XDR, EDR, SIEM, SOAR…Snooze: Cybersecurity Marketing Real Talk with Gianna Whitver

Human-Centered Security

You're a founder with a great cybersecurity product—but no one knows or cares. Or you're a marketer drowning in jargon (hey, customers hate acronyms, too), trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Gianna Whitver, co-founder of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society, breaks down what the cybersecurity industry is getting wrong—and right—about marketing.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Cyber marketing is hard (but you knew that already). It requires deep product knowledge, empathy for stressed buyers, and clear, no-FUD messaging.
• Building authentic, value-driven communities leads to stronger cybersecurity marketing impact.
• Don’t copy the marketing strategies of big enterprises. Instead, focus on clarity, founder stories, and product-market fit.
• Founder-led marketing works. Early-stage founders can break through noise by sharing personal stories.
• Think twice before listening to the advice of “influencer” marketers. This advice is often overly generic. Or, you’re following advice of marketers marketing to marketers (try saying that ten times fast). In other words, their advice is probably not going to apply to cybersecurity.

Gianna Whitver is the co-founder and CEO of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society, a community for marketers in cybersecurity to connect and share insights. She is also the podcast co-host of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing podcast, and founder of LeaseHoney, a place for beekeepers to find land.