Author: Deb Fowler

Remember mixtapes? I remember listening to Rick Dee’s Weekly Top 40 and waiting to hit record at precisely the right moment, patching together playlists of songs of different genres with abrupt track changes. Air Supply, Motley Crue, Elton John – all on the same mixtape. 

Fortunately, today we have a new option. Carefully curated Spotify playlists allow us to select songs, each placed with a purpose, to create a soundtrack that is cohesive and intentional.  Both are stitched together, but only one can set a tone, elevate a mood, or tell a story. 

Mixtape Messaging vs. Tapestry Thinking
We see a lot of mixtape-style communications in early-stage biotech. A press release here, a data poster there and a website with just enough to say, “we exist.” Yes, these moments in time are important to communication. But why? What’s the purpose of these communications? What’s the story we are looking to tell? And as my mother once told me, you only have one chance to make a first impression. Done well, your narrative provides a bridge to all audiences: investors, partners, patients, and the media. 

Many companies fall into a seemingly productive rhythm, churning out nonstop press releases. It’s all in the name of generating buzz with investors. Cadence does matter. However, in today’s world of information overflow, if your news cycle becomes noisy, you’re not creating real value. Putting a press release over the wire and relying on syndicated pickup doesn’t allow the media – or your audiences – to have a chance to get to really know you.  Like a mixtape without a track list, fragmented messaging from early-stage biotechs can leave audiences lost until strategy ties it all together in a cohesive narrative. 

Start Talking Before the Science
As Tara pointed out in Don’t Wait for Data, telling the science story alone is just a piece of the pie; it doesn’t build credibility and reputation. This is where strategic communications play a critical role in reaching multiple audiences and making the story relevant to each one.  

A strategic narrative doesn’t pontificate about what you don’t have. It builds on what you do: your leadership’s vision, your founding story, your unique approach to addressing an unmet need. It’s not premature to speak before your trial data reads out. Without a product on the market, investors need a reason to believe, that means knowing the track records of your leadership, the skills and experience of new hires and the small steps you’re taking to build a strong foundation both internally and externally. This is the momentum the media and your other key stakeholders need to remember your name. 

How We Walk the Talk
We worked with an early-stage specialty biotech that had a competitor that appeared seemingly stronger based on media visibility. When we started working with our client, the communications were solely based on data milestones, here and there, with no cohesive story. In other words, a “mixtape” approach. Our team started digging in, looking further into the science, the unmet need, and the company leadership. Feedback from KOLs showed that our client had a scientific advantage. So why were they not seen as the leaders? The difference: they were not telling their story. They relied only on data readouts and medical congresses to tell their story, which led to disjointed storytelling and no cohesive thread pulling everything together. Journalists are not mind readers and they don’t want to do commercials for companies. In this case, the media simply were not aware of our client’s story.  

In this particular instance, we built a leadership platform that showcased the executives’ proven track records to bring clinical assets to market. We created messages that spoke to long term value, not just the next product milestone. Developing that corporate narrative that goes above brand delivers a different strategic approach, creating a backbone that allows other messages to flow from.  

The Takeaway
This isn’t about having more data. It’s a communications strategy told consistently across paid, earned, shared, and owned channels. 

It’s tempting to delay storytelling until you have more to say. And, it’s not so much refreshing your story or narrative every quarter, it’s about reinforcing your strategic core through cohesive storytelling while adapting the way you tell it. That’s what builds credibility and creates resonance. 

Because when your company’s reputation is still forming, every touchpoint matters.  

So, ask yourself: are you handing your audiences a mixtape or playing them a masterpiece?  

Let’s be honest. If your CEO gets caught on video cozied up to HR at a Coldplay concert, no one’s thinking “let’s bring in Gwyneth Paltrow.” And yet, here we are. Data startup Astronomer, facing internal upheaval and a digital whisper network that’s now screaming across every corner of the internet, just named Paltrow its “temporary” spokesperson, days after placing their CEO Andy Byron on leave.

It’s certainly a move that has everyone talking. But it wasn’t strategic crisis management any more so than it was a slick pivot by Astronomer into branded content wrapped in a celebrity stunt. Because here’s the twist, Paltrow’s “takeover” was orchestrated through Ryan Reynolds’ advertising agency, Maximum Effort. Astronomer, a relatively small and lesser-known player in the data space, used this moment to go full meta marketing and in doing so, they missed a major opportunity to tell their broader leadership story.

Let’s break it down into some key crisis comms takeaways.

Don’t hide. Transparency wins.
Most companies in crisis default to silence, spin, or sudden leadership exits. Astronomer opted for none of the above. Instead, they handed the mic to an Oscar winner known for detox hacks, marital transparency, and yes, her own ties to Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin. And for that, we give them credit. The board clearly said, “Don’t hide. Do something.”

Not all bold moves are strategic ones.
In Paltrow’s takeover, there was no mention of Astronomer’s core values, no clarity on leadership and no roadmap for rebuilding trust. Just vague mentions of “unifying data workflow automations” and a call-to-action to join the company at their upcoming analytics conference. She certainly helped recast the tone, but she also pulled focus away entirely.

Don’t underestimate the power of comic relief in the right setting.
When I first saw the video of Gwyneth, I immediately started my fact checking because it was so surprising I had to ensure it was actually legitimate. The distraction worked. However, the effort was not fully realized. Astronomer had the opportunity to educate the world about what it does, how it’s different and why the company should be trusted. Instead, it was just witty and only partially impactful.

It’s never a one and done.
Even with Gwyneth as the temporary company spokesperson, it’s not back to business as usual. Astronomer needs to continue to rebuild trust with customers and employees. That means thoughtful internal messaging, coordinated external leadership, and a clear stance on ethics, culture, and what’s next.

Our take?
At Green Room, we love a bold creative swing especially when companies don’t default to corporate retreat. But in this case, Astronomer missed a crucial opportunity. This could have been the start of a broader, more thoughtful narrative rebuild. While not featured in the Paltrow spot, Astronomer did announce a new CEO and a leadership transition plan—circulating quietly on LinkedIn. We’re not saying the ad needed to carry it all but tying the humor back to substance would have helped connect the dots.

Because more than borrowed star power, real crisis management demands internal reflection, structural change, and a re-anchoring of values.

As National Science Foundation staff review thousands of active research projects against lists of scrutinized terminology, healthcare communicators face a stark reminder: words carry meaning. But while federal agencies examine grant language and research proposals, time marches relentlessly forward for patients awaiting breakthroughs. Right now, there’s a child in a hospital room who is missing out on a potential lifesaving therapy as we sort out a path forward. We now find ourselves at a critical juncture where our industry is evolving – the words we use, the processes, but at the core, the what and the why remains unchanged: ensuring that lifesaving innovations reach the patients who need them.

When my son Cannon was diagnosed with hypophosphatasia (HPP), there were no approved treatments. Today, there’s one approved treatment, one in clinical trials and others in discovery. This profound shift from hopelessness to hope illustrates why we can’t get bogged down in process, over-thinking, or linguistic debates. These are distractions that slow down medical progress. Every day spent debating terminology is a day lost to a patient somewhere waiting for a breakthrough.

In today’s healthcare world, communications leaders face unprecedented challenges on the daily. Words that once seemed straightforward now carry unexpected weight. Terms we would argue are relatively neutral like “advocate” have become lightning rods, potentially affecting everything from grant funding to clinical trial recruitment. During my pre-med track in college, we learned that the science of biology teaches us that medical responses may vary across populations. For rare disease research, this presents a particular challenge. When you’re already working with a small patient population, ensuring diverse representation in clinical trials becomes even more complex. Diversity isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about developing treatments that work safely and effectively for everyone.

Our role is to thoughtfully navigate how and when to engage in political discourse but most of all, it is to ensure that essential healthcare messages reach those who need them. When words become charged, we must find new ways to convey unchanging truths: every patient deserves access to safe, effective medicine, regardless of their background.

Savvy healthcare communications leaders recognize that crisis communications isn’t just a response strategy anymore—it’s THE strategy. The days of the war room are over as we now engage in triaging strategy and rapid-fire response as a way of working. As we help our clients navigate this frenzied moment while keeping patient needs at the forefront, we are finding that now more than ever we must:

• Ensure that semantic debates don’t delay patient care or scientific progress
• Bring the humanity back to healthcare narratives
• Remember our “why”. The purpose behind what we do is something that unites us while other distractions seemingly divide.
• Support companies in maintaining their commitment to patient care while navigating sensitive discussions

Most healthcare professionals I know didn’t choose this field for financial gain. They chose it because they want to help people and make a difference in this world. Like the physician’s creed to “do no harm,” our communications creed must be to never let wordsmithing stand in the way of patient care.

Looking ahead, our industry faces complex challenges without easy answers. But our north star remains constant: doing what’s right for patients. Whether we’re discussing rare disease research, clinical trial access, or treatment availability, our focus must remain on the fundamental goal of helping people live healthier lives.

In the coming weeks, our “Patients Can’t Wait” series will explore these challenges through the eyes of our Practice Leads, each bringing their unique perspective to this conversation. But regardless of how healthcare communications shifts, one truth remains: Every minute spent debating is borrowed from someone waiting for a cure.

I think of my son Cannon, and how different his future looks today compared to his diagnosis day 18 years ago. I think of countless other families still waiting for their breakthrough moment. They remind us that in healthcare, time isn’t just money—it’s life itself. And that’s something none of us can afford to waste.