Marketing in the health tech space comes with its own unique challenges. Between strict advertising policies, complex platform rules and ever-evolving compliance regulations, launching a successful campaign can feel more like navigating a minefield than executing a strategy.

At Toco Marketing, we’ve been in the trenches of this exact challenge with our clients in health tech. Here’s what we’ve learned (and how we’re winning despite the odds).

The Compliance Conundrum in Health Tech

Whether you’re promoting blood tests, wearable health trackers or supplements for better sleep, marketing in the health tech space means you’re navigating a high-stakes compliance environment—one that spans legal, ethical, and platform-specific restrictions.

You're essentially contending with compliance on two fronts:

1. Industry Regulations

Health products and services are heavily regulated for a reason: they impact people’s well-being. Depending on where your business is based and where you’re advertising, you might need to comply with:

• HIPAA (U.S.): Protects sensitive patient health information, especially relevant for apps or platforms that store personal data.

• GDPR (EU): Governs how user data is collected, stored, and used, especially critical for retargeting and email collection in Europe.

• MHRA (UK): Oversees medical device and diagnostics advertising, requiring proof-backed claims and clarity around product categorisation.

• FDA Guidelines (U.S.): Any health claims must be substantiated and presented in a way that doesn’t mislead or overpromise results.

Industry regulations are especially important to consider if you’re offering direct-to-consumer diagnostics. You have to inform without diagnosing, engage without misleading, and build trust without veering into regulatory grey zones.

Even your landing pages, email capture flows, and disclaimers can come under scrutiny. Not just your ads.

2. Ad Platform Policies

Here's where things can get even trickier. Just because your messaging is legally compliant doesn’t mean it’s platform compliant. And if you get it wrong? Best-case scenario: your ads are disapproved. Worst case? Your entire ad account gets banned. And appealing it can feel like shouting into the void.

Let’s break down how this plays out across key platforms:

Meta (Facebook/Instagram)

Metis is highly sensitive to anything that implies a user may have a medical condition. According to their prohibited information regulations, Meta strictly prohibits sharing any data that includes or implies sensitive health information, such as medical conditions, mental health status, or reproductive health details — even indirectly. This applies under all relevant laws and industry standards. 

Meta also advises you don’t make people ‘feel negatively’. For example, ads that say ‘Do you struggle with [x symptom]?’ or ‘Hate the way you look?’ are often flagged for implying negative self-perception. Meta also restricts ‘before and after’ comparisons, and even words like ‘diagnose’ or ‘treat’ can raise red flags.

TikTok

TikTok is arguably the strictest platform for advertising. Their community guidelines prohibit content that could be considered graphic, misleading, or fear-inducing, which means no visuals of finger-prick tests, blood, or even certain anatomical illustrations. Health claims need to be vague, soft, and often indirect.

Google Ads

Google ads demand a higher bar of scientific proof for health claims, especially if you’re promoting anything that could fall into ‘YMYL’ (Your Money or Your Life) territory (i.e. anything tied to health, safety or financial well-being). You’ll also need clear disclaimers and carefully written landing pages.

And of course, like with all things marketing, these policies constantly change. What was approved last month might be rejected this month, and different reviewers on the same platform might interpret your content differently. You can follow the rules and still end up stuck. 

That’s why it’s important to always stay up to date on regulations and ensure you’re not just compliant once, but that it’s part of your workflow. 

Real-World Roadblocks: Why Health Tech Marketing Feels So Hard

If you’re in the health tech space and feeling frustrated by your marketing performance, you’re not alone. Even the most innovative, well-funded brands hit walls. Not because their product isn’t good, but because the digital ecosystem isn’t built with health compliance in mind.

Here are just a few of the most common roadblocks we've seen (and navigated):

1. Platform Inconsistencies

Ad platforms like Meta and TikTok don’t always apply their rules consistently. You can have one ad flagged on TikTok while a near-identical version runs without issue. Sometimes, it depends on the reviewer. Other times, it’s algorithmic, and frustratingly unclear. You can follow every guideline to the letter and still find yourself banned, throttled or shadow-limited.

2. The Automation Fly Trap

Platforms rely heavily on AI and automation to scan ad creative. This means your ad might be flagged before a human even sees it, often because of:

• Keywords like ‘test,’ ‘diagnose’ or ‘symptom’

• Visual cues like needles, pills or medical diagrams

• Phrases that could be interpreted as making medical claims

We've seen health tech brands get blocked not because they broke the rules but because the perception of risk was enough for platforms to say ‘no thanks’, and catch ads before they can reach an audience. 

3. Creative Limitations That Affect Performance

Because of compliance constraints, you often can’t show the product in action. That’s a big problem when the product is visual and unfamiliar, like a blood testing kit or a smart wearable. You’re forced to rely on indirect storytelling, which requires more strategy, more creative testing and often, more budget to find what resonates.

4. Landing Page & Funnel Restrictions

Even if your ads make it through, your landing pages can trigger disapprovals. Platforms crawl these too, and if your funnel includes anything that hints at a medical benefit without proper disclaimers (or lacks a clear privacy policy or terms of service) you're back to square one.

5. Balancing Trust with Compliance

In health tech, trust is everything. But the moment your messaging becomes too cautious or watered down to meet ad policy requirements, it risks becoming vague or ineffective. On the flip side, leaning into bold claims can tank your ad approval rate.

This is the tension we see time and time again: brands are stuck trying to say something meaningful, without saying too much.

A Case Study: Our Experience with Newfoundland Diagnostics

We’ve been working with our client, Newfoundland Diagnostics, who offer at-home health tests and supplements. Let’s take a look into some of the road blocks we’ve encountered as we’ve had to navigate the maze of health tech marketing. 

TikTok’s Tightrope

TikTok’s ad policies are some of the strictest in the game, especially when it comes to anything that could be considered ‘shocking’ or ‘sensitive’. That meant:

• No visible blood

• No shots of the finger prick

• No close-ups of test kits that might imply a diagnosis

What worked:

• Shifting the focus from testing to empowerment: using more positive language, like ‘take control of your health’

• Using lifestyle content showing the outcome (peace of mind, wellness routines) rather than the process

• Street-style interviews to hook viewers: TikTok is notorious for street-style interviews, as you combine real people with real-time reactions to your product. It’s a great way to get in front of viewers without over-selling.   

Meta's Grey Zones

Meta (Facebook and Instagram) allows health ads, but draws the line at anything that could make users feel ‘targeted’ or ‘called out’ based on their health status. This meant:

• No ‘We’ll solve all your issues’ style copy

• No before/after shots

• Careful language around conditions like fertility, menopause or cholesterol

Our approach:

• Educational content that leads with curiosity (‘Your journey to parenthood starts with knowledge)

• Ads with value-first messaging (e.g., “Your all-in-one health check. Because busy doesn’t have to mean bad health.”)

• Copy that feels more invitational than clinical (‘Get your health check MOT’) 

The Secret to Compliance Challenges? Strategy + Sensitivity

Marketing health tech is a balancing act. You want to make an emotional connection without triggering compliance alarms.

Here’s what we’ve found essential:

• Know the rules (and the loopholes): Platform guidelines change frequently. It’s important to stay up-to-date so you can design ads around them, instead of fighting them. 

• Test, learn, adapt: What works for one platform (or even one audience) may not work elsewhere. You’ll want to build agile campaigns that can pivot quickly.

• Educate without alarming: People want to feel informed and empowered, not fearful. Focus your messaging strategy on clarity, simplicity and value.

Why It Matters

If you’re in the health tech space, your product has the potential to change lives. But getting that message to the right people—without being shut down by algorithms or tricky regulations—requires a strategic, experienced hand.