One of the most consequential decisions in pre-launch strategy is rarely discussed explicitly: how the KOL ecosystem is interpreted before engagement begins.
In the months leading up to launch, teams move quickly. Landscapes are mapped, experts are identified, advisory boards are planned, and engagement strategies begin to take shape.
These steps are essential. But they often frame the ecosystem as a ranked list of experts, rather than as a network of different roles shaping how a therapy will ultimately be understood.
That distinction becomes critical at launch.
Pre-launch is when the Scientific Narrative forms
Before a therapy reaches broad clinical adoption, a relatively small group of experts begins shaping the conversation around it.
They frame key questions. They interpret emerging evidence. They influence how peers begin thinking about the therapy’s role in practice.
Once those engagement patterns begin to form, they tend to persist. Advisory relationships deepen, networks amplify certain voices, and early interpretations influence subsequent discussions.
By the time adoption expands, the ecosystem already has direction.
This is why pre-launch engagement carries disproportionate strategic weight.
Seeing the ecosystem as Roles, not just experts
A more useful lens is to think of the ecosystem in terms of roles.
Some experts push the scientific agenda forward. Others translate evidence into clinical practice. Some influence through professional networks and peer education. Others shape guidelines or policy discussions.
Each of these roles contributes differently to how a therapy is evaluated and adopted.
When viewed this way, the ecosystem becomes less of a leaderboard and more of a system of complementary perspectives.
Where archetyping becomes strategically useful
This is where archetyping becomes valuable.
At its best, archetyping is not a segmentation exercise. It is a way of interpreting how different types of influence operate within the ecosystem.
It helps organizations consider questions such as:
- Who is shaping the scientific direction of the field?
- Who translates evidence into everyday clinical decisions?
- Who connects networks of clinicians and amplifies perspectives?
- Who influences adoption indirectly through guidelines or policy?
Those questions move engagement planning from identifying experts to understanding how influence actually moves through the ecosystem.
A strategic perspective on Launch
When launches build strong early momentum, it is rarely because companies simply identified prominent experts.
More often, it is because they understood how the ecosystem functioned and engaged accordingly.
At launch, success depends not just on knowing who is visible in the field, but on understanding how different voices shape the scientific conversation.
That is where interpreting the KOL ecosystem becomes a strategic advantage.
The real launch advantage isn’t identifying the most influential voices. It is understanding how those voices shape the conversation.
Originally published on LinkedIn on March 10, 2026.
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Manvi Kapoor
Founder & Managing Director of ThinkCraft. 10+ years advising global pharma brands on customer engagement, analytics and go-to-market. Guest lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
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