Over the past decade, B2B buyers have fundamentally changed how they make decisions. They do more independent research and increasingly rely on impartial, third-party content and reviews.
When they do research, they report looking for content that helps them understand the current landscape, upcoming trends, and new opportunities – and they do this before a single sales conversation happens.
In fact, according to Gartner, 83% of the B2B buying journey now occurs before a prospect contacts a sales rep. This includes researching solutions, ranking options, setting requirements, benchmarking pricing, etc. That number may even be higher.
A recent report from Forrester projected that as much as 90% of the B2B buying cycle is completed prior to first contact.
This creates a unique dilemma for B2Bs. How do you generate more business if your salespeople are not present for 80–90% of the sales process, or even worse, are eliminated before ever speaking with that ideal prospect?
The answer is simple, and yet the proper execution of the strategy is often complex. You need to create content that gets your audience’s attention – easier said than done. However, just as important as creating engaging content is where the target audience interacts with that content.
Content That Teaches, Not Sells
To begin with, today’s buyers don’t want sales pitches; they want guidance. They are trying to make smart, strategic decisions about complex systems, long-term investments, and solutions with serious operational implications. The last thing they need is another vendor shouting product features at them.
That is where educational PR comes in. By shifting the focus from what you sell to what you know, you reposition your company as a source of truth. You’re not just in the conversation; you’re helping define it.
This content isn’t promotional. It is practical. It might show:
- How a new regulation will affect a specific industry segment.
- The trade-offs between two emerging technologies.
- Lessons learned from implementing a complex upgrade.
Just as important as the content itself is where it appears.
Placement Matters: Context Builds Credibility
Even the best-written content can fall flat if it appears in the wrong place. A well-written story placed on a company website does not have the same appeal and influence as the same piece—or even a version of it—published in a respected trade publication.
In other words: educational content + authoritative placement = influence.
This psychological phenomenon is known as the Mere Exposure Effect (MEE). Simply put, MEE states, in part, that a source’s credibility significantly influences how much someone trusts the information they hear.
Think about it like this: when someone tells you a story about themselves, you may question its validity, especially if parts of it sound too good to be true. On the other hand, if the same story came out on the evening news, you would not only be more willing to believe, but it is also likely to significantly impact your positive perception of that person.
This is why earned media placement matters so much in educational PR. Buyers want unbiased information. When they see your company, employees, or even its products mentioned in the media, it lends weight to the message. It tells them this is a credible story, not just another vendor with an agenda.
Here’s how this plays out:
- Articles in industry trade journals lend prestige and attract professional readers.
- Bylined thought leadership pieces showcase your expertise in a non-salesy format.
- Media interviews or quotes position your leaders as go-to experts.
- Research reports covered by the media generate inbound attention.
In essence, where your content appears is almost as important as what it says. Context builds credibility, and in the B2B world, credibility builds conversion.
Educational PR + Repetition
There is another aspect of the Mere Exposure Effect that is important in B2B marketing – people tend to prefer things simply because they are more familiar with them due to repeated exposure. Hearing something repeatedly from a trusted source makes the information more believable but also more likable.
For example, reading consistent news coverage about a company not only makes people more likely to trust the brand, simply due to repeated exposure, but also more likely to want to do business with them.
This is why in the past, companies would send out press releases on anything that was going on – new hires, new products, new partnerships, etc. The goal was to drive up the number of times a potential prospect would be exposed to the company or brand.
While sending out press releases was the right idea, today’s buyers are increasingly unlikely to engage with your company news.
What Happened to the Press Release?
It’s not so much that the press release has gone away. Sending out a press release still carries value. They can be especially beneficial for getting news out immediately.
However, what the market is looking for has changed, and with it, public relations has to keep up. That is why agencies like Rankin PR have merged the best intent of a press release – driving awareness – with something deeper: helping the audience understand why the news matters.
Rather than merely announce a new product, for example, a savvy company might:
- Write a technical article about a specific challenge the product solves.
- See a trend in the industry that can be addressed by the new solution.
- Get quotes from a customer or independent expert and include those in the article.
These elements elevate the announcement from a one-way push to a conversation that buyers want to have.
Thought Leadership vs. Advertising
There’s a clear distinction between educational content and traditional marketing. Advertising pushes a product. Thought leadership pulls the audience in by addressing their challenges.
Advertising is fleeting. Thought leadership is sticky. Buyers remember the article that explained how to reduce downtime more than the ad that said “our product reduces downtime.”
The most effective PR strategies today use education to build a foundation of trust. They know that in complex B2B environments, a sale is rarely made in one touch, but rather over time with consistent, helpful content that builds familiarity, respect, and interest. That’s what opens doors.
Modern Educational PR:
- Identify what your audience is struggling with
- Create high-value content that speaks directly to those issues
- Place it in media outlets and formats they trust
- Amplify through social, email, sales enablement, and more
The difference is strategic. It’s about delivering value before asking for a sale.
It’s not that press releases are obsolete. It’s that they must be backed by substance. When combined with in-depth educational content, the original intent of a press release—positive publicity and amplification—is fulfilled. Yet now, it drives business.
Educational PR: Winning Mindshare Before the First Call
If 83–90% of the buying journey happens before first contact, then your PR content is your first contact.
The article you publish in an industry journal may be the buyer’s first exposure to your brand. The case study they find via search could eliminate competitors from their shortlist, before you even know they exist.
That’s why educational PR is such a powerful tool. It fills the vacuum left by shrinking sales access. It helps you show up early, add value fast, and earn the right to be in the conversation.
Educational PR: The Takeaway
Today’s B2B PR isn’t about shouting louder. It’s about saying something worth listening to and placing it where it will be heard and believed.
Educational content earns trust. Strategic placement builds credibility. Together, they drive influence, engagement, and pipeline.
The modern press release has evolved. It still exists, but now it lives alongside thought leadership, data-rich insights, and helpful analysis. The goal isn’t just to announce your news—it’s to explain why it matters, to the right people, in the right way.
Because when the buyer controls the journey, the company that educates the best wins.