Analyst relations for B2B tech is the work of briefing the Gartner and Forrester analysts who cover your category, so the research they publish describes your product correctly. Both firms take briefings from vendors that are not clients, and Gartner's vendor briefing page says a typical briefing runs 45 minutes with one or two analysts. This guide gives a request template, a 10-slide deck outline and a 90-day calendar for a product launch.
Last updated: October 28, 2026
In this guide
This guide covers how Gartner and Forrester briefings work, what to put in a request and a deck, and how to schedule the work before a launch.
- What analyst relations does for a launch
- How Gartner and Forrester briefings differ
- What goes into a briefing request
- What belongs in a 10-slide deck
- What a 90-day calendar looks like
- How to tell whether briefings worked
- Frequently asked questions
What does analyst relations do for a B2B tech launch?
Analyst relations gives Gartner and Forrester analysts the facts they need to place a new B2B tech product correctly in the research their clients read. Forrester says its Wave reports exist so clients can make well-informed purchasing decisions, and Gartner's Magic Quadrant plots vendors on Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision.
Both firms decide who appears in an evaluation by published criteria. Gartner says vendors that miss the inclusion criteria may be listed as Notable Vendors without being placed on the chart, and that being a Gartner client does not affect inclusion or position. Forrester rates vendors on current offering, strategy and market presence.
A briefing does not buy a place in either report. It gives the analyst the product facts before the criteria are scored. Gartner states that vendors cannot choose to be added to a Magic Quadrant or opt out of one, and Forrester says it evaluates vendors whether or not they take part. Analysts will describe a company's category with or without that company's input.
Both firms also let vendors check drafts. Gartner offers all vendors a factual accuracy review before publication, and Forrester asks vendors to review Wave findings for accuracy.
How do Gartner and Forrester briefings differ?
Gartner and Forrester briefings differ on request forms, format, reply times and confidentiality, as the table shows from each firm's own vendor pages in October 2026.
| Item | Gartner | Forrester |
|---|---|---|
| How to request | Vendor Briefing online form; non-clients complete a one-time registration first | Briefing form on Forrester.com; a login or new profile is required |
| Typical format | About 45 minutes with one or two analysts on a web conference | Conference calls are recommended; only the lead analyst is guaranteed to attend |
| Reply and timing | Analysts typically answer yes or no in two to three business days; lead time grows for requests with more than two analysts or during events | A calendar-based decline can be resubmitted in three to six months; no briefing requests during Forrester or industry events |
| Confidentiality | On the record, with information flowing from vendor to analyst | No NDAs; an analyst may individually agree to hold news until a date |
| Client status | Analysts schedule briefings at their discretion, not because of a fee or contract | Client status is not considered when deciding on a request |
The Gartner format sets the shape of the deck. Gartner describes a briefing as a presentation in which information flows from vendor to analyst, and analysts may ask questions of clarification only. A company that arrives with a discussion agenda spends the 45 minutes on the wrong task.
The Forrester format sets the timing. Forrester says it does not recommend requesting a briefing during its own or industry events, so the request date matters as much as the deck.
What goes into a briefing request that an analyst accepts?
A briefing request that an analyst accepts states what is new, why the briefing is needed now, who buys the product and which customers use it. Forrester's own guidance lists a new product, a changed business model, a partnership and a merger or acquisition as reasons to brief its analysts. A Forrester analyst writing on the firm's blog adds that a request should say why now, and that scheduling can take weeks.
Gartner's briefings team and Forrester both route a request to the analysts who fit the topic, so the request needs six fields:
- Company and product in one sentence, using the category name the analyst already uses in published research.
- What is new: the product, pricing change, partnership or acquisition, with the date it becomes public.
- Why now: the launch date and the date by which the analyst needs to hear it.
- Buyers and use cases: who buys the product and which problem it solves for them.
- Evidence: named customers who approved being named, and usage figures the company can show.
- Coverage area: the research topic the product fits, so the briefing team can route the request.
Illustrative scenario: a data security software company submits this request. "We launch a cloud data protection product in 75 days. It finds and classifies sensitive data across three cloud platforms, and customers run it in production today. We would like 30 minutes with the analyst who covers data security before launch, because the product changes how buyers compare tools in this market."
The press side of the same launch runs on a different calendar. See 5W's guide to launch PR for that work.
What belongs in a 10-slide analyst briefing deck?
A 10-slide analyst briefing deck covers the company, the market problem, the product, what is new, how it works, customer proof, competitors, the roadmap, the business model and next steps. Each slide has one job and a time budget.
| Slide | What it covers | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Company snapshot | Founding, funding stage, customer base and leadership | 2 |
| 2. Market problem | What buyers struggle with and how analysts name the category | 4 |
| 3. Product overview | What the product does, in plain language | 4 |
| 4. What is new | The launch, pricing change or partnership, with dates | 5 |
| 5. How it works | Architecture, integrations and deployment options | 5 |
| 6. Customer proof | Named customers, use cases and outcomes the customer approved | 5 |
| 7. Competitive position | Where the product wins deals and where it does not | 3 |
| 8. Roadmap | Planned work for the next 12 months, labeled as plans | 3 |
| 9. Business model | Pricing, packaging and sales channels | 3 |
| 10. Next steps | Who the analyst contacts and which materials follow | 2 |
The minutes add up to 36, which leaves nine in a 45-minute Gartner slot for the analyst's clarifying questions. The competitive slide should name where the product loses a deal as well as where it wins, because an analyst covering the category will compare the product to its competitors either way.
Customer proof needs written approval before the deck is sent, and the roadmap slide should label plans as plans. Gartner briefings are on the record, so every slide should be one the company would accept seeing in a published research note.
What does a 90-day analyst relations calendar look like?
A 90-day analyst relations calendar counts back from launch day: map the analysts and file requests in the first 30 days, hold briefings in the middle block, and send final materials before launch.
| Days before launch | Actions | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 90 to 76 | List the analysts who cover the category at each firm, read their recent published notes, and check each firm's inclusion criteria and event dates | Analyst map |
| 75 to 61 | File the Gartner Vendor Briefing form and the Forrester briefing form; collect written customer approvals | Two requests filed, proof cleared |
| 60 to 31 | Hold briefings as analysts accept; rehearse with the product lead and a customer-facing executive | Briefings held, question log |
| 30 to 15 | Send each briefed analyst a one-page fact sheet and the pricing model; request accuracy review dates where a report is in progress | Fact sheet sent |
| 14 to 1 | Brief any analyst who accepted late; ask Forrester analysts directly about holding news until launch day | Final briefing list |
| Launch day | Send the press release and product page link to every analyst briefed | Launch notice sent |
| After launch | Log what each analyst asked, update the deck, and file the next request | Updated deck |
The first request goes in at day 75 because both firms can say no and neither moves on the vendor's schedule. Gartner's briefing page says analysts typically answer yes or no within two to three business days, and that lead time grows when a request involves more than two analysts or lands during an event.
Forrester says a request declined for calendar reasons should be resubmitted in three to six months, which is longer than this calendar. Filing at day 75 leaves room to ask a second analyst.
How do you tell whether analyst briefings worked?
Analyst briefings worked when each analyst's published description of the product matches the facts the company supplied. Gartner and Forrester both offer vendors a chance to check findings before publication, so the check is built into the process. Four measures show the result:
- Briefing requests accepted compared with requests filed at each firm.
- Corrections requested during accuracy review, and whether the analysts accepted them.
- Whether published notes place the product in the right category.
- Whether the launch press release and product page use the same wording as the deck.
The last measure matters because most analyst research is available to clients, while a press release and a product page are open to everyone, including AI search tools. Keeping their wording consistent with the briefing deck gives every reader the same description of the product. See 5W's analysis of what AI recommendations reveal about B2B SaaS visibility for how those tools pick sources.
Companies that hire help for this work should ask how the agency runs analyst briefings. 5W's guide to how to choose a B2B tech or SaaS PR agency lists that question, and its technology PR guide covers the wider program.
Frequently asked questions
Briefing Gartner and Forrester raises practical questions about timing, cost, confidentiality and what to do after a decline.
How far ahead should you brief analysts?
A B2B tech company should file briefing requests 75 days before launch. Gartner analysts typically reply within two to three business days, and longer for requests with more than two analysts, while Forrester says scheduling can take weeks.
Do you need to be a client to get a briefing?
A vendor does not need to be a client to get a briefing from Gartner or Forrester. Gartner says analysts schedule briefings at their discretion, not because of a fee or contract, and non-clients complete a one-time registration. Forrester says it does not consider client status when deciding on a briefing request.
Can a briefing be kept confidential until launch day?
Forrester does not sign nondisclosure agreements for briefings, but an analyst may individually agree to hold news until a date. Gartner describes its briefings as on the record, so a company should share only what it would accept seeing in published research.
What if an analyst declines a briefing?
A company should ask why the request was declined when an analyst turns down a briefing. Forrester lists reasons such as analyst calendar availability and analyst timing, and says a calendar-based decline can be resubmitted in three to six months. A revised request with a clearer news hook can follow once the dates allow.
How is analyst relations different from media relations?
Analyst relations briefs research analysts who write for their clients, while media relations pitches journalists who write for the public. The two jobs share a launch but not an audience or a calendar. See analyst relations vs media relations for a SaaS launch for a side-by-side comparison.
B2B technology companies planning a launch can start with 5W's technology PR practice.
