Why Most Telehealth Ads Fail and What the Top 5% Get Right in a Post-Pandemic World
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 16
- 4 min read
Dr. Sunaina Shrivastava, an accomplished marketing leader, is a Faculty of Business & Consumer Behavior at New York University and CEO of YellowFryum Inc., a premier New York–based advisory firm delivering innovative, data-driven growth marketing solutions across the financial services, fintech, healthtech, and medical aesthetics sectors.
Telehealth marketing has evolved significantly since the pandemic, but many ads still fall short in a post-pandemic world. As the market grows crowded, telehealth providers must rethink their approach to stand out. Learn what the top 5% of telehealth marketers are doing right, from building trust through UX-driven signals to using emotional resonance and storytelling to connect with patients. Discover how to design smarter, not just louder, campaigns that truly engage and convert.
The rise (and plateau) of telehealth
Telehealth was thrust into the spotlight during the pandemic, when it became a necessity rather than a choice. Startups flourished, regulations temporarily loosened, and adoption rates surged. But in the years since, many virtual care providers have found themselves grappling with a harsh truth: access alone is no longer a differentiator. With a flood of new entrants, stricter ad policies, and shifting patient expectations, the playing field has changed. And so has patient behavior.
In a post-pandemic world, consumers are no longer just looking for telehealth. They are evaluating how it feels to engage with a platform, how safe they feel disclosing sensitive information, and whether the provider seems credible, human, and trustworthy. Yet, most advertising in this space hasn’t caught up. While demand has stabilized, the supply of platforms has exploded, leading to noise, confusion, and a lack of clear brand distinction. For the average patient, one telehealth provider often looks indistinguishable from the next.
Many telehealth ads continue to rely on the same stale formula: convenience, privacy, and 24/7 access. While these were compelling in 2020, they have since become baseline expectations. Moreover, the tone of these ads often leans toward clinical or sterile, missing the opportunity to connect emotionally with audiences who are navigating deeply personal health journeys. Adding to the challenge, regulatory pressures and platform-level ad restrictions have led many marketers to strip their messaging of nuance, resulting in campaigns that are overly cautious, forgettable, or simply ineffective.
So, what are the most successful telehealth marketers doing differently?
The top 5% of campaigns embrace a fundamentally different approach. First, they understand that building trust is not just a compliance checkbox but a strategic imperative. These brands invest in UX-driven trust signals, elements like transparent physician credentials, real-time support, and clearly stated data privacy policies. Rather than waiting until the end of the funnel to build credibility, they infuse it throughout the entire journey.
Second, they focus on emotional resonance. Whether targeting patients seeking mental health support, ADHD care, or dermatological consults, successful ads speak directly to lived experiences. They use storytelling to highlight patient transformation, build hope, and gently address the stigma still associated with virtual care. This level of empathy isn’t accidental; it’s rooted in behavioral insight and creative discipline.
Third, the best telehealth marketers understand that not all conversions happen on the first click. They design for the long game, building layered funnels that start with micro-conversions, such as reading an article, watching a provider video, using a symptom checker, or signing up for email updates. These small commitments pave the way for larger ones, creating a sense of safety and momentum.
Here is where compliance meets creativity. Instead of seeing ad policy restrictions as limitations, high-performing brands treat them as creative constraints. When you can’t say "anxiety," can you say "restless nights" or "your thoughts won’t slow down"? When you can’t use before-and-after visuals, can you animate a care journey or spotlight a patient story through text and design? The most resilient marketers build strategies around what can be done rather than what can't.
A final, and often overlooked, factor is humanization. In an increasingly digital health ecosystem, patients still crave a sense of realness. A short behind-the-scenes video showing how prescriptions are processed, a founder's message about why they built the platform, or a team spotlight post can go a long way in bridging the emotional distance that often comes with virtual care. It turns an interface into an experience.
Marketing telehealth in 2025 is no longer about shouting the benefits. It's about earning belief. That means aligning behavioral science with compliant creative and building a patient journey that feels safe, personal, and empowering. For telehealth brands that want to rise above the noise, it's not about spending more; it's about designing smarter. Because in a post-pandemic world, patient trust is not just a value; it's the new conversion metric that matters most.
The yellowfryum approach
At YellowFryum, we take this philosophy and make it actionable. We combine behavioral research, funnel design, and digital strategy to help telehealth brands craft compliant yet compelling patient experiences, from their first click to long-term retention. As a boutique growth partner in healthcare marketing, we understand the nuance of designing HIPAA-compliant campaigns that still feel human. Our team builds full-funnel strategies that don’t just check regulatory boxes; they drive meaningful patient engagement and resonate with real people. Whether we’re optimizing creative content to meet ad policy standards, targeting high-intent audiences, or mapping emotional triggers into user journeys, our goal remains the same: to help healthtech brands thrive in a regulated industry by staying both compliance-aware and conversion-driven.
If you’re looking for compliant, high-impact marketing for TeleHealth practitioners, we’d love to help you scale without getting flagged. Reach out here or book a call directly at this link.
Read more from Dr. Sunaina Shrivastava, BEng., MBA, PhD
Dr. Sunaina Shrivastava, BEng., MBA, PhD, Professor @ NYU & Marketing Leader
Dr. Sunaina Shrivastava is a distinguished academic and business leader specializing in Behavioral Marketing and Growth Strategy. She serves as a Faculty of Business & Consumer Behavior at New York University (NYU), with research published in leading academic and business journals. Dr. Shrivastava is the Co-founder of YellowFryum Inc., a premier New York–based advisory firm with two verticals: YellowFryum Fin, accelerating growth for fintech & financial services, and YellowFryum Med, driving growth in the medical aesthetics & healthtech sectors through cutting-edge digital marketing solutions. She holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Iowa, an MBA in Marketing, and a Bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering.
