When a hacking or data breach story hits the headlines, cybersecurity companies often find themselves caught in a cycle of rapid response, jumping on breaking news with quick commentaries. While this approach can generate immediate visibility, it's only one piece of a truly effective public relations strategy. As the head of Treble's cybersecurity PR practice, I've seen firsthand the need for a more nuanced, multi-faceted approach that combines agile commentary with strategic content development and corporate news.

At its core, PR’s real purpose is to create awareness and accelerate business growth goals. At the top of the marketing funnel, PR coverage can populate search engine results with your company’s key messages. At the mid-funnel stage, strategic PR coverage can accelerate the deal pipeline and deliver assets that your sales team can share with prospects to validate your key messages and solutions. Where the top-of-funnel results drive noise and overall brand awareness (which can be supported by rapid response), mid-funnel PR coverage is more about quality (full feature stories and key vertical stories are better than passing mentions).

By combining a few key strategies and working them in parallel, companies can approach their PR efforts from multiple perspectives and increase their chances of success.

The Foundation: Corporate News

Corporate news, such as product launches, partnerships or company milestones, may sit at the other end of the spectrum from breaking news, but it is critical to telling a company's specific narrative. Because they provide more in-depth details and a more controlled narrative, these types of announcements are ideal for spurring mid-funnel content. While these stories might not always land in top-tier publications, they often result in more detailed coverage from industry outlets, which can be more valuable for driving business and sales opportunities.

The trusty press release remains a key tactical piece for getting information to journalists. A recent industry report found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of journalists value press releases as their preferred content to receive from PR professionals. The press release serves a dual role: lending credibility to your corporate news while providing journalists with the building blocks they need to tell a bigger story about your company.

The Importance of Industry Publications

One often overlooked aspect of cybersecurity PR is the power of vertical-specific storytelling. In my experience, getting very specific cybersecurity placements that are more in-depth pieces or vertical storytelling in the segments you're selling into is the way to really drive business opportunities for your company and outbound content that can be used in sales campaigns.

Due to the sensitive nature of cybersecurity, it can be challenging to get customers to speak publicly about their security efforts. However, there are still effective ways to leverage industry publications:

  • Use cases within specific industries: While you may not be able to name customers, you can discuss how your solutions address unique challenges in particular sectors.
  • Refer to clients by size or type: For example, “a Fortune 500 retailer” or “a major healthcare provider.”
  • Highlight momentum in specific verticals: Share customer growth percentages or discuss increased traction in particular industries.
  • Address industry-specific challenges: Dive deep into the unique security issues faced by different sectors and how your solutions address them.
  • Combine thought leadership with vertical storytelling: Discuss broader industry trends and challenges without specifying solutions, positioning your company as an authority in the space.

These approaches produce valuable mid-funnel content that can be repurposed for social media or vertical-specific demand-generation campaigns.

Expanding Your Media Mix

Along with producing a steady stream of corporate announcements and demonstrating industry expertise, the parallel PR approach extends to the type of publications you should pursue. A mention or feature in top-tier business media like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Reuters or Bloomberg is often at the top of the list for ambitious executives. Those placements don’t come easily, but there is a proven path to get there.

Reporters for big-time publications often look to industry coverage for emerging trends or up-and-coming companies. A PR campaign that combines a quote or analysis of breaking news, coupled with insightful commentary on evolving or forward-looking trends and topics, creates an opportunity to emphasize your subject-matter expertise and create interest from tech reporters.

You should also vary the medium, going beyond traditional outlets to include podcasts, conference panels and speaking at industry events. Broadcast or video podcast interviews are powerful tools for demonstrating your ability to present well to the business press.

Success Stories

This multi-faceted approach has delivered measurable results for clients. A senior security analyst for a cloud security startup had years of experience and was excellent in interviews. We moved him into a thought leadership role for the company and landed interviews with USA Today and Fox Business News, which helped increase the company’s share of voice by 33% in one quarter.

In another example, a late-stage company with 8,500+ servers launched a new security product. Product launches aren’t a heavy news driver, but through a combination of thought leadership, targeted placements and offline efforts like a NASDAQ billboard, coverage nearly doubled their share of voice from the previous quarter and drove inbound requests for demos. The CEO called it “the best brand launch in company history.”

Conclusion

It’s exciting to be in the middle of a rapid response or trendjacking opportunity. Things are moving quickly in cybersecurity, and the potential payoff of being included in major publications can be huge. Many agencies excel at quickly crafting brief, relevant comments and securing media hits in the wake of breaking news, but it can’t be the only tool in your arsenal.

While the allure of rapid response and trendjacking in cybersecurity PR is undeniable, a truly effective strategy requires a more balanced approach. By combining quick commentary with thoughtful corporate news, product-centric stories, and vertical-specific content, cybersecurity companies can create a comprehensive narrative that drives both awareness and concrete business opportunities. In the complex world of cybersecurity, it's this strategic, multi-faceted approach that will ultimately yield the most meaningful results.