Why testimonials are banned in health advertising (and what to do instead)

Health practices can’t use testimonials in advertising. Why the rule exists, exactly what it covers (liking, sharing, influencers) and what to do instead.

14 September 202610 min read

Updated 29 October 2026 to reflect the latest rules and guidance.

For almost every other kind of business, testimonials are marketing gold. Restaurants quote their reviews, tradies share happy customers’ photos and software companies put star ratings everywhere. So it often surprises practice owners to learn that, in health advertising, testimonials are off limits.

It’s also one of the rules practices break most often, usually without realising. The ban isn’t new, but it has been reinforced several times: it was kept when a proposal to relax it was withdrawn in 2022, the penalties rose sharply that October, and the cosmetic guidelines of 2023 and 2025 spelled out that liking, sharing and influencer content all count. Here’s why the rule exists, exactly what it covers and how to build trust without it.

What the rule says

Section 133 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law says advertising a regulated health service must not use testimonials or purported testimonials about the service. Ahpra’s Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service, which took effect on 14 December 2020, define testimonials as recommendations or positive statements about the clinical aspects of a regulated health service. In practice, that means statements about:

a patient’s symptoms or reason for treatment
the outcome of their treatment
a practitioner’s clinical skill or experience

If a statement like that is used in your advertising, it’s a testimonial, even if it’s completely genuine and the patient gave permission. The ban also covers “purported” testimonials, so a statement presented as coming from a patient is caught even if it isn’t genuine.

A short history of the ban since 2020

14 December 2020: the revised advertising guidelines take effect, with expanded guidance on testimonials and a flowchart to help decide whether a review is a testimonial.
2 September 2022: Health Ministers ask for the clauses that would have relaxed the testimonial ban to be withdrawn from the National Law amendment bill then before the Queensland Parliament. The ban stays.
21 October 2022: the maximum penalty for an advertising offence rises from $5,000 to $60,000 for an individual and from $10,000 to $120,000 for a body corporate. Ahpra says these figures apply in all jurisdictions, including WA, as of July 2024.
1 July 2023: the Medical Board’s guidelines for doctors who advertise cosmetic surgery say reposting, liking or responding to patient posts can count as using a testimonial.
2 September 2025: Ahpra and the National Boards’ guidelines for advertising higher risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures strengthen the ban again, including for influencers and ambassadors.

Who it applies to

The ban applies to anyone who advertises a regulated health service. That includes registered practitioners in every regulated profession, but also unregistered practice owners, companies, agencies and influencers who publish advertising for a practice. Ahpra’s guidelines say advertisers are responsible for content produced by others on their behalf, so you can’t hand the risk to your agency.

Why the rule exists

It can feel unfair, especially when a patient genuinely wants to share their experience. But there are good reasons behind it.

Testimonials are selective. Practices naturally share the most positive stories, not the typical ones or the ones that went badly.
They’re not evidence. One person’s experience doesn’t show how likely a treatment is to work for someone else. Ahpra’s guidelines say anecdotes generally aren’t acceptable evidence for claims about a service.
Patients can be vulnerable. People looking for health care are often worried, unwell or hopeful, which makes them more likely to be swayed by a compelling story.
They create expectations. A glowing story can suggest results most patients won’t achieve, which also runs into the separate ban on creating an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment.

What counts as using a testimonial

This is where practices get caught out. It’s not just quotes on your home page. Using a testimonial includes:

quoting patient reviews on your website, in ads, brochures or emails
review widgets that display clinical review text on your site
patient success stories, case stories or video interviews about outcomes
reposting or sharing a patient’s post about their treatment
leaving clinical testimonials sitting in the comments or reviews on pages you control
for cosmetic procedures, interacting with a review on a third-party website or social media page, such as liking it, which the 2025 guidelines name explicitly
influencer or ambassador content that endorses your clinical services
editing a mixed review so only the positive comments are published, which Ahpra says can also be misleading

Who is responsible for reviews

Ahpra’s testimonial guidance says responsibility follows control. You’re responsible for reviews on your own website and social media pages. Where a platform doesn’t let you edit or remove reviews, disabling review functions is one way to comply. The owner of a booking site or review platform is responsible for compliance on that platform, and you aren’t responsible for reviews on platforms you don’t control. Ahpra adds that advertisers should take care if they choose to engage with reviews on third-party websites.

What’s still allowed

The rule isn’t as blanket as it sounds. Generally, you can:

ask patients to leave reviews on independent platforms like Google, without incentives and without filtering who you ask
let those reviews exist on those platforms, since you don’t control them
use comments that are purely about customer service or communication style, like friendly staff, short wait times or easy parking
publish factual information about your practitioners, services, process and fees

Patients are also free to talk about their experience on their own channels. The rule is about what you use in your advertising.

One area to be cautious about is star ratings. Ahpra’s published guidance doesn’t specifically address them. Because a rating summarises patients’ experiences, which often include clinical aspects, the cautious approach is to link to your Google profile rather than display a rating in your own advertising.

What it means for your marketing

Website

Remove testimonial carousels, patient story pages and review widgets that show clinical comments. Check old blog posts and landing pages, which often contain quotes added years ago.

Google Business Profile and reviews

Keep asking for reviews, but keep them on Google. Reply briefly and without repeating clinical details, and never confirm someone is a patient in a reply.

Social media and influencers

Don’t share patient posts about treatment, and moderate comments on your pages. Ahpra’s social media guidance says using a testimonial in social media advertising breaches the National Law. If you work with influencers or ambassadors, their endorsement of your clinical services is a testimonial in your advertising. The TGA’s updated social media guidance, published 5 November 2025, also treats third-party reviews and comments claiming use of goods as testimonials that must comply with the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code.

Paid ads, email and print

No patient quotes or review screenshots in ad copy, landing pages, newsletters or in-clinic brochures.

Common mistakes we see

Review widgets installed years ago that nobody remembers.
“Patient stories” pages written in the practice’s own words, which can still be purported testimonials.
Instagram highlights full of re-shared patient Stories.
Replying “So glad you love your results!” to reviews.
Video content where patients describe how a treatment changed their life.
Assuming written patient consent makes a testimonial acceptable.

What to do instead

If testimonials are out, how do you build trust? The same way patients judge you when they walk in the door: by who you are and how you work.

Show your people

Real photos, practitioner profiles with accurate titles and qualifications, areas of interest and a little about why each person does what they do. Patients want to know who they’ll be seeing.

Explain your process

What happens at a first appointment, how you make decisions with patients, how long things take and what they cost. Clear process information reduces anxiety and builds confidence.

Educate generously

Detailed, balanced information about conditions and treatments, including risks and recovery, shows expertise in a way no testimonial can. It also helps you rank in search.

Be transparent

Fees, wait times, billing arrangements and what to expect. Honesty about the practical details is one of the most underrated trust signals there is.

Earn reviews where they belong

A steady flow of genuine reviews on Google still helps new patients choose you. They just stay on Google.

A practical checklist

Search your website for patient quotes, review text, case stories and video interviews.
Remove or reconfigure review widgets that display clinical comments.
Check social media highlights, pinned posts and old posts for re-shared patient content.
Moderate comments and reviews on pages you control, or disable those functions.
Brief any influencer or ambassador in writing and review their live content.
Agree neutral review response wording, and for cosmetic procedures stop liking reviews.
Check brochures, signage and email templates for patient quotes.
Replace removed content with practitioner, process and education content.

How this fits with other rules

The TGA’s rules on testimonials are different. The Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code 2021, which commenced on 1 January 2022, allows genuine, unpaid testimonials for some therapeutic goods under strict conditions, but bans paid or incentivised testimonials and endorsements by current or former health professionals. Prescription medicines can’t be advertised to the public at all, including through testimonials. For a registered practitioner advertising a health service, the National Law’s blanket ban still applies on top of the Code.

The Australian Consumer Law adds another layer. The ACCC has said fake reviews, edited or removed negative reviews and undisclosed incentivised reviews can breach the ACL, and its 2023 sweep found 81% of 118 influencers reviewed had posts raising concerns, mostly undisclosed brand relationships.

Frequently asked questions

What if the patient gives written consent?

Consent doesn’t change anything. A positive statement about clinical aspects of your service used in your advertising is a testimonial, whether or not the patient agreed.

Can we share a patient’s post if they tagged us?

Not if it’s about their treatment or outcome. Re-sharing it brings it into your advertising. For cosmetic procedures, the guidelines say even liking or interacting with it can count.

Is a comment about our friendly receptionist a testimonial?

No. Ahpra says comments only about customer service or communication style, with no reference to clinical aspects, are not testimonials.

Was the testimonial ban ever relaxed?

No. A proposal to relax it was included in a 2022 amendment bill, but Health Ministers asked for those clauses to be withdrawn on 2 September 2022, and the ban remains.

Are we responsible for testimonials an influencer posts?

If you commissioned or arranged the content, treat it as your advertising. The 2025 cosmetic guidelines say influencer and ambassador content increases risk and that practitioners must make sure any advertising produced complies.

Need a hand?

Many practices have testimonials sitting on old pages, blog posts, social highlights or review widgets added years ago. Our compliance audit will find any that are still live, and our compliant content team can help you build trust without them. If social media is where most of your content lives, our social media for clinics service is built around these rules.

This article is general guidance based on the published rules, not legal advice. Final responsibility for advertising sits with the registered practitioner, and complex situations may need independent legal advice.