How to Build Authority (and Show Up in AI Answers)

By Bob Decker

Why publishing on your blog or social media alone is not enough these days

If you want engineers to see your company as a trusted expert, contributed articles are one of the most powerful tools you can use.

In the sensors and semiconductor industry, public relations isn’t just about press releases. It’s also about earning editorial coverage in the trade publications engineers rely on for product research, design guidance, and industry trends.

Unlike advertising, this kind of visibility doesn’t come from paying for space. It comes from providing real value. Let’s take a closer look at how contributed articles work, and why they matter more than ever.

What is a contributed article?

A contributed article is longer-form editorial content published by an independent trade publication at no charge. No advertising dollars change hands. Instead of promoting a specific product, the focus is on solving a design challenge, explaining a technical concept, interpreting an industry trend, or sharing practical engineering insight.

Trade publications exist to help engineers make better decisions. If your article does that, editors are often happy to publish it. 

“But why not just publish on our own blog and LinkedIn or other social media?” you ask. And you absolutely should publish technical content on your own site and social channels. But publishing in a respected trade magazine adds something your website alone cannot provide: independent authority. 

Appearing in the editorial pages of a trusted publication reinforces your expertise in a way that self-published content cannot. 

This dynamic has become even more important in the age of generative AI. AI systems tend to favor authoritative editorial sources when constructing responses. Independent trade publications carry significantly more weight than vendor websites in that process. Earned media coverage serves as a powerful validation signal. AI tools are remarkably good at distinguishing between advertising and editorial content, and they prioritize the latter.

If you want your company’s expertise reflected in search results and AI-generated answers, contributed articles are one of the most effective avenues available.

There are two types of contributed articles that work best:

1. Tutorial Articles: Help Engineers Solve a Problem

Tutorial articles are practical and educational. Their purpose is to help engineers understand how to apply a component or technology correctly and confidently. For example, they might explore topics such as understanding differences between component types, how to design miniature optical switching solutions, or managing power integrity in high-density layouts.

Yes, your company likely manufactures the components being discussed. But the focus should be on the design challenge and the technical considerations, not on why your specific part is superior. If an article reads like a datasheet or a product brochure, it won’t get published. If it reads like a helpful engineering guide, there’s a good chance it will.

2. Thought Leadership Articles: Share Perspective

Not every contributed article has to teach a step-by-step solution. Some of the most impactful pieces offer insight and perspective. A thought leadership article might examine emerging trends in power electronics, supply chain resilience in semiconductor manufacturing, sustainability pressures in component design, or the influence of AI-driven tools on hardware architecture.

These articles don’t need to present groundbreaking research. They simply need to offer informed observation. Engineers value thoughtful analysis that helps them anticipate where the core technologies industry is heading and how that direction might affect their designs.

Where Do Contributed Articles Come From?

By now you may be thinking, “This all sounds great, but it’s going to require a lot of time and effort to put contributed articles together and get them published.” But you likely already have more article material than you realize.

A contributed article often begins as something else. It may start as an application note written to explain a specific use case. Sometimes the foundation is content prepared for a webinar or a conference presentation. In other cases, internal engineering documentation or technical training materials provide the seed of an idea.

When technical teams are already creating useful educational content, the opportunity is there. The shift is less about inventing something new and more about reframing existing knowledge for a broader audience. With a little bit of editing and a focus on solving real-world design problems, materials your engineers are already producing can become strong editorial content for trade publications.

So now that you know what contributed articles are, where they come from, and why you should make them a part of your overall marketing strategy, in my next post, we’ll discuss what editors at trade publications are looking for, and how to maximize your investment of time and effort to have the best chances of getting published. 

Until then, did you know that getting contributed articles published is a part of the PR strategy we provide? 

At Redpines, we have long-standing relationships with publications in the core technology industry, and can connect your content with the right editors to get you published. To talk about the services we can provide you, please reach out to me by phone at 415-409-0233.

From Target List to Real Engagement: Turning ABM Strategy into Action

By Bob Decker

We’ve been focusing on account-based marketing (ABM) in recent blog posts. If you haven’t read part 1, about what ABM is, or part 2, about why ABM works at both ends of the funnel, start there before continuing with this post. 

Most ABM conversations start with building a target account list. And that’s important, but it’s also where many ABM strategies quietly stall.

Identifying the right semiconductor manufacturers, OEMs, or system integrators is only the first step. The real value of ABM shows up when those accounts begin to engage – when engineers respond to a white paper you’ve produced, procurement asks for follow-up details, or an executive agrees to a first call.

This gap, between conceiving a strategy and actually executing it, is where ABM succeeds (or doesn’t).

Consider a company selling specialized MEMS sensors to the industrial automation and medical device markets. On paper, the target list looks solid: Tier 1 OEMs, systems integrators, and a handful of global manufacturers. But if every one of those accounts receives the same messaging, the same emails, and the same generic “request a demo” call to action, ABM quickly turns into traditional marketing with a smaller audience.

Effective ABM moves beyond selecting a target account and focuses on how you can be most relevant to that account. Here are a few examples: 

• A design engineer evaluating sensor accuracy and environmental tolerance needs application-level content – white papers, performance comparisons, or integration notes – that will convince him or her that your specialized sensors meet their specific requirements.

• A procurement manager cares about supply continuity, lead times, and pricing stability, so your outreach should include clear information on manufacturing capacity, second-source strategies, lifecycle commitments, and predictable pricing models that reduce risk and simplify vendor approval.

• A product manager or VP of engineering is thinking about roadmap alignment, long-term availability, and risk mitigation, which makes executive-level messaging, technology roadmaps, and examples of long-term customer partnerships far more effective than detailed product specs alone.

Turning a target list into real engagement means building touchpoints that reflect those realities. That might include a short technical brief shared by sales, a LinkedIn ad aimed only at engineers inside a specific company, or an executive-level perspective piece that positions your company as a stable, long-term partner, rather than just a component vendor.

ABM works when each interaction feels intentional. When prospects feel like your outreach reflects an understanding of their role, their constraints, and their priorities, engagement follows naturally.

At Redpines, we help core technology companies bridge the gap between marketing and comms planning and execution. With the right structure and focus, ABM becomes less about running campaigns—and more about starting the right conversations with the accounts that matter most.

If your marketing feels like it’s stuck at the list-building stage, let’s talk. We can help you turn strategy into action that drives engagement. Reach out to me by phone at 415-409-0233 to start the conversation. 

Marcom Brief: Why ABM Works at Both Ends of the Funnel

 By Bob Decker 

The other day a colleague asked me whether account-based marketing (ABM) was primarily a "top of funnel" type of tactic for reaching out to customers — in other words, a way of getting on their radars and growing some name recognition — rather than a way to generate an immediate sale.

The answer is that ABM works very well in both situations and it's a technique that lets you work opposite ends of the funnel simultaneously with separate and distinct messaging streams tailored to specific roles within the target organization.

Imagine, for example, that your target is a multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation and you're selling a commodity type of component that's essential to one of their key products. Probably upper management isn't going to be interested in hearing about this particular device no matter how superior your product is compared to the competition. But they might very well be interested to read a thought leadership piece from one of your executives that demonstrates that you understand the challenges they face and what kind of company they'd like to partner with as a supplier and why you're that kind of company more than your competitors. And, in fact, even if you can just get them to read the headline, and associate it with your company, that can be enough to make a positive impression.

The great thing about ABM is that you can be having this high-level conversation with the C-suite while you're also having a nuts and bolts conversation with the purchasing team that's needing to figure out how to manage costs and/or ensure an uninterrupted supply of a key component. In this case a very specific, product-level conversation is called for — and ABM is very good at making that happen as well.

At Redpines, we help technology companies translate complex products and markets into marketing strategies that generate measurable growth. One approach we’ve found especially effective—when done with focus and technical fluency—is account-based marketing (ABM).

If your team is ready to go beyond broad awareness campaigns and start targeting the customers who truly matter, we can help. From strategy to execution, we’ll work with you to build an ABM program that aligns with your market realities, supports your sales team, and delivers real traction.

Curious about how ABM could work for your business? Give me a call at 415-409-0233 and let’s discuss the possibilities.