Social media
Best practices for social media
In addition to keeping up with family and friends, social media sites offer several professional benefits and opportunities to dermatologists:
Stay current on the latest news and research.
Connect with colleagues.
Share educational information with patients.
Promote your practice.
Position board-certified dermatologists as the experts in skin, hair and nails.
Advocate for health care causes.
Social media dos and don'ts
Do
DO choose your platforms wisely. You don’t need to be on every outlet.
DO include your credentials in your bio, including the FAAD designation.
DO tag @AADmember and @AADskin in your tweets/posts related to AAD events, news, and patient resources.
DO use discretion when recommending products and accepting paid partnerships with brands.
DO take time to familiarize yourself with how other physicians and non-physicians are using social media. This toolkit is a great place to get started!
Don't
DON’T ignore privacy laws. Refrain from sharing patient photos or communicating protected health information without explicit, written permission.
DON’T overshare. Avoid posting personal opinions about controversial issues.
DON’T follow patients on social media unless you know them outside the doctor-patient relationship.
DON’T forget that anonymity and confidentiality are never guaranteed on the internet, even in a private direct message.
Social media 101: Getting started on each platform
Each major social media platform has its own benefits and culture, so you can choose what is best for you. Here are some tips to get you started on each platform.
Facebook is a versatile, widely used platform that allows you to connect with special interest groups, build a business page for your practice, receive reviews from patients, and create targeted ads.
Tips for getting started on Facebook:
Keep your personal and professional lives separate on Facebook. You can develop a Business Page for your practice or professional brand while maintaining a personal account to connect with friends and family.
Keep posts short and concise, sharing links, images, and videos for additional context.
Update your profile to include your credentials, including your FAAD designation, a link to your website, and some information about your specialty/interests.
Join interest groups to build your network and connect with like-minded individuals.
Share posts from the AADskin, AADmember, and JAAD Journals accounts to your page for additional content opportunities .
Twitter is a fast-paced platform used best for staying up-to-date on the latest news, sharing and discussing research, live-tweeting events, and connecting with dermatologists from around the world.
Tips for getting started on Twitter:
Begin by following the AAD (@AADskin, @AADmember), news organizations, medical journals (@JAADjournals), patient advocate groups, and other dermatologists
Tweet from events, such as an AAD meeting, using the event hashtag. Engage with others using the hashtag to build your relationship.
Be mindful of the 280-character limit on the platform when posting. You can create tweet threads to discuss a topic with greater depth.
Update your profile to include your credentials, including your FAAD designation, a link to your website, and some information about your specialty/interests.
Share photos, when available, to make your tweets stand out.
Retweet content only from reputable sources such as medical journals, news networks, and organizations such as the AAD. Not everything on Twitter is true!
Instagram is an easy-to-use, image-driven platform ideal for sharing photos, videos, and infographics with patients and colleagues. Instagram is a great place to build your professional brand and establish yourself as an expert in skin, hair, and nails.
Tips for getting started on Instagram:
Follow the AAD (@AADskin1, @AADmember, and @JAADjournals) for content ideas, images to share, and engagement opportunities
Share high-quality, interesting images on your profile.
Use popular hashtags to connect with others and get your message in front of a larger audience. Popular hashtags such as #skincareroutine can be used as well as more specific ones such as #VitiligoAwarenessMonth.
Follow other AAD members and engage with their content to build a strong social media relationship.
Update your profile to include your credentials, including your FAAD designation, a link to your website, and some information about your specialty/interests.
Utilize Instagram’s features such as stories, reels, and lives to further engage your audience. While it is important to keep it professional, these features can help showcase your personality and the voice behind your brand.
Tiktok
TikTok is a video-only platform that offers a variety of editing tools to facilitate creative content development. This newer, rapidly growing channel has proven to be an engaging way to reach a younger demographic with accurate, visually appealing educational content.
Tips for getting started on TikTok:
Include your credentials, including your FAAD designation, in your profile
Be creative! Utilize TikTok’s video editing features including animated text, filters, transitions, and music to create interesting, appealing videos that showcase your personality and brand
Follow other AAD members and engage with their content. TikTok also offers the opportunity to collaborate with others within the app.
Pay attention to trends that can be applied to your educational content to stay relevant and reach a larger audience. Consider using popular hashtags to continue extending your reach.
Professionalism on social media
While social media tends to appear more casual than other forms of communication, it is important to remain professional at all times. While you do not need to post strictly about dermatology, you should avoid unprofessional behaviors including, but not limited to:
Spreading incorrect or unsubstantiated information about dermatology, dermatologic conditions, or therapies, or other areas of health and medicine
Bullying, harassing, or using crude, violent, or disrespectful language, photos, or videos in any context
Sharing controversial opinions
Posting photos/videos that showcase unprofessional behaviors
Speaking ill of the Academy or its members in public or private forums
It is your choice whether or not you find it ethical to accept partnerships with brands. In all circumstances, the Academy encourages you to only accept paid partnerships with brands or products that you trust and that you would recommend to others without a paid sponsorship. Please adhere to all FTC guidelines (PDF) when sharing sponsored content on social media.
If you plan to interact with the public or with patients, it is recommended that you create separate personal and professional accounts. This will allow you to keep your personal interactions with your family and friends separate from your public interactions with patients. Remember, even with private personal accounts, you should not assume your information is 100% private.
For more information, please view the Academy’s Position Statement on Professionalism in Social Media.
Developing your social media content
Get started on social media by developing a topical, seasonal content calendar. Here are some awareness days and months to get you started:
Awareness months and days
January – Thyroid Awareness Month
February – American Heart Month
February 4 – World Cancer Day
March 30 – National Doctor’s Day
April – Rosacea Awareness Month
May – Skin Cancer Awareness Month
The first Monday in May – Melanoma Monday
The last Friday in May – “Don’t Fry Day” a day to bring awareness about the importance of sun protection
June – Vitiligo Awareness Month
June 25 – World Vitiligo Day
August – Hair Loss Awareness Month
August – Psoriasis Awareness Month
September – Healthy Aging Month
October – Eczema Awareness Month
October 29 – World Psoriasis Day
November – National Healthy Skin Month
Related Academy resources
Pitch your expertise as a board-certified dermatologist to local media with a timely story idea to help educate their audiences.
The Academy has developed these key messages to help you educate the public about the specialty.
