7 steps to building an impactful B2B PR strategy in 2025

Contents

• Introduction
• What is a B2B PR strategy?
• Seven steps to building an effective B2B PR strategy
  1. Start by setting clear objectives
  2. Identify the right audience
  3. Understand the competitive and industry landscape
  4. Get the story right
  5. Choose the right B2B PR tactics
  6. Recognise that timing is everything
  7. Measure the impact
• Why a B2B PR strategy matters

Introduction: What is a B2B PR Strategy?

Most businesses think of public relations (PR) as managing reputation or securing media coverage.

But an effective B2B PR strategy goes far beyond press releases or chasing headlines. It shapes how your industry, customers, and stakeholders perceive your brand, and it drives measurable business results.

A B2B PR strategy is a master plan for communicating with the people who matter most – customers, industry influencers, analysts, and journalists. It builds credibility, establishes thought leadership, increases visibility, and influences decision-makers.

With a well-planned approach, you stop reacting to random opportunities and make strategic, proactive moves. Exceptional B2B PR anticipates trends, secures the right media coverage, and supports commercial goals.

This guide breaks down the seven key steps to building an effective B2B PR strategy:

1. Set clear PR objectives – Define measurable goals such as increasing brand awareness, establishing thought leadership, attracting partners or customers, improving media perception, and boosting your employer brand.

2. Identify the right audience – Understand your primary and secondary stakeholders, the influencers they trust, and the media channels they engage with daily.

3. Understand the competitive and industry landscape – Track competitors’ PR activity, industry trends, and journalist interests to position your business effectively.

4. Get the story right – Craft compelling narratives, thought leadership content, case studies, data insights, and newsworthy company developments that support your business goals.

5. Choose the right B2B PR tactics – Select tactics like media relations, content marketing, thought leadership, speaking engagements, awards, SEO-driven PR, and LinkedIn activity to amplify your messages.

6. Recognise that timing is everything – Plan proactively around company milestones, industry events, and media opportunities while remaining flexible to leverage trending news.

7. Measure the impact – Track metrics such as media coverage, share of voice, audience engagement, website traffic, brand mentions, sentiment, and digital impressions to refine your strategy.

Following these steps ensures your B2B PR strategy is structured, proactive, and capable of delivering real results that can be measured and optimised over time.

Seven steps to building an effective B2B PR strategy 

1. Set clear PR objectives 

A successful B2B PR strategy starts with clear, measurable objectives. Without these, PR efforts can feel scattered. Typical objectives include: 

• Increasing brand awareness within a target industry 

• Positioning the business as a thought leader 

• Generating interest from potential partners, investors, or customers 

• Giving your employer brand a boost to attract top talent 

• Improving media perception and managing reputation 

Defining specific goals helps shape direction and ensures B2B PR strategies serve a clear purpose. 

2. Identify the right audiences

Understanding who you need to reach is essential in shaping your strategy. Ask yourself: Who are the primary and secondary audiences? And which human voices (influencers) do they trust and listen to most?  

In B2B, we often have large and fragmented groups of stakeholders — because buying decisions rarely come down to just one person alone. Understanding your audiences, and the connections between them, is essential for identifying the right B2B PR tactics.  

However, it’s equally important to consider the diverse media channels your buyer persona may engage with throughout their daily routine. It might look something like this: BBC News at breakfast, LinkedIn scrolling during coffee breaks, industry trade and Financial Times newsletters before lunch, and listening to their favourite podcasts on their commute home.  

Each media format presents an opportunity, but the angle and approach naturally need to be different.  

3. Understand the competitive and industry landscape 

Keeping tabs on your competitors’ PR activity and industry trends and knowing what topics journalists are interested in can help position your business effectively. It’s all about understanding the white space and where your business can sit alongside others.  

Additionally, aligning your B2B PR strategy with industry events, regulatory updates, and emerging discussions ensures that messaging remains timely and relevant. Plus, it gives those all-important news hooks. 

But spoiler alert – standing out is tough if everyone says the same thing. And even more so if you’re saying it in the same way. The solution? Tell real, compelling stories that only your brand can tell, and package them up in a way that differentiates you. 

4. Get the story right  

PR is built on storytelling. Facts alone won’t carry your message far enough. For B2B PR to truly work, you need compelling stories that support your business goals and offer value to your target audience. These stories can consist of: 

• Thought leadership content addressing industry challenges and future trends 

• Your company’s growth story 

• Profile building for your leadership team 

• Data-led insights such as surveys, reports, and research findings 

• Newsworthy company developments like product launches, partnerships, or major hires 

• Case studies and success stories that demonstrate your expertise 

You can also: 

• Create experiences and events for journalists to attend 

• Partner with universities, analysts and research houses to create industry-leading research 

• Comment regularly on breaking news in your sector 

5. Choose the right B2B PR tactics 

You can use a range of B2B PR tactics depending on your objectives and audience. Some of the most effective include:  

• Media relations: Building relationships with journalists and securing coverage in relevant publications.

• Thought leadership: Contributing expert opinions, guest articles, and op-eds to industry media.

• PR-driven content marketing: Producing whitepapers, research, and reports that generate media interest.

• Speaking opportunities: Securing panel and keynote roles at industry events and conferences that position your people as experts.

• Awards and recognition: Entering industry awards to build credibility.

• SEO-driven PR: Earning media coverage that also improves search engine performance by acquiring brand mentions, backlinks and EEAT signals.

• LinkedIn: Your leaders should post regularly with comments and insights on your company’s milestones and relevant news in your industry. 

Pick the right mix of B2B PR tactics, and you’ll amplify the messages that move your business forward.  

6. Recognise that timing is everything  

B2B PR should be proactive and planned rather than purely reactive. A well-structured PR plan outlines key activities, aligning them with company milestones, industry events and media opportunities. This approach ensures a steady stream of visibility rather than sporadic bursts of coverage. 

A good PR plan is also adaptable. While having a roadmap is essential, your business should remain flexible to capitalise on relevant news and trending topics as they emerge. 

7. Measure the impact  

Like any business function, you should measure PR activity against key metrics to assess effectiveness. Common ways to track PR performance include:  

• Media coverage: Number and quality of publications mentioning the business.
• Share of voice: The number of mentions the business gets compared to its competitors.
• Audience engagement: Interactions with PR-driven content, such as comments, clicks, and shares.
• Website traffic: Measuring referral traffic from PR efforts.
• Brand mentions: Whether these contain a backlink or not, they’re still useful for B2B SEO!
• Brand sentiment: Monitoring how the business is perceived in the media and online discussions.
  
• Digital impressions: The total number of times content is displayed across online channels, including traditional media, social media, SEO, and AI answer engines. While impressions don’t guarantee engagement, they’re a strong indicator of brand visibility and awareness — particularly important in multi-channel PR campaigns.

Regular analysis allows you to refine your PR approach, focusing more on what works and adjusting what doesn’t. 

Why a B2B PR strategy matters

A solid B2B PR strategy helps your business own its story, shape industry conversations, and build trust that lasts. Instead of a reactive chase for media coverage, a smart approach ensures PR efforts align with business goals and deliver real value over time. 

And with the rapid rise of AI changing the way your target audience and customers search for information, using tools like Google’s AI Overviews and platforms like Perplexity, your B2B PR strategy needs to reflect how your brand appears across the entire digital ecosystem — not just your owned channels.

When you set clear targets, get who you’re talking to, craft compelling stories, and use the right tactics, you’ll create PR that generates broad coverage and makes a genuine difference. Because the world deserves fewer random press releases and more inspiring stories worth talking about.  

But the best way to get your B2B PR strategy off the ground?  

Work with an award-winning B2B PR agency like Definition. Get in touch for a chat today. 

Written by Katy Bloomfield, Managing Partner, PR, at Definition on 18/06/2025. Last updated on 07/10/2025.