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Tips: Answering Questions

Updated

How do I get started with Q&A?

First, go to "Edit my profile" and make sure that you have selected all of the procedures that you offer, because we make questions available to you based on the treatments you perform and select.

Once you have listed your treatments, there are 3 ways to discover questions to answer on RealSelf:

  1. Navigate to your dashboard and go to "Answer questions now" in the Q&A section. Click on a topic and a list of questions will appear on the page.
  2. Sign up to have new questions sent to you by email. Go to the "Email Setting" section in your dashboard and tell us what topics you're interested in and how often you'd like to receive emails.
  3. Click on "Ask a Doctor" at the top of each RealSelf page to see the most recently asked questions.

Best practices

  • Write answers as "opinions" and not "advice"
    • Statements such as "In my opinion," "In my past experience," or "In similar situations that I’ve handled..." can help delineate opinions from advice. This is an opportunity to show your expertise.
  • Be educational
    • Refrain from overt marketing or self-promotion. Helping a potential patient be informed and showing them you care about the community helps establish trust prior to meeting you in person.
  • Answer questions based on popularity
    • Getting started can be as simple as a search on RealSelf.com. And regardless of where the question originated, consider answering it. Patients near you will navigate to popular questions, helping build further awareness among the treatment-specific communities for your Business Page.
  • Answer as if you are the only provider who is posting an answer
    • Your answer needs to be able to stand alone and should be authentic and not a canned response. Take the time to ensure it represents your expertise.
  • Utilize a treatment video to answer a question

What are the guidelines for answering questions?

All content on RealSelf must comply with the RealSelf Terms of Service and Code of Conduct; this applies to provider answers also. The main guidelines to be aware of are:

  • Every answer must be informational and/or educational
    • There are many questions on the RealSelf site and we encourage you to only select questions to answer that you have specific expertise to share
  • Each answer must be original and your own
    • Don't recycle another provider's answer and submit it as your own
  • Character requirements
    • Ensure the answer is at least 100 characters in length. Anything less than this is unlikely to adequately answer the consumer's question
    • The use of special characters in order to meet the character requirement is prohibited
  • Excessive grammatical or spelling errors
    • The use of all capital letters is prohibited
  • Self-promotion - Please do not include:
    • Phone numbers
    • Addresses
    • Email addresses
    • Social media handles
    • A call to action (CTA) - E.G. "Call us and come in for a consultation" or "Check out our website," etc.
    • Do not promote products, services, or non trademarked procedures that you, your employer or practice sells, markets, distributes or performs, or is otherwise affiliated with
  • Directing the consumer outside of the RealSelf website
    • Do not include web links within your answers. If available, please use the web reference box to include a supportive link
  • Duplicate Content is Not Encouraged
    • RealSelf does not encourage the use of templates; however, if templates are used they must meet at least one of the following criteria:
          1) It must answer the question
          2) The information is relevant and/or helpful to the patient asking the question
          3) It has been customized to address the specific question
  • Failure to meet the spirit of RealSelf
    • Answers should be polite and without judgment
    • Keep it professional
    • Don't disparage the consumer or other doctors or specialities
    • Avoid sarcasm

You can find a complete list of guidelines, including the Terms of Service and HCP Code of Conduct, here. Once a provider shows consistent compliance with RealSelf guidelines, your answers will be eligible to be added as "autopublish." This means they are published immediately without prior moderation, but may still be subject to random auditing.

The answers you provide serve as content for your profile and will help engage consumers to learn more about your expertise and "virtual bedside manner." For assistance in answering questions, contact your Doctor Community Advisor.