Instagram ads for clinics: what does one patient cost?

When a clinic owner or doctor thinks about advertising, the first question is always the same: "How much will one patient cost me?"

Here are the numbers from 7 of my ad projects for clinics, surgeons and cosmetologists in Tashkent — all taken from Ads Manager.

First, an important difference: lead vs patient

Ads bring leads: a person writes in Direct or leaves a phone number in a form. Whether a lead becomes a patient depends on your administrator: how fast they reply, how they explain the price, how they book the visit.

So the maths has two steps:

• Cost per lead = ad budget ÷ number of leads;
• Cost per patient = cost per lead ÷ booking rate.

Real numbers: 7 projects

• Dodamed clinic (blepharoplasty): $327 budget → 750 enquiries. Direct leads averaged $0.34, the best campaign $0.09.
• Nilufar, surgeon (aesthetic surgery): $54 budget → 229 enquiries. Phone numbers via form from $0.12.
• Malika, surgeon: $184 budget → 385 leads. Within a month the cost fell from $0.58 to $0.34.
• Doctor Bobur Mirzo (phlebology, varicose veins): $214 budget → 376 leads, $0.57 on average, best $0.28.
• Wellness centre (massage and SPA): $447 budget → 1,000 leads, $0.23 on average.
• Madina, cosmetologist: $249 budget → 1,500+ leads, ~$0.16 on average.
• Nigora, cosmetologist (thread lifting): $417 budget → 458 leads. $1.37 in the test month, $0.37 after optimisation.

With a well-built campaign, one lead for a clinic usually costs $0.10–0.60. Details for each project: Portfolio.

So what does one patient cost?

An example. Say a lead costs $0.40.

• If 1 in 5 leads books a visit (20%), one patient costs $2.
• If 1 in 10 books (10%), one patient costs $4.

Compared with the price of a consultation, blepharoplasty or vein treatment, that is very little. That is why the administrator's work matters as much as the ads: replying in Direct within 5 minutes noticeably raises the booking rate.

What drives the cost?

1. The offer. A concrete offer such as "free consultation" or "discount on the first visit" can cut the cost per lead several times.
2. The creative. The doctor speaking on video, before-and-after results (with patient consent) and showing the process work best.
3. The audience. Wrong district, age or interests means money goes to random people.
4. Lead method. Direct is cheaper and faster; a phone-number form costs a bit more but suits call-backs. Many projects use both.
5. Testing and optimisation. The first week is a test. In Nigora's project the cost dropped 3.7× after the test month.

What budget to start with?

For a clinic's first test month, $5–10 a day is enough to test 2–4 creatives and audiences and find the ones bringing the cheapest leads. More: How much budget do targeted ads need?

Bottom line

For a clinic on Instagram, one lead usually costs under a dollar and one patient a few dollars, depending on how the administrator works. What matters is the right offer, a trustworthy creative and daily optimisation.

Free consultation for your clinic: I will review your page and estimate what a lead would cost in your niche. Leave a request.