In pharma sales and marketing, there's a fine line between being ever-present and becoming a digital or physical nuisance. In our May newsletter article How to engage HCPs with purpose, we shared insights into the quality of rep interactions. This month, we're talking frequency.

The 2025 So What? Research Survey of Australian Doctors asked more than 400 doctors across multiple specialties and general practice how often they see pharma product reps in person and receive pharma emails. Their answers paint a picture that’s both familiar and urgent: Engagement levels are inconsistent, and preferences vary widely. It’s time to reassess not just how to engage, but how often to do it.

Our takeaway: No matter how brilliant your message is, if it lands too often, or not at all, it just won’t work.

In this article, we share insights on:

• Does face-to-face still matter
• Barriers to engagement
• Crowded HCP inboxes
• What is engagement with HCPs about

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Face-to-face time still matters, but not everyone is getting it

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Most doctors (69%) say face-to-face (F2F) engagement with pharma product reps is “about right.” But nearly 1 in 5 (19%) say they’re not seeing reps enough. That might seem like a minority but in a competitive market, these missed touchpoints could be missed opportunities.

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Demand varies by specialty:

• Psychiatrists report the highest unmet need: 34% want more rep time (in line with last year’s results)
• Cardiologists follow with 18% wanting more
• Medical oncologists show improved balance: only 8% saying they get too much rep time, down from 17% last year
• Among immunology-focused specialists (dermatologists, rheumatologists, gastroenterologists), 92% are satisfied with their current engagement levels

And geography doesn’t make too much difference. Across metro, regional, and rural settings, the “not enough” sentiment is consistent - though slightly higher in rural areas, where nearly 1 in 4 feel their needs aren’t being met.

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What’s in the way?

The biggest barrier to face-to-face (F2F) engagement with reps isn’t lack of interest, it’s time. Over half of doctors (52%) say they simply don’t have enough time.

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Other key barriers include:

• 25% cite site restrictions (especially common in hospital settings)
• 23% say reps don’t visit their area - jumping to 59% among rural doctors
• 11% say rep visits offer little or no perceived value

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So even when doctors are open to in-person meetings, access remains a challenge. To optimise F2F contact, brands need to optimise hybrid engagement models, rural support strategies, and hyper-targeted scheduling to help bridge the gap.

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Zero-rep weeks are common - especially for specialists

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This data should give marketers pause:

• 40% of all doctors see zero reps in a typical week
• Among specialists, that jumps to 50%
• Among psychiatrists, a staggering 84% report seeing no reps weekly

For GPs, access is better but still limited:

• 30% see no reps
• 33% see one rep per week
• 37% see more than one

Access also varies significantly by practice setting.

• 61% of doctors in public practice see no reps
• Compared to 32% in private practice

This isn’t just a logistical issue - it’s a strategic one.  If your target audience includes a high proportion of public-sector doctors, traditional rep models may fall short. You may need to prioritise alternative ways to engage them, tailored specifically to institutional settings.

When Email Overwhelms: The Specialties Reaching Breaking Point

Email is a go-to channel for pharma marketers, but in some specialties the volume is becoming overwhelming.

Across the board, 1 in 5 doctors say they receive “too many emails” from pharma.

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But dig deeper by specialty, and clearer warning signs appear. Inbox overload is a real issue for some groups:

• 56% of Gastroenterologists who say they receive “too many” emails, same for
• 50% of Rheumatologists
• 50% of Medical Oncologists
• 40% of Haematologists
• 26% of Cardiologists

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In these high-volume specialties, inboxes are so saturated that even strong messages risk being ignored. In such high-volume environments, your competition isn’t just other brands, it’s the inbox itself.

To cut through the noise, you need to do more than show up. You need to earn your spot with relevance, timing, and restraint. 

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What’s the right number of emails?

While not every doctor feels overloaded, the volume does matter especially when it creeps above a certain point.

The numbers speak clearly:

• Doctors who say email frequency is “about right” typically receive 2 pharma emails per day
• Those who say it’s “too much” receive closer to 4 per day

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Once daily email volume exceeds 3, perceptions shift from “just enough” to “too much".

With inboxes already under pressure, every email must be earned. Prioritise quality over quantity and make your message timely, tailored, and worth opening.

Balance Is Brand Equity

Across both face-to-face and digital channels, frequency is more than a metric - it’s a signal. It shows doctors whether or not you understand their world, their time pressures, and their clinical priorities.

Too little, and your brand is forgotten. Too much, and even your best messages get drowned out.

Engagement isn’t just about showing up. It’s about showing up with the right message, at the right time, in the right format.

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Your next step: Check your brand’s frequency

Is your field team underdelivering in rural areas? Are your emails tipping from useful into annoying? Is your key specialty group underserved or oversaturated?

Do you know your total email frequency per target? Are you co-ordinating across portfolios and between Commercial and Medical to avoid frustrating overlap? Does your company prioritise value-led interactions over volume?

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We are here to help

We offer benchmarking and advisory services to help pharma brands fine-tune their engagement mix. Want to know if your brand is getting customer engagement right? Contact us today.

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