Paid HOF Ads Within Professional Council Rules

Advertising in health is not the same as advertising a shop. An orofacial harmonization (HOF) professional answers to the professional council, the Consumer Protection Code, CONAR (Brazil's advertising self-regulation body) and, on top of that, each platform's policies. An ad the platform approves can still be an ethics violation, and an ad the council allows can be rejected by the platform. Whoever understands these layers wastes less on ads that get pulled and even less on lawsuits.

This guide shows how to think about a paid ad for an HOF clinic: which rules overlap, what to say, what to avoid, how to structure the campaign and how to measure whether it pays off. It is not legal advice or a summary of any specific resolution: rules change, and the final word is always the current text from your council.

Which rules apply to a harmonization ad?

There are four layers. All apply at the same time, and the ad has to pass every one of them.

Two examples to get oriented: the Federal Council of Dentistry (CFO) regulates dental advertising through CFO Resolution 196/2019, and the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) regulates medical advertising through CFM Resolution 2.336/2023, in force since March 2024. Both address, in different ways, patient images and the educational nature of the content. Other councils have their own rules, and resolutions may have changed since this page was written: check the current version on your council's website before every campaign.

For an overview of the principles that repeat across all councils, read advertising in HOF: what you can publish. This guide builds on it and covers the paid ad side.

What should a paid HOF ad not contain?

The list below gathers risk points that show up in almost every health advertising rule. Confirm each one in yours.

• Promises of results or of no risk: "guaranteed result", "painless", "perfect face", "no swelling".
• Before and after photos without checking the rule: treatment varies among councils and has changed over time. When allowed, it requires the patient's express and specific authorization, a faithful photo and an informative context.
• Price and promotion: discounts, "last spots", "today only", giveaways and free procedures are among the most restricted points.
• Artificial urgency and exploiting insecurity: phrases suggesting a person needs a procedure to be accepted.
• Improper self-promotion: superlatives ("the best in town"), a title you do not hold, number of patients as proof of quality.
• A product's brand name as a draw: your council's rule says what is allowed regarding promoting products.
• A projection or simulation presented as a result: an illustrative simulation is not a treatment that was performed, and showing it as a result misleads the public.
• Patient photos without an image use consent form: the image is sensitive personal data and requires its own authorization.

What do platforms usually restrict?

Platform policies change often, and what counts is the current text in each one's ad policy center. A few general points, which you should confirm at the source:

• Health and wellness rules on platforms such as Meta require, for ads about cosmetic products, procedures or surgeries, that the audience be adults, and they ban ads that suggest inferiority about a person's physical appearance.
• Before and after images may be treated restrictively by the platform, even when the council allows them. The policy changes, so read the current version before uploading the creative.
• Repeatedly rejected ads can lead to restrictions on the ad account, which affects the whole clinic, not just one campaign.

The practical principle: complying with the council's rule is necessary but not sufficient. After that, the ad still has to pass the platform's policy.

How to build an HOF campaign in four decisions

1. What is the goal?

A health clinic ad usually works better when it aims for a clear, low-friction action: book an assessment consultation, not "buy harmonization". The patient decides on the plan after being assessed, based on clinical indication, and the advertising should not create the expectation of a procedure already decided. If your consultation is paid, say so on the page. The guide to the assessment consultation helps you design that offer.

2. Who is the audience?

Think about location (the patient has to get to the clinic), an age range compatible with the platform's policy and interest in the topic. Targeting by sensitive health characteristics is restricted by the platforms themselves and involves the LGPD. Prefer targeting by location and broad interests.

3. What should you show?

Low-risk, clear creatives are usually: the clinic environment, the team with the professional identification the rule requires, educational explanations about the procedure and how the assessment works, and answers to frequent questions. The point is to inform, not to pressure.

4. Where does the click lead?

Take it to a place that completes the information and makes booking easy: the clinic's WhatsApp, a contact form or a page with available times. The page needs your name, profession and registration number as the rule requires, and an address. See also how to organize messaging in the WhatsApp scripts for an HOF clinic.

Are ads, boosted posts and organic content the same thing?

For the council and for CONAR, they are all advertising, paid or not. The difference lies in reach and control.

For the organic side, see Instagram for HOF. For the clinic's content strategy, the guide to positioning helps you decide what to say before paying to say it.

How much should you invest and how do you know it pays off?

There is no "right" amount. The investment has to fit what the clinic earns per patient. Use the math of the whole cycle, not just the click:

Hypothetical example: a clinic invests R$ 1,500.00 in a month, receives 60 contacts, books 20 consultations, 14 patients show up and 5 close a plan. The cost per closed plan would be R$ 1,500.00 ÷ 5 = R$ 300.00. If the financial result of each plan, after costs and taxes, is well above that, the campaign may pay off; if it is similar or lower, that is a sign to review it. The numbers are fictional and do not indicate an expected result.

Two calculators help: the assessment consultation cost calculator, to find out what each consultation really costs, and the patient LTV calculator, to see what a returning patient is worth over time. To understand the value per patient, also see the average ticket in HOF.

LGPD and secrecy: what not to do with patient data

• Do not upload a patient list to create ad audiences without a clear legal basis and legal advice. An HOF patient is, by definition, someone whose contact details are tied to a health service.
• Do not use procedure information, medical records or photos to target or personalize ads.
• Do not share a patient's photo without specific authorization for publication, separate from the procedure's informed consent. See consent and the LGPD for photos.
• Be careful with forms: if the capture page asks for health data, processing that data requires extra care. Ask for the minimum needed to book.

What to do if the ad is rejected

1. Read the reason the platform gives. Often it is one specific word or image.
2. Do not try to get around it with variations of the same creative: that can worsen the restriction on your account.
3. Rewrite it to be more informative and less promotional.
4. If the rejection seems unwarranted, use the platform's review channel, and do not upload the same ad several times.

Checklist before publishing an ad

• Have I read my council's current advertising resolution?
• Does the ad avoid promises of results, of no pain and of no risk?
• Is there no price, promotion or urgency that my rule restricts?
• If there is a patient photo, is there a specific image use consent form and does the rule allow it?
• Does no simulation appear as if it were a result?
• Do my name, profession and registration appear as the rule requires?
• Does the click destination have complete information consistent with the ad?
• Have I defined how I will measure contacts, consultations and closed plans?
• Have I agreed in writing on what third parties may say on my behalf?

A good HOF ad is one the council would approve, the patient would understand and the clinic could back up in practice. Informing well costs less than correcting expectations later. For the impact of a seasonal campaign, see the year-end campaign at an HOF clinic.