How Emerging B2B Tech Categories—AI, Cyber, Climate, Infra—Should Approach PR

If you're building in an emerging category—AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, climate tech, or deep infrastructure—your PR challenge is fundamentally different from companies in established markets. You're not just competing for attention; you're educating the market about why your category exists while simultaneously selling into it.

The Category Creation Challenge

In established categories, PR is about differentiation: why choose us over the competition? In emerging categories, PR starts with a more fundamental question: why does this category matter? You're building the market while trying to lead it.

This requires a PR strategy that balances education with positioning—and patience with urgency.

Category-Specific Approaches

AI and Machine Learning

The AI hype cycle creates both opportunity and noise. The companies that stand out aren't the ones making the biggest claims—they're the ones demonstrating specific, measurable outcomes. Cut through the hype by leading with customer results, ethical frameworks, and practical applications rather than abstract capabilities.

AI PR requires particular skill in translating technical sophistication into business impact without oversimplifying or overpromising.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity PR has a unique advantage: the news cycle generates constant demand for expert commentary. Breaches, vulnerabilities, regulatory changes, and threat intelligence reports create recurring opportunities to demonstrate expertise through strategic media relations. The challenge is standing out in a crowded market where every vendor claims to "stop breaches."

Climate and Sustainability Tech

Climate tech companies straddle business and mission-driven media. The PR opportunity is enormous—climate is one of the biggest stories of our generation—but the messaging must be authentic. Greenwashing backlash is real, and journalists are increasingly skeptical of sustainability claims without data.

Infrastructure and Developer Tools

Infrastructure companies often build technology that's invisible to end users but critical to the systems they depend on. PR for these companies requires a different media strategy: developer publications, technical deep-dives, and thought leadership that positions founders as infrastructure visionaries.

Universal Principles for Emerging Categories

• Define the category before others do — If you don't name and frame your category, analysts, journalists, and competitors will do it for you.
• Build a research foundation — Commission or publish original research that quantifies the problem your category solves.
• Create unlikely allies — Partner with adjacent companies, industry groups, or academic institutions to validate your category's importance.
• Invest in analyst relations early — Getting analysts to recognize and track your category accelerates market education exponentially.
• Optimize for AI — In emerging categories, GEO optimization is especially critical because LLMs are still forming their understanding of your market.

In emerging categories, PR isn't just about winning attention—it's about building the market itself. The companies that define the conversation become the category leaders.