Category: News

In this blog, Whiteoaks’ Creative Director Mark Wilson discusses:

  • The importance of human creativity in B2B PR
  • Reactions against excessive use of AI
  • How true craft gives Performance PR campaigns more impact

 

For years, the creative industry has been obsessed with speed and scale. AI tools now generate content at a pace no human can match and every brand suddenly has access to the same visual styles, the same prompts, the same templates and the same generative tools. Which means something surprising is happening. Craft is becoming a differentiator again.

Clients want to know who is behind their campaign

In a world where anyone can produce a passable headline or a quick animation the real value lies in the work that feels like it was made by people not machines. Clients aren’t just asking what you can make for them anymore. They’re asking who is behind it.

This is as true in the B2B tech sector as it is in any other area of public relations. Tech companies want to stand out and be known among the right audiences for their unique proposition. A creative department helps them achieve that.

In Performance PR, we increasingly find that clients are fully aware that run-of-the-mill campaigns rely very heavily on AI. A global survey by Adobe in 2025, for example, found 86% of creatives using AI. Another survey found AI in use with 91% of UK PR professionals, with three-quarters claiming it boosted their quality.

AI may increase output, but it does not guarantee work that is memorable, credible or genuinely aligned to how a brand wants to be seen.

Brands need true creativity to stand out

There is increasing wariness among clients about such claims of high quality. Companies want assurances that the thinking, the taste and the judgement behind creative ideas are human. Not because AI is bad, but because AI is predictable. It tends to average everything out. It produces the most statistically likely output which is the opposite of what brands need when they’re fighting for attention.

This shift isn’t anti-AI. The smartest teams are using AI as a tool not a replacement, accelerating their work. They’re using it to free up time for the part that matters most – the craft.

The edit that takes the idea from good to great. The line of copy that carries attitude instead of just information. The design decision that breaks the template to make the work memorable.

The need to connect with audiences

To be effective in B2B PR, campaigns need to trigger initial interest in journalists and then captivate potential customers. Average, derivative content and visuals don’t stand out or spark a connection with real people. There’s a lack of context, precision, empathy and humour.

That is why in fully-integrated PR campaigns for the B2B tech sector, increasing numbers of clients want reassurances that human creativity is behind the ideas in videos, animations, graphics, social media tiles, branding, website design, podcast creation and so on.

The return of craft – it never went away

It’s why craft is becoming commercially useful in ways it wasn’t a few years ago. Audiences can instinctively feel when something has been rushed or auto-generated and then they switch off. The brands that invest in creative quality win trust because quality signals care. It signals authenticity and that you actually wanted to say something not just publish something.

The future won’t belong to the fastest content producer. It will belong to the people who understand taste, distinctiveness and nuance. AI can give you the ingredients. Craft makes it a meal. And that’s where the industry is heading next.

Hand-made, not auto-generated content gives you the edge

If everything becomes AI-generated, the brands that stand out will be those that still feel hand-made. The ones where you can sense the people behind the work. That’s where the edge is now. That’s where the value is moving. And that’s the part AI can’t automate.

If you want be certain that your PR campaign is driven by human insight to fully express your distinctive proposition with maximum impact, please get in touch.

In this blog, Mark Wilson, Whiteoaks’ Creative Director, looks at:

  • Key reasons why B2B tech companies should consider a rebrand
  • The scope of a rebrand, from messaging and logo to video and website design
  • How an integrated rebranding programme boosts market positioning and company perception

 

There comes a point in any B2B tech business’s lifecycle when it feels like it’s time for a rebrand. There can be any number of reasons – the need to scale up, a change of ownership, the launch of a new product suite or a sense that everything just looks and sounds a bit tired.

Without a rebrand, audiences may assume there is nothing new going on because a company’s graphics, website and messaging have been the same for half a decade. Sometimes, however, the impetus is simply to match a competitor’s rebrand, or to move on from a setback and make a fresh start.

Whatever the reason for it, a rebrand is not magic, but it can have a dramatically positive effect on external and internal perceptions, especially if it is part of a broader reappraisal and messaging renewal.

The integrated rebranding strategy

Best results come from a fully integrated programme that combines creativity and design expertise with understanding of how B2B branding and PR work together. This is a Performance PR approach that teases out how the business sees itself, where it wants to go next and how that meets its customers’ needs – and uses this to weave together a complete or partial rebrand.

Fresh insights into market positioning and messaging help create a new look and feel for everything from marketing materials to website design, video content and social media posts. LinkedIn headers, PowerPoint templates, blogs, customer quotes, eBooks and event invitations – everything should be revised and rebranded harmoniously, instead of in silos.

Companies can include internal communications in a rebrand, covering newsletters, stationery, slide decks, email formats, eBooks, guides and instruction manuals. This should energise employees and make them feel they share the momentum in a dynamic organisation.

Kicking off the process with a new look at messaging

Planning for a rebrand needs to be meticulous without becoming bogged down in tiny details. The rebranding process should start with getting senior leaders together – not to flick through some online sample books, but to capture the rebranding brief.

This is an opportunity to cover the full scope of what is required from a rebrand and the aims and objectives behind it. Many rebrands run into problems because they set off without a guiding principle or single-minded proposition. Ill-conceived rebrands can easily end up repeating what competitors are already doing.

Values and personality

A rebrand is a chance to clarify what the company stands for now, and the mission and values that will guide it next. From this foundation, the work becomes translating intent into a single-minded proposition which is, in essence, the real reason why a prospect would decide to buy a product or service from the rebranded company.

In Performance PR, the single-minded proposition is used to measure the effectiveness of each element of the rebrand, ensuring everyone who sees, reads about or listens to the company, is receiving the right messages.

That proposition then needs to be expressed through a clear set of key messages that appear in every piece of content. The wording can shift depending on the audience, but the substance should stay steady, carrying the company’s values and personality into the market in a way that is recognisable and repeatable.

Establish the scope early on

It’s vital that the full scope of the project is established early on, to manage costs, keep timelines realistic and avoid sudden changes. A structured approach makes that easier. It helps a business decide what needs to change now, what can wait and what should remain untouched for continuity.

Should the project encompass logo refinement, for example? It can be risky to drop a well-known logo, but refinements can convey both renewal and continuity, without sacrificing customers’ trust.

The same applies to digital touchpoints. In B2B tech, the website is often where prospects form their first view of the company’s credibility and capability. When businesses are scaling, the website can lag behind what the company has become, which then holds back lead generation and sales conversations.

Defining whether the work is a redesign, a restructure, a content refresh, or all three, prevents drifting requirements and ensures the website supports the new messaging rather than working against it.

Think about the advantages of short-form video

Video is often where a rebrand either comes to life, or falls flat. Applying a rebrand to existing video content ensures it reflects the new look, tone and messaging, bringing consistency to what prospects are already watching and reading.

A rebrand is also a good moment to create new short, animated video content. This is highly effective for explaining complex concepts or connections through simple graphics, punching home key messages in an easily-digestible way. They work well on landing pages, in sales outreach and on social media, where attention is limited and clarity matters.

Bringing video into the rebrand at the right point helps avoid the common problem of bolting it on later, when the identity has already been locked and timelines are tight. When it is planned in from the start, the visual style, voiceover, motion design and on-screen messaging all reinforce the same proposition, rather than competing for attention.

The final pieces of the jigsaw are training for internal teams to use the new identity and messaging correctly, while a set of brand guidelines makes it easier to stay consistent across content, campaigns and future assets.

Changing conversations

Conducted with insight and creative experience, a fully integrated rebrand can deliver results fast to meet all company objectives. By ensuring every element conforms to the single-minded proposition, a rebrand combines that vital spark of creativity with hard-headed business messaging.

Organisations can quickly stand out in their markets as more dynamic, innovative and responsive, changing the nature of business conversations in an entirely positive way. Their employees feel they are part of a forward-looking business that is never prepared to stand still.

If you are considering a rebrand and want to reduce risk, control scope and make sure the work supports real business goals, find out about Whiteoaks’ expertise in this area and how we approach integrated rebranding.

In this blog, we build on an insight shared by our Digital Content Manager, Natalia Kaczmarek, in our 2026 predictions article.

We explore:

  • The role LinkedIn plays in modern Performance PR, and how it extends the life and impact of PR stories
  • What this means for B2B tech brands navigating declining organic reach
  • What to expect from our new series, Turn up the volume: LinkedIn as a PR amplifier

 

There are few phrases more overused in business than ‘circling back’. And few things social media managers dread more than hearing ‘organic reach is declining’. So naturally, that’s where we’re starting!

Circling back to the end of last year, our Digital Content Manager, Natalia Kaczmarek, shared an insight in our 2026 predictions article: engagement beyond your own LinkedIn feed will help to fuel its growth.

But what did she mean by that?

Consistent posting used to be the main driver of visibility. But as the LinkedIn algorithm has shifted away from passive signals like likes and posting frequency, more weight is being given to active participation. For brands, that means thinking beyond your own page and developing a proactive strategy for how you interact elsewhere.

This deserved deeper exploration, so we’re doing exactly that. This is the start of our new content series: Turn up the volume: LinkedIn as a PR amplifier.

With organic reach from company pages continuing to decline, this series will help B2B tech brands understand the role LinkedIn plays within modern PR campaigns, and how to make the social channel work harder for your PR and business goals.

Why LinkedIn matters in Performance PR

To briefly recap, Performance PR is a modern way of doing PR. Yes, it still includes media relations but it now also incorporates social media, creative and content marketing into campaigns. When planned together from the very start, these elements amplify campaign objectives as well as increase visibility, engagement and impact. Crucially, Performance PR is measurable and as a result, more accountable.

So where does LinkedIn fit into all of this?

Earned media, when we land coverage for your brand, is valuable. It builds credibility and authority, but without an amplifier, its impact is limited. We don’t just want stories to land, we want them to travel too. That means we need a vehicle to spread and reinforce those stories.

LinkedIn is that vehicle. And when it has the right driver, it becomes a powerful distribution engine for PR. Optimising how we use it allows stories to go further, reach the right audiences and deliver more lasting value.

Why LinkedIn matters for B2B tech PR

LinkedIn is the primary social media platform where B2B brands and leaders can increase visibility and grow their influence. Many people build followings to help improve their professional reputations, they also use the platform to share their opinions, they engage with others to secure partnerships, and of course, to sell their services.

How you show up on there is how your credibility will be assessed.

The buyers you want to attract, the journalists who you want to cover your brand, the decision-makers you’re looking to network with are all already there. When they use the platform they discover ideas, track companies, follow thought leaders and sense-check who is worth paying attention to.

The different roles LinkedIn plays

LinkedIn allows for different professional voices to be heard, and each one has a different role and contribution to an integrated PR campaign.

Company pages:

These are where campaigns and core brand narratives are housed. They give partners, customers and prospects a consistent place to go for updates and it’s where key announcements, reports and brand messages live.

Individual profiles:

We can leverage these in PR campaigns for senior leaders, who use their voice and clout to add credibility and context to campaigns and thought leadership content. When senior voices regularly share their insights, comment on industry news or explain what sits behind a story, they help it travel further. Their networks extend reach, but more importantly, they build trust.

Wider employee engagement and advocacy create distributed visibility and scale. When their activity is guided, purposeful and easy to take part in, their posts can extend PR coverage into new audiences and communities. Done well, this turns a single announcement into broad, credible visibility through the people closest to the brand.

And if these three layers – company pages, leaders and employees -work together, they amplify PR stories, messages and narratives.

LinkedIn helps to extend the value of PR assets

PR stories shouldn’t peak on the day they are published, but if they’re not followed up with any kind of amplification, that is exactly what will happen. LinkedIn gives you a second, third and sometimes fourth or fifth chance to peak.

It extends the lifespan of PR stories by allowing them to be reframed, revisited and reinforced over time. Instead of a single moment of attention, stories become part of an ongoing narrative.

So what does this look like in practice?

A piece of coverage can be reshared with added context from a founder or senior leader. That post gets picked up by someone in your target audience who hadn’t seen the original article, leading to a direct message asking for more detail.

A single data point from a report becomes a standalone post, framed around a specific industry problem. It sparks debate in the comments, surfaces new use cases and leads to a follow-up conversation with a prospect who sees themselves in the problem you are describing.

A strong quote from an interview is turned into a short post that invites opinion. A journalist responds. That interaction turns into a conversation, which then becomes a podcast invite or a future media opportunity.

The effect is cumulative. Instead of one spike of attention, your messages land more than once. People start to recognise your themes, your perspective and your point of view.

We see this with clients like Nevion, where we help them to think about their LinkedIn more like a long-term PR asset. We’ve helped them to increase their LinkedIn impressions by 24% year on year, while two long-running content series have generated more than 28,000 and 33,000 impressions – delivering impact well beyond their original publication. Crucially, this growth has been matched by sustained engagement, with total interactions increasing by over 400%, showing that this visibility is resonating too.

LinkedIn adds measurability to PR

LinkedIn is a significant channel for PR teams because it provides visible, real-time signals which we can learn and iterate from. Reach, engagement, comments, shares and profile views all show how stories are landing and where attention is building.

Because LinkedIn activity and metrics can be measured, it means we can connect PR activity to your wider business goals. You can see which posts spark conversations, which conversations lead to meetings and which themes consistently attract the right type of attention, and perhaps interestingly, which angles didn’t resonate quite so well with your target audience.

How LinkedIn helps turn up the volume on PR

That should give you just a small flavour of why LinkedIn plays such a critical role in B2B tech PR. In the rest of this series, we’re going to show just how much coordination sits behind executing this well.

We’ll look at how PR stories really gain momentum on LinkedIn. How the algorithm actually works, how stories are kept moving and how company pages, leaders and employees all play different roles in that process.

We’ll then unpack engagement and the importance of consistency. What limits reach, the mistakes most brands make and why sustainable visibility takes more than just posting regularly.

Finally, we’ll look at our speciality – measurement. How impact can be tracked, what signals you should be looking at and how that insight should be used.

If phrases like ‘declining organic reach’ make you wince, this series is for you. If you’d like to find out more about how Whiteoaks can help you show up and maximise your LinkedIn presence, stay tuned or contact us.

Following our recent look at when to invest in Performance PR, the second article in our “Your Questions Answered” series sees Senior Content Creator, Alex Eve, respond to a question raised during Whiteoaks’ webinar on Global PR Growth Strategies for B2B Tech Brands: how do you create maximum visibility with minimal budget?

He covers:

  • Why tight budgets mean it’s even more important to make every asset work harder across owned and social channels
  • The importance of clear, insight-led messaging that reflects customer realities
  • How spokesperson-led activity builds reach and trust, measured through PR metrics that link visibility to results

 

IPA Bellwether’s 2025 report showed that marketing budgets fell for the first time in four years, driven by declines in media strategy spending, market research and other paid-for marketing. However, credibility and visibility online are now more important than ever for B2B tech brands to catch the attention of potential buyers.

Marketing and PR budgets remain instrumental in improving that visibility by building authority, driving traffic and earning trust with audiences. The answer is a strategic approach that makes the most of the resources available and maximises their potential.

Repurposing content across owned and earned channels

The first way of earning visibility on a tighter budget is to focus on efficiency. For example, a research report commissioned by your business should always be viewed as a source, not a single output or one-off PR exercise.

That one report can form the basis of a powerful and engagement-driving social media campaign with multiple posts and supporting visuals such as carousels, infographics and short animations. It can also provide snippets for a monthly newsletter or email campaign. Longer sections of the report can be adapted into separate thought leadership articles and website blogs.

Research insights can also be weaved into event concepts and messaging, providing you with a powerful differentiator against a sea of other attendees. The data from surveys can be used to fuel panel discussions or speaker slots, letting you engage directly with your audience while reinforcing your thought leadership position.

By repurposing a core piece of content, you can reinforce key points across numerous touchpoints and keep messaging front of mind for end audiences, helping your brand stay visible where it matters.

Messaging that makes an immediate impact

Every piece of content should be driven by a strong, consistent narrative with clear key messages. Rather than focusing on generic product features, insight-led points of view should be rooted in customer and market realities – how those features address the challenges they come across in their day-to-day working lives.

A strong, consistent narrative will outperform generic messaging that doesn’t cut through to the pain points that your customers are actually experiencing. Media-worthy content should also be targeted at a carefully curated press list, so it reaches the biggest, most relevant pool of readers when published.

Amplifying individual voices

Once coverage lands, don’t just leave it there. Always promote on your social media channels.

Never underestimate the influence of company spokespeople and their personal LinkedIn profiles.

A message may be more impactful if delivered by a thought leader, rather than the B2B tech brand itself. Senior leaders and subject matter experts can help the message travel further, with more credibility behind it.

Let’s take the example of LinkedIn as the most popular social channel amongst B2B buyers. Posting from personal profiles helps catch the attention of potential customers quicker, journalists can connect directly with experts rather than a corporate brand and the algorithm often favours the insights of individuals over companies.

If budgets are restricted, resources may be best directed to delivering consistent, high-quality content from a spokesperson with influence, while engaging with relevant conversations online. But of course, those efforts need to be measurable to justify the cost and present proof of ROI back to senior decision-makers.

Measurement with modern Performance PR

The impact of a spokesperson-led campaign can be measured via a mix of quantitative and qualitative metrics. For example, LinkedIn KPIs such as impressions, reactions, comments and profile views are all tangible proof of increased exposure, reach and a wise bit of investment.

In addition, media coverage and reach, speaking invitations and inbound leads derived from thought leadership insights can help translate visibility into credibility, increased influence and commercial results.

Commerciality is a key underpinning of the Performance PR approach, where a specialist B2B tech PR agency runs campaigns with measurable KPIs against agreed targets.

Less about spend and more about focus

Maximum exposure on a limited budget is less about spend and more about focus.

By creating strong, insight-led content, repurposing it intelligently across multiple channels and amplifying the voices of credible spokespeople, B2B tech brands can stay visible and relevant even when budgets are under pressure.

With clear Performance PR metrics in place, every activity can be evaluated, refined and used to build the case for future investment.

Discover how to gain maximum visibility on a budget with a Performance PR-led approach. View our webinar for more insights or talk with our team. 

In this blog, Tara Williams, HR Director at Whiteoaks, explores:

  • Why employee ownership is defined by culture and behaviour, not paperwork
  • Why employee voice and visibility make the difference between symbolic and meaningful ownership
  • How an employee-owned business can translate into a better day-to-day experience for clients

 

Employee ownership has grown rapidly in the UK over the past decade. The latest available numbers indicate there were approximately 2,470 employee-owned businesses in 2025. That represents a 1640% growth in total business count since 2014, when the current legislation was introduced.

These figures are a sign of just how successful the approach has been – but spending two days at the Employee Ownership Association (EOA) Annual Conference was a timely reminder that the model only works for businesses if they embed it in their working culture.

The sessions and conversations I took part in reinforced a simple point. Employee ownership is not something you “have” because a legal structure exists. It is something a business ‘does’ every day, through the way people behave, communicate and make decisions.

Whiteoaks became employee-owned in 2021, and we have seen the benefits in increased engagement and shared accountability, but the conference pushed me to think even harder about what “good” looks like in practice and what clients feel when an employee-owned culture is working well.

Employee ownership is lived day-to-day

The strongest employee-owned businesses I encountered at the event had a shared sense of responsibility that was obvious the moment you spoke to people.

Employees understood how the organisation was performing and what success looked like. They were confident talking about priorities and trade-offs. They took responsibility because they genuinely felt like owners, not just employees with a different label.

That mindset matters for clients. When the people doing the work feel responsible for the long-term health of the business, you tend to see more care in the detail, more consistency in delivery, and more honesty when something needs to change.

No two employee-owned businesses look the same

Another theme that came through clearly was flexibility.

There is no single template for employee ownership. Some organisations build their approach around commercial awareness and education. Others put wellbeing and inclusion at the centre. Many prioritise innovation and continuous improvement.

That variety is a strength because it pushes organisations to be authentic. Employee ownership needs to match the values, operating style and people inside the business. When it feels bolted on, clients can tell but when it feels genuine, it turns into a real advantage.

Employee voice is key

If I had to pick one phrase that came up more than any other during the conference, it was “employee voice.”

The most impressive organisations weren’t treating employee voice as a slogan. They had practical ways for people to contribute ideas and influence decisions. Just as importantly, they could point to examples where listening led to action.

Visibility was another word that was mentioned repeatedly. In the strongest cultures, employee ownership was hard to miss. It showed up in inductions and in the stories people told about what ownership means in real terms.

That stuck with me because it’s easy for any organisation to assume people “just know” what employee ownership means. The conference was a reminder that it needs to be actively communicated and reinforced if you want it to stay meaningful.

What clients experience when employee ownership is working well

B2B organisations do not choose a PR agency purely because of its ownership model. They choose a team they can trust to deliver measurable business and PR outcomes, with a clear understanding of the pressures they are under.

Employee ownership can support that in practical ways.

A long-term mindset
When employees feel responsible for the future of the business, the work is less about getting through tasks and more about building strong relationships over time.

Stability and continuity
Lower turnover is not a nice-to-have. It affects momentum and knowledge. Continuity means fewer resets and more space to focus on delivery.

Better problem-solving
Empowered teams tend to raise issues sooner and challenge assumptions when something is not working. That strengthens partnerships, especially when business and campaign priorities shift.

More open communication
Many employee-owned organisations lean into transparency because trust inside the business matters. When that works internally, it often carries through into client communication too.

Employee ownership does not replace the basics. Work undertaken on behalf of clients still needs clear processes, strong leadership and proper measurement. Ownership simply increases the expectation that those foundations are taken seriously, because everyone has a stake in doing things properly.

How it connects to Whiteoaks and the way we work

Whiteoaks is an employee-owned B2B tech PR agency, and we work in a way that puts accountability front and centre. Our Performance PR approach is built around fixed fees for fixed outcomes. That model only works when the whole team feels responsible for the result, not just completing activity. Employee ownership supports that, because the quality of the work and the long-term health of the business are closely linked.

The conference left me feeling proud of our team and full of ideas on how we keep employee ownership visible and how we keep employee voice active, so the culture stays strong in ways our clients will notice in day-to-day working.

After all, employee ownership deserves celebration, and it also deserves focus.

For clients, the payoff is a partner that is invested in getting it right and delivering work people stand behind.

If you want extra context on the principles behind our approach, our earlier blog on employee-ownership and the Whiteoaks ethos offers just that. And if you’re weighing up PR partners and want to learn more about how we combine our Performance PR approach with the power of employee ownership, get in touch with us. 

 

In this blog, Chief Client Officer John Broy considers:

  • How B2B buyer behaviour has changed
  • What this means for the tech sector
  • Why B2B tech companies need strategic PR partners

 

The B2B tech sector is highly dynamic and has undergone significant changes in the way buyers behave and what influences them before they make a decision.

As Performance PR specialists in this market, we see that buyers have become more cautious and research-driven. They place greater importance on the reputation of the companies they buy software and services from. This has been accompanied by shifts in procurement policy and greater emphasis on compliance and trust.

This steady shift means it’s likely that 2026 will be the year when B2B tech PR teams evolve, changing from purely output-focused vendors in the minds of their clients to become strategic growth partners. The emphasis will be on influencing the sales pipeline, raising levels of brand-trust and elevating a company’s position in the market.

2026 – a year of change for B2B communications

One of the most striking changes of recent times is how B2B buyers now behave more like B2C consumers, researching and reading content independently across all channels. Reputation has undoubtedly become a vital factor in their considerations.

Alongside that, buyers are looking for evidence that executives running the company are credible and trustworthy. The reputation of leadership teams and their experience matters more than ever.

Media landscape fragmentation

PR has to evolve to reflect these changes and significant shifts within the media. There are now fewer trade publications that command big audiences, because the number of channels has multiplied and the landscape is more fragmented. The rising importance of niche newsletters and the growth of easily consumable podcasts is very significant – indicating how audiences have less time and want content with a tighter focus.

It means, that as well as developing media strategies, businesses must also think about how best to communicate directly with audiences.

Build it in from day one

Throughout this series we have explored how PR is at its most impactful when PR, content and SEO work together rather than in silos. Paid social completes that picture. And the most effective Performance PR campaigns treat paid social as part of the strategy from the very start, not once the coverage exists.

The narrative, the assets and the distribution strategy should be shaped together so your story has the scale it needs. You should know who will see your message, not just who you hope will.

The level of certainty paid offers is important as it allows your story to be syndicated in the formats which perform best on the platforms your buyers use. It means your content has the reach to influence perception and support demand generation. And it means you are not relying on unpredictable organic visibility to deliver commercial impact.

This is also why budgeting for paid amplification is essential. It allows your campaign to deliver the measurable outcomes your board expects. 

PR’s new strategic partnership role

To thrive in this changed world requires PR to shift into a strategic partnership role – a difference that is more than mere words.

While delivering the conventional range of press releases, by-lined articles, blogs, B2B strategic PR partner advises on a wholly integrated narrative strategy across product launches, sales initiatives and company leadership profiling.

This is a strategic partner with the expertise to identify where there is competitive whitespace that a client should occupy. It develops the necessary messaging that differentiates the company from all competitors and achieves the right positioning to influence buying committees.

Experience and a more strategic outlook enables the PR partner to become a core adviser to the company’s board executives and other key stakeholders across the business.

What B2B companies should expect from PR partners in 2026

Given these developments, this should be a year when B2B tech companies can expect more from their PR partners – a genuinely strategic approach to PR that encompasses many evolving elements. Narrative strategies should be driven by market and competitor intelligence, with greater emphasis on how to achieve differentiation in categories that are heavily saturated.

Messaging should be honed to resonate with specific stakeholders such as CIOs, procurement teams, end-users, investors and partners. Each group has its own priorities that messaging must address. This strategic approach to PR should embrace the key stage of pre-awareness reputation-building, crafting content to meet RFP criteria.

Building trust in a more visible executive team

With trust such a critical factor in buying decisions, it will be important to build the authority of leadership teams across all channels including online and social media, video platforms, and at events. Initiatives should integrate with account-based marketing and sales enablement, tailoring narratives to priority accounts. The topics covered must be talking points among senior executives and buying committees.

PR measurement relevant to revenue – not reach

Measurement is a distinguishing characteristic of the strategic approach, vital to ensure PR is in total alignment with business aims. In 2026 the focus will be on tying pipeline influence and share-of-voice metrics to the business outcomes that clients want. Content will integrate with marketing analytics to ensure it delivers by speaking the language of the CMO, CRO and CFO. This is part of an important shift of KPIs from being about the media, to being tightly aligned to those primary business outcomes.

2026 is a key moment for B2B PR

The ability to think ahead and work strategically will be critical for businesses in 2026 and beyond. Technology is the most dynamic market in the world and is now far too competitive and too complex for PR to remain stuck at the tactical level.

Strategic PR with its focus on business outcomes and proactive approach is what firms need in 2026 to achieve a real competitive edge for the long term. This is set to be the year when B2B tech PR is no longer optional and becomes a vital partner in a company’s continuing growth strategy.

If you want to make your PR more strategic to align with buyer behaviour, get in touch.

 

 

In this blog, we discuss:

  • Why B2B PR teams should build paid social amplification into Performance PR from day one, not as an afterthought
  • What declining LinkedIn organic reach means for PR visibility and campaign momentum
  • How paid distribution improves targeting, measurement and optimisation so PR impact is clearer to report

 

Organic performance across social channels is changing, and in B2B circles, LinkedIn serves as the clearest example. Many brands are seeing lower reach and fewer impressions on their company pages than they did a year or two ago and personal profiles are feeling it too.

That doesn’t mean there is no value in organic posting. Regular, consistent organic activity still matters as it is crucial for building credibility and a baseline presence your audience can come to recognise over time.

But it can still be a bit disheartening. You invest time researching and writing an in-depth thought leadership piece, post it, and it can feel like it doesn’t quite register. Then you open your feed and see a picture of a stranger’s office dog pulling in thousands of likes.

That gap between effort and visibility is exactly why paid amplification now needs to sit alongside organic, as part of an integrated Performance PR approach.

Evidence that LinkedIn’s organic reach is diminishing

Social platforms regularly tweak their algorithms, but over the past year many users have noticed changes in what’s appearing in their LinkedIn feed. 

We are seeing a similar pattern with some of the B2B tech brands we work with, and there’s data to support this decline. 

AuthoredUp’s analysis, based on more than 621,000 posts, shows that average reach fell by 34% in 2025. Alongside another expert’s algorithm research, the findings also point to a sharp decline in the visibility of organic company content, from around 7% of the feed in 2021 to just 1% on desktop and 2% on mobile in 2025.

As a result, achieving visibility through organic activity has become much harder. Feeds are more competitive and, with around 11% of it now made up of adverts as LinkedIn prioritises paid distribution, paid amplification has become central to maintaining visibility. 

What does that mean for PR

Changes in organic reach affect your PR investment too. Your PR team puts time and budget into building strong narratives, they secure the right coverage. You then share the story on your LinkedIn page and the response feels much more muted than it should.

You expect your own channels to help build momentum. You want your audience to see the story in your words, at the moment the campaign is live. But the result is that stories do not always get the lift they need or deserve from organic distribution. Visibility can vary and momentum can be harder to sustain. Social should be there to help give your message scale, but organic reach on its own cannot always be relied on to deliver it.

Build it in from day one

Throughout this series we have explored how PR is at its most impactful when PR, content and SEO work together rather than in silos. Paid social completes that picture. And the most effective Performance PR campaigns treat paid social as part of the strategy from the very start, not once the coverage exists.

The narrative, the assets and the distribution strategy should be shaped together so your story has the scale it needs. You should know who will see your message, not just who you hope will.

The level of certainty paid offers is important as it allows your story to be syndicated in the formats which perform best on the platforms your buyers use. It means your content has the reach to influence perception and support demand generation. And it means you are not relying on unpredictable organic visibility to deliver commercial impact.

This is also why budgeting for paid amplification is essential. It allows your campaign to deliver the measurable outcomes your board expects. 

Paid social offers precision to strengthen strategy

Once paid is built into the plan, the distribution becomes more targeted and aligned with your target audience. Your paid segments can mirror your personas and buyer groups. 

You can reach decision makers who might not engage with traditional media and who would never see your content organically – simply because they don’t happen to follow your page. And you can place your story in front of people who have genuine intent and relevance.

It ensures your narratives reach the people who influence your pipeline and purchase decisions.

Measurable results

Integrating paid also strengthens your ability to prove impact. You can report on impressions, engagement, click throughs and conversions. You can see how PR content contributes to the pipeline. You can unify reporting so PR, content and paid social become one measurable activity rather than three separate ones.

For B2B tech teams asked to justify spend and show commercial value, this level of insight makes such a difference. It builds confidence with stakeholders. It strengthens the argument for PR investment and it shows your work is driving outcomes which matter to the business.

A feedback loop to help optimise

For your PR team, paid social also allows them to optimise your campaigns using real-time feedback. It allows headlines, message angles and creative designs to be tested before they are rolled out more widely. 

It enables them to validate which themes resonate most with your audience and those insights can be used to shape media pitches, refine landing pages and improve longform content. 

This creates a feedback loop between how your audience responds to a story and how the PR campaign evolves. It means your campaign can be honed so that it becomes more impactful and delivers improved ROI. 

Across this series we have looked at what happens when you break the silos that hold PR back. When your story, your distribution and your measurement work together, everything becomes clearer and more effective. If you want a PR programme that is built this way from day one, and designed to support your commercial goals, we would love to show you what that looks like. Get in touch.

 

In this blog, Rebecca Stacey, Account Director at Whiteoaks explores:

  • Why storytelling for healthcare works best when grounded in human impact and clear language  
  • How to humanise complex healthcare solutions without losing accuracy
  • Practical ways to build trust with decision makers through narrative 

 

Healthcare communications often get lost in the weeds of clinical data, regulatory language and technical specifications. While accuracy is critical, this approach can make content feel distant and impersonal. To stand out in this field, brands need to combine demonstrating their specialist expertise with empathy and a clear link to patient outcomes and the human element.  

Across the healthcare sector, storytelling that resonates emotionally strengthens credibility. When narratives are rooted in real outcomes rather than abstract features and functions, they cut through complexity and make it easier for clinical and commercial leaders to see why a change is worth backing. 

For B2B healthtech brands, this calls for a more deliberate approach to narrative of which human stories at the centre. Evidence should remain central. The task is to present it in a way that connects to patient outcomes and day-to-day clinical realities. 

Humanising complex healthcare solutions

Whether it is a medical device or a software platform, innovative healthcare solutions can have a real impact on patients and the professionals who care for them. Highlighting patient outcomes and the experience of clinicians or carers makes solutions tangible and relatable. When audiences can picture the people behind the data, technical capabilities feel more relevant, and it highlights that the brand understands the complex nuances of the day-to-day reality these technical solutions function within. 

Healthcare decision-makers are professionals, but they are also humans with real world pressures and responsibilities. Stories that reflect their challenges and triumphs create trust and help brands stand out in a crowded, highly technical market. The goal is not sentimentality, it is to show that you recognise the reality of their world and the impact your solution has on patients, teams and budgets. 

Case studies with a narrative arc

In line with this, customer success stories work best as narratives rather than lists of data points. Framing the initial challenge and the response in a simple story format allows prospects to see the human impact of your solutions, whether that is enhanced patient care or a calmer, more efficient working day for staff. The numbers still matter, yet it is the journey from problem to outcome that gives those numbers true resonance. 

While technical knowledge is essential, especially in regulated healthcare environments, it’s important to remember that overly dense content can alienate readers. Getting to the ‘so what?’ early on, and explaining value in clear, relatable terms ensures your expertise shines while keeping content engaging for healthcare leaders who may not be specialists in every aspect of your solution. That could mean replacing acronyms with plain language, adding simple analogies or using visuals that show real world scenarios. 

Amplifying stories across multiple channels

Emotional healthcare storytelling is not limited to case studies or long-form content. Short narratives can be used across social media, email and media commentary, reaching busy healthcare professionals via the channels they already use. When PR and digital content draw from the same set of stories, each touchpoint reinforces the same human impact instead of repeating disconnected messages. 

For B2B healthtech organisations, this is where a joined-up approach to healthtech PR becomes powerful. A single strong story about a specific pathway or ward can underpin media relations, thought leadership, sales enablement and campaign creatives. The format changes, but the central narrative remains consistent, which makes it easier for stakeholders to recognise and recall your role. 

A Performance PR model supports this kind of storytelling because it ties narratives to clear, measurable outcomes. Tracking how emotionally resonant stories contribute to visibility and the quality of opportunities coming into the business makes it simpler to justify ongoing investment in content for complex healthcare topics.  

In B2B healthcare communications, credibility is non-negotiable. Evidence and regulatory requirements always sit at the centre of the story, yet on their own they rarely make a brand memorable.  

By weaving empathy and human stories into messaging, healthcare companies can capture attention and build trust while supporting longer term relationships with decision makers. The most effective communications speak to both the mind and the heart, showing that solutions make a meaningful difference and turning complex offerings into stories people want to hear and share. 

If you would like support to humanise complex healthcare stories without losing accuracy, speak to the Whiteoaks team about a Performance PR campaign tailored to your healthcare audience. 

In this blog, Hayley Goff, CEO, Whiteoaks, explores why B2B tech businesses need to look beyond lead generation metrics in marketing, including:

  • Why it’s tempting to focus on lead generation 
  • How this leads to short-term campaigns with no sustained impact 
  • The importance of building credibility and trust over the longer term 


In B2B tech marketing, it’s easy to fall into a cycle where everything revolves around lead generation. Targets are set, dashboards are checked and activity is judged on how quickly it produces conversions.

With so much pressure to demonstrate instant progress, lead generation becomes the default measure of success – even when it only creates short bursts of activity rather than lasting momentum.  

The fixation is understandable. When the economy is struggling with growth at little more than 1% and marketing budgets are tight, results need to be visible. A channel that produces rapid, trackable outcomes feels like the safest option.

But when lead generation dominates the agenda, the long-term work that shapes how an audience perceives a brand – through credibility, trust and recognition – is pushed aside. Without this foundation, every new lead takes more effort to convert and more time to nurture. 

The quick fade of performance marketing

One of the problems in any sector – and that includes B2B technology – is that potential customers have limited attention spans.

They are unlikely to buy from brands they cannot remember or do not immediately associate with anything positive, useful, transformative or just interesting. It means that once a digitally-driven ad campaign exhausts its budget, a brand can be left with precious little. 

Performance marketing versus Performance PR

It is important to recognise that Performance PR is significantly different from performance marketing. 

The former is a data-driven approach to advertising which focuses on lead gen metrics and immediate wins.

The latter is more strategic and ensures a company’s brand becomes part of the conversation in the right places.

That is not something that happens overnight after a pop-up ad campaign. It requires consistent, unrelenting focus on gaining recognition and respect among the right audiences. 

The multiple tactics of Performance PR

Performance PR in the B2B tech sector builds authority for a brand through earned media, the quality of ideas and the way they are expressed in articles and other forms of thought leadership. It extends to briefings with journalists who are experts in their field and write for the most influential publications. 

But it also breaks from the traditional narrow focus on media relations to cover social media content, support at events and creative work.

And it is fully integrated, so each element aligns with a brand’s stated aims. 

Credibility is the path to conversion

This is how a reputation is built up, brick-by-brick until a business has established its credibility in the market. When levels of credibility are high, leads convert much faster and they are more likely to stay longer.

Without credibility, every sale has to start from establishing the basics of what the business is, where it comes from, what it does and why it should be trusted to deliver on its promises. 

When confronted with the reality about lack of trust for their brand, the reaction of many B2B marketers is to compensate with yet more ad spend. 

They ignore PR at their cost because they simply end up having to manage even longer sales cycles. And when there is an important shift in the market, their brand is likely to have little resilience.  

Good times, bad times, Performance PR always wins

PR, and especially Performance PR, is not a nice-to-have in the good times – it is the foundation that makes sales and marketing work better. 

With measurable outcomes it nurtures leads, rather than just raising awareness. It is the difference between being seen and being chosen.  

If you want to find out more about how to build credibility through Performance PR contact the Whiteoaks team.  

In this is blog – the first in our “Your Questions Answered” series – Senior Content Creator Hugh Cadman addresses an important point raised during Whiteoaks’ webinar on Global PR Growth Strategies for B2B Tech Brands.

He covers:  

  • Why scale-ups should tell their story 
  • The growth and investment benefits of telling it in the right way 
  • Who can help them stand out in their market 

 

It’s a tricky question – when exactly is the right time to invest in PR to propel your business into the stratosphere? As a start-up or scale-up, or when your company is officially declared a “growing business”?  

Start-ups and the need for ignition

Most start-ups are busy with the task of establishing themselves, developing or finessing the product or service. They may worry they have no news to tell their audiences about and really should be focusing on generating investment or gaining customers.  

But almost every start-up has an exciting idea at its core – and its founders are likely to have distinctive insights on the market, technology and the challenges they solve. All this could be the fuel for an effective Performance PR campaign, working to measurable outcomes to ensure scarce cash is not frittered away. Well-crafted articles, blogs or comments in the right publications can really ignite interest for a start-up in need of a profile in its market. 

This is the most effective way to build the brand awareness needed for customer growth and to spur investor backing. 

Scale-ups have a good story

For scale-ups it is a different story. With a fully-developed product or service, they always have important multi-faceted messages to communicate. Sometimes, amid all the pressures of expansion, they just haven’t got round to it. That can be a strategic error because competitors in a similar stage of maturity may already have launched PR initiatives. Established brands, on the other hand, will use PR to starve any challengers of oxygen. 

Scale-ups seeking experienced investors may also find their lack of PR activity works against them. VC and private equity companies know that however brilliant your voice, singing in your own bathroom will not make you a star.  

Timing is everything

Unsurprisingly, despite the best efforts of business schools, there is no calculus that can tell you if now is the exact point at which you should invest in PR.  

As a B2B organisation, you need to take stock to see if you really have the product, solution, service and story to win an audience – and whether the timing is right. Are you ready to meet the demand or interest you may create? In most cases, the answer is surely yes. 

The way Performance PR works for scale-ups

Almost all scale-ups need PR just to compete. With expert help from specialists in Performance PR, young companies can use their story to win more customers or fresh investment. Performance PR works just as well whether you’re seeking acquisition by one of the giants of any sector, or attempting to attract scarce talent needed to take the business into new areas. 

Potential leadership frustrations

One fact that all leadership teams should take into consideration is that in the B2B tech sector, PR requires experience and a little time. This can be a step change for business founders or small leadership teams accustomed to explosive growth and rapid impact. While results can certainly show up quickly, long-term benefits from PR in the B2B tech sector need more than press releases drafted by LLMs like Copilot or ChatGPT.  

Providing the fuel for PR requires collaborative work to determine the right messaging and most effective tactics to reach the right people. Some scale-ups find they have been working on assumptions – and it takes Performance PR specialists to identify the right audiences and how best to reach them.  

The pain-free approach to B2B tech PR

This is where there is a huge advantage in using a Peformance PR agency. A specialist B2B tech agency working to Performance PR methodology will take the pain out of these processes. And it will measure results from a campaign. This is an approach that can pay dividends for young businesses in the B2B tech world, where informality, time-pressure and a certain amount of improvisation are part of everyday life.  

The boards of young businesses should see Performance PR as a strategic investment that will help achieve growth and their critical objectives. So, if you ask yourself when it’s the right time to invest in Performance PR, the answer is usually NOW. 

View the webinar that triggered this blog and get in touch to find out how we can support your business in achieving its growth ambitions.