With massive cyberattacks on organizations and states, cyber security is one of today’s hottest news topics. Consequently, the phenomenon has birthed a cybersecurity startup boom, further crowding an already congested market. This begs the question: How can cybersecurity companies, with proven innovations on offer, break through the logjam and get the media recognition they deserve?
Spoiler alert - you already have the answer: the data your systems collect to protect your clients can be used to create newsworthy reports.
A key example: Through its investigative study on data breaches, Verizon managed to pinpoint the four points of entry threat actors use to access enterprise data - credentials, phishing, exploiting vulnerabilities, and botnets. The report gets published in countless publications and quoted for months afterward.
The Media are Looking for Newsworthy Stories
Today’s “newsrooms” are smaller than ever before -- typical publications have fewer journalists covering more areas - five staffers is considered a large team these days. They don’t have time to chase after stories; therefore, publications are hungry for amazing content - objective, engaging, well written, and, above all, newsworthy. Media is looking to cover not just the latest breaches but more substantive reporting on what organizations and governments are doing to stem the overwhelming tide of cyberattacks. Your case studies, analysis, reports, surveys, white papers, data sheets can provide them the information they need.
Why Corporate Data Generates Greater Media Interest
Information as marketing currency: conducting a survey – for example, what top companies do to become cyber-ready – and touting the results boosts your company’s credibility, shining a spotlight on your brand as the go-to source for knowledge and information on cybersecurity issues. Journalists love statistics that validate their content, while readers love figures for the sheer value of new information. Make sure your surveys are objective and accurate and serve the readers’ interests, not your company’s.
White Papers: A Great Case for Your Product or Service
By repackaging the objective content contained within your white papers – e.g. retail fraud in the digital age, you’ll educate and influence readers and, more importantly, decision makers, on why your solution is critical to solving a specific problem. It’s a great way to explain an unfamiliar product or approach and provide answers to and even invite potential questions. Tip: Just the facts, ma’am. Keep your white papers short, easy to read, issue-centered, and loaded with benefits.
Reports: Informed Recommendations for Decision Makers
Generating reports -- for example, threat intelligence reports -- communicates to readers or potential clients detailed information based on your actual research and data analysis. In the cybersecurity market, a report could elaborate on the threat landscape and mitigation options. It could include survey results, technical analysis, and supplementary research material, such as data on the most current threat actors. More importantly, it comes with informed recommendations of great value to decision makers. The quality of the report is often based on the quality of the writing, not just the numbers.
Case Studies: How Your Solution Solves Real Problems
Case studies are so popular because they demonstrate how a business’s product or service has worked successfully for actual customers. By bringing your solution to real life, you not only demonstrate success, but you also focus on the customer, not the business - something prospective customers will favorably react to. Case studies can come in the form of blogs, pdfs, and even videos.
The Hard Work is Done. Now Comes the Harder Part.
You spent time, effort, and expertise in researching and writing up all this information. The next step is to gain media attention. Promoting your surveys, white papers, reports, case studies, and other corporate data requires different strategies and tactics.
Do you have relationships with journalists in your space? You’ll need the time to establish and nurture these relationships. If you don’t have very high-level written and spoken skills or know your way around traditional and digital media outreach, you can reach out for help and secure the services of a PR/marcom expert who can get your hard-earned efforts the media coverage they deserve.
Image by James St. John, used under Creative Commons