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.Â
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, and 2B 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.
