Each year, the RSA Conference convenes thousands of cybersecurity experts, vendors, clients and professionals in San Francisco looking to share best practices, sell products and connect. RSAC is the country’s largest and most reputable cybersecurity conference, and for good reason.
If your company is planning to attend, what is your plan to generate publicity? Are you one of several hundred companies that will be fighting for attention by putting out a press release to announce that you’ll be at Booth #12345 and will be demonstrating how your (insert name of product, technology or tool here) incorporates machine learning, AI, frictionless deployment and other buzzwords to attract attention?
If this is you, it’s probably best to save your time and forego the generic announcement. This isn’t going to set you apart or get you noticed. Not even close.
We’ve worked with some pretty big names in cybersecurity (including Automox, which just raised $30 million in its latest funding round), and we’ve also spent a lot of time at RSA. Last year, our client Swimlane was the most talked-about company there. So, you might say we have a good handle on what works and what most definitely does not.
Now imagine your sales team at RSAC, equipped with a bunch of timely news articles and a ton of social media chatter. Each media hit brings third-party validation, maybe some notoriety and, most importantly, sets your company apart.
So, if you are considering going to RSAC this year, do these three things to bolster your PR activities:
- Get the accredited media list ahead of time. Every journalist at RSAC will register in advance, and official attendees can get the full list of attending media in advance. Review this list for publications/journalists that are relevant to your market, and reach out ahead of time to schedule meetings and/or demos. Pro tip: make your pitch tight. You’ll likely be given between 5-10 minutes to make your case when you do meet with journalists.
- Drop by the press room. Most companies completely overlook this, which is a missed opportunity. RSAC has accredited journalists, and badged attendees can leave their digital press kit (which generally includes a press release, information on the company, relevant press clips or case studies to demonstrate viability and other background info) at the press room. Drop this off on the first day. Pro tip: put your press kit on a USB drive — it’s the only way it will be accepted.
- Draft your own blog posts ahead of time, and publish them during the conference. If you want to be considered a thought leader, then develop some insightful blog posts (we love topics like “Top 5 PAM innovations on display at RSAC” or something topical) and post at strategic moments throughout the conference. Not only can this help your SEO, it can also create the conditions to be shared widely across social media. Pro tip: tag speakers and companies whenever possible, and use the official hashtags used by RSAC as they stand a higher chance of being retweeted and shared by conference organizers and participants.
If your company is attending RSAC this year, we are offering free consultations through Feb. 22. We have deep expertise in helping cybersecurity companies stand out and get noticed by media, customers and investors.
Good luck!
