Writing
The Up/Right Blog
Independent takes on analyst relations — evaluations, briefings, and the shifting economics of Gartner and Forrester.
Analyst Firm MCPs: Does your BUYER care?
IDC, Forrester, and Gartner are all shipping AI access to their research. It’s a real UX upgrade. But every one of these models still requires a license.
Read more →
How to Decline an Analyst Evaluation
A practical, step-by-step guide to saying no to a major analyst evaluation and minimizing the risk on both sides of the decision.
Read more →
Why You Shouldn’t Let AI Write Your Wave or Magic Quadrant Responses
I’m a big AI promoter. But for a Gartner Magic Quadrant or Forrester Wave, letting AI do the thinking is a trap. Here’s how to use it well instead.
Read more →
Before You Buy That Gartner Subscription: 3 Tests Every Startup Should Run
A Gartner subscription is rarely $75K by the time you’re done. Three honest tests to run before you write that check.
Read more →
How to Brief a Forrester or Gartner Analyst
You can brief Forrester and Gartner analysts for free — but only if your request is compelling enough for them to accept. Here’s how to write one that lands.
Read more →
My Five-Slide Analyst Briefing Deck (Yes, It’s Possible)
If you can’t explain who you are, what you sell, and why you matter in five slides, your story isn’t crisp enough yet. Here’s the deck I’d build.
Read more →
The Existential Threat to Analyst Relations We Aren’t Talking About
The real threat to Gartner and Forrester isn’t ChatGPT replacing analysts — it’s product-led growth, shorter contracts, and AI letting teams build software themselves.
Read more →
Nailing Analyst Vision: A Practical Guide for Major Evaluations
A compelling analyst vision has to be succinct, provable, and something only your company could have written. Here are the five tests I run with clients.
Read more →
Analyst Relations 101 for Product Marketers
If you’re a PMM who just inherited Analyst Relations, don’t panic — here’s a five-step primer on what AR can actually do for your business and how to prioritize it.
Read more →
Major Forrester Wave Methodology Changes (June 2024)
Forrester just overhauled its Wave methodology — killing the Challenger tier and Market Presence, and making live customer references standard — with my honest take on whether each change helps or hurts vendors.
Read more →
The Elements of Great Company Storytelling with Gabriela Contreras
Brand strategist Gabriela Contreras joins Elena to talk through telling a cohesive, differentiated brand story, building case studies that actually help sales, and helping founders really see their own businesses.
Read more →
Maximizing the Impact of Your Major Evaluation Rollout: A Comprehensive Guide
A step-by-step checklist for turning a favorable Gartner or Forrester evaluation into press, sales enablement, and pipeline — without tripping over the firms’ strict promotion rules.
Read more →
5 Essential Tips for Creating a Successful Analyst Advisory Day
Five tips for making an analyst advisory day worth the money — from setting a sharp, aligned “why” to demanding custom SWOT content, prepping your execs, and bringing your CRO into the room.
Read more →
Startup Question: How do I know it’s time to engage with Analysts?
Three gates a startup should clear before writing a five- or six-figure check to Gartner, Forrester, or an AR consultant — real PMF, replacement stories against leaders, and organic signs of analyst interest.
Read more →
60 Seconds on Sales-Led Analyst Relations
A quick take on sales-led AR — get a few key analysts evangelizing your message to ICP buyers and let mention-counting and content licensing fall to the bottom of the list.
Read more →
First 60-Day Roadmap for a Newly Hired Analyst Relations (AR) Professional
Six priorities for your first 60 days in a new AR role — from setting a “help the company sell more” North Star to mapping the 5-10 analysts your buyers actually trust.
Read more →
Analyst Relations 101 with Masters of Product
Elena’s Masters of Product interview with Mustafa Kapadia — explaining AR to her mother-in-law, why growth-stage product leaders should care, and how to measure program ROI.
Read more →
Analyst Relations for Startups on the GTMfund Podcast
Elena on the GTMfund podcast — AR 101 for startups, whether AR is really pay-to-play, when to build a strategy, and how a VC pegged AR’s impact on Medallia’s IPO at half a billion dollars.
Read more →
A Sales Engineer’s Guide: Perfecting Your Analyst Demo
A sales engineer’s playbook for the analyst demo — why it isn’t a sales demo, how to set a clear objective, and the SE fundamentals that still apply when your audience isn’t a buyer.
Read more →
Debunking Five Myths of Analyst Relations for Startup CEOs
Five common misconceptions startup CEOs hold about analyst relations — pay-to-play, timing, ROI, PR, and whether Gartner and Forrester are the whole game — cleared up.
Read more →
Elena on The Bendy Show
Elena joins Beth Torrie on The Bendy Show to talk major evaluations, drawing on their combined 100 Forrester Waves and Gartner MQs.
Read more →
Your Analyst Evaluation is the Most Important Sales Cycle of the Year
A former Sales Engineer’s five plays for treating a Forrester Wave or Gartner MQ like the biggest B2B sales cycle of the year — A-team, prep, listening, timing, and fun.
Read more →
What do you want to be bad at? (The exercise I use to kick off every evaluation cycle)
Elena’s kickoff exercise for a Wave or MQ — write your dream strengths, then deliberately choose the three weaknesses you can most afford to have the analyst call out.
Read more →
The 6 Key Players You Must Recruit to Your Forrester Wave or Gartner MQ Team
The six cross-functional roles — Demonstrator, Visionary Executive, Data Wranglers, Architect, Storyteller, and Executive Sponsor — you need to staff a winning Wave or MQ team.
Read more →
Elena Talks AR with the PreSales Collective
Elena joins the PreSales Collective podcast to explain how your presales team can be a secret weapon for influencing major analysts.
Read more →