You’ve just closed a funding round. The data is solid, the team is growing, and investors are excited.
It’s time to start spreading the word about who you are, what you do, and how your life science innovation is going to change the world.
But your press releases barely get any pickup, your website doesn’t quite capture your story or your science, your LinkedIn page hasn’t seen a post in months (bar the odd “We’re heading to X event!” update), and your BD team needs decent materials to share with potential partners or customers.
Welcome to the challenge that every early-stage life science company faces: you need professional, strategic communications and marketing to build credibility and momentum, but you’re running out of bandwidth to do it yourself.
But should you DIY it, hire someone in-house, or bring in an agency? And if you pay for help, how can you be sure it won’t drain your runway without delivering results?
Having worked with many biotech and life science companies from early stage startups to global organisations, we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t.
Here’s an honest breakdown of the five main routes that growing life science companies take when it comes to comms and marketing, and which one is right for your stage and budget.
1. The DIY approach: Founder-led and internal team
What it looks like: Your CSO writes the press releases, your CEO updates LinkedIn when they remember, and everyone pitches in with everything else (if they have time).
When it works: Very early (pre-seed) stage, when every penny counts and you’re primarily communicating with a small network of known contacts.
If you have someone in the team with genuine marketing chops or comms experience – and the time to devote to it – this can carry you through initial milestones.
The reality check: Scientists are exceptional at science. BD folk are great at networking. But planning and delivering clear, compelling communications & marketing is a distinct skillset that takes years to develop.
What tends to happen is that comms slides down everyone’s to-do list, messages become inconsistent, and opportunities slip past because nobody has the bandwidth to capitalise on them.
The hidden cost? Credibility. Investors, partners, and potential hires can spot confused comms and amateur-hour assets from a mile away.
Clear, consistent, professional communications are often what separates the companies that get noticed from those that don’t.
Our advice: Make sure you carve out dedicated regular time for communications and marketing activities. Committing to 30 minutes a week is better than a big burst once every six months.
You can use AI tools like ChatGPT to help, but beware of churning out generic or cringey slop rather than credible, differentiated content.
Best for: Pre-seed stage companies with limited budgets.
2. The freelancer route: On-demand specialists
What it looks like: You hire individual freelancers for specific projects – a PR consultant for your press release, a writer for your blog, a designer for your pitch deck, or a social media manager for LinkedIn content.
When it works: When you have very specific, pre-defined projects and someone internal who can manage freelancers, ensure consistency and provide strategic direction.
The reality check: Freelancers and consultants are brilliant within their specialty, but they rarely cover the broad range of skills a small biotech needs.
A great freelance blog writer probably doesn’t have a little black book full of media contacts for your PR push. A designer may provide a beautiful slide deck, but can they craft a story that truly gets to the heart of what makes your science special? Oh, and coming up with ideas for what you should be talking about every week? That’s still all on you.
The real killer is co-ordination. You become the project manager, quality controller, and brand guardian, which is probably not the best use of your time when you’re trying to advance your lead programme.
And when your favourite freelancer is busy, you’re left scrambling to find someone new who can get up to speed by tomorrow morning.
Our advice: Start with a focused comms plan for 6-12 months to help you see exactly when and where you’ll need to pull in extra help.
Ask freelancers for recommendations of people they’ve previously worked with. Most have an extensive and varied network, and it makes managing multiple relationships easier if everyone already knows each other.
Most importantly, having clear messaging and a well-defined brand will make it easier to brief people in so they get it right first time. Check out our tips for writing a strong creative brief here.
Best for: Companies with a strong internal comms/marketing lead who has the time to provide strategic direction and coordination, and needs extra hands for execution only.
3. The in-house hire: Building your own team
What it looks like: You hire a comms lead or marketing manager to own your strategy and oversee delivery. They become part of your team, embedded in the business, learning the science deeply.
When it works: When you have consistent, high-volume needs and the budget to hire someone senior enough to handle both strategy and execution. This makes sense when your commercial trajectory demands dedicated resource, such as taking a product or service to market.
The reality check: For earlier-stage or R&D-focused companies, this approach can be risky. A good senior comms professional is a substantial ongoing investment, adding more costs and management overhead.
Finding an affordable ‘unicorn’ who can do strategy, copywriting, PR, digital and events – and also really gets your science – is rare. Alternatively, you could hire someone more junior, but they’ll need guidance, upskilling and ongoing support as they learn on the job.
What’s more, your new hire is effectively a team of one, with no peers to bounce ideas off and no one to cover gaps if they go on holiday or leave.
Our advice: If you can only afford one position, take time to find someone with a mix of strong life sciences knowledge as well as broad marketing and comms chops.
And remember, your next comms star may already be working for you. It’s not unusual for someone from the science or product team to thrive in a more marketing-focused role with some additional training and support. Read how we onboarded and upskilled a new comms lead for our client RoRI.
Best for: Well-funded companies with sustained, high-volume comms and marketing needs.
4. The big agency: Full-service firepower
What it looks like: You engage a large, established agency with fancy offices, a football team’s worth of account executives and an impressive client roster.
They pitch you a comprehensive strategy with all the bells and whistles, and can deliver everything from a whizzy website or funky animation to a scroll-stopping social media campaign.
When it works: When you need full-scale support (like large-scale campaign management, extensive media buying, or global PR coordination) and have the budget to match – typically £10-15K per month or more.
The reality check: Big agencies are built for big clients who can afford the bill. For a small biotech on a low service tier, you’re unlikely to be a priority account – assuming you can afford to even get through the door.
Typically, smaller accounts get less senior attention, with work handed to junior teams. Feedback can be slow as it travels up and down the chain, with simple changes taking weeks because everything needs approval from people you never see.
The strategy and creative might be solid, but it’s often generic. And flexibility to scale up and down as your budget allows or your needs change? Forget it.
You’re locked into a ‘black box’ retainer that never quite feels like it’s delivering value for money, especially during the quieter times of the year. Cue the familiar refrain, “What exactly are we paying them for?”
Our advice: If you go this route, make sure you meet the people who will actually be working on your account before you sign a contract.
You can’t always avoid the ‘bait and switch’ if you’re a relatively small account at a big agency, but you need to feel comfortable and confident with your day-to-day team.
Are they friendly? Do they actually understand the science behind your innovation? And – most important of all – do they seem as excited by it as you are?
Best for: Later-stage companies (commercial or late clinical) with substantial, consistent budgets for full service marketing and PR.
5. The boutique agency: Specialised partners who scale with you
What it looks like: Smaller communications and marketing agencies (typically 3-10 people) that specialise in life sciences and slot in as a flexible extension of your team.
They combine senior strategic expertise with high quality hands-on delivery and hassle-free project management, but without the fixed overheads of an in-house hire or the high price tag of a big agency.
When it works: When you need experienced partners who understand your science, and can take the lead on strategy, planning and execution, but you want to maintain flexibility and control costs as you grow.
The reality check: For many life science companies that have just landed their first serious tranche of funding, this is the sweet spot.
You get access to senior comms and marketing professionals – the people who pitch are the people who do the work – plus high quality, hands-on support from a team that genuinely understands the science. Their sector focus means they understand your challenges and really ‘get’ why you’re exciting.
At this stage, flexibility and value are crucial.
The right agency will offer phased work packages – for example, a strategic planning phase followed by delivery – and transparent, tiered retainers (like our points-based system) so you can see exactly what you’re paying for. They’ll also let you ramp up during busy periods or scale back when things are quieter.
A good partner should take project management off your plate, giving you clear oversight without the admin load. They’ll coordinate any designers, writers, or partners they bring in, ensuring everything stays consistent and on message.
But not all boutique science communication and marketing agencies are created equal.
Some are solo consultants without the breadth of delivery you’ll need; others lack the scientific depth to tell your story convincingly. The right partner combines both — deep life science expertise and the practical capability to make your comms run smoothly.
Our advice: Look for a team with deep life science knowledge, senior strategic expertise and project management, and a track record of working with companies at your stage.
Need help with something else? Small agencies often have a rich network across the life science sector, from IP lawyers and life science recruiters to regulatory experts and manufacturing wizards. Ask for recommendations of other nimble service providers that can help you grow.
Best for: Late seed through to Series B companies who need science-led marketing and communications support with built-in flexibility and senior strategy expertise.
Which approach is right for you?
There’s no single answer — it depends on your goals, stage, and resources.
- Go DIY if: You’re pre-seed, not actively in the market yet, and genuinely can’t allocate any budget to this stuff. Accept this as temporary.
- Use freelancers or consultants if: You have specific, contained projects and someone internal who can provide direction and coordination.
- Hire in-house if: You have consistent high-volume needs, already have some expertise within the team, and can afford the employer overheads – especially if you find the right person.
- Choose a large agency if: You’re well-funded, need specialised large-scale capabilities, and can commit to a big annual budget.
- Go with a boutique agency if: You need strategic expertise combined with professional execution, want to maintain flexibility, and value having a partner who truly understands both the science and the stage you’re at.
For pioneering life science companies, the answer isn’t necessarily the same throughout your journey. You might start DIY, bring in a boutique agency partner to support a fundraise, then eventually hire in-house as you scale.
The key is being realistic about what you need right now and what you can genuinely resource effectively.
The companies that get this right are the ones who recognise that marketing and communications aren’t a ‘nice to have’ – they’re fundamental to how you demonstrate credibility and differentiation, attract talent, secure partnerships or customers, and ultimately achieve your mission.
If you’re a growing life science company trying to figure this out, you’re not alone. Every successful life science business has grappled with exactly these questions along the way.
The good news? Getting this right now sets you up for every stage that follows. Clear positioning, consistent messaging, and professional communications become assets that compound as you grow.
Need help figuring out the right approach for your life science company?
First Create The Media acts as a plug-in expert team combining deep science knowledge with flexible, wide-ranging delivery support. We’ve worked with many life science companies in the UK, Europe and the US, helping them stand out from the crowd, showcase their credibility, and build buzz from the earliest stages onwards.
Get in touch for a no-strings chat to see how we can help you.