Kara Ryan studied journalism in college and in graduate school, then graduated just as the news business was changing and ended up in corporate PR instead. She never left. Over 20 years she worked in communications for financial services and healthcare companies, much of it in medical devices, before launching her own consultancy, KLYR Strategies, earlier this year. The name comes from her initials, K and R, with the L and Y from her middle name in between.
She thought about going out on her own for about five years and set up her LLC two years before she actually made the jump. In this episode of The PR Bunker Podcast, Kara and Don talk about what PR really is, how she gets medtech companies covered, and why every one of her clients so far has come from someone she already knew.
A few takeaways from the conversation:
Kara works with senior leaders at companies going through something big, like commercializing a first product, raising money or getting ready to be acquired. She still coaches clients who hear PR and think press release. Her approach starts with a narrative, the version of the story you'd tell on a long elevator ride, and makes sure it matches what's said to investors, on sales calls, in trade media and on a leader's LinkedIn. Proof points and real experiences from doctors and patients are what give the coverage weight.
Storytelling hasn't changed since she started, Kara says. You can list every feature of a knee replacement, but people care when it helps a grandmother play with her grandkids again. Communicators earn their seat at the table by thinking about every audience at once and watching the news cycle, so they can tell a CFO a message won't land because someone else covered the same ground two days earlier. Her own work has taught her more about the eyeball than anyone with a journalism degree should know, from contact lenses to cataract surgery.
Every client Kara has right now came from a past working relationship, often someone from a big company who moved to a startup with no communications team. At a recent event she handed a business card to a stranger in the drink line, but the real lead came when a former colleague offered to put her name in front of the right people. She's in local chambers of commerce and medical device industry groups in Southern California, and she plans to stay solo while building a roster of specialists she can bring in for bigger projects.
If she weren't in communications, Kara says she'd be a private investigator. You can find her and KLYR Strategies on LinkedIn.
Listen to the full episode above.
Reading is the hello. SBGA is where we get to yes.
What does KLYR Strategies do?
Kara Ryan's consultancy helps senior leaders at healthcare, medtech and other companies with PR, executive visibility and communications strategy during big moments like product launches, fundraising and acquisitions.
Is a press release still useful?
Yes, but Kara calls it one tool in the PR toolkit rather than the strategy. Coverage works best when a consistent narrative backs it up across media, investors, sales and social.
What makes a healthcare story land with media?
Kara looks for human stories with proof behind them, like a patient whose life changed, and for experts such as doctors who can speak to the therapeutic area.
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