Good post on analysts, Craig. Couple thoughts: Startups should think of analysts as potential allies and win them over, much as they do reporters. The first step, just like with marketing, is bringing yourself to their attention. If they are publishing papers and being quoted about your industry, but they're not mentioning you, then you need to write them a quick email explaining what you do and why it's different. That's outbound. If you're kind of prominent, you'll get inbound calls from analysts. Treat them like reporters: Give them as much information as you can, help them write the reports they're paid to write, and above all give them insights into your industry that will make them smarter and more knowledgeable. That's their value add, and you can help them get there. If you do, they'll return to the well. I've built some great relationships with analysts over the years doing precisely that. Many of them are smart, curious people, and their reports can be solid social proof for young products. Help them wherever you can.
First, thanks! I Completely agree on your points, I've seen the biggest value come from relationship built over years not over a few isolated incidents. I'll add a couple additional thoughts:
1. Several of them may cover some generic tech or market growth, especially in the tech space around open source. I've often had conversations with some just around the growth of Postgres where there's no product, helping support a community project can be generally helpful to them at times.
2. They get a lot of email, as we all do, so I might shy away from sending too much. From my experience it's often easier to follow on twitter and start to engage in conversations at the opportune times.
