Life Sciences Communication: Bridging the Biotech Trust Gap
Insights from the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer
Who it's for: Biotech marketers, communications leads, and scientific founders looking to strengthen public trust and understanding of their innovations.
What you'll learn: How to use key insights from the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer to improve how your company communicates science. This post explores why trust in scientists is high, but understanding is low, and what you can do to bridge that gap through smarter, more relatable marketing.
Every year, the Edelman Trust Barometer offers a globally respected pulse check on trust, across institutions, industries, and innovation. At Magma Science, we look forward to its release because it doesn’t just track sentiment, it uncovers expectations. And for life science and biotech companies, those expectations are shifting fast.
The 2024 report highlights a disconnect: innovation is accelerating, but public trust in how it's introduced to the public isn't keeping up. 69% of respondents say innovation today is poorly managed and doesn’t benefit people like them.
The year before, the Campaign for Science and Engineering reached a similar conclusion: 61% of people either believe R&D doesn’t benefit them or feel neutral or unsure about its impact.
In a world of rocket landings and AI-enabled discovery, it’s clear: the science is moving faster than the story being told around it.
So the question is: do marketers have a role to play in restoring belief in science and innovation?
We’d argue yes, and not just from a reputation standpoint. There’s strategic value (and yes, revenue) in being the most trusted scientific voice in your field.
Let’s break down three critical findings from the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer and what they mean for life science marketing.
The Good News: Science Still Has Street Cred
The data shows that the foundation of trust is strong:
74% of global respondents trust scientists to tell the truth about new innovations and technologies
77% believe scientists should have a big role in managing how those innovations are introduced
People respect scientific rigor and want to hear from the source
The foundation is solid. People believe in what we do.
The Problem: We're Speaking Different Languages
Here's the kicker: 45% of respondents say scientists don't know how to communicate with people like them.
This isn't a science problem; it's a communication problem. And that makes it your problem to solve.
Your prospects, partners, and investors already believe in scientific rigor. They're not questioning whether your research is valid. They're questioning whether you can explain why it matters to them.
Practical Marketing Takeaways
1. Clarify, Don’t Simplify
Your audience doesn't need kindergarten-level explanations, they need context. Business Development Leads and procurement teams are sophisticated buyers who want to understand implications, not just features.
Action Item: Create content layers – executive summaries for decision-makers, technical deep-dives for scientific evaluators, and implementation guides for end-users. All addressing the same core question: "What does this mean for my business?"
2. Make Your Scientists Strategic Assets
You have built-in credibility sitting in your labs and R&D departments. The Edelman data shows 74% of people trust scientists. Use that trust strategically.
Action Item: Develop a thought leadership program that positions your key scientists as industry voices. Train them on message discipline, but let their expertise shine through webinars, conference presentations, and advisory roles.
3. Amplify Peer Validation
"Someone like me" carries as much weight as scientific authority. In biotech, that means leveraging voices from your ecosystem: research collaborators, clinical partners, and early adopters.
Action Item: Use storytelling from researchers using your platform, clinicians seeing results, or partners choosing your technology. Build a systematic approach to capturing and sharing peer stories. Let them carry your message in their own words.
4. Show Your Work
Trust comes from transparency about process, not just outcomes. In an industry where regulatory approval and safety are paramount, your methodology is a competitive advantage.
Action Item: Share your vetting process – scientific review boards, regulatory collaborations, validation protocols. Make your due diligence visible. It's a trust signal that resonates with risk-conscious buyers.
5. Design for Discovery and Dialogue
Your buyers are doing their homework before they ever talk to sales. Make sure they can find and understand what they're looking for.
Action Item: Audit your content architecture. Can a VP of R&D find the technical validation they need? Can a procurement team understand your competitive advantages? Optimize for search with question-based content, layered explanations, and a UX that encourages deeper exploration and feedback.
The Growth Strategy Hidden in Trust
This isn't just about reputation management. Trust impacts on:
Clinical trial enrollment (critical for your timeline and budget)
Technology adoption rates (your revenue driver)
Investor confidence (your funding pipeline)
Partnership opportunities (your growth multiplier)
Your Next Steps
Audit your current messaging against the trust factors: clarity, scientific authority, peer validation, process transparency.
Identify your most credible internal voices and develop a plan to make them more visible.
Map your buyer journey and ensure trust-building content exists at every stage.
Create feedback loops to understand how your market perceives your communication efforts.
The biotech companies that win in the next decade won't just have the best science, they'll have the most trusted science. And trust, unlike breakthrough discoveries, is something you can actively build with the right life science marketing strategy.
Your innovation deserves an audience that believes in it. Time to build that belief.
Sources:
Edelman Trust Institute. (2024). 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer. Retrieved from https://www.edelman.com/trust/2024/trust-barometer