Health and wellness email templates

What a health practice sends in a year

A practice sends fewer emails than a shop, and each one has a job. Some bring a patient back for a visit that is due. Some answer a question before the phone rings, such as when the clinic is open over a holiday. Some introduce the practice to a person who has not booked yet. And a few are simply useful, like a tip a patient can try before lunch.

Most of a year falls into those four jobs. Recall reminders run all year, in batches for whoever is due. Seasonal notices follow the calendar: flu shots in the fall, hours at the holidays. New patient offers suit the weeks when you have open slots. A monthly note keeps the practice familiar to people who are not due for anything.

Recall reminders for visits people put off

The dental checkup reminder is the plainest example. It greets the patient by first name, says the cleaning is due and puts a Book online button above a photo of a patient in the chair. Three short points follow on what to expect: how long the visit takes, X-rays only when due, and a reminder the day before. If you do not send a reminder, edit that line out, because the email should only promise what you do.

The annual eye exam reminder has more character. Its headline is set as an eye chart, with each line smaller than the last, and a joke caption underneath. Three facts cover length, insurance and same-day contacts, and three frames with prices give patients a second reason to come in. Send it about a year after each patient's last exam, to everyone who is due.

Either layout works for a physical therapist or a vet. Change the timing and the three points, and keep the single clear button.

Seasonal notices that answer questions

The flu shot clinic announcement answers the questions patients ask first: do I need an appointment, when can I come and what does it cost. A strip at the top gives the walk-in hours, three icon steps explain the visit, and a details list covers where, when, who and cost. There is a family section and a box with a phone number and a directions button. Send it the week the shots arrive, and again a few weeks later. Pharmacies and community health centers can fill it in the same way.

The holiday hours announcement is one patients actively look for. It lists six dates with their hours, the closures and the day regular hours resume. It shows what to do when you are shut (a nurse line, urgent care, an emergency), reminds patients to request refills in time and adds a note about flu and COVID shots. Send it about two weeks before the first closure, so there is still time to book and to refill.

Bringing in new patients

People hesitate to book a first visit because they do not know what happens. The chiropractic new patient offer fixes that. It puts a first-visit price in giant type, explains the visit in three steps (history, exam, adjustment), says who it is for and who it is not for, and adds a patient quote. It ends with a button to pick a time. Physio, massage and acupuncture clinics with a fixed-price first appointment can use the same layout.

Be specific about what the price includes and what it does not. A note that says who the visit is not for reads as honest, and it spares you appointments that were never going to help. Use a patient quote only with the patient's permission, and keep it to their words.

Useful notes for the patients who are not due

The physiotherapy desk posture tips email gives three fixes a patient can try in two minutes: stand every 50 minutes, raise the screen, set the chair height. A patient quote follows, then a Still sore? band with a button to book an assessment. It asks for a booking only after it has helped.

The therapy practice newsletter is quieter still. It leads with one idea for the month in large italic type with no photo at the top, then three picks to read, listen to and try. It closes with office news and a band that says the newsletter is not the place to reach you in a crisis and points people to a local crisis line. Keep that band, and keep the tone of a note from one person.

Subject lines that patients open

Name the thing and keep it calm. "Your cleaning is due" says what is inside and who it is for. "Flu shots are in, no appointment needed" answers the question before it is asked. "Holiday hours at the clinic" is exactly what someone will search for in their inbox. Avoid fear. A subject line that scares a patient into booking is a poor start to a care relationship.

One tip for health practices

Keep health details out of the email. A reminder can say a checkup is due. It should not name a condition, a test result or a treatment. Anyone can see an inbox over a shoulder, and a forwarded email travels with everything in it. Put the detail behind your patient portal or a phone call, and let the email do the nudge.

You can also let an automation do the nudge for new contacts. Send a short welcome when someone joins your list or confirms a form, with your hours and how to book, so nobody waits for a manual reply. Check the rules that apply to your practice and region before you send anything that mentions care.

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