In life science, the idea of ‘influence’ is evolving rapidly. This is an age where patients, caregivers, and other patient advocates are increasingly well-informed, and want to be as involved as possible in their own care. The industry is committed to the idea of ‘patient centricity’ – of bringing the patient voice closer to the heart of strategic decision-making. In this landscape, the idea of relying exclusively on traditional KOLs for insight seems increasingly outdated. Today, launch teams require a broader, more real-time view of who actually shapes behavior and decision-making.
In this article, we’ll explore how and why launch teams must look beyond KOLs and heed emerging digital voices. We’ll discuss who those voices belong to, explore how teams can identify these experts, and explain how Launch Intelligence™ can help you uncover new categories of influence.
A new definition of ‘influence’
Previously, the industry definition of ‘influence’ was narrow, and could be mapped to a small cadre of experts. In many ways, life science is innately hierarchical – and this has certainly been true of influencer networks for a long time. However, a new definition of ‘influence’ is emerging: one that reflects broader social, cultural, and technological trends. In a recent poll of industry leaders conducted by Within3, just four survey respondents said that traditional KOLs will continue to wield the greatest influence in shaping scientific and market considerations in 2026.
We now recognize influence to be multidimensional – spanning multiple networks including scientific, digital, social, and patient networks. By this definition, the old way might be classed as unidirectional – the KOLs were the KOLs, and teams would keep going back to the same well for insights. This approach provided just a single piece of the puzzle – teams would never get the complete picture of disease community dynamics, sentiment strength, or early signal detection. As digital engagement, decentralized patient communities, and algorithm-driven visibility have reshaped how scientific and market conversations spread, the industry has turned to emerging digital voices to tap into those conversations.
Who are ‘traditional’ KOLs?
When we talk about ‘traditional’ KOLs, we’re referring to the experts that launch teams historically relied upon for insights. Invariably, these individuals were prominent scientists or HCPs – the people who spoke most regularly at medical congresses, and who had the most credits on PubMed.
“KOLs, traditionally healthcare professionals with recognized expertise in specific therapeutic areas, remain valuable assets. However, their reach often falls short of a broader, digitally-engaged audience.”
– Medium
There are pros and cons to engaging traditional KOLs for launch:
Pros:
- Trusted expertise: Publication histories and speaker engagement volumes are perfectly valid metrics to gauge an advisor’s expertise. Traditional KOLs are usually well-respected, highly-regarded, and deeply-trusted experts.
- Ease of identification: Traditional KOLs are easy to identify and locate. You probably knew the names that would appear at the top of your engagement list before you even assembled it.
Cons:
- Availability: Traditional KOLs are often in high demand. Of the top five names on your engagement list, how many will actually be available and willing to attend your advisory board?
- Uniqueness: Your team likely knows who the top experts are in your particular disease community. So too do your competitors. Engaging the same experts as your competitors means you’re all essentially using the same playbook.
- A narrow point-of-view: There’s an increasing acceptance that traditional KOLs represent just a small fraction of a disease community. Prioritizing their insights is akin to simply listening to the loudest voices – while overlooking other, equally valid viewpoints.
Who are ‘emerging digital voices?’
Returning to our survey of industry leaders for a moment, when asked who would have the greatest influence in shaping scientific and market considerations in 2026, 35% said “patient advocates and communities”. This insight reveals how influencer networks are moving away from traditional KOLs to include new categories of influence, such as:
- Digital advocates
- Micro-communities
- Interdisciplinary voices
- Algorithmically-surfaced experts
These influencer networks reflect the changing nature of disease community landscapes – and the evolving spheres of influence within them. Increasingly, conversations take place online over social media, in chat rooms, and in the comments sections of blog posts. This is where disease communities coalesce – it’s where patients share their experiences, connect with others, and learn about treatment options. Some of the most influential voices within a particular disease community will be traditional HCPs, but others won’t be. These non-traditional ‘digital voices’ cannot be identified using traditional methods.
“The key to selecting the best influencer to work with is understanding who your audience is, what is important to them and where to best connect with them.”
How to identify the new breed of pharma influencer
As we talk about the process of expert identification, one word keeps rising to the surface, and that’s ‘networks’. Today, expert identification is less about identifying individual experts and more about revealing the hidden networks within a disease community.
Network analytics can reveal the hidden connections between experts and institutions – uncovering the spheres of influence capable of determining launch success. This is the so-called ‘invisible college’ – an informal network of experts whose influence isn’t tied to any one institution.
Network analytics and KOL mapping is about understanding influence – not expertise. It’s the individuals who wield the most influence that you want to engage as you prepare for launch.
“Our internal data has shown that if you’re only doing KOL ranking via traditional methods, somewhere between 20% and 60% of the people that come up aren’t the best people..”
– Lance Hill, CEO, Within3
Within3 Launch Intelligence™ applies network analytics, KOL mapping and proactive leader identification to help you uncover the new categories of influence capable of shaping launch success. Ready to try it for yourself? Book a demo today.
