Recruiting patients through social media is something I’ve long been associated with. Indeed, I’ve been described as ‘the Godfather of social media patient recruitment.’

And while I now have a more overarching approach that encompasses many other methods and strategies, that kind of digital outreach is always something I believe can be beneficial.

I often have conversations with people where they say such things as ‘nobody uses Facebook anymore’, or ‘everyone under 30 uses TikTok or Instagram.’

And yet I still oversee or advise on campaigns that primarily use Facebook to promote trials, that continue to deliver a high number of applicants – whatever age range you might be targeting – in the same way as they always have done.

If that situation changes, I’ll start recommending digital outreach activity is focused elsewhere for attracting trial participants. But until that happens, Facebook remains a valuable element in the patient recruitment toolbox.