Analyst relations (AR) is a strategic business function focused on managing relationships with industry analysts at firms like Gartner, Forrester, and IDC. These analysts publish research that enterprise buyers consult before making purchasing decisions, which means your position in their reports can determine whether you make a vendor shortlist or get filtered out before the first call.
This guide covers how AR programs work, which analyst firms matter most, and how to build and measure an AR function at your company.
What Is Analyst Relations
Analyst relations (AR) is a strategic business function focused on managing relationships with industry analysts at firms like Gartner, Forrester, and IDC. Analysts at research firms publish reports that enterprise buyers read before making purchasing decisions. When a procurement team pulls up the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant, your position in that report shapes whether you get invited to the RFP or filtered out before the first call.
AR programs typically pursue three goals:
- Market influence: Educating analysts so they accurately represent your products in their research
- Third-party validation: Building credibility that guides enterprise sales cycles and investor due diligence
- Competitive intelligence: Gathering feedback on product roadmaps and market trends from analysts who cover your space
The day-to-day work involves several recurring activities. Vendor briefings are meetings where you update analysts on company strategy and product direction. Evaluations involve completing detailed questionnaires (called RFIs) for major market reports. Inquiries are two-way conversations where you seek analyst advice on market positioning or product decisions.
Why Analyst Relations Matters for B2B Tech Companies
Enterprise buyers rarely make six-figure software purchases without consulting analyst research first. When a prospect’s procurement team references the latest Forrester Wave, your position in that report determines whether you make the shortlist.
This dynamic creates concrete business outcomes. Prospects who already trust an analyst’s endorsement require less convincing from your sales team. Board members and VCs often reference analyst coverage during funding due diligence. Buyers use market landscape reports to narrow their evaluation from dozens of vendors to a handful.
The compounding effect matters here. Analysts who understand your product well write about it more accurately. Accurate coverage leads to better-qualified inbound interest. Better deals close faster. And customer wins become proof points for your next analyst briefing.
The Analyst Firms That Shape the B2B Tech Market
Before engaging analysts, you’ll want to understand who the major players are and what kind of research they produce.
Gartner
Gartner is the largest analyst firm globally, with particular influence in enterprise IT infrastructure, software, and services. The firm is best known for its Magic Quadrant methodology, which places vendors into four categories (Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, Niche Players) based on completeness of vision and ability to execute. A strong Magic Quadrant position can accelerate enterprise deals, while exclusion from the report can stall them.
Forrester
Forrester covers B2B marketing technology, customer experience, and digital transformation extensively. The Forrester Wave is its primary evaluation format, scoring vendors across detailed criteria and visualizing results in a quadrant-style graphic. Forrester analysts tend to focus heavily on buyer experience and business outcomes.
IDC
IDC specializes in market sizing, forecasting, and quantitative research. If you’ve seen a press release citing market share data or spending projections, IDC was likely the source. The IDC MarketScape is its evaluation format, though the firm is more frequently cited for its market data than its vendor assessments.
GigaOm and ISG
Dozens of smaller firms cover niche markets. GigaOm focuses on emerging technology categories and publishes Radar reports. ISG (Information Services Group) concentrates on sourcing and managed services. Boutique firms can be valuable when your category isn’t yet covered by the larger players.
What an Analyst Relations Manager Does
If you’re exploring AR roles or hiring for one, the day-to-day work involves a mix of relationship management, content preparation, and cross-functional coordination.
Core responsibilities typically include coordinating analyst briefings and inquiry calls, managing analyst firm subscriptions and contract renewals, preparing executives for analyst meetings, tracking analyst sentiment and report mentions, and responding to RFIs and evaluation questionnaires.
Job titles vary. You’ll see Analyst Relations Manager, AR Director, and Director of Industry Analyst Relations at larger companies. At smaller organizations, AR often sits within a broader corporate communications or product marketing role rather than as a standalone function.
When to Start an Analyst Relations Program
Timing matters. Engaging analysts too early, before you have product-market fit, can backfire if analysts form negative impressions that persist for years.
- You’re entering enterprise sales where buyers reference analyst reports during evaluation
- You’re preparing for a funding round where investor due diligence includes analyst calls
- Competitors are appearing in analyst evaluations you want to be included in
- Your product is mature enough to withstand analyst scrutiny
If you’re still iterating on core product functionality or haven’t closed enterprise deals yet, AR investment is likely premature.
How to Build an Analyst Relations Program
Starting from scratch requires a methodical approach.
1) Map the Analysts Covering Your Category
Research which analysts write about your market segment. Review recent reports, blog posts, and conference presentations. Create a tiered list of priority analysts based on their influence and how closely their coverage aligns with your product.
2) Set Program Goals and Priorities
Define what success looks like before you start engaging. Examples include inclusion in a specific Magic Quadrant, establishing inquiry relationships with four analysts, or supporting five enterprise deals with analyst references.
3) Budget for Subscriptions and Inquiries
Analyst firm subscriptions work on annual contracts that include research access, inquiry hours, and briefing slots. Gartner and Forrester contracts vary by coverage scope. Some engagement (like vendor briefings) is free, while deeper engagement requires paid subscriptions.
4) Create a Briefing and Inquiry Calendar
Establish regular touchpoints with priority analysts. Plan around major report publication timelines. Quarterly briefings are common for active relationships.
5) Build an Internal Spokesperson Bench
Identify executives and product leaders who will brief analysts. Train them on analyst engagement norms, particularly that analysts expect dialogue rather than sales pitches. Prepare them for tough questions about roadmap, competition, and market positioning.
How to Brief an Industry Analyst
The briefing itself is where relationships are built or damaged.
1) Research the Analyst and Their Coverage
Review the analyst’s recent reports and stated perspectives before the call. Understanding what they already believe about the market lets you address their framework directly rather than talking past them.
2) Build an Outside In Narrative
“Outside in” means starting with the market problem and buyer challenges, then introducing how your product addresses them. Analysts care about market context and buyer needs, not feature lists. Lead with trends and shifts, not product capabilities.
3) Deliver a Tight Briefing Deck
Briefings typically run 30–60 minutes. Leave half the time for Q&A. Your deck covers company overview, market perspective, product differentiation, customer evidence, and roadmap highlights.
4) Follow Up and Establish a Cadence
Send supporting materials after the call (one-pagers, customer references if permitted). Propose the next touchpoint. Relationships compound over time; a single briefing rarely moves the needle.
How to Measure an Analyst Relations Program
Measurement is a common challenge because AR influence is often indirect.
Report Inclusions and Placement
Track mentions in published research. For evaluations, track quadrant positioning or Wave score changes over time. Inclusion in reports buyers actually read matters more than total mention count.
Deal Influence and Pipeline Impact
Work with sales to identify deals where analyst reports or inquiry calls influenced the buyer. Track AR-influenced pipeline and revenue. This requires the sales team to log analyst involvement in CRM.
Analyst Sentiment
Assess qualitatively how analysts perceive the company over time through briefing feedback, informal comments, and report tone.
Analyst Relations vs Influencer Relations
Influencer relations (IR) involves engagement with social media influencers, content creators, and community voices. IR targets broad audience reach through trusted individuals. AR targets enterprise buyer decisions through formal research. Some overlap exists with “tech influencers” who bridge both worlds.
Getting Analyst Relations Right at Your SaaS Company
AR is one component of a complete brand awareness program alongside PR, social media, and events. The function delivers compounding returns when sustained over time, but it requires consistent investment in relationships rather than sporadic outreach.
For B2B SaaS companies without dedicated AR headcount, fractional CMO support can help establish and manage analyst relationships while building the internal processes to scale the program later.
