An Edelman-LinkedIn report from 2024 found that 73% of B2B buyers believe thought leadership content is more effective at demonstrating value than product-focused messaging. Yet, a concern we hear time and time again is that there isn't enough news or stories to share.

It’s a myth. One that needs debunking.

After over 30 years in B2B tech PR and marketing, I can confidently say the brands with the loudest pipelines aren’t always the ones making the most commercial impact. The real winners? They’re often the companies without a weekly press release, but with powerful insight. The difference lies in how they share it.

PR is not just for product announcements

Too many B2B brands still equate PR with news: launches, milestones, partnerships. When those dry up, they go silent. Some businesses have enormously long sales cycles and hugely complex projects so ‘win’ releases are rare. But silence isn’t the enemy. Irrelevance is.

Relying solely on campaign moments creates peaks and troughs in visibility. You become active only in very brief bursts, which rarely lead to memorability and recall. Meanwhile, your competitors are building consistent recognition through thought leadership. This doesn’t just raise awareness, it's the core building block to nurturing trust over time.

Thought leadership as a visibility engine

Thought leadership gives quiet brands a sustainable way to stay visible. It shifts focus from what you’re selling to what you believe, how you think and why it matters to your audiences because they (your buyers) are at your core. In a B2B context, that’s gold.

By sharing credible, expert-led perspectives that align with your audience’s challenges, you create relevance, and not just when you have something new to sell. Done right, thought leadership can drive:

• Media coverage without needing news.

• Analyst interest.

• Speaking opportunities.

• Social engagement from your ideal clients.

It moves your brand from product pusher to problem solver.

How to turn internal knowledge into external authority

You don’t need a newsroom. You need a process. Start by asking:

• What trends are reshaping your industry?

• What questions do customers keep asking?

• Where do you strongly agree or disagree with the status quo?

From here, frame your expertise around audience relevance. We use a simple formula: Insight + Relevance + Timing = Media Value

Opinion-led content, commentary on news trends, or answering ‘why now’ are all ways to generate high-value PR.

Strategic storytelling that drives sales

When thought leadership aligns with the buying journey, it does more than build brand equity, it shortens sales cycles.

Buyers are increasingly research-led. They want proof that you understand their challenges before they talk to sales. Thought leadership fills that gap. It introduces your perspective early and often.

What’s more, by tying your brand to Category Entry Points —moments that trigger consideration, like market shifts or competitor activity or political incidents — through your storytelling and thought leadership, you increase brand recall when the CEP emerges for real.

Visibility without noise

The belief that constant news is necessary to stay visible is outdated. Brands don’t need more announcements; they need better stories. If you’re solving meaningful problems, you already have something worth saying. With the right strategic support, you can turn internal expertise into external influence.

In a crowded market, consistency and clarity win. And that’s not about making more noise — it’s about making your message more memorable.