How Can I Compliantly Promote on Social Media?

To kick off the year, we’ve decided to focus our first opinion piece on a topic that continues to spark debate and discussion: social media.

Reflecting on the past year, we encountered numerous cases involving social media

practices. You might think, “Aren’t those just historic cases? Surely, we were still figuring out what we can and cannot do back then.” While there’s some truth to that, a recent case involving a company promoting on social media suggests that breaches remain a significant issue. It makes us wonder will we still see similar breaches a year from now?

If you’ve read this far, good news: we’re going to address the question posed at the start.

Yes, you can promote your company on social media, but promoting products is a different story most of the time.

Let me explain.

You are permitted to promote to healthcare professionals (HCPs) within a closed group on social media, but it’s a challenging process to get right. To simplify, here’s the rule of thumb:

Do not promote products on social media.

That sounds straightforward, but what does it actually mean in practice? Here’s the key: if your post makes it clear which product you’re referring to, it is likely to be considered promotional.

Additionally, watch out for links. If a link you include leads to content referencing your products, it will likely be deemed promotional.

“But it can’t be that simple,” you might think. In many ways, it is. Of course, there are

exceptions - disease awareness campaigns or press releases, for instance, may mention products, but these exceptions must be carefully executed to comply with regulations.

If you’re unsure about what’s permissible, how to use hashtags effectively, or how to stay compliant, our expert team is here to help. Feel free to reach out by sending a message or emailing us at enquiries@compliance-hub.com.