5 Steps to Becoming a Biotech Thought Leader

By Sheeva Azma

Thought leadership helps accelerate the pace of innovation in the biotechnology sector, argues @SheevaAzma.

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Biotech moves faster than science publishing

Research in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors moves fast – new ideas, breakthroughs, and trends become obsolete quickly. Biotechnology companies deal with clinical trials, translating basic research into clinical therapeutics, all the while navigating a complex regulatory landscape and facing failure every step of the way. 

Navigating the busy biotech space can be a challenge, to say the least. I believe that thought leadership can help advance the field of biotechnology. In science, the gold standard is peer-reviewed publications. While peer review represents the highest echelon of scientific knowledge, the process can take months. In reality, the world moves faster than that, as we learned in the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and scientists worldwide took to social media to talk about the virus, what treatments worked, and what did not. Though it was a chaotic time, some medical and scientific professionals emerged as “thought leaders.”

What is thought leadership?

As we’ve previously blogged, thought leadership refers to a type of shared knowledge: stakeholders with deep insights can communicate value in a way that strategically positions them as an expert in their field. It entails speaking about one’s expertise, sharing insights on what has worked and has not worked, illuminating new approaches and perspectives that may not be well-established in the field.

Thought leadership helps professionals in biotech because it strategically positions them as a leader; it helps biomedicine innovate and advance from fresh, new perspectives and tried-and-true insights from people engaged in the work of clinical development. It’s a win-win!

If you’re a biotech professional seeking to elevate your presence and chime into the discussion, make new connections, and so on, here are five steps to writing your next thought leadership article. You can apply these steps yourself, or hire a biotech thought leadership writer (us!).

5 Steps to Writing a Thought Leadership Article

Here are five steps you can take to write an impactful thought leadership article demonstrating your expertise and insights into biotech.

1. Figure out your angle.

What do you know more about than any other person in your field – or what sets you apart from others in your field? Talk about that.

2. Reflect on your experiences.

What have your experiences in this field taught you? What lessons do you wish you had learned early on in your career? Help out others in your field – and demonstrate that you have deep expertise in the research and development industry – by sharing lessons learned.

3. Be forward-thinking.

The best thought leadership discusses something you can’t find in a journal article or even at a conference. Discuss challenges in your area (and solutions). Since you are an expert, your “hot takes” are valuable to your field!

4. Consider an interview format.

Interviews can be a great way to demonstrate thought leadership. If you don’t feel like interviewing someone, it can help to hire a science writer with journalism experience, like me. Check out my interviews with a healthcare CEO and a healthcare investor.

5. Think carefully about where you publish.

LinkedIn can be a great place to publish thought leadership, but I’ve also seen excellent thought leadership on Twitter and even Instagram reels. You can also publish on your personal blog, a company blog, or even in a news outlet. Think about your target audience and your following on social media – and then post strategically.

Hire Fancy Comma for Biotech Thought Leadership

Consider hiring a professional science and technology communicator to make your great ideas stand out. Fancy Comma, LLC writes leadership content for industry experts, including CEOs in the healthcare/biomedical and biotech/pharma spaces.

Check out some examples of biomedical and biotech thought leadership I’ve ghostwritten:

• Each month, nonprofit organization Patient Safety Movement Foundation publishes a letter written by its Chairman. Check out my ghostwriting for the PSMF in this newsletter.
• PPD, the clinical research arm of Thermo Fisher scientific, asked me to write a ghostwritten thought leadership article about trends in clinical development. Read it here.

Working at the intersection of science, technology, health, business, finance, and policy, Fancy Comma, LLC helps industry experts deliver an impactful message – helping forge new connections, opportunities, and more. Get in touch today!