How to Successfully Launch Your Cybersecurity Start-Up Out of Stealth Mode

Launching a new cybersecurity company out of stealth? It’s one of the toughest moves in the start-up world, especially with VC funding being tight right now. 

That’s why it’s more crucial than ever to get your media strategy right and create some serious momentum when you step out of the shadows. Here’s how you can do it: 

 

Leverage the credibility around you 

A company in stealth mode has zero credibility on its own. You’re unknown, untested, and journalists are likely to ignore your pitch. So, here’s how you can lean on those around you to get the results you need: 

  • Founder reputation: Your company might be a mystery, but your founders shouldn’t be. Have they previously launched and exited a successful cybersecurity company? Do they have a strong career history in national security organisations? Are they charismatic thought leaders? When you first come out of stealth, the story might be more about them and their journey than about your product or company. 
  • Who’s backing you: If a VC fund has put its money into the mix, this is a signal for journalists that you may be on to something with your latest company. This is especially the case if the investors specialise in cybersecurity or have a strong success story with previous investments in the cyber area.  
  • Big-name customers: If you’ve been working under the radar with a major player to refine your product, you need to shout about it. By doing so, you are borrowing their brand reputation and credibility. If they trust you, others should too.  
  • Advisory board: It’s not just about the founders. If you’ve got industry heavyweights on your advisory board, use their names and reputations to bolster your media outreach.  
  • Analyst endorsement: Analysts can be so useful in the early stages of your launch. Not only can they offer practical external perspectives on the development of your new product, but they lend their objective credibility in the media when you come out of stealth. Security leaders listen to them—so should you. 

It is important to take a holistic look at what makes you newsworthy. If you follow the above points, you will be ready with a list of answers when a journalist asks you ‘so what?’ after you give your pitch. 

 

Think beyond the launch. 

Coming out of stealth is just the beginning. Think of it as playing the first note in a much longer piece of music. PR is about building long-term relationships, not one-off encounters, which are quickly forgettable.  

Plan your media relations with the next three to six months in mind. Map out your stories and outreach and build a media activity grid: 

  • For example, in month one, you could officially launch out of stealth with a focus on profile interviews with your founder and advisory board.  
  • In month two, announce key staff appointments (It does not matter if they already work with you, you can choose when to announce). 
  • In month three, release some ground-breaking research you’ve been working on.  

You can intersperse these key announcements with breaking news commentary and bylines/editorial placements. Quite quickly you can find many reasons to be speaking with journalists and develop those key moments of trust. Soon enough, they’ll be coming to you for stories. 

 

Maximise the eyeballs 

You’ve taken our advice, achieved a fantastic out-of-stealth campaign, and secured a wealth of media coverage. Now what?  

It is only the first step in the journey when someone reads about you in the media. We want to make it easy – and useful – for them to explore and learn about you further. When they Google your name to learn more, they must find the following:  

  • A sharp looking website. Well-designed, user-friendly, and packed with useful content that they find useful is the core of your online presence.  
  • Clear social media presence (with LinkedIn being the most important platform). Make sure everyone’s profile and your company page are aligned with your brand and messaging. Ideally, everyone will be regularly making thoughtful posts that will help people get to know and trust you.  

 

Keep moving 

These are just the basics to get yourself some initial momentum with the press.  

For successful media relations, it is always about continuing to move forward. You must continually engage with journalists, and evolve your story, if you want to gain regular media coverage and build credibility. 

Want to find out more about how you can utilise media relations to launch your company? Drop us a line for chat. 

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