Before a company begins a public relations program, it is key that the executives and PR advisors develop the company “story” — the key messaging points the company would like to convey to its target audiences. For life science companies, target audiences may range from investors and potential partners to physicians and patients. However, before delivering a story it is important to first gain key insights from the target audiences.

This is where story development comes into play.

The most efficient way to determine what target audiences understand and value about a company, and what’s not quite clear, is to ask them. At Russo Partners, we have expertise in creating thoughtful and insightful questions designed to elicit perspective from the individuals in each target audience, as well as the executive management team. The questions are specifically tailored to each company and audience with the company’s final objectives in mind.

We quantify and analyze these findings to develop the proposed messages and recommendations for the company’s communications moving forward. These messages are not what we think we should say; instead they are designed to communicate in a manner that properly shape audience mindsets and lead to action — for example, an inquiry from a prospective investor.

The findings are then presented to the client and serve as the basis for discussion and interactive exercises. Key messaging points are finalized and following the workshop we capture the messages in a story checklist, which can be applied to all of the company’s communication tools.

Once a company has developed and identified its “story,” the leadership team can implement their communications program, confident that their key messages will resonate with each audience.

Below is a sample slide displaying results obtained from an investor audience.

Slide displaying sample results