Average Physical Therapy Email Benchmarks
Physical therapy and rehabilitation clinics enjoy some of the highest email engagement rates in the healthcare services sector, driven by the ongoing, relationship-based nature of treatment. Open rates typically range from 24% to 32%, reflecting patients' strong motivation to engage with appointment communications, exercise programmes, and recovery guidance. Unlike one-time healthcare visits, physical therapy involves multiple sessions over weeks or months, creating sustained email touchpoints that build familiarity and trust.
Click-through rates in the physical therapy sector range from 3% to 7%, with exercise programme emails and appointment reminders achieving the highest performance. The unique value of PT email marketing lies in its ability to extend care beyond the clinic — patients who receive exercise instructions, progress tracking, and recovery tips via email show better adherence to treatment plans. Occupational therapy and sports rehabilitation sub-sectors see similar engagement patterns, though sports rehab often generates higher CTR due to performance-focused content appealing to motivated athletes and active individuals.
Key Findings
- Physical therapy open rates of 24-32% rank among the highest in healthcare, driven by ongoing treatment relationships.
- CTR of 3-7% peaks with exercise programme delivery and appointment reminder emails.
- Exercise video and home programme emails achieve 8-12% CTR, significantly outperforming general health content.
- Automated post-visit follow-up sequences increase patient compliance with home exercise programmes by 25-30%.
- New patient welcome sequences achieve 35-40% open rates, building engagement from the first appointment.
Open Rate Benchmarks
Open rates in physical therapy email marketing range from 24% to 32%, with notable variation by campaign type. Appointment reminder and confirmation emails achieve the highest rates at 30-35%, as patients actively seek scheduling details. Exercise programme delivery emails (containing video links or printable routines) maintain 28-32% open rates. Educational content about injury prevention and recovery tips averages 24-28%. Re-engagement emails for patients who have completed their treatment plan but may benefit from maintenance sessions achieve 22-26% open rates. Subject lines referencing specific exercises or recovery milestones see 15-20% higher open rates than generic health tips.
Click-Through Rate Benchmarks
CTR for physical therapy emails averages 3% to 7%, with exercise-related content dominating top performance. Exercise video emails and printable home programme pages achieve 8-12% CTR as patients access their prescribed routines. Appointment booking links in reminder emails drive 6-10% CTR. Educational articles about specific conditions (back pain, knee rehabilitation, shoulder injuries) generate 4-6% CTR. Patient satisfaction surveys sent post-discharge achieve 5-8% completion rates via email. Promotional content about new services or specialist programmes typically sees lower CTR of 2-4%, unless it addresses a specific patient need.
Best Practices
- Automate exercise programme delivery emails timed to the patient's treatment schedule, including video demonstrations and progress tracking.
- Implement appointment reminder sequences with easy rescheduling options to reduce missed appointments and improve clinic efficiency.
- Segment patients by treatment type (orthopaedic, sports, neurological, paediatric) to deliver highly relevant condition-specific content.
- Create post-visit follow-up sequences that reinforce in-clinic instruction and gather patient feedback on recovery progress.
- Use personalised subject lines referencing the patient's specific exercises or recovery goals to boost open rates.
- Include clear calls-to-action for booking follow-up appointments, accessing exercise libraries, and contacting the clinic directly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A good open rate for physical therapy ranges from 24% to 32%. Rates above 28% indicate strong patient engagement, with appointment and exercise-related emails often exceeding 30%.
Delivering personalised exercise programmes via email with video demonstrations significantly improves patient compliance and engagement. Automated appointment reminders and post-visit follow-ups also drive consistent interaction with clinic communications.
Exercise programme emails with embedded video links achieve the highest CTR at 8-12%. Appointment booking reminders and condition-specific educational content also perform strongly, typically reaching 6-10% CTR.
Weekly exercise programme updates combined with appointment reminders create an effective cadence. Avoid exceeding 3-4 emails per week unless the patient is in an active treatment phase and expects frequent communication.
Yes, New Year (January-February) sees increased engagement as patients pursue health resolutions and address injuries from winter sports. Spring and early summer also show higher engagement for sports rehabilitation and outdoor activity-related content.
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