A Guide to Creating Newsworthy Cybersecurity Announcements

Are you tired of putting out cybersecurity press releases that seem to just disappear into the void without making much of an impact? Let’s say your team uncovers a critical vulnerability, upgrades your product with groundbreaking technology, or spots an emerging threat pattern. Yet, your announcement barely registers as a blip in the industry conversation.

At the same time, you see your competitors somehow manage to get featured in every major tech publication and get shared thousands of times across social media channels, even when you feel that their news isn’t necessarily more significant than yours.

So, what gives?

The hard truth that most cybersecurity companies need to hear is that their announcements fall flat because they sound exactly like every other cybersecurity announcement. They’re stuffed with technical jargon, written in a corporate monotone, and structured in ways that bury the actual news value right down at the bottom. Not exactly the most exciting content in the world.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. You can transform your announcements from ignored to influential by thinking more like a journalist and less like a marketing department. Let’s look at some ways you can make that shift.

Stop Burying The Actual News

Writing a high-quality press release is hard. It’s a difficult format to master, and for many, it doesn’t feel like a natural way to communicate value or news. For one reason or another, this often leads companies to make the mistake of placing the actual news somewhere around the middle to late paragraphs of the release.

But the problem is that the majority of journalists and readers won’t dig that far. They need to know why they should care within seconds. This isn’t a blog post where you have time to set the scene. You need to lead with the value and grab attention quickly.

Ask yourself: “If I had to explain this news in one sentence to someone at a bar, what would I say?”

That sentence is your lead. It shouldn’t be an intro on your company history, nor should it be your mission statement. It should not be a generic statement about the increasing importance of cybersecurity in today’s digital landscape. Get specific and share the concrete news.

If you’re struggling to visualize what that looks like, take a look at some of the published cybersecurity press releases from major players in the space. You’ll notice they waste little time getting to the point and sharing.

Tell The Story Behind The Discovery

Both the journalist reading your press releases and the end audience consuming your cyber news have one thing in common: they connect with stories, not just features. While there is absolutely room for you to get technical and show your expertise, you also need to weave a narrative behind what you’re working towards. The “why” and “so what” behind your news.

If your team spent six months hunting down a sophisticated APT group and ultimately emerged victorious, that’s a fascinating journey that people will want to hear about. Don’t reduce it to “After extensive research, our team identified…”

This idea is to humanize your approach and your company. Even in an industry as technical and serious as cybersecurity, you still need to provide journalists with narrative elements they can incorporate into their coverage.

Focus On Impact, Not Features

Following on from the previous point, try to avoid overly technical or explanatory press releases. There are other media where you can showcase your knowledge and expertise.

If you have new features or a new product that you want to talk about, translate them into impact: “This detection method finds threats 47% faster than standard approaches, potentially reducing breach costs by millions and cutting response time from days to hours.”

Make the stakes clear. If your research reveals a vulnerability, don’t just describe its functionality; explain the real-world implications. How could it be exploited? What would happen if it were? Who’s at risk? These nuances and added context help paint a more comprehensive picture for non-technicals, bringing everyone along who ends up reading your cyber news story.

Include Visual Elements Journalists Can Use

Press releases don’t have to be drab and lifeless. The truth is, many cybersecurity stories would be more accessible and engaging if told with compelling visual aids. This will help your cyber news gain more traction and hopefully bring more relevant eyeballs to your company.

Some ideas would be to create simple infographics that visualize your findings, clear diagrams that explain complex attack chains, or even short video demonstrations (when security considerations permit).

For starters, these visual assets make journalists’ jobs easier as they can embed your visuals directly in their stories. In turn, this both enhances their content and ensures your branding remains associated with the news.

The Bottom Line

Creating cyber news announcements that actually get noticed is a tall order in our attention-starved world. However, making it happen means you’ll need more than just flashy marketing tactics.

Press releases are a distinct medium from the marketing materials that companies typically produce. For this reason, you will need a different approach. Here, it’s more about respecting journalists’ and readers’ time by clearly communicating why your news matters in the broader context of the industry.

When you shift your focus from “how can we promote our company?” to “what value does this information provide to the security community?” you’ll find your announcements start generating the attention they deserve.