Nashville | North Star Story Co. is bringing the ‘human element’ into biotech
Lauren Musto has spent two decades in biotech communications and has a method for how to communicate those stories honestly and effectively.
At the heart of every business is a story. There’s a problem to solve, a person solving it, and a life being changed as a result.
Particularly in the life sciences and biotech sectors, stories are everywhere.
Doctors identify a shortfall in care, innovators bridge the gap with new technology, and hundreds—if not thousands—of lives are extended or enhanced because of it. We know this to be the case.
However, sometimes identifying the characters, refining the story, and conveying the message to the general public can be a challenge, especially with so many technicalities involved.
Plus, when you factor in the complicated approval process for any drug-related communication through the FDA, storytelling becomes even more challenging.
High-Touch vs. High-Tech
Lauren Musto has spent two decades in biotech communications and has a method for how to communicate those stories honestly and effectively. Rather than focusing on how the innovation works technically, she taps into the big vision of how it could affect communities. In other words, high-touch versus high-tech.
“When you’re talking pharmaceutical products, you have very tight guidelines and guardrails for what you can and cannot say due to the FDA. It becomes imperative that you’re not being hyperbolic. So, my approach has always been to target the stories inside the organization,” she said.
Musto relocated to Nashville about six and a half years ago. Previously, she worked in corporate communications in Boston, up until her company, TESARO, was acquired by GSK for $5.1 billion.
Upon arriving in Nashville, she was contacted by a recruiter to join another biotech start-up called Sierra Oncology as the Senior Director and Head of Corporate Communications.
She joined the team while the company was in the middle of a phase three trial for its lead product candidate. The study was designed to emphasize the effect of the drug on myelofibrosis patients with anemia.
Before she arrived, the communication campaigns had focused on the product candidate, the science, and the data to support it.
“For me, the new communication plan was clear. We were focused on helping a subset of patients with anemia, and our marketing approach needed to be transformed to support that narrative,” Musto said.
She led her team at Sierra Oncology to flip the script and start focusing on stories of people. These could be patient stories, physician stories, or even scientist stories about their motivations for creating the drug.
“My approach was different. I looked at how the drug impacted not only the patient, but also the periphery of the disease,” she said. “Patients care less about how something was created, and more about what effect it will have on their ability to live their lives.”
Furthermore, she was able to identify those special stories internally at the company.
“Most of the time, you have one or several people who find the cause deeply personal. There’s a past experience there, and when you bring out those personal stories, you can highlight the soul of the company,” she said.
Her approach worked, and the stock price started to tick up.
The data from the phase three trial was positive, Sierra Oncology was in pre-launch mode for the drug, and then, they too got acquired by GSK for $1.9 billion.
“Not even two years into my tenure, we went from having a very techy, jargony, complicated story to a very simple one that was inspiring and empowering, ultimately leading to a life-changing acquisition,” she said.
A few years later, Musto decided to start her own consultancy, rooted in the same storytelling success she accomplished at Sierra Oncology.
The Founding of North Star Story Co.
“What does the world look like if everything works out perfectly? What would your mission be? Your value proposition? Your beliefs?”
These are just some of the questions Musto unpacks with her clients. Her goal is to identify the “North Star” of the client and create a storytelling and marketing plan around it.
It’s been about three months since she began her private consulting practice. Her ‘bread and butter’ is working with founders, startups, and small biotechs to hone their story, mission, and communication strategy.
“There is no company that’s too small or too big. Taking the time to pull out the humanistic nuggets makes you memorable to the market, investors, and stakeholders,” she said.
She offers communication strategy, content management, fractional executive communications, brand strategy, and narrative development.
“My primary goal is to help biotechs uncover their north star, share their vision effectively, and ultimately create a generational impact,” she said.
Learn more about North Star Co.
Connect with Lauren Rose Musto.
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