If you work in health tech, this story is likely a familiar one: groundbreaking product, smart team, impressive clinical backing and yet, your ads are struggling to get off the ground. 

Whether you’re in supplements, wearable tech or digital health platforms, launching a compliant, effective advertising campaign can feel like walking a tightrope - one misstep, and your account could vanish overnight.

In this blog, we’ll dig into what works creatively and at a compliance level, so you can connect with those who need your product the most. 

First, the Foundation: Know Your Limits So You Can Play Smart

Before you get clever with ad copy or throw budget behind a bold visual campaign, you need to understand the environment you're playing in. In health tech, there are two major compliance fronts: industry regulations and ad platform policies. 

What does this mean for your advertising strategy? That the best creative ideas in the world won’t work unless they’re designed with constraints in mind. And ironically, these constraints are what often lead to the most innovative work.

1. Lead With Education, Not Diagnosis

Advertising that tries to diagnose, promise treatment or get too specific about symptoms is likely to get flagged. But that doesn’t mean your ads have to be boring. The trick? Shift from medical messaging to motivational messaging.

Let’s say you’re promoting a home fertility test. Instead of ‘Struggling to get pregnant?’, try:

‘Knowledge is power. Understand your fertility with a quick, private home test.’

This reframes the offering as empowerment, not medical intervention. And when done well, this kind of messaging gets approved, and performs. 

Try to use curiosity hooks like ‘Did you know?’ or ‘What’s really happening with your hormones?’ to start the conversation.

2. Tell Stories Without Showing the ‘Scary Stuff’

In many areas of health tech, visual storytelling becomes tricky. Platforms like TikTok and Meta prohibit visuals of blood, needles or any imagery that could induce discomfort.

So, how do you tell a compelling product story without showing the product? You show the outcome.

We’ve found that lifestyle content performs particularly well, such as people feeling calm, taking control of their health, or integrating the product into their daily routine. You’re selling more than a product; you’re selling peace of mind, clarity, confidence.

A few creative formats that work well:

• Street-style interviews (engaging, raw, and authentic)

• First-person ‘journey’ narratives

• Wellness routines featuring your product in context

3. Focus on Trust-Building Visuals and Messaging

Health decisions are inherently personal — and people can be sceptical. If your ads don’t look and sound trustworthy, they won’t convert, no matter how compliant they are.

Here’s how to build trust in your advertising strategy:

• Feature certifications (CE-marked, FDA-cleared, MHRA-approved) in creative when possible

• Use a warm, human tone of voice (overly clinical jargon) 

• Show diverse, real people in your content, not just models or stock images

• Highlight doctor involvement, lab credentials or testing rigor (without overwhelming with detail)

This doesn’t just help with compliance, but it builds the credibility that gets people to click, explore and buy.

4. Platform-Specific Strategy: Know the Rules to Bend the Rules

Each platform has its own sensitivities, and knowing them can help you create better-performing, risk-aware ads from the jump.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how we approach ads by platform:

Want to dig deeper? Check out our Meta Ads Safe Word Checklist.

Case Study: Newfoundland Diagnostics

Let’s put theory into practice.

We’ve been working with Newfoundland Diagnostics, a direct-to-consumer health brand offering at-home blood tests and supplements. Like many in the space, they faced strict advertising restrictions, especially on TikTok and Meta.

The Problem

• TikTok flagged content that even hinted at diagnosis or showed visuals of test kits

• Meta ads were rejected for ‘targeting users based on medical conditions’

  
  

Our Strategy

• We shifted the focus from testing to empowerment

• Instead of showing the test kit, we highlighted what happens after: peace of mind, morning routines, and health ownership

• We leaned into value-first messaging: “Your all-in-one health MOT”

• We added MHRA approval and doctor-reviewed claims prominently on landing pages

  
  

The Results

• Ad approval rates improved by 67%

• Cost-per-click dropped by 28%

• Engagement increased, especially among wellness-focused 35-55 audiences

• TikTok videos started gaining traction organically as well, showing the halo effect of a smart, sensitive ad strategy

  
  

5. Build Creative Systems, Not One-Off Campaigns

Health tech marketing is rarely plug-and-play. What works today might not work next month, and different reviewers can apply rules inconsistently. That’s why we encourage our clients to build creative systems, not just campaigns.

What does that mean?

• Modular creative: Create ad templates with swappable elements for easier testing

• A/B testing frameworks: Test headlines, visuals and CTAs to see what sticks

• Versioning for platforms: Slight tweaks in language can make or break approvals

Think of your creative as a live system that’s constantly evolving, not a single piece of content you set and forget.