Talking Headless Show · October 28, 2026
Analyst relations works best when both sides understand what the other needs, and the Talking Headless Show on October 28, 2026 puts both sides in one conversation. I have two guests who work the analyst relations (AR) craft every day, and I am bringing a voice that no episode of this show has had before: 175 industry analysts at once.
The second segment of the show usually features one industry analyst. This time John Rockhold brings the results of a survey that 175 analysts answered. I get to ask what a whole community of analysts thinks, instead of one person's view.
Abbey Fischer turns analyst relationships into executive intelligence
Abbey Fischer is Head of Analyst Relations at Qualtrics, where she leads the company's engagement with industry analysts. She has nearly a decade of experience on both the agency side and the in-house side, and she treats analyst relationships as a strategic asset. Her work shapes market perception and converts what analysts say into intelligence that executives use to make decisions.
Before Qualtrics, Abbey served as Senior Analyst Relations Manager at Amazon Ads. Earlier, she led client work for the Marketing and Sales Technology portfolio at Spotlight Analyst Relations. I want to hear how that path shaped the way she runs AR today.
John Rockhold brings the analyst community to the table
John Rockhold is Vice President of Market Engagement at Spotlight. He started as a journalist and moved into analyst relations leadership. He helps B2B organizations keep their expertise visible and trusted with analysts, customers, partners, and AI systems. The urgency is simple. Buyers research long before they ever contact a vendor, so the sources they consult carry the first impression of your company.
Buyers research long before they ever contact a vendor.
The survey asks analysts what makes AR useful to them
Spotlight published the 2026 Analyst Survey Report, based on responses from 175 analysts. The report covers customer evidence, answer engines, and how analyst relations can be more useful to everyone involved. Spotlight conducted and published the survey, so treat the figures as vendor-supplied and unaudited. I will read the methodology with John on air.
Answer engines matter here because analyst content feeds the answers buyers now get from AI search tools. If analysts shape what those systems say about your category, then what analysts need from you becomes a marketing visibility question as well as a relations question.
The show covers two conversations in one hour
In the first segment, Abbey walks us through her journey and how she builds AR programs that earn executive attention. In the second, John shares what analysts told Spotlight about their priorities and how vendors can meet them.
Join us live on LinkedIn on October 28, 2026 at 12 noon ET. Watch here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7519805286623215617?viewAsMember=true.
What to do Monday
Monday, November 2, 2026 is the first workday after the show. Use it to act on what you heard.
Read the survey report before the episode and write down one question you want John to answer. Pull together the customer stories you could offer an analyst this quarter, with names and results you can verify. Then ask an answer engine about your category and see which sources it cites.
Bring those three findings to your next AR meeting and assign an owner to each.
Works Cited
Spotlight. The 2026 Analyst Survey Report. Spotlight, 2026, spotlight-io.com/resource/2026-analyst-survey-report. Vendor-supplied survey; figures not independently audited.
