The PhD-to-CEO problem nobody talks about
Hi ,
Happy November! Here’s what’s included in this month’s newsletter:
6 interesting links to benefit your marketing
Marketing meme of the month from Melanie Deziel
How to turn your difficult boss into your biggest ally
Content marketing quote from Andrea Fryrear
Staff spotlight with Bitesize Bio’s Production Assistant, Sam Macdonald
If you have a minute, we’d love you to reply to this email, letting us know what you liked, what you didn’t, or what you think we could do better.
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VIRTUAL NETWORKING SESSION
Want to make new biotech connections?
Join Sarah for our monthly virtual networking session this Friday. It's agenda-free, sales-pitch-free, and all about making genuine connections with fellow life science marketers.
Whether you're at a startup or a global pharma company - grab your coffee and sign up for real conversations with people who understand the unique challenge of translating complex science into compelling messages.
OUR FAVOURITE FINDS
For better marketing, check out these links
🌱 Marketing vs. Branding
A clear breakdown of where marketing stops and branding begins. Useful for explaining to leadership or clients the difference between short-term tactics and long-term positioning.
🌿 Building Online Communities for Brand Loyalty
Shows how brands are building communities that move beyond engagement to drive retention and advocacy.
🌳 Does Starting a Community Make Sense for B2B?
Explores when launching a community is worth the investment for B2B companies and when it may not deliver meaningful returns.
🌾 Community in B2B: Quality Over Quantity
Argues that smaller, more engaged communities create more value than large groups with little participation.
What we’re reading this month
📚 On-Page SEO: E-E-A-T and YMYL
Explains how Google’s signals for expertise, experience, and trustworthiness affect rankings, especially in industries where accuracy matters most.
What we’re loving this month
🧡 Branded Socks
Our team love branded socks! A simple example of how small, useful items can create visibility and spark attention.
MEME OF THE MONTH
DEEP DIVE
How to turn your difficult boss into your biggest ally
Getting buy-in from a scientific CEO takes more than good strategy. It requires framing marketing in the terms they value most. This month’s deep dive shows how to align your work with their priorities and build a more productive partnership.
Your boss rejected another one of your marketing ideas
You spent weeks crafting the perfect campaign strategy, only to watch them dismiss it in a five-minute meeting. They want "more leads" but won't approve the budget for lead generation tactics. They love the awareness article you published, but then ask why it didn't drive conversions.
Sound familiar?
Here's what most life science marketers miss: your CEO is probably a scientist first and a businessperson second. They didn't go to business school. They earned their PhD, built their expertise in the lab, and now they're running a company. Understanding this changes everything about how you approach your role.
The key is getting crystal clear on what success looks like to them
Next time your boss comes to you with a tactic (like "let's do banner ads"), don't just execute it. Push back gently and ask what outcome they're hoping for. Are they tracking revenue? Brand awareness? Lead volume? Website traffic? If they want banner ads but their real goal is lead generation, you need to explain how to structure that campaign properly.
You also need to figure out what type of decision-maker you're dealing with. Whatever boss you have (and your boss might be a mixture of both), they will want business growth. Your job is to connect their natural thinking style to marketing outcomes that actually move the needle.
Your Boss | How to Spot Them | How to Manage Them |
|---|---|---|
The data-driven CEO | • Usually from pharma or biotech • Wants proof before spending • When they see your Q3 campaign drove 150 website visits but only generated 3 leads, they'll question the entire strategy | • Show them a detailed attribution report showing how those 3 leads converted into $45K in pipeline, and suddenly they're interested in doubling the budget |
The visionary CEO | • Often from academic backgrounds • Gets excited by new ideas but jumps between tactics • One week, they want to sponsor a podcast, the next week, they're obsessed with LinkedIn ads | • Create a simple one-page strategy document that shows how each tactic connects to the bigger picture • When they suggest the next shiny object, you can point to the strategy and say, "That's great for Q2, but let's finish our Q1 lead gen campaign first." |
Sometimes, though, you need backup
If you're struggling to get your CEO on board with strategic marketing or need someone in your corner who can communicate effectively with both scientists and marketers, our team can help.
We've worked with hundreds of life science companies where the CEO built their expertise in the lab, not the boardroom. We can help bridge that gap and get everyone aligned on what marketing success actually looks like. Get in touch here.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
“It Pays to Be Calm”
This month's spotlight is on Sam Macdonald, Bitesize Bio's Production Assistant. He's the person keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes (hosting webinars, editing podcasts, designing graphics) and somehow making it all look easy.
Sam Macdonald is a production assistant at Bitesize Bio, though that title barely scratches the surface of what he does.
On any given day, he might be hosting a webinar, recording a podcast, editing videos, or designing graphics in Canva. When asked what he does for a living, he usually just says "events" because explaining the full scope takes too long.
He fell into the field completely by accident. Fresh out of university with a French degree, he took the first job that would actually use it: running audio conferences and doing introductions. The role snowballed from there, evolving through web conferences and beyond. These days, he doesn't use his French degree much at all, but he's built a career he genuinely loves.
The appeal? No two days look the same.
The work ranges from technical troubleshooting to creative design, from live hosting to post-production editing. One day he's behind a microphone, the next he's deep in video edits. It's the kind of role where you need to be comfortable doing a bit of everything, and Sam thrives on that variety.
Sam has learned to steady the ship regardless of where technical problems actually originate. His philosophy is to stay calm. If he's panicking behind the camera, that energy transfers straight to whoever's presenting. His job is to make the talent look good, to be the glue holding everything together in the background. He describes it as being like a swan: serene above the water while your legs are paddling frantically underneath.
Outside of work, Sam's an introvert who recharges through long, remote hikes; the kind where you can walk for hours without encountering another person.
He used to live near the Welsh border, where he could disappear into the woods for a 15 or 20-mile trek straight from his doorstep. These days, with a young son, those escapes are rarer. He squeezes in gym sessions or swimming when he can, but most of his free time goes to "dad mode." He's teaching his son where food comes from, how to grow it, how to prepare it. His son has his own set of knives and spends summer days eagerly checking if the strawberries in the hanging baskets are ready yet. Patience is a hard lesson when you're that age.
The best place Sam's travelled? Slovenia. Lake Bled, specifically. Lush, green, unspoiled, quiet. A place with mountains and cities and countryside all within reach, and the kind of serenity he naturally gravitates toward.
If he won the lottery, Sam would probably do something outdoors full-time, though he acknowledges that if hiking became work, it might lose its appeal. For now, he's content being the person behind the scenes, making sure everything runs smoothly while everyone else stays focused on the task at hand. Calm, capable, and keeping the wheels turning.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Remember: There are three ways that Bitesize Bio can help you grow better
Brand awareness: Get your products directly in front of a relevant audience and foster credibility and recognition among scientists actively seeking technical information.
Lead generation: Obtain qualified prospects for your product and robust data insights that allow your sales team to follow up with leads who show genuine interest.
Integrated Marketing Campaigns: Blend multiple touchpoints to create a cohesive journey that amplifies the brand message, drives engagement, and generates leads.
Get in touch with us to find out more.
Have a great month, and keep on growing 🌱
—The Bitesize Bio Team
PS: Did you love this newsletter, or do you think we can do better? Let us know by voting in the poll below 👇
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Why The Growth Factor? In cell biology, growth factors are molecules that regulate processes like cell proliferation and differentiation. One well-known example is transforming growth factor (TGF), a key player in cell signaling. Marketers are also focused on growth of audiences, engagement, and impact.