5 top tips for cybersecurity PR and branding

October 7, 2025

By Piers Grassmann, Technology, Aspectus Group

In 2025, cyber threats are sharper, regulations tougher, and trust more fragile than ever. For cybersecurity companies who truly want their marketing strategies to cut through the noise, strong technology isn’t enough. You also need effective PR and branding strategies that build credibility and resilience.

Here are my five PR tips for companies on how to boost success and build trust in cybersecurity marketing, based on what I’ve seen first-hand works for brands navigating this fast-paced, often frenetic, industry.

1. Lead with narrative, not features

Too often, cyber firms drown audiences in technical detail. But decision-makers buy outcomes, not acronyms. From securing coverage with The Associated Press for our client in a feature on what to do if you’ve been involved in a data breach, to generating a broadcast interview with ITV to discuss interview scams, human stories are key to capturing media attention.

At Aspectus, we champion the practice of shaping narratives around risk, trust, and business impact. Instead of highlighting detection speeds, comms should connect the dots to avoiding reputational damage or regulatory fines.

Anchoring new product releases (for example) to live issues like AI-driven attacks, supply chain vulnerabilities, or quantum-era risks makes the message timely and relevant and answer the age-old question journalists ask themselves daily: “Why should my readers care?”.

The takeaway: keep your brand voice clear, human, and memorable.

2. Don’t be afraid to think differently, but be prepared

The cybersecurity market is crowded, and if you ask many everyday consumers and decision makers, most vendors sound the same. To stand out, you need the courage to break away.

That could mean:

Challenging conventional wisdom rather than leaning only on fear.
Experimenting with formats like podcasts or interactive demos.
Owning contrarian viewpoints that push debate forward.

But boldness only works if your spokespeople are ready. The notorious CrowdStrike outage in 2024, which disrupted thousands of businesses worldwide, showed how much reputations depend on confident media handling. Even respected brands can stumble when leaders aren’t trained for tough questions.

That’s why we pair originality with ongoing media training. Practicing Q&A, refining message discipline, and simulating high-pressure interviews ensures your executives inspire confidence when it matters most.

We recently ran two separate media training refresher sessions for our technology clients that went down extremely well with the spokespeople involved. Crucially, these were arranged for timely, strategic reasons rather than when an incident has just occurred and it may already be too late!

3. Make PR work harder with data and digital

PR isn’t just about headlines anymore. To build reach and impact, it needs to integrate with SEO, content, and social.

Use data-driven research to generate stories journalists actually want to cover.
Optimize coverage and blogs for keywords that your buyers search for.
Produce evergreen content like annual threat reports that can be updated and re-pitched.

This way, every PR investment also fuels digital visibility and lead generation. I can say with confidence that the best results we have secured for clients on reports, for example, have been when we were involved at every stage of their creation (from brainstorming to design).

Simply put, when it comes to planning a report launch for PR, there is no such thing as ‘too early’ to start the process with your agency.

4. Be transparent, but don’t overclaim

Trust is your brand’s core currency. Sharing what you can, such as compliance audits, bug bounty stats, or highlights from red-team testing, shows confidence in your security posture.

What doesn’t work is overpromising. Claims like “unhackable” rarely survive scrutiny. Instead, be upfront about where you’re improving, whether that’s zero-trust adoption or preparing for quantum threats. Honest progress reports demonstrate maturity and earn long-term credibility.

5. Build an ecosystem of influence

The most trusted voices in cybersecurity aren’t always the loudest vendors. Influence flows through journalists, analysts, ethical hackers, and practitioner communities.

Strong brands build these relationships early by offering insights, sharing research, and becoming reliable contributors, not just pitching when they want coverage.

Equally important is employee advocacy. Your engineers and researchers can be your most authentic spokespeople. When empowered to share perspectives on social media, they humanize your brand and extend its reach far beyond corporate channels.

Final thoughts

Cybersecurity PR isn’t just about visibility. It’s also about trust, boldness, and influence. By leading with narrative, daring to be different (while staying prepared), integrating PR with digital, being transparent, and nurturing your ecosystem, you’ll build a brand resilient enough to thrive in today’s volatile environment.

If you’d like to connect with me to learn more about how your business can take the next step in your branding and PR efforts, please feel free to reach out to me directly at piers.grassmann@aspectusgroup.com, or on LinkedIn.

Key takeaways

What should cyber firms lead with — features or narrative?

Focus on narrative tied to business impact (risk, trust, reputational cost), not just technical specs.

How can brands stand out in a crowded cybersecurity market?

Dare to break conventions (e.g. contrarian ideas, novel formats), but ensure your spokespeople are mediaready.

How does PR tie into digital growth?

Use data, SEO, evergreen content, and storytelling so that PR becomes a lead channel, not just brand awareness.

Why is transparency critical — and how far should you go?

Openness about audits, tests, and improvements earns trust; avoid overclaiming (e.g. “unhackable”).

About the author

Piers Grassmann has seven years of PR experience and has been working with leading technology clients since 2019, including global cybersecurity firms like Malwarebytes and Clavister.