For Orthodontic Practices & Specialists

Free Consultation:
3-Wave Acquisition Playbook

A focused 3-wave acquisition playbook for orthodontic practices. Drive complimentary consultations from neighborhood prospects, then convert with a clear treatment plan.

Start Free — No Credit Card
2–4%
Direct mail response rate
on patient lists
$5,800
Average comprehensive
orthodontic case
60%
Consult-to-start
conversion rate

Parents Research For Months. Then Pick Whoever Mails First.

Orthodontic practices grow on free consultation volume. Parents and adults research for months before scheduling, then choose the first practice that lands a credible piece of mail in their hand. A 3-wave neighborhood postcard campaign aimed at families with kids age 7–12 (or self-conscious adults age 35–55) puts your practice in the consideration set when the decision finally tips. The free consult is the wedge; the case start is the close.

What Doesn't Work

  • × Coupon-style "$500 off braces" cards that cheapen the practice
  • × Email-only campaigns that get filtered by parents
  • × Generic "call us" CTAs without a booking flow
  • × Competing with chain orthodontic mills on price

What Does Work

  • ✓ A clean photo of recent results — smiles, not products
  • ✓ Clear free-consultation framing (the wedge offer)
  • ✓ QR code that drops onto a 30-second booking flow
  • ✓ Phone follow-up to soft-yes prospects — closes the consult

The Playbook

3-Wave Campaign — over 60 days

W1
Wave 1 — Week 1

Week 1 — Free Consultation Card

"Wondering if it's time for braces?" Photo of recent results, clear benefit (straighter smile, confidence, oral health), QR straight to a 30-second consult booking flow. Friendly tone — you're inviting, not selling.

W2
Wave 2 — Week 1 + 3 days

Week 1 + 3 days — Phone Follow-Up to QR Scanners

Front desk calls anyone who scanned but didn't book. Pre-loaded script: "Saw you scanned our card — want to grab a complimentary 30-minute consult with Dr. Patel? She has Thursday at 4 open."

W3
Wave 3 — Week 5

Week 5 — Treatment Options Card

"Clear aligners, traditional braces, or accelerated treatment — we'll walk you through your options." Different angle, more concrete. Surfaces prospects who saw Wave 1 but weren't sure what kind of treatment fit.

How It Works

1

Pick the Free Consultation Acquisition Playbook

Wave timing, copy direction, and front-desk call scripts come pre-configured. You only customize the photo, doctor name, and practice branding.

2

Build the Mailing List From a Neighborhood Buy or Patient Referrals

Two paths: USPS Every Door Direct Mail by ZIP code with a family-age filter, or upload a referral list (existing patients' friends and family). PostKnock supports both. CSV upload auto-maps the columns.

3

Launch — First Wave Mails In 1–2 Days

Postcards print and drop into USPS within 1–2 business days. QR scans feed the call queue. Wave 2 phone follow-up schedules itself 3 days after Wave 1 lands.

4

Front Desk Works the Lead Queue

Pre-loaded scripts handle parents' common objections (timing, cost, treatment type, age of child). Booked consults drop back into your practice software and the campaign retires the contact through Wave 3.

The Math

A typical orthodontic practice running a 1,500-prospect neighborhood campaign. Here's the math on a 3-wave consult-acquisition campaign:

  • 1,500 prospects × 3 waves = 4,500 cards × $0.79/card (Pro) = $3,555 spend
  • Consult booking rate at 3% → 45 free consultations booked
  • Consult-to-start conversion at 60% → 27 case starts
  • 27 cases × $5,800 average comprehensive case = $156,600 in case revenue

~44:1 ROI on the first cycle alone — before referrals from converted families.

Run your own numbers in the ROI calculator.

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Free to explore — you only pay when you're ready to send. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Free

$0/forever

Single-wave postcard campaigns · Unlimited contacts · From $1.05/piece

Most Popular

Pro

$99/mo

Everything in Free + calls, sequencing · From $0.79/piece

Per-piece pricing includes printing + USPS First-Class postage. Full pricing details →

Customize Your Card in Minutes

Drop in your branding, photo, and offer. The live designer handles the rest.

Try the live designer →

More Orthodontics Campaigns

Free consultation acquisition is the highest-ROI launch playbook, but PostKnock also runs retainer replacement reminders, treatment-completion follow-up, and Phase 1-to-Phase 2 transition campaigns. See the full lineup on the orthodontics hub.

See all Orthodontics campaigns →

FAQs

When exactly should the first card mail?

There's no anniversary date for an acquisition campaign — mail when you have chair capacity, ideally 4–8 weeks before your slowest consult month. Many ortho practices run two campaigns a year: late summer (back-to-school) and mid-winter (post-holiday).

What's the right offer for a free consultation card?

The consultation itself is the offer. Resist adding "$500 off" stacked on top — it cheapens the consult and trains parents to chase deals. "Complimentary 30-minute consult, no obligation" is the strongest version, paired with a clear photo of recent results.

Should I include treatment pricing on the card?

No. Treatment pricing varies wildly by case complexity. The card's job is to surface interest and book the consult; the consult's job is to present pricing in person with a treatment plan. Pricing on the postcard kills the conversion.

Should I mention the orthodontist by name?

Yes. "Dr. Patel has been straightening smiles in [neighborhood] since 2014" outperforms a generic practice name. The doctor's bio adds clinical credibility — especially in a market crowded with corporate ortho chains.

Can I run different campaigns for kids vs adults?

Yes. Many practices run two parallel campaigns — one targeting families with kids 7–12 (early phase, Phase 1), another targeting self-conscious adults 35–55 (Invisalign, accelerated treatment). Different photos, different copy, different mailing zones.

Ready to Book More Free Consults?

Stop competing on price with the chains. Start the 3-wave acquisition cadence that puts your practice in the consideration set before parents shop around.

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