B2B Tech Journalists to Know
By Lauren Paquet
Published August 3, 2023
Since beginning my career in PR in 2021, the business landscape has shifted immensely. Two years ago, the economy was stable, but no one knew where we were headed in the midst of a global pandemic. Today, technology companies are struggling, media companies are conducting layoffs left and right and the environment is tense. Also, as AI use cases expand across industries many tech journalists are becoming defacto AI reporters, too.
I hope that media companies make smart hiring decisions to avoid mass layoffs again. We work with talented tech journalists every day (read here if you’re interested in consumer tech) and their POVs are what keeps the industry on its toes. In the midst of all the change, if you’re looking for B2B tech journalists to build relationships with on behalf of your brand, these are five you should absolutely know.
Pro tip: If you come across any reporters who have been affected by recent layoffs or switched roles, reach out and offer your support. Not only does it keep you connected, but goes to show that you appreciate the relationship you’ve formed.
5 B2B Tech Journalists to Know
Sheila Dang
Sheila is a Social Media Reporter for Reuters. Sheila and I got in touch about a leading social media platform in India, Koo, around the time that Elon Musk was taking over Twitter. We scheduled an introductory call with Koo’s co-founder, in which they discussed their plans for ChatGPT among other things. The call didn’t result in coverage, but when Koo launched the ChatGPT integration, we gave her the exclusive.
She is open to learning about new trends and products impacting the social media industry; since Reuters is a national outlet, think about how your news would have widespread interest.
Brad Adgate
Brad mainly covers TV, streaming, and sports news for Forbes. He is personable and responsive to ideas tied to breaking news and trends. Brad covered one of our streaming clients, Quickplay, around the topic of regional sports companies being in financial trouble. It was the perfect opportunity to trendjack and add them to the big-picture conversation.
Now, Brad sends requests when he needs expert commentary. Quickplay’s CEO was mentioned in another article of Brad’s alongside Disney CEO Bob Iger.
George Lawton
George writes about technology, business, and health for TechTarget and VentureBeat, two trade publications geared toward B2B audiences. George and I got in touch about ELB Learning, our client in the corporate training space that had recently made significant steps toward prioritizing AI. After planting the seed, I received an inbound request from George looking for commentary on the future of generative AI.
George is interested in how companies are leveraging the evolution of technology and AI to better serve their customers. His scope is wide, so pay attention to the quality of your pitch – why his readers would care – when reaching out.
Barb Mosher-Zinck
Barb Mosher-Zinck is a senior content marketer at diginomica and is a marketing technology analyst. She works with a wide range of clients in B2B tech and actively tracks and writes about digital marketing, customer experience, and enterprise content management. Barb works hard to inform and encourage a greater understanding of technology’s role in the enterprise. In addition to diginomica, she has a podcast, Content Matters.
Barb and I connected a number of times before she covered Contentstack and its new front-end hosting product within its composable digital experience platform. She is passionate about telling stories around content marketing and how to make content more efficient and creative.
Martine Paris
Martine covers AI and tech (see above, every tech journalist is also an AI reporter these days!). She is a contributor at Forbes and her bylines also appear in Bloomberg, Businessweek, Fortune, Fast Company, Insider, TechCrunch, and TIME. Martine often posts tips for PR professionals on her Twitter and LinkedIn, so I recommend following her for the inside scoop. She is all over CES each year, including covering Quickplay’s LGBTQ+Ally Meetup at CES 2023.
Pro Tip: Make sure you follow your media contacts on their social channels and check in often. This way you’ll be in the know if they’ve switched outlets, or are looking for commentary or sources on certain topics.
Overall, the biggest tip for brands to attract the interest of B2B tech journalists revolves around persistence. Identify the right reporters to build relationships with for your brand and then persistently show them that your spokesperson can be a good resource and how your brand fits into larger stories. Move quickly while you’re at it. Sometimes it’s a long game, but the long game eventually pays off.