Axios published an analysis earlier this year that hasn’t left my mind since I first read it. “Shards of glass: Inside media’s 12 splintering realities” painted a stark picture of how our media landscape has shattered into distinct fragments, each with its own set of trusted voices, preferred platforms and ways of consuming information.

The piece focused on consumer audiences, but its insights reveal equally important lessons for B2B companies. The days of reaching your entire audience through the Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch are over. Just as Americans increasingly live in different media realities based on age, politics and interests, B2B decision-makers now inhabit distinct information ecosystems.

The C-suite executive scrolling through Axios newsletters, the VC listening to tech podcasts during their morning workout, and the IT director deep in Reddit threads consume—and trust—vastly different sources of information.

For B2B tech companies, this fragmentation presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Reaching and influencing key audiences is more complex than ever, and those who understand how to navigate these new media realities can build deeper connections with their target customers, investors and partners.

Moreover, the barrier to entry for creating new media outlets and channels has never been lower. While building an audience is challenging, creating the distribution channel is not. More journalists are spinning out on their own, sometimes in the wake of painful layoffs, to start new outlets. Some are newsletters, such as Tom Krazit’s Runtime, started in the wake of Protocol’s abrupt shuttering. Some are entirely newly created properties like Eric Newcomer’s Newcomer, which follows the inner workings of the startup and venture capital industry.

As we look ahead to 2025, companies must understand where their audiences live in this fractured landscape and how to reach them authentically and effectively. Let’s examine the key media fragments where B2B tech companies should focus their attention in 2025 and beyond.

B2B’s New Media Reality

While Axios identified 12 distinct media realities, B2B tech companies should focus on five key “shards” where their stakeholders spend their time:

Elite Power-Consumers: The Axios Base

These are the C-suite executives and decision-makers who seek out news daily, both for passion and professional enhancement. They start their day with smart newsletters that curate business, tech and industry insights. While they may overlap with other groups, they’re discerning about their information sources and value quality over quantity. Think Axios Pro subscribers, Bloomberg Terminal users and industry-specific premium content consumers.

The Financiers: Following the Money

This traditionally Wall Street Journal and CNBC crowd has evolved. They still rely on established financial media, but they’re increasingly tuning into tech-focused podcasts from All-In and a16z for deeper insights into industry trends. They also follow specific tech journalists and analysts who break funding news and track industry movements.

LinkedIn Professionals: The B2B Water Cooler

LinkedIn has transformed from a simple professional networking site into a key platform for B2B thought leadership and industry discussion. Decision-makers and industry experts engage here daily, sharing insights and building professional authority. The platform’s algorithm favors native content and authentic engagement, making it crucial for B2B communications.

Niche Experts: The Deep Dive Crowd

These are the technical gurus and industry specialists who live in specialized communities. They frequent industry-specific publications, participate in technical forums and engage deeply on platforms like GitHub, Stack Overflow and specialized Discord servers. They value technical accuracy and peer validation over mainstream coverage.

The New Aggregators: Emerging Channels

A growing segment of B2B audiences discovers information through new channels. Think Reddit’s r/technology and r/startups, specialized Substack newsletters and industry-specific Slack communities. These platforms often drive the early discussions that eventually reach mainstream business media.

Understanding these distinct yet overlapping audiences is crucial for modern B2B tech communications. Each group speaks its own language, prefers specific formats and responds to different trust signals. Success requires not just reaching these audiences where they are but speaking to them in ways that resonate with their specific media consumption habits.

What This Means for 2025

B2B tech companies that adapt quickly to increasing media fragmentation will gain significant advantages. While reaching audiences requires more sophistication than before, this evolution creates unprecedented opportunities for companies to build deeper, more authentic relationships with their key stakeholders.

First, quality still matters more than quantity—perhaps even more than before. The landscape has fragmented, and attempting to be everywhere at once is a recipe for diluted impact. Instead, successful companies in 2025 will identify which media shards most directly influence their key stakeholders and focus their efforts there. This also requires a leap of faith. Companies should identify emerging authority voices and give their time willingly to invest in those relationships.

Second, authenticity will become even more critical. Each audience has a finely tuned radar for content that feels inauthentic or out of place on their preferred platforms. Tomorrow’s successful B2B companies will understand more than just where their audiences are. They’ll grasp how these audiences communicate and what they value.

Finally, media fragmentation means building genuine authority in your space will matter more than ever. As traditional media gatekeepers lose influence, companies have more opportunities to shape their narratives—but they must do so thoughtfully and consistently. Those who master communication across their key media shards will emerge as the trusted voices in their industries.

The B2B media landscape will undoubtedly continue to evolve, but one thing is clear: understanding and adapting to these distinct media realities isn’t optional—it’s essential for effective communication in tomorrow’s even more fragmented world.