War of Words: In the Ultra-Competitive Defense Tech Industry, Storytelling is a Secret Weapon 

Welcome to the LoadoutRoom, Todd Barrish!

We live in dangerous times, and escalating geopolitical tensions have unlocked billions of dollars in public and private technology investments to modernize defense capabilities around the world. This demand for innovation has led to a surge in VC firms and startups entering the defense sector, directly challenging the dominance of traditional defense industrial base (DIB) players, and creating a significant opportunity for new entrants that are able to separate the signal from the noise.

FIRE FOR EFFECT

In defense procurement, certain evaluation criteria will always be important, including obvious factors like: cost, performance, system interoperability, lifecycle logistics, etc. For a long time though (and arguably still today), decisions on service vendors were also made based on less tangible reasons, like long-held relationships, and a certain bureaucratic resistance to change. But now, the promise of innovation has replaced the influence of the old guard, leaving the door wide open for defense tech companies to plead their case.

For as long as there has been conflict, there has been storytelling – tales of combat, heroism, and the human toll – and public relations (PR) has always been wielded as a weapon of influence to help shape what happened, why it happened, and what needs to happen next. Tech companies trying to break into the defense sector must provide the same sort of context, creating a broader narrative for their offering that clearly demonstrates value beyond price alone. In other words, it’s not just about selling products, it’s about changing perceptions.

HISTORY WILL BE WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS

Given the ubiquity of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, the concept of reputation is fragile, and fluid. And, as AI/GenAI continue to proliferate, how we create and consume content is also changing, impacting discoverability online. For example, while search engine optimization (SEO) was once a major strategy for increasing a brand’s search ranking, there is now generative engine optimization (GEO), which is the process of optimizing content to boost its visibility in AI-driven search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, and Google AI Overviews.

We’re also in the midst of a huge generational shift in the workplace, and as more baby boomers retire, they’re being replaced by journalists, procurement officers, and investors who largely rely on summaries, keyword matches, and contextual cues to form opinions – not deep-dive PDFs or dossiers.

Why does all this matter? As decision makers are doing their research on top defense tech companies, any brand not producing regular, strategic content will essentially be invisible online – a harsh but true reality of our new generative era. That means companies need to be smart about what they write, how they write it, and where it appears.

5 KEY ELEMENTS OF A MODERN DEFENSE TECH PR STRATEGY

As those in defense tech already know, the opportunity for growth right now is huge. According to Crunchbase, funding to VC-backed defense startups targeting military, national security, and law enforcement agencies reached $3 billion in 2024, an 11% uptick from 2023. One recent example of this momentum is Saronic Technologies, which just closed a $600 million Series C funding round to expand its autonomous surface vessel fleet for the United States Navy.

Building a positive reputation in the defense tech sector requires discipline, but establishing solid fundamentals now will ultimately pay dividends, especially when it’s time to scale. Here are five key elements of a modern defense tech PR strategy:

1. Define Your Strategic Narrative

It might sound counterintuitive, but when pitching their offering, a lot of companies make the mistake of focusing too much on themselves. “Here’s why we’re great!” or “Here’s what we do that nobody else does!” (Tech companies are especially guilty of this.) Instead, go beyond the product features and tell a simple story – here is the situation, here is the complication, and here is the resolution. Create a strategic narrative that is centered around solving a problem instead of adding a capability. That way, the value-add is immediate.

2. Invest in Media Relationships

Real influence isn’t what a company says about itself, it’s what others say about the company. The way to gain this sort of clout is by getting your story told by trusted voices in the industry: defense trade media, tech press, national security correspondents, etc. Brief early, and brief often. And remember, relationships are built, not bought.

3. Build a Thought Leadership Engine

Reviewing credentials is a core part of any evaluation, but it can be hard for startups to show the depth of their expertise when competing against long-established companies. That’s why it’s important to also publish insight-rich content on owned media channels (website articles, whitepapers, LinkedIn posts, podcasts, etc.) to help establish authority on certain key topics. The goal is to position the company and its leaders at the vanguard of any issues that might be top-of-mind for decision makers.

4. Own the Funding and Milestone Moments

Many people confuse PR with promotion, and while that’s part of the equation, it’s only surface level strategy. Imagine you’re a startup that just received a big round of funding. That’s great, but the funding is not the whole story – it’s just another brick in a larger reputational tower you’re building. Meaning, it’s important to wrap these sort of milestone moments in strategic narratives that can further a broader mission. That’s where the right PR team can help move past the excitement to find the opportunity.

5. Find Common Ground

For some tech companies, innovation is about moving fast and breaking things, but the defense sector tends to be a far more risk-averse industry due to the inherent focus on data-driven intel, force protection, and chain of command. Companies just entering the sector should factor this into how they talk about their company mission, and what topics leaders talk about in the press. Rather than constantly “pushing” a company narrative, try to also follow the media cycle and lend perspectives to current policy debates, acquisition changes, or geopolitical shifts. By understanding industry norms and working POVs into existing discourse, it shows respect and reduces the potential of your company being perceived as a risky gamble.

A BATTLE FOR RELEVANCE

In 2023, the US Department of Defense released the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy (NDSTS), which clearly emphasized the importance of “leveraging critical emerging technologies” to bolster competitive advantages and help ensure national security over the long term.

This is the moment for defense tech, and the next 12-24 months will be a battle for relevance. By investing in storytelling capabilities now, companies can take control of their identity, build industry credibility, and join the fight to determine the future of defense.

Todd Barrish Bio
As founder and president of Indicate Media, Todd works with Indicate Media clients to advance their business objectives by executing data-driven public relations campaigns. He currently leads the agency’s client relations, new business development, services innovation, and overall growth initiatives. Specializing in public relations for B2B technology, venture capital, and growth equity firms, his work focuses on delivering exceptional results for public and privately held businesses.