Turning Analyst Relations into Market Traction

·51 min·4 clips

Dan Loudon shares how analyst relations helped his startups get acquired by building strategic trust with firms.

This episode of Renegade Marketers Unite features host Drew Neisser in conversation with three B2B marketing leaders about strategic analyst relations. Guests Dan Loudon (CMO of Blackbird.ai), Lori Colom (SVP of Marketing at EquityShift), and Lynn Tornabene (CMO of Interiad) share practical frameworks for building credibility with firms like Gartner and Forrester. Dan Loudon emphasizes that analyst relations is a long-term investment requiring consistent engagement through briefings and data sharing, even without a paid contract. He notes some enterprise buyers will not purchase from a vendor not named in major analyst reports, viewing it as too risky. Lori Colom highlights the importance of treating analyst conversations as a dialogue to test and refine your market differentiators. Lynn Tornabene details using multi-channel outreach, including a dedicated email newsletter for analysts and immersive "analyst days" where analysts present to internal teams. A key insight is that startups can engage analysts without a paid subscription by offering unique data and category insights, particularly in trending areas like AI and cybersecurity. The guests agree trust is built when analysts see you as a reliable resource for their non-evaluative reports, not just during "Magic Quadrant" cycles. They warn against treating briefings as one-way sales pitches, stressing the need for an objective, listening-focused mindset. An effective tactic is licensing a positive analyst report and using it as a gated content asset in campaigns, which often becomes a top-performing lead generator. Internally, positive analyst recognition should be celebrated with employees to boost morale and used in customer QBRs to reinforce their purchase decision. Common mistakes include approaching relations as a "set-and-forget" activity or focusing solely on evaluative reports instead of becoming a consistent resource. The tone is conversational and educational, blending high-level strategy with specific, actionable tactics from seasoned practitioners. This episode is ideal for B2B marketing leaders, startup CMOs, and anyone responsible for building market credibility and navigating analyst evaluations. Listeners seeking quick, tactical shortcuts or those not involved in enterprise marketing may find the deep focus on relationship-building less immediately relevant.

As heard by us

Analyst relations works best as steady, practical trust-building that sharpens positioning over time.

The piece treats analyst relations as slow-burn work: trust gets built one briefing at a time, internal teams stay aligned on the message, and each touchpoint helps sharpen market position.

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Why you'd press play

You want a practical analyst-relations playbook that treats it as a long game.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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