B2B buyers may form preferences for vendors months before speaking with a salesperson, increasing the importance of marketing channels that can maintain relationships during periods when prospects are not actively purchasing. Breaker, a newsletter platform focused on B2B audience growth and targeting, argues that newsletters can serve that long-term role.

The argument is supported by research cited in the announcement. The LinkedIn B2B Institute's 95-5 Rule estimates that up to 95% of potential B2B buyers are out of market at any given time. Separately, a 2025 global study by 6sense involving nearly 4,000 B2B buyers found that the average purchase journey lasted 10.1 months and that 95% of winning vendors were already on a buyer's shortlist on the first day of the purchasing process.

For companies selling complex products or services, those findings point to a marketing challenge that extends beyond lead generation: remaining relevant before an active buying process begins.

Newsletters Extend the Buyer Relationship

Breaker founder and CEO Ben Billups describes newsletters as a recurring channel through which companies can educate prospects, communicate expertise and remain familiar throughout a lengthy buying cycle.

Unlike a corporate homepage, which typically needs to communicate a company's offering and target audience quickly, a newsletter can provide a continuing stream of case studies, industry analysis, customer examples and practical information.

The distinction is important because B2B buyers often conduct significant research before engaging with sales. A recurring communication channel gives companies an opportunity to influence that research phase rather than waiting for a prospect to submit a form or request a meeting.

Market Landscape

Content marketing remains a significant component of B2B marketing programs. The Content Marketing Institute data cited by Breaker says 71% of B2B marketers use newsletters to distribute content, while 62% report that content marketing helped nurture subscribers, audiences or leads.

However, the growing availability of automated content and email platforms also makes differentiation more difficult. Sending more messages does not necessarily create stronger relationships. For newsletters to contribute to brand preference, content needs to offer a distinct perspective and remain relevant to a clearly defined professional audience.

This shifts the role of the newsletter from simple content distribution toward ongoing audience development.

Strategic Outlook

The long-term value of newsletters also creates an attribution challenge. Breaker says businesses may publish for six to 12 months before the channel begins generating meaningful deal flow. Such a timeline makes it difficult to attribute a purchase to a single email.

That does not necessarily diminish the channel's strategic value. In long B2B buying cycles, repeated exposure can contribute to familiarity before a prospect enters the market.

For marketing teams, the broader lesson is to evaluate newsletters as part of a broader content and demand-generation system rather than solely through immediate conversion metrics. Audience growth, engagement, brand familiarity and eventual pipeline influence can provide a more complete view of performance.

Top Insights

• B2B buying preferences can develop before sales engagement.
• 6sense reported an average 10.1-month B2B purchase journey.
• Breaker positions newsletters as a long-term nurture channel.
• Content Marketing Institute data cited by the company shows broad B2B newsletter adoption.
• Consistent, differentiated content remains important as automated publishing expands.

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