How Healthcare Startups Can Use Email Marketing to Educate and Grow Their User Base

You’re not alone. Many early-stage digital health companies are innovating rapidly, but they’re struggling just as much to get traction, build trust, and educate a market that’s still trying to catch up.

And here’s the surprising truth: email marketing might be the most underrated weapon in your growth toolkit.

Yeah, I know. Email? In 2025?

But hear me out.

Why Email Still Matters—Especially in Healthcare

It’s easy to overlook email when you’re bombarded with new channels every day: social ads, TikTok influencers, in-app pop-ups, push notifications. But email has something they all lack intentionality.

People check email when they’re focused. They sign up for updates when they want to hear from you. It’s a channel that builds over time, not in 15-second soundbites. And in a field like healthcare—where trust, privacy, and education matter—email is not just relevant, it’s essential.

The Education Gap in Digital Health

Healthcare isn’t like eCommerce or SaaS. You’re not just selling a product—you’re often introducing a new way of thinking. You might need to:

• Explain how your device works
• Show what makes your virtual care platform safer or smarter
• Help users understand their condition
• Guide patients through a multi-step treatment process

All of that requires education. And while blog posts and social media help, email is the perfect format for nurturing curiosity over time.

A Market Ripe for Growth

This isn't just a small niche we’re talking about. I recently came across a report that really put things into perspective. According to it, the global digital healthcare market is projected to grow from USD 302.35 billion in 2024 to USD 1,628.13 billion by 2035—a CAGR of 16.5%.

That tells me: thousands of new health tech companies will enter the market, and those who communicate well will rise above the noise.

And email is where communication can shine.

Real Ways Startups Are Using Email to Grow and Educate

Let’s break this down into actual strategies that early-stage healthcare companies are using—not theory, but what’s working right now.

1. Onboarding Sequences That Actually Teach Something

The moment someone signs up for your app, website, or waitlist, you’ve got their attention. Don’t waste it.

Use a 5–7-part welcome series to:

• Introducing the team and mission
• Share a real patient story
• Explain your tech in simple terms
• Offer a resource or checklist
• Invite questions or feedback

Think of it like taking them by hand, step by step. When done right, a great onboarding series not only boosts activation—it builds loyalty from the start.

2. Weekly or Monthly Newsletters (That Don’t Feel Like Spam)

Consistency builds familiarity. But here’s the key: don’t sell in every email.

Use your newsletter to:

• Explain health topics your users care about
• Share new research (translated into plain English)
• Tell behind-the-scenes stories from your startup journey
• Highlight a new case study or testimonial

Tip: If it wouldn’t interest you in your inbox, don’t send it. Be helpful, honest, and even a little quirky.

3. Segmented Emails Based on User Behavior

Not every subscriber is the same. One person might be a doctor researching your tech, another might be a patient recently diagnosed with a condition.

Use behavioral tags or simple checkboxes during sign-up to segment your list:

• Patients vs. Providers
• New users vs. power users
• Curious readers vs. decision-makers

Then tailor your emails accordingly. Personalized content performs better—and feels more respectful.

4. Educational Drip Campaigns for Long Sales Cycles

In healthcare, decisions don’t happen overnight. Hospitals take months to evaluate vendors. Patients take time to trust new solutions. That’s where drip campaigns shine.

Create a 10–15 email sequence that:

• Walks them through common questions or concerns
• Explains compliance, results, and safety
• Introducing relevant use cases

Let them gradually become confident in what you do.

5. Using Email to Re-Engage Dormant Users

Someone downloaded your app but never used it? Stopped replying to demos? That’s not a lost cause.

Send value-first re-engagement emails:

• “Still curious? Here’s what’s new since you signed up”
• “A real story from someone who used our product”
• “Your checklist to get started in 2 minutes”

Many companies focus so hard on acquisition they forget reactivation. Email lets you revive cold leads in a low-pressure, respectful way.

Don’t Forget Tech: Automation & Compliance

If you’re using platforms like SendX, automation becomes easier. Set triggers based on:

• Sign-up events
• Email opens or clicks
• App activity
• Trial expiration

But also: this is healthcare. Make sure your email stack is:

• GDPR- and HIPAA-compliant (when needed)
• Transparent with unsubscribe options
• Clear about what data you’re collecting

Trust is fragile. Don’t mess it.

A Few Real-World Examples (You Could Steal)

Here are some real examples from healthcare startups doing email right:

• A fertility tracking app sends weekly cycle insights plus educational links tailored to the user's stage.
• A virtual therapy platform uses a monthly newsletter to highlight new therapy techniques and debunk mental health myths.
• A wearable ECG monitor startup sends a story-based onboarding email flow, including a real user's early heart detection success.

None of these are hard sells. They’re educational, personal, and helpful—and they convert.

What About Metrics?

You might be wondering: “Okay, but does this actually work?”

Here are the average email metrics reported across early-stage health tech companies we’ve seen:

• Open rates: 35–45% (above the average across industries)
• Click-through rates: 4–10%
• Conversion from email to demo/activation: 8–20%

With personalization, segmentation, and timing, these numbers go even higher.

So, Where Do You Start?

Here’s a simple roadmap if you’re just getting started:

1. Build a simple opt-in form (on your site, in your app, etc.)
2. Write a 5-email welcome sequence
3. Commit to a monthly newsletter (even if it’s just one person writing it)
4. Start segmenting your audience
5. Review privacy, compliance, and unsubscribes

Don’t try to do it all at once. Email marketing is a long game. But it’s one that builds trust in a way no ad campaign ever can.

Final Thought

In a noisy world filled with hype, email gives you something rare: permission to talk to someone again tomorrow.

For healthcare startups trying to change how care is delivered, that’s priceless.

Educate first. Build trust. Show up consistently.

If you do that through email, you’re not just growing a user base—you’re building a community.

And in digital health, that’s everything.