Your Reviews Are Doing the Selling; Make Sure They're Talking About Orthotics
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Last week we talked about video as a trust builder. This week, let's talk about the other half of social proof, the one you have the least direct control over and the most to gain from: your reviews.
We touched on reviews early in this series as one of the three things patients look for before they book. I'm coming back to them because the job your reviews do has quietly gotten bigger. Reviews used to be something a patient skimmed before calling. Now they're also being read by the AI assistants we discussed two articles ago. When ChatGPT or Google's AI Overview recommends "a good place for custom orthotics near me," it's weighing not just your star rating but what your reviews actually say. Your reviews have become a marketing asset that works for you in two places at once: with the patient, and with the machine that points the patient to you.
The Problem With Great Reviews That Say Nothing
Most podiatry practices with a good reputation have plenty of five star reviews. "Great doctor." "Friendly staff." "Highly recommend." Those are lovely, and they help your overall rating. But for orthotics specifically, they do almost nothing.
Here's why. A patient researching orthotics, and an AI summarizing the options, is looking for relevance, not just sentiment. A review that says, "I'd struggled with heel pain for two years, they did a 3D scan of my foot, and the Root orthotics they made finally fixed it," tells a prospective Root orthotic patient exactly what they need to hear. It tells the AI that your practice is genuinely associated with Root orthotics and the conditions they treat. Fifty generic five star ratings can't do that. One specific Root orthotic review can.
The goal isn't more reviews for the sake of a higher number. It's more reviews that mention Root orthotics, biomechanics, and the specific problems your ideal patients have.
The Ask Is Everything
Specific reviews don't happen by accident. They happen because you asked for them at the right moment, in the right way.
The right moment is when the patient is happiest. For Root orthotics, that's usually a few weeks in, when the device has broken in and the pain they came in with has eased. That's a better moment than the day you hand them their Root orthotics, when they haven't felt the benefit yet. Build a simple trigger into your follow up: when a Root orthotic patient reports they're doing well, that's your cue to ask.
The right way is to make it easy and to gently steer the content. "If you have a minute, a Google review really helps other people with the same problem find us. It's especially helpful if you mention what you came in for and how the Root orthotics have helped." You're not putting words in their mouth. You're reminding them that their specific story is the part that matters. One detail patients love to mention is the FootID Pro scan. Seeing their own foot in 3D tends to be the memorable moment of the visit, and a review that describes it instantly signals to the next patient that you're not handing out drugstore inserts.
Let Technology Carry the Load
This is where the marketing technology side earns its keep, because asking consistently is the part practices fail at. The front desk is busy, the moment passes, and the ask never happens. A simple review generation system fixes that. These tools send a patient a text or email at the right point in their journey with a one tap link straight to your Google review page. The patient doesn't have to hunt for where to leave it. Friction is the enemy of reviews, and these systems remove it.
Most modern systems let you segment, so you can send orthotic patients a slightly different prompt than your nail care patients. That's how you steer toward orthotic specific reviews that actually move the needle. Set it up once, and it runs quietly in the background, turning satisfied patients into the marketing that brings in the next ones.
Responding Matters, and HIPAA Comes First
Every review deserves a response. It signals to patients and to Google that you're engaged. But responding to health care reviews has a trap. You cannot confirm, deny, or reference that someone was your patient, or anything about their care, without violating their privacy. Even a warm "So glad we could help with your heel pain!" acknowledges treatment and can cross the line.
The safe pattern is to keep responses generic and grateful: "Thank you so much for the kind words. We appreciate you taking the time." Never disclose any clinical detail, even when the patient did. Train whoever manages your reviews on this, because a well meaning reply is one of the easiest ways a practice trips over HIPAA.
What You Can Do This Week
Read your last twenty reviews and count how many mention orthotics, biomechanics, or a specific condition. If the answer is "almost none," you've found a gap that's quietly costing you orthotic patients and AI visibility.
Build one trigger into your workflow. Pick the moment a Root orthotic patient tells you they're feeling better, and make that the standard cue to ask for a review that mentions their experience, including the scan if it stuck with them.
If you don't have a review generation system, look at one this week. The ability to automatically send the right ask at the right moment with a one tap link is one of the highest return, lowest effort marketing investments a practice can make.
Your reviews are already selling for you. The only question is whether they're selling the high margin, life changing service you most want to grow, or just saying you're nice.
