Abby Hardy

I help biotechnology companies tell their story to a variety of audiences by developing communications strategies and materials. I work remotely from a small town in British Columbia. All I need is my computer and internet access! While I work on my own, I hold regular virtual meetings with my clients. It is important to nurture those relationships.

My knowledge of science and biotechnology helps me understand my clients’ business. For example, many companies I work with are developing very complicated product candidates. These can include vaccines, medical devices or biologic therapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies. My job is to help clients explain their business and the benefits of their technology to different audiences. I have to understand what they are developing and how they are developing it, so I can help them.

When I begin a client relationship, I determine their communications goals. For example, their goals may be to increase awareness of their company. On the other hand, it might be to attract potential investors. I then determine the different audiences my clients should target to achieve their communications goals. These could be the general public, shareholders, investors or the media.

The next step is to develop a communications strategy. This is usually based on the schedule of the news my clients expect to publish (or “news flow”). News flow is often driven by my clients’ reaching certain development milestones. These are points in the development process in which their audiences are interested. For example, beginning a clinical trial is an important milestone.

The schedule is then boosted with more ways to get their news out. For example, pitching a story to journalists and posting on social media. Finally, I develop the materials to carry out the strategy. These materials include things such as articles, press releases and presentations. They can also be website content and social media posts.