic Health,” “Elder Care,” “Joint Pain,” “Footwear.”
• Behaviors — Target users who watch videos related to exercise, physical therapy, pain relief, or health tips.
• Custom Audiences
  • Patient List — Upload your patient database to target existing clients with new services or create Lookalikes.
  • Website Visitors — Retarget individuals who visited your clinic’s website but didn’t book.
  • Engagement Audiences — People who engaged with your organic TikTok content.
• Lookalike Audiences — Create a 1-5% Lookalike audience based on your existing patient list or website visitors who completed a booking. This is powerful for finding new, high-quality prospects.

c. Device — target users based on the devices they use.

• Operating System (OS) — iOS, Android.
• OS Versions — Keep it broad unless you have a specific reason (e.g., an app only compatible with newer OS).
• Device Model — Can be used to infer spending power. Newer, higher-end devices might indicate a more affluent audience.
• Connection Type — 4G/5G/Wi-Fi to ensure users have good connectivity to watch your videos and fill forms seamlessly.
• Carriers — Generally keep broad unless you have data suggesting a particular carrier’s users convert better.
• Internet Service Provider (ISP) — Not typically used for Podiatrists; keep broad.
• Device Price — Very useful for targeting an affluent audience. Target users with higher-priced devices to reach those likely to seek out high-quality medical care.

2.6 Budget and Schedule

This defines how much you’ll spend and when your ads will run.

Budget

The total or daily amount of money you’re willing to spend.

Schedule

• Start Date — Immediately or a specific date for a promotion.
• End Date — Indefinite (for an always-on lead generation campaign) or a specific end date for a seasonal offer (e.g., a “Back to School Sports Physical” campaign).

Dayparting

When are your ideal patients most active on TikTok? When are they likely to have time to browse and consider treatments?

2.7 Bidding

This tells TikTok how you want to acquire your desired result.

Target CPA (Cost Per Action)

Start with Lowest Cost for 1-2 weeks to get initial data on what a lead typically costs. Once you have an average CPL (e.g., $20-$40 per lead), then switch to Target CPA and set a realistic target (e.g., $30). This helps control your costs and ensures you’re acquiring leads profitably.

2.8 Use Smart Creative to Create Ads

Smart Creative automates the process of generating and testing multiple ad variations from a pool of assets.

a.  Ad Name

The internal identifier for a specific ad within your ad group. (If using Smart Creative, TikTok may auto-generate these for individual combinations).

Suggested Internal Ad Names:

• Podiatry_HeelPain_Testimonial_Video1
• Podiatry_DiabeticCare_Educational_Video2
• Podiatry_Bunions_BeforeAfter_Video3

b. Identity

How your ad appears to users, defining the profile picture and display name associated with your ad.

c. Set Custom Identity

The process of configuring the profile picture and display name for your ads.

• Profile Picture — Your clinic’s logo (clear, high-resolution).
• Display Name — LA Foot & Ankle Clinic (or your full clinic name).

d. Ad Details

The core elements of your ad creative.

 

e. Add Videos

Upload 3-5 high-quality, vertically-shot (9:16 aspect ratio is ideal) video clips:

• Patient success stories and testimonials (e.g., “I can walk without pain again!”).
• Educational content on common conditions (e.g., a quick video explaining plantar fasciitis).
• Simple, easy-to-follow exercises or stretches for foot pain.
• A quick “Day in the Life” or “Meet the Doctor” video to build trust.
• Before-and-after of a common procedure like an ingrown toenail removal (with a clear consent and safety warning).

f. Ad Creative

The complete ad unit, including visual content, text, and calls to action.

g. Add Text (Ad Copy)

The caption that appears below your video ad.

h. Call to Action (CTA)

The button users click to take the desired action.

For Lead Generation Instant Form:

• “Get Quote”
• “Book Now”
• “Learn More”
• “Request Consultation”

i. Interactive Add-ons

Optional interactive elements you can add to your ad to boost engagement (e.g., stickers, polls, display cards).

• Polls — “Do you experience heel pain? (Yes | No).”
• Display Card — “Free Consultation for All New Patients!”

j. Destination

This is where you configure the Instant Form itself.

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HIPAA & Patient Privacy

For any medical practice, including a Podiatry clinic, patient privacy is non-negotiable. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that protects sensitive patient health information (PHI) from being disclosed without the patient’s consent. While TikTok Ads is a powerful tool, it’s a public platform that requires extreme caution.

1. No Disclosing Patient Information.

The most important rule is that you can never post or share any Protected Health Information (PHI) without a patient’s explicit, written authorization. PHI includes:

• Names, addresses, and other personal identifiers.
• Medical record numbers or account numbers.
• Any details about their past, present, or future health condition or treatment.
• Photos or videos that could be used to identify them.

This means you should never discuss a specific patient case, even without using their name. Even a post that says, “We treated a runner with plantar fasciitis this morning!” could be a violation if it’s possible to identify the patient from a combination of details.

2. The Right Way to Use Patient Testimonials.

Testimonials are powerful for building trust, but they require a clear, legal process. Before using any testimonial in an ad—whether it’s a video, a written quote, or a before-and-after photo—you must get a signed HIPAA-compliant authorization form. This form must clearly state what information is being used, where it will be posted (e.g., “social media platforms including TikTok”), and for what purpose. Verbal consent is not enough.

3. Responding to Patient Comments & DMs.

Social media is designed for interaction, but you must be careful.

• Public Comments — If a patient comments with a question about their personal health, do not respond publicly. Reply with a generic statement like, “Thank you for your question. For a HIPAA-compliant response, please call our office at [Your Phone Number] or send a private message.”
• Direct Messages (DMs) — While DMs are private, they are not considered a secure, HIPAA-compliant communication channel. A TikTok DM should be used to transition the conversation to a secure platform. If a patient sends you private information, instruct them to call your office or use a secure patient portal for any medical questions.

Conclusion

TikTok has now become a platform for finding new patients in a real way. The plan in this guide will help you turn people who just watch videos into regular patients, build your clinic’s name online, and grow your practice.

But for real success, you need to be there for patients at every step. TikTok helps you find people who do not even know they need a foot doctor yet. Then, Google Ads is perfect for finding people who are currently looking for a foot doctor. Learn how you can run Google Ads here → Google Ads for Podiatrists.

By using both TikTok and Google Ads, you will build a complete online system that gets new patients from every direction. It is time to get more patients and grow your business!