Biotech startup leaders seem to implicitly understand that #PublicRelations and #MediaRelations impact their ability to raise funds for their science successfully. Still, it's not uncommon for those same leaders to hesitate when it comes to making the time and monetary investment needed to deploy their scientific expertise and the company’s work to wider audiences.
It can be hard to know where to start, how to measure success, and set reasonable expectations for returns, especially when you know that every penny spent is important to your startup’s success.
While it can feel nebulous, there really are established paths that can help reduce uncertainty and risk, while helping your company get the support it needs to accomplish your lofty goals.
If you’re looking for a nice encapsulation, I really loved this piece in The Science Marketer by Joachim Eeckhout, which focused on Christopher Caudle's thoughts. (P.S. I promise I’m not just biased by being another Christopher working in #ScientificCommunications.)
In addition to providing a quick look at how media coverage relates to fundraising, Christopher provides many great, succinct viewpoints on scientific communications that I completely agree with and have shared with clients and mentees alike.
Here are a few of the most salient points of agreement.
🚀🔁 Get Started & Be Consistent
Building an audience is generally a long road. So, the best thing you can do as a founder and leader is to simply get started and commit to a sustainable cadence. Truly, there’s no time like the present to start.
✈️ Let it Fly!
I say this constantly to clients, mentees, and friends looking to expand their reach. Of course, when you start expanding your external communications for your personal or company brand, you need it to represent you well. But, while you want to be thoughtful about what you put out there, it's often more important that you don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Those voices of self-doubt will slow your progress and prevent the consistency discussed above. So, trust yourself, set your expert thoughts free, and let your ideas shine.
📈 🎯 Measure Data, But Don’t Ignore Anecdotes
You know me. I’m a scientist. I love data. Tracking communications metrics, especially digital ones is essential for tracking your impact and experimenting with approach. But, its also really important to remember that sometimes data doesn’t really capture impact as well as we’d like. Less tangible, positive anecdotes from your efforts are actually an important indicator of success. For example, if someone personally indicates they’ve seen your external comms, content, presentations, etc., and valued it, that's a huge victory! I am convinced that these more anecdotal and in-person engagements can be extrapolated to sizable unmeasured impact with silent fans and supporters.
Anyway, you really should check out Joachim’s article and the full interview (link in the comments). You won’t regret it!
