Innovation Insider: Leveraging Communications Expertise for Biosciences Startups

by John Conrad| Jul 25, 2024| iBIO News

We're trying something new! Welcome to the first NewsBrief Innovation Insider Interview, where we chat with leaders from the biotech, pharma, medtech, venture capital and science community and explore cutting-edge ideas and strategies to help you gain actionable insights to help you fuel innovation and success in you field.

Our first conversation is with Geoff Curtis of Marshall Curtis Communications.

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Geoff, given your extensive experience leading communications for a major biopharmaceutical company like Horizon Therapeutics, and now founding your own firm, Marshall Curtis Communications, we'd love to delve into your insights on communications strategies for early-stage biosciences companies.

From your experience, what are some of the biggest communication challenges faced by biosciences startups and what guidance can you give to overcome those challenges?

There are three challenges I have experienced on multiple occasions with companies:

• Narrative/story development, delivery and pacing
  • Communicating about medicine development is often the most difficult, particularly if the innovation is scientifically complex. Rather than just presenting facts, craft compelling narratives/stories that engage both expert and non-expert audiences and make those complex scientific concepts relatable.
  • From a delivery standpoint, I recommend message training those team members who will be responsible for delivering the narrative/story to expert and non-expert audiences. Of course, there will be some variance depending on audience, but likely little variance in the overall theme.
  • Also of note, experienced communicators often act as translators, particularly with scientist founders, and help convey the importance of an innovation to non-expert audiences without losing nuance or accuracy. I have found in the past that scientist founders often revert to complexity in narrative delivery because that is what they know and where they feel comfortable. It is important to remember that a narrative/story can maintain scientific integrity without being overly complex. It is likely that the more relatable approach will result in a more approachable company in the long term.

• Managing Expectations
  • It is important to balance the need to generate excitement about a potential innovation with realistic timelines for development and commercialization, which is where the narrative/story pacing comes in. There is an absolute need to consistently deliver a narrative/story, but don't get so far ahead that expectations become unmanageable.

• Crises Preparedness
  • Be prepared. Regardless of a company's stage of development, having a solid crisis communication plan is essential in an industry where research and development, clinical and regulatory setbacks are common.

What are some key lessons you've learned over your career about crafting effective communication strategies for this specific industry?

There are many, but a key lesson that stands out in the life sciences and is applicable to all industries is understanding what target audiences need - from medicine and support to messaging and access to the company. In my experience, it is very easy for a company to get into a trap of thinking it understands what is best for various audiences it needs to reach because it discovered an innovation or developed a medicine. Listen to all audience needs, pay attention to how those needs will evolve over time and get granular to understand nuances.

In today's competitive landscape, how can early-stage companies leverage communication to stand out from the crowd and gain traction with investors and potential partners?

A big first step is understanding the value that communications can provide. It may seem intuitive but buy in and understanding, which often requires some education, of the communicator's role from a founder and other executives is critical before tackling how to stand out in a competitive space. Once the value has been established, there are two things to consider:

• A concise narrative/story that highlights the unique value proposition, problem being solved, how the approach/mechanism is innovative and potential impact of your work.
• A robust thought leadership platform that showcases a team's expertise through article publishing (LinkedIn, blogs, Op-eds), media interviews, speaking opportunities. This builds credibility and investors and partners often bet on people as much as ideas.

For companies in competitive markets, it is always worthwhile to monitor what the competitors are doing to stand out. It's not necessary to replicate but may provide some insight as to how to be bolder and do things differently.

Many startups struggle with limited resources. What are some cost-effective communication tactics you recommend for bootstrapped biosciences companies?

In today's communications landscape, being a thought leader and building a brand doesn't require a lot of start-up resources. Companies likely have great tools in the form of owned channels - LinkedIn, corporate website, X, Instagram and Facebook - which allow the ability to build brand visibility and credibility through content generation. The first recommendation: use those channels. LinkedIn is a powerful narrative/storytelling tool that will hit most of a company's key audiences effectively and efficiently and result in a significant amount of traction as a company's online following continues to grow. You can build brand visibility and credibility without a flashy campaign. The second recommendation: to execute against the above, hire (likely an external consultant) a writer who can double as a communications/editorial strategist to build an editorial plan and develop content.

When is the right time to build an in-house communications function?

There is no magic formula for when to start building an in-house communications team. For start-up companies, using external agencies or consultants is viable until a certain point (again no magic formula on when this point is). An in-house team will be needed eventually, but size and structure will depend on company size, growth trajectory, etc. As a company continues to grow, there is often friction when the person at the company managing the agency gets overwhelmed and can no longer effectively manage. This is usually the point in time when the company decides it is time to bring someone in house. Now, whether that results in a larger communications team build out depends on the business need.

When it comes to communicating with the public about complex scientific advancements, what advice can you offer to ensure transparency and build trust with stakeholders?

The first step for any leadership team is to align on what transparency looks like for the company and develop a policy. It is very easy to be transparent when a company has good news and very easy to fall into the "good news only" trap and not be transparent when there is less than favorable news. Transparency can be uncomfortable, but it is important for companies to be comfortable with the discomfort as is necessary to build trust. Here are a few additional things that can be helpful in building trust through transparency:

• Avoid jargon and technical terms in any communication to internal and external audiences. Explain concepts in accessible language without oversimplifying or losing accuracy.
• Provide context, be honest about limitations and clearly communicate what is known and unknown as well as balance potential risks and benefits.
• Provide regular and consistent updates to keep stakeholders informed about progress, setbacks and new findings.

Looking Ahead

As you join the iBIO Board, how do you see your communications expertise contributing to the organization's mission of supporting and advocating for the Illinois bioscience industry?

The Illinois life sciences industry has made significant progress during the last decade, and we are on the cusp of being a very formidable ecosystem - one that rivals the East and West Coast ecosystems. I am hopeful that my nearly three decades of experience in the healthcare communications industry will help continue to build the ecosystem's brand in Illinois and beyond.

This interview was originally published on iBIO NewsBrief. Gain a head start on your day with iBIO NewsBrief. Subscribe to receive top industry headlines delivered straight to your inbox.