Cybersecurity isn’t a shadowy, intensely nerdy specialty anymore. It’s a board-level concern for every brand and industry. According to IBM's latest Cost of a Data Breach report, the average hit from a security incident is $4.88 million, a 10% increase over last year and the highest total ever.
So what happens when you're handling PR for a company that touches cybersecurity but doesn't have a dedicated security chief (CISO)? You're navigating a high-stakes conversation without the traditional expert in your corner.
The good news? This challenge is also your opportunity. As security increasingly touches everything from how products are built to how customers trust your brand, every company needs a voice in these conversations, even without a dedicated security leader. Here's your field guide to navigating cybersecurity media relations when security isn't your client's primary focus but still matters tremendously.
Not Every Cybersecurity Story Deserves Your Hot Take
The cybersecurity news cycle moves incredibly fast. Without a CISO to provide rapid technical validation, PR professionals must be highly selective about which trends to engage with. Whether it’s the latest outage or massive investment in the space, always consider how attaching to the trend ties back to the overall business: “Is a mention in a Crowdstrike article really going to advance our PR initiatives?”
Don't feel compelled to comment on every cybersecurity story that crosses your desk. Instead, zero in on the specific threats that actually touch your industry, product, or services. If you represent a financial services platform, prioritize stories about payment fraud or financial data breaches rather than industrial control system vulnerabilities. This selective approach builds credibility in specific areas rather than positioning your company as a general security commentator. Journalists will recognize your focused expertise instead of seeing another company capitalizing on security headlines.
When that reporter calls asking for comment on the latest breach, you need a quick way to determine if and how you should respond:
- Is this security trend actually relevant to our customers' world?
- Do we have legitimate expertise on this specific issue (or are we just another voice adding noise)?
- Can we say something interesting that hasn't been said by 20 other companies already?
This quick triage process saves you from the dreaded "Why did we comment on that?" conversation with your leadership team later.
No CISO? No Problem. Develop Your Security Bench
Here’s a secret: journalists don't always need to talk to a CISO. What they need is someone who can speak intelligently about security in your specific context. Look for people in your organization who can credibly talk about security. Your CTO, CIO, or VP of Engineering likely has significant security knowledge. With proper media training focused on security messaging, these technical leaders can effectively address security aspects relevant to your products.
When positioning these leaders:
- Emphasize their involvement with security architecture decisions
- Highlight their understanding of security in your specific industry
- Focus on their ability to translate complex security concepts into business outcomes
- Their past experience in security roles, especially in government intelligence agencies like the CIA and FBI
Many organizations without a CISO also establish cross-functional security committees. Committee members representing legal, IT, product, and operations can serve as topic-specific security spokespeople, offering diverse perspectives on how security impacts different business aspects.
This panel approach allows matching the most appropriate spokesperson to each media opportunity:
- Legal representatives for compliance and regulatory topics
- Product managers for security feature discussions
- IT directors for infrastructure security questions
- Privacy officers for data protection conversations
Security as a Feature, Not an Afterthought
Integrate security messages into core product narratives rather than treating cybersecurity as a separate topic. Work with your product team to understand the security elements built into your offerings. Instead of relegating these to technical documentation, elevate them within your overall product story.
For example, rather than simply announcing a new feature, highlight how it was designed with security in mind. This shifts the conversation from "here's what our product does" to "here's how our product responsibly addresses a need."
The next phase is showing the direct customer impact. Security features become more compelling when framed as customer benefits rather than technical specifications. Translate security capabilities into outcomes that resonate with your audience:
- "Our end-to-end encryption gives healthcare providers confidence that patient information remains private while enabling seamless collaboration."
- "Two-factor authentication ensures that only legitimate users can access financial records, preventing costly fraud scenarios."
Incorporate Security Perspectives in Industry Trend Articles
Rather than publishing standalone cybersecurity content, integrate security considerations into broader business narratives. An article about remote work could include secure collaboration practices, or a piece about digital transformation might address how security enables innovation. This approach demonstrates security awareness without positioning your company as a security vendor. It also creates natural opportunities for media coverage within mainstream business conversations.
Even when a media briefing isn't focused on security, prepare spokespeople with relevant security talking points. This ensures they can confidently address security questions and demonstrates that security is integral to your company's thinking.
Create a regularly updated "security basics" briefing document covering:
- How your company approaches security governance
- Key security features in your products or services
- Your perspective on current security trends affecting your industry
- Common customer security concerns and how you address them
Security is an Ongoing Narrative
Here's the reality: successfully navigating cybersecurity media relations without a CISO isn't about scoring that one big security headline. It's about consistently demonstrating that security is part of your company's DNA through everything you communicate.
The best PR pros in this space don't treat security as that special topic they dust off when there's a major breach in the news. They weave security thoughtfully throughout their entire communications program—from product messaging to executive interviews to customer case studies.
At Treble, we've watched clients transform their market position through strategic security communications—even without dedicated security leadership. By approaching security through the lens of your core business value rather than technical jargon, you build credibility with both journalists and customers that pays dividends over time.
The best part? When the next major security incident hits your industry, you won't be scrambling to establish your voice in the conversation. You'll already be a trusted part of it.
Struggling with an upcoming security-adjacent product launch? Unsure how to position your technical leaders as security voices? Let's talk about how Treble has helped dozens of companies without dedicated security teams successfully navigate these exact challenges.