Much of the year has already passed by in a blur of launches, campaigns and events. As your marketing teams come under greater pressure to show leaders what they can deliver before 2026 is out, September is a good time to reassess marketing and PR strategies and decide if you’re still on the right path.
A reset could be even more important this year. We can’t ignore the impact AI-powered search is having on the way companies are discovered and presented to their audiences. Think about what your company is saying, how it’s saying it and who or what is hearing and interpreting it.
- Company Positioning & Messaging (P&M):
Review the relevance of your positioning and how clearly you are communicating it. Ask yourself:
- Does it reflect industry changes and current market forces?
- Does it address current customer pain points, or have they evolved?
- Does it align with changes in the competitive landscape, technology, market and company direction?
- Does it still differentiate your company from competitors?
- How credible do you believe you are (putting yourself in the shoes of your audience)? What proof points can you use to support each message and strengthen visibility in AI search and increase citations (think customer case studies, third-party analyst or expert endorsements, original market research, awards and independent reviews)?
Should you refresh positioning or messaging?
- If you’ve reviewed positioning (as above), does your messaging now need to be tweaked?
- Is it succinct? (This is particularly important for AI search.)
- Is it consistent across all channels and are all spokespeople saying the same thing?
- Is it built around customer needs rather than company products or capabilities?
Talk to customer-facing, market intelligence and product teams and review industry commentary to understand what your customers are asking, what is changing in the market and whether your messages need to be adapted. Make sure that what you are saying is solving real challenges. Your audience doesn’t care that you released product X, they want to know how it helps them.
It’s also worthwhile to check how AI search interprets your messaging. If it’s synthesizing data from separate conflicting sources, your audience may not perceive you the way you would like. Mixed messaging can confuse buyers and erode credibility. Tweak messaging where required and make sure that all spokespeople are aware of new P&M.
- Update company proof points
Both AI and human audiences can be influenced by content that has been independently verified. Identify where you could enhance messaging and content by leveraging customer case studies or other proof points (including any new customer and analyst data and associated quotes or soundbites, where you have permissions to reference them). Are you making the most of industry awards that you have received (particularly if you have received them during 2026)? Use third-party backed data to boost awareness, credibility and trust.
- Map events
What trade shows, conferences and industry events are coming up? Are there any new events on the horizon that are relevant and/or valuable for your company? As media presence declines at many trade events, discover how to maximize your presence before, during and after every show.
- Review your analyst engagement
With many major technology reports published September through November, fall is a great time to review your analyst engagement. Identify the reports and programs relevant to your market and ensure your analyst briefings are aligned. Identify changes in the analyst world, making sure your contacts are still relevant. Build relationships with new firms and people. Analyst recognition of your company’s products and solutions may contribute to AI-search citations and help boost credibility in the minds of your audience.
- Evaluate and strengthen media relationships
The media landscape is changing rapidly, particularly around the topic of AI. Are your media contacts still relevant for your company direction and audiences? Identify any new publications, specialized outlets and journalists covering your area(s) of expertise and build relationships. Review contacts and look for opportunities to contribute useful commentary, insights and expertise on the topics they are covering. Non-paid media articles can also contribute to AI-powered search discovery and citations.
- Build your thought leadership pipeline
You’ve already talked to teams around the business to find out the challenges customers are facing and where the market is headed. Use this information to plan a thought leadership pipeline to the end of the year. Identify where experts have something to say and use insights to comment on industry articles. But don’t just wait for the news to happen, work out where you can add value and pitch bylines and other contributions to contacts, analysts and other industry influencers.
- Look beyond announcements
You don’t have any new product announcements or other company news to tell right now? It doesn’t mean you have nothing to say. Look at the information, data, customer insights and expertise already available across your business. There may be a story hiding in there that could provide a timely PR opportunity.
Talk to us to find out how we can help you make the most of your PR opportunities for the rest of 2026.