It feels like we barely wrapped up RSAC and here’s Black Hat, starting on Saturday, August 3. We compiled some advice for both veterans and rookies of the show.
AI is the elephant in the room
One of the big themes, obviously, is AI, and in a nod to its ubiquity, Black Hat added a brand new AI summit, to talk about both the cybersecurity implications of AI adoption as well as using AI offensively to mitigate threats.
One lesson from RSAC for every company touting their AI capabilities: Reporters are increasingly skeptical of AI claims. They’re looking for “real AI,” the substantive, difference-making impact of AI on threat detection, triage, remediation, and more. If you’re working to get media attention for new AI products or features, make sure you have enough evidence of the impact to back up the hype.
Advice for startups at Black Hat
I asked BIll Keeler, Senior Director, PR & Comms at Semperis, to offer his advice for getting the attention of media at the show. Here’s what he said:
My advice from a PR standpoint for startups is to have realistic expectations on the number of interactions you will have with media. There are hundreds of companies vying for the same coveted time slots.
1) First and foremost, plan to launch something, whether it’s research, a new product, or a partnership. You need something to talk to journalists about.
2) The real work with journalists and analysts is done throughout the entire year as you want to build a dialogue with them and be consistently in a position to offer them something unique to discuss about your company, the cybersecurity industry, or threat landscape.
3) Stick out. Don’t do what everyone else is doing. Create a compelling research report or survey on topics that matter to reporters such as ransomware or nation-state threat actors.
4) Consider some paid content at Black Hat as there are some great outlets such as Cyber Risk Alliance, Informa, and LastWatchdog, that will customize an interview with your CEO, top researcher, etc.
5) The best analyst firms to meet with are the smaller firms because even though Gartner or Forrester might send analysts to Black Hat, there is a strong possibility they won’t cover the industry your company resides in. Don’t waste time trying to meet with them. The smaller firms have very smart analysts working for them, and they will help you craft a story that will help you stand out in a crowded market, and it will be much more cost effective.