Friday Focus #69: Grade Your Last Chiropractic Email or Post (5 Point Check)

Friday Focus #69 · One quick win your chiropractic team can run today

A nice message gets a smile. A clear message gets a phone call.

Most offices are sending the first kind.

If your chiropractic email marketing (or your last Instagram post) isn't getting patients to book, call, or refer, don't write a new one yet. Go read the LAST one. Pull up the last email or post your office sent patients, read it back like a coach grading it, and check five things: urgency (is there a by-when?), real scarcity, ONE clear next step, a forward line, and how many times it says "we" instead of talking about the patient. Fix ONE thing and make it sharper. That's today's quick win.

If you're a D.C. reading this, there's a part below with your name on it. And if you're a C.A. reading this... odds are you're the one who hit "send" on that last message. Perfect. You're the coach today. 🎯

Why "nice" messages don't move anyone

Picture your patient on a Tuesday night. Couch. Phone. Thumb scrolling.

Your email pops up. It's warm. It's friendly. It says how much you love your patients and how grateful you are for your community.

And they smile... and keep scrolling.

Nothing was wrong with it. There was just nothing to DO.

And they're not reading every word, either. The Nielsen Norman Group found that on an average web page, people read about 20% of the words. Twenty percent. So if your next step is buried in paragraph four, a lot of your patients will never see it.

So pause here for a second. When was the last time one of your emails or posts made the phone ring?

Today's focus: grade your last message (do this TODAY)

Pull up the last email or post your office sent patients. Read it back like the coach. Then grade it on these five:

1. URGENCY → is there a by-when? A reason to act this week, not "someday"?
2. SCARCITY → is anything REAL limited? A date, a few open spots, a deadline. (Real only. Never make one up... patients can feel fake urgency from a mile away.)
3. THE CLEAR NEXT STEP → is the ONE thing to do obvious? Or do they have to figure it out?
4. THE FORWARD LINE → did you tell them who to send it to? "Know someone with headaches? Send them this."
5. THE "WE / I" COUNT → circle every "we," "our office," and "I." Was it about YOU... or about what's possible for the PATIENT?

You don't have to rewrite the whole thing. Reread ONE message and make it sharper. Does that make sense?

What a quick fix can look like

Here's an example of the kind of message a lot of offices send:

"We love our patients so much! Thank you for being part of our community. We're always here for you and your family. Call us anytime!"

Sweet. Sincere. And it scores a zero on all five.

Now watch what happens when you run it through the grade:

"Your family's fall check ups are open now, and our Saturday spots fill first. Reply YES by Friday and we'll save one for you. And if someone you love keeps mentioning headaches, forward this to them... we'd love to help."

Same warmth. Now it has a by-when, a clear next step, and a forward line. And it's about THEM.

(Only say Saturday spots fill first if they actually do. Real scarcity or none at all.)

I caught myself on this one (a quick story)

Okay, confession time... because I didn't come up with this focus by grading YOUR emails. I came up with it by grading mine.

I sent an email about my mission: 1,000 Chiropractic Assistants in my community. True. I mean it with my whole heart.

Then I reread it. And reread it.

No by-when. No urgency. Just a beautiful number sitting there with nowhere to go.

Me. The person who teaches this. If it can slip past ME, it can slip past anyone... and that's not a knock on you, it's just how being busy works. You write it, you love it, you send it. Nobody grades it.

The best don't wait for a coach to catch it. They catch it themselves. And that's exactly what a 5 minute reread gives your team... a coach's eyes, without waiting for the coach.

For my D.C.s reading this

With love, Doc... your patient emails and posts are some of the most visible things your office does. And maybe nobody's ever graded them.

If you're the D.C. who sends the newsletter, posts the reels, and then wonders why nothing happens, it's probably not your audience. It's the missing next step. Your patients aren't ignoring you. They just weren't told what to do.

And if you're the D.C. who's already crushing it (polished brand, beautiful feed, big list)... polished and moving are two different things. A gorgeous post with no by-when is a gorgeous post. That's it. Your patients will like it. Will they call?

So here's the task you hand your C.A. today:

"Pull up our last patient email and our last post. Grade both on the five points (urgency, real scarcity, clear next step, forward line, and the we/I count). Send me the ONE fix you'd make by end of day."

Then at Monday's huddle, ask out loud: "What did we send last... and what was the by-when?"

And one gentle frame, because I care about your office... asking your team to grade it is delegating. Never looking at what goes out under your name is abdicating. Trust them with the reread. Keep the question.

For my C.A.s reading this 🤗

This is your permission slip to LEAD, not just work.

You don't need permission to reread something you already sent. You don't need a marketing degree to spot a missing by-when. You just need 5 minutes and the five questions above.

And if you find a miss? Celebrate it. Seriously. Catching it means your next message is already better than your last one. That's growth you can see.

So which message are you grading first... the email or the post?

Send it and forget it vs. read it back

Let's get unfiltered for a moment... a message that doesn't ask for anything doesn't get anything.

❌ Send it and forget it teams post nice words and hope something happens.
✅ Connected chiropractic teams read it back, add the urgency and the clear next step... and turn a "nice post" into a booked appointment.

So which one was your last message? Did it get a smile... or did it get a phone call?

Frequently asked questions

What should a chiropractic patient email include?
Five things: a by-when (urgency), anything real that's limited, ONE clear next step, a forward line that tells them who to share it with, and language that's about the patient more than the office. Warmth is great. Warmth plus a clear next step is what gets patients to act.

How do you add urgency to a chiropractic email without sounding salesy?
Use real dates and real limits, and make the next step easy. "Reply YES by Friday and we'll save your spot" feels caring, not pushy. Salesy comes from fake scarcity or pressure. Clarity is a kindness... it saves your patient from having to figure it out.

What is a forward line in chiropractic marketing?
It's one sentence that tells your patient exactly who to send the message to. For example: "Know someone with headaches? Send them this." It turns every email and post into a gentle referral conversation.

Who should write and review a chiropractic office's patient emails?
The C.A. or marketing team can write and grade them. The D.C. sets the standard and asks the follow up question at the huddle. Grading every message on the same five points keeps everyone sharp without adding hours.

Your one move before you close the tab

You don't need a new marketing plan. You need to reread the last thing you sent.

Grade ONE message today. Fix ONE thing. That's today's assignment.

Your patients can't take a step you never asked them to take.

🎯 Ready for messages that actually move your patients?

1. Bring me in to coach your team directly. If you want every email, post, and flyer leaving your office with a clear next step, let's talk about what that looks like for your office. Book a no-charge consult and you'll walk away with one clear next step whether or not we work together → calendly.com/miranda-califecoaching/30min

2. Get your marketing audited every month. Inside the Connected Community, the monthly Momentum Call includes flyer, promo, and copywriting audits, plus the exact statements and timing that match the month... so your team never has to grade alone → chiropracticassistantcoach.com/chiropractic-assistant-coaching-membership

3. Certify your team in the C3 method. Connect → Commit → Consistently Collect is my 90 day certification that turns nice words into conversations that lead patients forward → chiropracticassistantcoach.com/chiropractic-assistant-training

4. Forward this to your team. Copy this blog's URL and send it to whoever writes your emails or runs your socials, with one honest question: "What was the by-when on our last message?" Let their answer start Monday's huddle.

If you liked this Focus, you might also like Social Media Algorithm Changes in 2026 for Chiropractors... because a sharper post deserves to actually get seen.

New Friday Focus every Friday. One quick win your chiropractic team can run today (TGIF... Today's Goal Is Focused). Let's grow. 🌱

- Miranda | Founder, The Connected Chiropractic Assistant