The Do’s and Don’ts of Biotech Investor Relations and PR

Hannah Deresiewicz | EVP, Managing Director, Precision AQ 
Jessica Griffith | SVP, PR, Precision AQ

Biotech companies operate in a high-stakes environment where everything can change in an instant. A single clinical trial result, regulatory decision, or shift in market sentiment can dramatically reshape a company’s future and its valuation. In this world of uncertainty, each milestone carries the weight of redefining not just public perception, but the entire trajectory of the business.

In today’s biotech landscape, strong science must be matched by a clear business strategy, and communications sits at the center of that strategy. Integrated Investor Relations (IR) and Public Relations (PR) are essential for articulating value, aligning stakeholders, and positioning any company for long-term success. When done well, they elevate a company’s story, build market confidence, and support strategic growth at every stage.

 At Precision AQ, our Investor Relations and External Communications (IREC) team (formerly Stern IR) has helped companies navigate everything from milestone data moments to full-scale reputational shifts. Across that work, we’ve seen what separates companies that earn durable stakeholder trust from those that struggle to maintain it. 

The strongest communication strategies aren’t reactive. They’re intentional, layered, and grounded in six core tenets: transparency, credibility, consistency, proactivity, integration, and accessibility. These are the foundational elements of long-term confidence among investors, analysts, media, and patients alike. In an industry defined by volatility, communication is one of the few things biotech companies can actively control.

Six Tenets that Drive High-Performing IR and PR

The strongest communication strategies aren’t reactive. They’re intentional, layered, and grounded in six core tenets: transparency, credibility, consistency, proactivity, integration, and accessibility. These are the foundational elements of long-term confidence among investors, analysts, media, and patients alike. In an industry defined by volatility, communication is one of the few things biotech companies can actively control.

1. Transparency

Transparency is about setting clear expectations. Stakeholders, whether investors, analysts, media, or advocacy groups, value companies that communicate with clarity and purpose.

For investors and analysts, that means providing thoughtful insight into clinical trial designs, development milestones, and regulatory strategy. Preparing audiences in advance ensures a shared understanding of the path forward. For broader audiences, transparency means translating scientific and regulatory developments into clear, accessible language. Effective press releases and briefings don’t just report results, they explain their significance.

The most trusted biotech companies communicate early, align investor and media narratives, and consistently educate stakeholders, building lasting credibility and confidence at every stage.

2. Credibility

Credibility is built when messaging aligns with results. Stakeholders look to see that what a company says is consistent with what it does and that its story holds up across data, decisions, and disclosures. For investors and analysts, credibility comes from updates that are tied to clinical and regulatory milestones, delivered with the right level of detail, and aligned with a clear strategy. For media, patients, and the broader public, it’s built through clarity and precision, messages that emphasize substance, reflect the complexity of the science, and communicate progress without exaggeration.

Companies that lead with facts, communicate with precision, and deliver consistent updates over time are best positioned to earn stakeholder trust and maintain long-term support.

3. Consistency

Consistency is reinforced by delivering the same core messages in a steady and aligned way. When companies deliver the same core messages across audiences and touchpoints, they build trust in both the science and the strategy.

For investors and analysts, that means hearing a cohesive narrative across presentations, earnings calls, and regulatory updates, reinforcing a clear view of progress and priorities. For media and the broader public, consistency shows up in press releases, social content, and leadership commentary that align in tone, timing, and message.

The strongest communicators stay anchored in their strategy, making it easy for stakeholders to follow the story, stay engaged, and understand where the company is headed next.

4. Proactivity 

Proactivity is supported by engaging stakeholders before key developments happen. Anticipating questions and offering early context helps to shape understanding and build confidence.

For investors and analysts, that includes briefings ahead of data readouts or regulatory submissions, with insight into trial design, patient populations, and development strategy. For media, advocates, and the public, proactive communication means providing accessible materials, like backgrounders and FAQs, that explain what’s coming and why it matters.

Companies that engage early reduce confusion, manage expectations, and strengthen stakeholder alignment when it counts most.

5. Integration

Integration is aligning all external communications around a single, cohesive narrative. When every audience hears a consistent story, no matter the channel or moment, companies build clarity and credibility.

For investors and analysts, integration shows up when the strategy presented in earnings calls matches what’s reflected in data announcements, roadshows, and regulatory updates. For media, patients, and advocacy groups, it means that messaging is synchronized across press releases, interviews, social content, and patient-facing materials.

When messaging is integrated, stakeholders gain a clear view of the company’s priorities and progress, which promotes alignment and strengthens confidence across audiences.

6. Accessibility

Accessibility means creating meaningful opportunities for stakeholders to hear directly from the people driving the science and strategy. Visibility from scientific, clinical, and commercial leaders builds connection, trust, and confidence.

For investors and analysts, that access deepens understanding of decision-making and reinforces the company’s long-term vision. For media, patients, and advocacy groups, it humanizes the work and fosters transparency around what the company stands for, and where it’s headed.

When leadership is accessible at key moments, it brings the narrative to life and strengthens the foundation built through all other aspects of strategic communication.

Lessons from Our Clients: How Communication Shaped Market Confidence

Several years ago, one of our clients was acquired by large pharma for several billion dollars, a result that reflected the strength of its science and the effectiveness of its communication strategy. This was underscored by a perception study conducted by the Precision AQ IREC team, which gathered feedback from a targeted group of stakeholders, including sell-side analysts, current and prospective investors.

Fielded shortly after the acquisition was announced and just before the deal closed, the study evaluated how well the company communicated its clinical progress, regulatory milestones, and strategic priorities. It also assessed the overall strength of the company’s investor relations efforts, from the clarity of its messaging and data disclosures to the effectiveness of management in articulating the corporate narrative and building credibility.

Stakeholders indicated that they understood the company’s vision and trajectory well before major data readouts, and that management presented results with confidence while avoiding hype that could have undermined credibility.

What Worked:

• Built investor and media relationships early
• Connected data to regulatory strategy
• Reframed narrative around therapeutic areas of interest, where company’s drug showed outsized benefit
• Maintained a clear, fact-based voice in the market

Success in biotech is fundamentally about trust, and how a company communicates plays a critical role in earning and sustaining it.

In an industry shaped by rapid change and high stakes, the way teams engage investors, media, and the public matters nearly as much as the science itself. As you refine your IR and PR strategies, a few principles stand out: build a unified message map to keep all stakeholders aligned around the same core themes; introduce educational content early, using primers, FAQs, and media briefings to prepare audiences and set expectations ahead of key moments; and empower scientific, clinical, and commercial leaders to speak publicly and deepen credibility.

At the same time, avoid assuming stakeholders already understand the science and clarity must be actively earned. Keep IR and PR efforts aligned from the outset, and maintain visibility even when the news is complex. In moments of pressure or crisis, don’t abandon these principles for quick wins. Also, ensure that IR and PR teams are working in lockstep to respond swiftly and with a unified voice. Prepare for challenges in advance with proactive issues management. And above all, stay grounded in a long-term view, because companies that communicate with consistency, intention, and credibility build lasting trust.

Where has a proactive and integrated strategy made the biggest difference in your communications roll-out? We'd love to hear your perspective. Let's keep the conversation going. Reach out to IREC@precisionaq.com.