20 Years of TechComms
Reflected Expectations, Media Evolution, and What Lies Ahead – from our Founder, Rahme Mehmet
When I launched TechComms in 2006, the B2B tech landscape (and the media world surrounding it) looked dramatically different.
What started as a solo consultancy focused on analyst relations following an unexpected redundancy has organically grown into an award-winning, full-service multinational agency.
As we celebrated our 20-year anniversary last week, I’ve been reflecting on our journey, how the PR industry has fundamentally shifted over two decades, and where we go from here.
Solo AR consultancy to full-service agency
TechComms was born out of opportunity. After being made redundant from a larger tech agency where I was the sole in-house analyst relations consultant, I decided to take a leap. It wasn’t part of a grand career plan, to be honest. But I had built strong relationships and deep expertise over the years, and I thought: why not continue doing what I’m good at, but on my own terms? Looking back, it was a brave move at the time, but it’s been an incredible journey.
That solo AR consultancy didn’t stay small for long.
The market itself was changing. Clients in the UK began to expect agencies to offer a mix of services that align with their broader business objectives.
Listening closely to our clients, we began adding those new services. It was a completely organic evolution based on what our clients were asking for.
For our clients, it’s not just about securing a placement in an analyst report or a media article; it’s about integrating PR, content, digital, and social strategies to drive business outcomes such as building credibility, strengthening market visibility or influencing audiences.
TechComms is now a full-service integrated communications agency. Alongside our core PR and media expertise, we offer analyst relations, content strategy and creation, demand generation, organic social strategy, executive profiling and thought-leadership, research and insight, video and podcast production, crisis communications, event support, and data-driven competitive share-of-voice analysis.
In 2024, TechComms won the PRCA Small Agency of the Year award and was named among PRWeek’s Top 100 UK agencies, alongside nominations for the prestigious CIPR and IIAR Awards. That recognition continued in 2025, when we were ranked among PRWeek’s Top 40 B2B Tech agencies. In 2026, we’ve already been shortlisted for the CRN Channel Awards – Channel Service Provider of the Year.
Team Expertise
I’m supported by a brilliant and experienced team of PR, analyst relations, content, social, digital and communications specialists, bringing together a mix of senior strategic expertise and hands-on delivery. That includes colleagues such as Senior Account Director, Lisa Perry (left) who celebrates 10-years with TechComms this month; Senior Account Manager, Avani Gill, and Account Executive, Ali Pasha, alongside a broader network of specialist consultants and partners.
My role has evolved a lot over the years too. I check in with the team daily – every morning – to support them and help set priorities. However, I’m more focused on business development now – attending industry events, meeting with clients, creating proposals and growing the business. I still have a passion for PR and messaging work, so I dip in when I can.
Recently, I’ve also been more involved in shaping our marketing strategy, ensuring that our values and the work we do are communicated effectively. We held some internal workshops to re-define our core values. Our core values are essential to our approach: we are a creative agency and back that up with a data-driven approach; we’re committed to our clients and to each other. We strive for excellence, consistently aiming for high standards, especially in content, as our clients will confirm! Adaptability and accountability are also key, reflecting our agile, growing team. Our accountability ensures open, honest communication with clients, taking responsibility for outcomes and explaining any challenges when necessary.
Two Decades of Media Transformation
Reaching the 20-year mark has given me a chance to look back at just how much our craft has changed since I first opened our doors.
In 2006, a campaign revolved almost entirely around the press release and traditional media pitching. You drafted a release, sent it by fax, followed up with phone calls, and aimed for coverage in key print titles (there were almost no online publications). Even emailing a press release was hit and miss in those days.
In 2026, a PR campaign is an integrated, multi-channel ecosystem. Media relations is just one piece of the puzzle. We integrate it alongside analyst relations, SEO/GEO optimisation, LinkedIn thought leadership, short-form video, podcasts, and data-driven demand generation to drive tangible business outcomes.
Twenty years ago, PR was built on face-to-face desk visits, media lunches, and phone catch-ups. Today, relationships are faster, highly transactional, and digital-first. Journalists simply don’t have time for casual networking anymore, making rapid response, sharp angles, and pre-packaged assets (like verified data or ready-to-publish commentary) vital.
Newsrooms have shrunk dramatically. Specialist tech reporters are far rarer, and those who remain face relentless pressures to produce high volumes of content daily. Journalists no longer have the luxury of spending days researching a feature; they rely on PR professionals who can deliver credible, pre-verified insights immediately.
Print publications were once king.
In 2006, print was king. Securing a full-page print feature in titles like FT, Computing, or key trade magazines was the ultimate goal for B2B tech clients. Today, print is a niche luxury. Online reach, domain authority, search visibility, and digital shareability take priority.
In 2006, executive profiling meant pitching a spokesperson for a panel or a print trade interview. Today, LinkedIn has turned executives into media channels in their own right. We use organic social strategies to help C-suite leaders speak directly to buyers, analysts, and prospective hires, bypassing traditional media intermediaries altogether.
Analyst relations has become more structured – and more commercial
Twenty years ago, access to analysts was often more direct and relationship-led. AR professionals played a crucial role in connecting vendors with analysts, helping them understand a company’s market position, technology, customer base and growth trajectory, while also providing the information analysts needed to shape research, forecasts and market predictions.
Today, many of those fundamentals remain the same – clear positioning, strong messaging and well-prepared briefings are still essential — but access can be more structured and, in some cases, more restricted. Analyst firms have expanded their account management models and developed a much broader range of paid services, from research subscriptions and message testing to advisory projects, webinars, events and bespoke market studies.
At the same time, the technology landscape has become far more interconnected. Vendors increasingly operate across multiple categories, which means analyst engagement can no longer sit neatly within one practice area. Analysts themselves are collaborating more across sectors, and successful AR programmes need to engage a wider group of influencers and connect company messaging across multiple markets.
Measurement
Luckily, we’ve moved far away from arbitrary metrics like Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) and estimated readership. Today, we measure campaign success through sophisticated data: competitive share of voice, message penetration, domain referral traffic, lead attribution, and vendor positioning in major analyst reports.
SEO taught us to value backlink quality and keywords, but Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the new frontier. We are now optimising content so AI search tools (like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini) synthesize and cite our clients. PR must earn authoritative coverage across trusted industry sources so AI engines recognise our clients as market leaders.
Looking Ahead: Where Does PR Go Next?
As TechComms enters its third decade (which makes me gulp when I write it), I see PR continuing its shift toward integrated reputation management and brand authority.
With AI tools generating millions of articles daily, authentic human commentary, primary research, proprietary data, and high-touch analyst and media relations will become the ultimate differentiators for tech companies.
Smart brands will rely on agencies not just to generate noise, but to deliver verified credibility that cuts through it.
At our core, my team and I remain deeply passionate about partnering with companies that are making a real difference – whether that’s stopping fraud, combating cyber threats, or improving lives through technology. Combining that passion with a data-driven, creative approach is what has carried TechComms through the last 20 years, and it is exactly what will drive our next chapter.