Telling Your Story to Investors vs. the Media: Why the Same Pitch Won’t Land Twice

For any healthcare startup, your story is your most powerful tool. It builds trust, fuels momentum, and helps the right people say yes. You may just have raised funding. Built a killer slide deck. But here’s the catch: storytelling for investors and storytelling for media follow different rules. If you’re using the same pitch for both, you’re missing key opportunities.

Let’s break down what changes, what doesn’t, and how to do both well - without losing sight of the patients and healthcare professionals you ultimately serve.

Start with the goal

Investors want potential. Their questions are: Can this scale? What’s the market? Why you, and why now? They want to see traction, differentiation, and a founder team that understands both science and business. Your narrative should connect clinical need to market opportunity, with a clear adoption path that that reduces risk for their investment. The art of a great pitch is to weave these elements into a larger, more engaging story that captures an investor's attention. A well-told story makes your pitch memorable.

Media wants relevance. Editors ask: Is this timely? Is it different? Will my audience care? What’s the broader societal relevance? They are looking for human impact and something a reader will feel, not just understand. Instead of starting with the technology, start with a real-world moment: the patient who got diagnosed earlier, the clinician who avoided a risky procedure. Bring the “why it matters” up front.

Tone and detail: Know your audience

Investors expect fluency in data, IP, reimbursement codes, and regulatory milestones. But they also respond to storytelling, especially when it’s anchored in patient outcomes and HCP advocacy. Use narrative to make your numbers memorable.

Media needs accessibility. Avoid technical jargon. Explain your science in human terms. Reporters are your translators. Help them succeed by giving them a clear, emotionally resonant story that they can use without much extra work.

Whose voice leads?

Your voice, as founder, is essential. Investors want to know who’s driving the vision, why you’re uniquely qualified, and how you plan to execute. Especially in healthcare, your insight into the system and your ability to navigate it can be a make-or-break factor.

But your voice shouldn’t stand alone.

Strategic use of supporting voices like clinicians running a pilot, patients sharing outcomes, or a hospital validating your solution adds credibility. These aren’t replacements for your narrative. They’re reinforcement.

For investors, hearing from early adopters shows real-world traction. It’s a signal that your idea isn’t just promising - it’s already working for the people it’s meant to help.

For media, those voices turn your claims into compelling human stories. They make your innovation relatable and real.

You lead the story. But letting others echo it makes it stronger.

So what does that mean for you?

If you're trying to land coverage, don’t lead with your Series A. Lead with the story only you can tell: one that blends human need, clinical context, and your product's unique role.

Investor stories and media stories should be different. But together, they create a 360° view of your company: one that builds credibility, accelerates adoption, and earns you the right kind of attention.

Resources for crafting your stories:

Need help translating your innovation into a story that resonates beyond the boardroom? Let’s talk. Schedule a call and we’ll shape a narrative that gets noticed by the people who matter most.