Why B2B Brands Need a New Approach to Media Influence

Rethinking how and where trust is built in a fragmented media landscape 

The channels decision-makers trust have changed, and B2B brands can’t afford to play by the old rules.

While traditional media still provides essential credibility, it’s no longer the only space where influence happens. Increasingly, B2B buyers tune into industry podcasts, subscribe to niche newsletters, and follow independent voices on LinkedIn, Substack, and beyond. These aren’t just side channels – they’re where real conversations, reputation building, and early-stage decision-making are taking place.

At Highwire, we’ve been tracking this shift across industries, and we recently sat down with some of the most influential voices shaping it today: Hope King of Macro Talk, Alex Kantrowitz of Big Technology, and Alex Konrad of Upstarts Media at our NYC Media Salon event. Their insights helped shape The New Media Influence Playbook, a concise guide to building modern influence strategies that reach today’s fragmented audiences.

What’s Changing… and Why It Matters

The modern B2B media landscape is more personalized, more distributed, and more community-driven than ever. People expect content that speaks to their interests, not just their roles, and gravitate toward expert sources that feel authentic and relevant.

Despite the ground shifting below them, many B2B brands still focus their efforts on traditional PR metrics and high-level awareness tactics. They’re missing the growing influence of new media voices and the opportunity to build trust before buyers even enter the funnel.

Inside the Playbook

We outline five key strategies every B2B brand should be thinking about right now, including:

1. Why influence is no longer centralized, and how to meet audiences across the full spectrum of channels
2. The growing power of newsletters, podcasts, and independent creators, and how to partner with them strategically
3. What a modern, multi-layered media mix looks like in practice
4. Why amplification matters as much as placement
5. How to measure influence in ways that directly tie to business outcomes

We won’t give it all away here - the full playbook includes exclusive takeaways from our conversations with Hope, Alex, and Alex, plus actionable insights for comms and marketing teams looking to lead in 2025 and beyond.

Ready to Rethink Your Media Strategy?

The brands that will win in this next chapter blend the credibility of legacy media with the engagement and trust built through emerging platforms and voices.

Download the full playbook here

Want to talk through how this applies to your brand?

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