IIAR> Best Practices Paper: Running an industry analyst briefing

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Sarita Kincaid, Robin Schaffer, Ludovic Leforestier - IIAR> Webinar

Briefings are the lynchpin of an analyst relations (AR) program as the main formal way of interacting with industry analysts, to educate, inform and influence. Feedback from analysts, analyst & influencer relations professionals and vendor executives however, suggests that the majority of analyst briefings are poorly planned and fail to meet their objectives (if indeed these are defined at all). This IIAR> Best Practice Paper by AR professionals and for AR professionals paper provides a comprehensive overview of the briefing process, from planning to execution, and will be an invaluable resource for less experienced AR managers, and a useful refresher for senior professionals.

The IIAR> has released a new IIAR> Best Practice Paper on Running a Briefing on the 4th November by analyst & influencer relations (AR) professionals and experts Ludovic Leforestier (LinkedIn, @lludovic) / IIAR> Co-Founder and Board Member, Founder, Starsight Communications, Robin Schaffer (LinkedIn, @robinjs19) / Principal AR Consultant, Schaffer AR and Sarita Kincaid (LinkedIn, @saritakAR) / Senior Director, Analyst Relations, SugarCRM.

This paper covers planning a briefing, understanding the audience, selecting and preparing spokespeople, developing content, moderation, following up a briefing, and measuring the impact. In addition to the vast experience of Robin, Sarita and Ludovic, the paper draws upon inputs from a wide range of IIAR> members who have shared their tips and best practices for getting the most out of the briefing process and the following contributors.

Key learnings and best practices
  • Why industry analyst briefings need a clear objective, agenda and structure. 
  • How to select the most relevant spokespeople for each briefing. 
  • What to focus on when developing briefing content.
  • How to ensure that your messaging is explanatory, not just promotional. 
  • Why AR managers should actively moderate a briefing. 
  • When to follow up after a briefing.
  • How to measure the effectiveness and impact of a briefing.

If there’s one overarching message that emerges from the paper, it’s that going into a briefing on an ad-hoc basis without a plan is a recipe for disaster, but it’s sad to note that this is a relatively frequent occurrence. The AR manager should therefore create a clear and detailed plan for how they want the briefing to proceed. It’s also important to bear in mind that for a successful briefing, both parties need to meet their objectives. As well as thinking about your company’s own objectives, it’s helpful to put yourself in the analyst’s shoes, and think about what will make the briefing a compelling proposition for them, and help to meet their objectives.  

The paper ends with actionable advice for all AR pros including how best to frame their briefing objectives, create a briefing process checklist, develop effective techniques for briefing measurement and much more. It also contains useful appendices with a table of analyst firms’ briefing policies, and a template for a briefing book. 

Become an IIAR Member to watch the video or read the paper.

IIAR> Best Practice Paper: Running an industry analyst briefing

Authors
Date: November 2021
Resources for IIAR> members
Contributors
  • Cassandra Allen /  Independent Analyst Relations Consultant
  • Marc Duke / Independent Analyst Relations Consultant
  • Edward Gyurko / Global Head of Analyst and TPA Relations, Computacenter
  • Chris Holscher / Managing Consultant, Holscher.one
  • Simon Jones / Managing Partner, Destrier AR
  • Yvonne Kaupp / Senior Manager, Analyst & Influencer Relations, Retarus
  • Stephanie Look / Analyst Relations Lead, Google
  • Dennis MacNeil / Head of Global Analyst Relations, Twilio
  • Marta Melón / Global Alliances and Analyst Relations Manager, GFT Technologies
  • Reyne Quackenbush / Global head of Analyst Relations, Thoughtworks
  • Chloe Roberts / Analyst Relations Manager, Starsight Communications
  • Marlies Roest / Director, Analyst Relations, Infobip
  • David Rossiter / Director and AR Lead, Harvard
Date: November 2021

IIAR> Webinar: Running a briefing for industry analysts

The three authors, all seasoned AR experts with deep expertise in their past and current in-house and agency AR roles will go through the paper findings in a webinar for IIAR> members, register below well in advance please.

When> Thursday 4th November 2021, 0800 PST / 1100 EST / 1600 GMT / 1700 CET (other time zones)

Recording> available on the IIAR> Members Portal

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