Should Your Chiropractic Practice Offer a New Patient Special?
One of the most common questions I hear from chiropractors is simple on the surface but loaded underneath: “Should I offer a new patient special?” You might be worried about discounting your services too much. You might be wondering what that special offer should even be. At its core, this isn’t about cheapening your care. It’s about lowering the barrier of entry for people who’ve never experienced chiropractic care and aren’t sure where to turn.
Here’s the reality: only about 30 to 35 million Americans see a chiropractor each year. That means the vast majority of the population has never worked with a chiropractor—and they don’t know what to expect or whether chiropractic care will help their specific problem. When they see your ad or land on your website, they’re actively seeking help, but they’re still uncertain if your practice is the right solution. For them, visiting a chiropractor is a risk. A thoughtfully structured new patient special can reduce that perceived risk just enough to help them take the first step.
What a Chiropractic New Patient Special Really Does: Lower the Barrier to Entry
Think of your initial price point as a gate. When that gate is high, fewer people will try to climb it. If your first visit is $100, $200, or something in that range, a prospective patient who’s never experienced chiropractic care has to decide if they’re willing to gamble that amount to “see if it works.” The higher that number, the bigger the gamble feels.
When you lower the initial price, you’re not devaluing your care—you’re decreasing the barrier to entry for people who are on the fence. It’s simply easier for someone to risk $20, $30, or $50 to determine if chiropractic care is the right solution for their health concern than it is to risk $80, $100, or $150. A lower, clearly defined new patient special tells the community: “It’s safe to check us out and see if this is a good fit.”
Price as a Risk Signal for First-Time Chiropractic Patients
For a person in pain—or a person frustrated by a nagging health issue—there’s already a lot of uncertainty. They’re weighing options, asking friends, searching online, and scanning ads to figure out their next move. When your ad or your website presents an approachable new patient special, you’re signaling: “We understand your uncertainty. We want to make it easier for you to find out if this can help.”
That first step is everything. Once someone experiences what it’s like to work with your practice, the conversation shifts from “Is this worth the gamble?” to “Is this the right care plan for me?” But to get there, you often need a reasonable, clearly structured offer that lowers that first-visit risk.
The Trade-Off: Volume vs. Quality in Chiropractic Marketing
Lowering your initial price point typically increases the number of people who raise their hand. That’s the volume side of the equation. But there’s a flip side: as you lower your price point, you also tend to decrease lead quality. More people will “take a shot” because the risk is smaller, and some of those people will be “tire kickers”—they’ll come in once and you’ll never see them again. That’s normal. There will always be a percentage of leads who aren’t ready to commit to care, no matter what you offer.
On the other hand, when you increase your price point, you raise the barrier to entry. Fewer people will reach out, and fewer new patients will walk through your door. But those who do come in are typically higher intent. They’re risking more, which often correlates with being more likely to sign up for care if they feel you’re the right fit.
- Lower initial price: more leads and new patient volume, but a larger percentage who only come in once and don’t commit to a long-term care plan.
- Higher initial price: fewer leads and new patient volume, but a higher percentage who are ready to sign up for care if they feel aligned with your approach.
Neither direction is “right” or “wrong.” It’s a lever you can pull and adjust based on your goals. If you want to grow aggressively and fill the front end, a lower entry price can work. If you want to tighten up volume and focus on higher-intent patients, increasing your price point can help filter up the quality of the leads you attract.
Avoiding Tire Kickers Without Choking Off Growth
Every practice will see at least some percentage of people who are a one-visit-and-done. That’s the nature of a low-risk, first-time offer. The goal isn’t to eliminate that group entirely; it’s to find the balance that makes sense for your practice. If you drop your price so low that the majority of people don’t intend to commit to care, you’ll feel it fast. If you raise your price so high that volume dries up, you’ll also feel that. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle—and it’s unique to your practice, your market, and your goals.
Think in terms of trade-offs rather than absolutes. A lower price means more conversations, more first visits, and more opportunities to educate. A higher price means fewer conversations but more people who are mentally prepared to say “yes” to care if they trust you. Your job is to decide which mix supports where you are today and where you want to be next quarter.
Finding Your Practice’s Balance
Here’s the key question: how aggressive do you want to be with new patient volume right now? If your current goal is to get more people in the door so you can introduce your care to a broader segment of your community, a lower price point makes sense. If you’re already busy and you’d rather focus on those who are more likely to sign up for care, a higher entry price can help filter for that.
Every practice operates a little differently depending on where you’re at in practice and how aggressive you want to be. That’s why your ideal new patient special shouldn’t be static forever. It’s a lever you can move. When you need more volume, move it one way. When you want to prioritize lead quality, move it the other way.
What the Dollar Amount Communicates
Numbers communicate risk. Asking a first-time patient to spend $20–$50 communicates “low risk—try it and see.” Asking for $80–$150 communicates “higher risk—come in if you’re more certain this is right for you.” Crossing into the $100–$200 range puts you firmly in “serious commitment” territory for someone who’s never experienced chiropractic and is unsure if this will help. None of those ranges are inherently good or bad; they just attract different behaviors.
What matters is whether the behavior you’re attracting lines up with the outcomes you want. If you’re aiming for more first visits and more people experiencing your care for the first time, lean into a lower risk signal. If you’re aiming for fewer but more intent-driven patients, lean into a higher risk signal.
How to Test Your Chiropractic New Patient Special
You don’t have to guess your way through this. The most effective path is to try different price points and see how they perform in your market. Don’t be afraid to test. That’s the only way to find the balance that fits your practice. As you test, pay attention to two simple outcomes: are you getting the volume you want, and are those patients signing up for care?
- Choose a starting price that matches your current goal. Want volume? Start lower. Want higher intent? Start higher.
- Run the offer and monitor two things: new patient volume and how many of those patients sign up for care after their first visit.
- Adjust the lever. If you’re seeing too many one-and-done visits, increase the price point. If you’re not seeing enough volume, decrease it.
That’s it. Keep the test straightforward. Keep the decision criteria simple. You’re not trying to find a magic number that works for every practice—because it doesn’t exist. You’re trying to find a number that works for yours, right now.
What Success Looks Like
Success doesn’t mean “every person who comes in signs up for a long-term care plan.” That’s not realistic. Success looks like the volume and quality of your new patients lining up with your goals. If you lower the price and get more volume, expect a higher percentage of one-visit patients. That’s still success if your goal was to increase awareness and introduce more people to your care. If you raise the price and volume drops but a higher percentage signs up for care, that’s success if your goal was to attract higher intent patients.
Measure your outcomes against your goals, not someone else’s benchmark. Your context is unique—your community, your practice model, your growth targets. The “right” new patient special is the one that supports your next step.
Why This Matters in Your Chiropractic Marketing and Advertising
Your ad or your website is the first impression. For most people who’ve never been to a chiropractor, the first impression carries uncertainty. When your marketing shows a clear, approachable new patient special, you’re giving skeptical, nervous, or cautious prospects a clear next step. You’re removing friction from the decision process. You’re telling them, “It’s okay to try this.”
That matters because most of the population still doesn’t know what chiropractic can do for them. They’re not sure if you’re the right place to get support. They’re weighing risk at every turn—time, money, and whether this will help. A simple, well-structured offer lowers that perceived risk and helps them find out whether your practice can help with their health concern.
Setting Expectations Without Overcomplicating It
You don’t need to complicate your new patient special with a bunch of moving parts. The offer exists to reduce risk and get them in the door so they can experience your care. Once they’re in, your job is to evaluate, communicate clearly, and recommend what’s appropriate. Some will sign up for care. Some won’t. That’s built into the model.
The point is to make that first step feel safe and approachable for people who need help but aren’t sure where to turn. A clear offer does that. Your price point simply tunes how many of those first steps you invite and how intent-driven those steps are.
Choosing the Right Price Based on Your Goals
Use your current priorities to guide your price:
If your goal is to get more people in the door so they can see what chiropractic is like, lower the price point. You’ll trade some lead quality for more opportunities. Expect more one-visit patients—and embrace that as part of the process. If your goal is fewer visits but a higher percentage of people who are ready to sign up for care, raise the price point. You’ll trade some volume for more intent. Expect fewer inquiries—but a stronger likelihood that those who show up are prepared to commit if they feel it’s the right fit.
Remember, both approaches can be right—just at different times. Your strategy should evolve as your practice evolves.
Reading the Signals and Adjusting
As you test different price points, the market will give you clear signals. If your calendar fills up quickly with first visits but too many people never return, that’s a sign the barrier might be too low for your current goals. If your calendar looks too thin and you’re not having enough first-visit conversations, that’s a sign the barrier might be too high. Nudge the lever, observe, and repeat.
- Too many one-visit patients? Increase the price to raise the barrier and attract higher intent.
- Not enough first-visit volume? Decrease the price to lower the barrier and invite more people in.
- Results feel balanced? Hold steady and let your offer do its job.
Answering the Core Question: Should You Offer a New Patient Special?
The short answer: yes, because it’s one of the most effective ways to lower the barrier of entry for people who’ve never experienced chiropractic care. The long answer: your specific price point should reflect the trade-off you want to make between volume and lead quality. Lower price equals more people trying you out, with more “tire kickers” mixed in. Higher price equals fewer first visits, but a higher likelihood those who come are ready to sign up for care.
Don’t be afraid to test. Don’t be afraid to move the lever. Your practice isn’t static, and your offer doesn’t have to be either. Where you set your new patient special today can—and should—evolve as your goals shift.
Final Take for Chiropractors on New Patient Offers
Most people in your community still haven’t experienced what chiropractic can do for them. They’re looking for help, but they’re unsure where to get it. When your ad or your website presents a clear, approachable new patient special, you reduce the risk for someone who’s on the fence. That first step is often the difference between staying stuck and finding a solution.
Set your price point based on the trade-off you’re willing to make right now. Expect that lower price brings more volume and more one-visit patients; expect that higher price brings less volume and more intent. Neither is inherently better. The “best” choice is the one that aligns with your current goals. And when your goals change, adjust your offer.
Bottom line: a new patient special is a lever—not a label on your value. Use it intentionally to lower the barrier of entry, meet more people who need help, and create the right balance of volume and quality for your practice today.
