In this industry, lead generation is either a strategic goldmine or an expensive lesson in what not to do. And in a space where budgets are tight and timelines are tighter, throwing spaghetti at the wall won’t cut it.
I’ll say it again for the people in the back: “Spray and pray” is dead. You need to educate, connect, and follow up with purpose.
Whether you’re building brand awareness before a fundraising round, trying to stay visible after a big conference, or driving qualified pipeline without annoying everyone on LinkedIn, here’s what’s actually working, what isn’t, and how to scale with what you actually have.
What I See Working Right Now…
1. Layered Content Campaigns:
One-off assets are a waste of creative energy. Companies seeing real traction are building ecosystems: gated guides paired with LinkedIn ads, automated email sequences, LinkedIn retargeting, and remarketing. Every touchpoint moves the prospect one step closer.
→ Pro tip: Pair educational content with remarketing that delivers your next best asset. Don’t just chase clicks. Build a buyer journey.
2. Purposeful Gated Content:
Gating still works… if what’s behind the gate delivers. High-value leads come from content that feels custom-made for their challenges. Think: proprietary market data, competitive benchmarks, or “how-to” frameworks for new modalities.
→ Bonus move: Include a simple follow-up quiz or poll to segment your audience further post-download.
3. Precision Targeting:
Lead gen dies when you target “biotech professionals.” The best campaigns speak directly to roles like Vice President of Manufacturing, Head of Business Development, or Chief Manufacturing Officer. You’re not casting a net; you’re spear fishing.
→ Tactical add-on: Build role-specific landing pages and LinkedIn ad copy. Same asset, four headlines; one for each stakeholder persona.
4. Multi-Touch Nurture Sequences:
You spent the money to get the lead.
Now what?
If your entire follow-up is “let us know if you have questions,” you’ve already lost them.
Best-in-class lead gen includes at least 3–5 points of follow-up: personalized emails, remarketing ads, retargeted video content, or social engagement.
→ Layer in: Intent signals (e.g., email opens + site revisit) to prioritize outreach.
What’s Not Worth the Spend
One-Off Boosted Posts: No CTA? No targeting? No next step? That’s not marketing, it’s LinkedIn philanthropy. So kind of you, though.
Over-Polished Static Ads: If your ad looks like a stock image PowerPoint slide with pharma jargon slapped on top, skip it. People crave motion, clarity, and reality. Think: founder selfie video > $5K brand film.
Generic “Nice Meeting You” Emails: Your BIO recap shouldn’t be a copy-pasted “great meeting you.” Segment your outreach and lead with insight or a valuable recap.
For Early-Stage Companies, Here’s ‘Lead Gen on a Budget’ For Ya
If you’re building with a skeleton crew and every dollar matters, here’s how to hit above your weight class:
Repurpose What You Have: Investor decks become guides. Q&A from your last panel? Break it into a post series. One whitepaper = 1 month of social.
Get Hyper-Specific: Pick one audience (platform investors, translational partners, etc.) and speak directly to them.
Teach Before You Pitch: Use diagrams, visual explainers, founder videos, whatever helps translate your science. Simplicity scales.
Use Your Network: Warm intros will outperform cold ads. Use LinkedIn strategically: “Thought this might be helpful” is your new open line.
Free (or Nearly Free) Tools:
Canva (visuals)
Substack / LinkedIn Newsletter (distribution)
Google Docs + Forms (content + capture)
Mailchimp Free / HubSpot Free (automation)
Advanced Tactics to Up Your Game (Bonussss Round)
Intent-based lead scoring: Combine LinkedIn engagement + site visits + email opens to assign scores (HubSpot, Apollo).
Dark social tracking: Google Alerts + Reddit/LinkedIn monitoring to see who’s talking about you.
Slack/Discord: Go where your audience lives: founder groups, investor Slacks, rare disease forums.
Brand Google yourself: LinkedIn SEO, optimized headlines, backlinks. Make sure you show up when people search.
To Sum It All Up:
As my dad always says, “You just have to do the next right thing.” You don’t have to do everything. I’m pretty sure he meant that about life, but it applies to marketing too, especially when things feel overwhelming.
Trial-and-error is real. If the path you’re on isn’t getting the results you want, just reroute. That’s how it goes: try it, see what works, see what doesn’t. You’re not just “textbooking” it, every company, every audience is different. What works for one won’t always work for another.
Start here:
Who are we trying to reach?
What are they struggling with?
What can we create that actually helps?
Then choose one campaign, just one, that answers all three.
Whether you’re scrappy or scaling, great lead gen isn’t about pushing louder. It’s about showing up with something useful, at the right time, in the right place.