Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing

Episode Summary:

David Ebner has been building content for security and tech brands for 13 years, and the work has changed significantly with the dawn of the AI content era. He comes back on the show to talk about what AI systems look like inside a marketing team, how they get built, and what steps you can’t skip in the process.

A lot of it starts before AI even enters the picture! That said, on this episode, we’ll still talk about: agents, knowledge bases, where automation ends and AI begins, how to decide which content still needs a person, and how to track where your brand shows up in AI search.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:03 The Evolution of AI in Content Creation

04:08 Building AI Systems and Processes

06:59 Real-World Applications of AI in Marketing

11:27 Streamlining Client Processes with Automation

12:17 Integrating AI Agents and Knowledge Bases

18:03 Optimizing Agent Efficiency and Task Management

22:49 Quality Assurance in AI Outputs

25:28 Content Strategy and Human Involvement

26:49 Long-Form Content and Data Reports

29:26 Workflow Platforms and Client Collaboration

34:52 Working with Content Workshop

About David:

David Ebner is the Founder and President of Content Workshop, a content and AI systems agency for security and technology brands, and the Founder of Chatter, a content intelligence platform. He has been building brand stories for over 13 years and speaks regularly on content, AI, and ethical marketing.

Links & Resources:

David J. Ebner on LinkedIn

Content Workshop

Chatter

n8n

Looker Studio

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Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page. 

See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary:

This episode is a little different. We're sharing a session from Behind the Cyber Creator, a live AMA series we run at the Cybersecurity Marketing Society, and Tyler Ramsbey was our first guest.

Tyler went from pastor to pentester, built a study group into a community of 15,000 people, and walked away from a six-figure job to run his own businesses. He's been doing it all in the open, which makes the conversation worth having.

We talk about building an audience without a big budget or a polished setup, why he says no to most brand deals, what it's like to be the bottleneck in your own business, and how he thinks about family alongside all of it. There's also a good thread on AI and pentesting that doesn't require a technical background to follow.

About Tyler:

Tyler Ramsbey is the founder of Kairos Sec, a boutique pen testing firm, and Hack Smarter, a training platform for people learning ethical hacking. Before cybersecurity, he spent 10 years as a pastor. He has over 66,000 followers on LinkedIn and a Discord community of 15,000 people, and he shares everything publicly, including revenue numbers.

Links & Resources:

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Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page. 

See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary:

Most cybersecurity marketing advice doesn’t apply when you’re selling to small businesses, and Ranbir Bhutani, CEO and vCISO of Cyber Culture, learned that the hard way.

After spending on ads that didn’t lead to results, he shifted his approach toward LinkedIn, referrals, and in-person relationships. Instead of leading with solutions, he focuses on helping buyers understand the problem first, especially when they don’t come from a security background.

Ranbir also talks about common marketing approaches that don’t land the same with smaller organizations, how trust and word of mouth drive most of his deals, and what it looks like to build a cybersecurity business without a large budget.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Cyber Culture LLC

01:44 Ranbir's Journey into Cybersecurity

04:57 Transitioning from Technical to Sales and Marketing

07:33 Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

10:04 Building Relationships and Networking

12:49 Quality Assurance in Customer Experience

15:31 The Importance of Community in Cybersecurity

18:23 Advice for Selling to SMBs

21:06 Future Aspirations and Personal Insights

About Ranbir:

Ranbir Bhutani is the CEO and Founder of CyberCulture, LLC, where he provides vCISO and cybersecurity advisory services to small and mid-sized organizations.

His work focuses on helping non-technical leaders understand security risks and make practical decisions, particularly in government contracting, finance, and healthcare.

Links & Resources:

Ranbir Bhutani on LinkedInCyberCulture, LLC

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Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page. 

See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary:

Running marketing as a team of one means you’re responsible for everything, from attribution to brand to pipeline. Sara Ceballos, Director of Marketing, joins the show to talk through her time at Inspectiv, where she was brought in to support two new product launches, rethink the company's positioning, and run marketing as a team of one.

She shares how she moved MQL tracking out of spreadsheets into HubSpot and Salesforce, worked with sales to define what “qualified” actually meant, and how she determined when simplifying data made more sense than tracking everything.

Gianna and Sara also dive into leading a rebrand with a small team, testing messaging with customers before launch, and building an event process that supports sales and ties back to the pipeline.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

01:19 Sarah's Journey Back to Cybersecurity

03:09 Understanding Inspectiv and Its Market

04:12 Identifying Marketing Challenges

07:21 Collaboration with Sales Team

09:06 The HubSpot and Salesforce Integration Project

10:00 Rebranding and Its Impact on the Company

14:54 The Meaning Behind the Rebrand

16:05 Shifting the Cybersecurity Narrative

17:29 Operational Improvements in Event Management

20:41 Streamlining Sales Support

27:27 Future Vision for Inspectiv

About Sara:

Sara Ceballos is a Director of Marketing at BreachRx, where she leads marketing strategy and programs to drive pipeline and growth.

She previously served as Director of Marketing at Inspectiv, where she ran marketing as a one-person team, leading efforts across attribution, rebranding, website development, and event strategy.

Sara has a background in demand generation and B2B marketing, with experience building and scaling programs that align closely with sales and revenue teams.

Links & Resources:

Sara Ceballos on LinkedIn

Inspectiv

BreachRx

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Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page. 

See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary:

Traci Byrne has spent a lot of her time aligning CISOs, startups, and internal teams.

In this episode, she breaks down how she does that, starting with listening, understanding what each side is trying to do, and using that to guide decisions without forcing them.

That same approach shows up in disagreements. Instead of shutting ideas down, she asks questions that expose gaps and lets people work through them.

It shows up most in security, where risk, new tech, and competing priorities all collide. If your role depends on influence and not control, this one will feel very familiar! 

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction to Cybersecurity Marketing and Guest Introduction

[03:49] Understanding Global Security Strategic Initiatives

[06:28] A Week in the Life of Tracy Byrne

[08:48] Navigating Startup and Enterprise Relationships

[11:34] Operational Resilience and Cybersecurity

[14:09] Influencing Without Authority in Cybersecurity

[16:25] Building Trust and Understanding Stakeholder Needs

[17:42] Healthy Conflict and Disagreement Management

[20:17] Company Culture and Collaboration at WWT

[22:30] Personal Aspirations and Future Goals

About Traci:

Traci Byrne was recently Head of Global Security Strategic Initiatives at World Wide Technology at the time of recording. She worked across enterprise teams and partners, supporting large strategic deals and helping organizations navigate complex security challenges.

She also advises startups on go-to-market and engaging with large enterprises, and hosts the Meet the Chief podcast.

Links & Resources:

Traci Byrne on LinkedIn

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Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page. 

See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary:

Merav Ben Avi, VP of Marketing at YL Ventures, makes a strong case for something most security founders get wrong: marketing should not come later. It should be there from the start.

She explains why hiring too late creates messy positioning, weak launches, and marketers stuck fixing confusion instead of shaping the story. The first marketing hire is not there to run campaigns. They are there to define why the company exists while everything is still taking shape.

Merav also gets into why product marketing is not always the first hire, what founders miss when evaluating marketers, and why “AI solves everything” messaging is already wearing thin with CISOs.

If you're building or joining an early-stage security startup, this will challenge how you think about your first marketing hire!

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to YL Ventures and Merav's Role

03:14 The Importance of Early Marketing in Cybersecurity Startups

06:05 Hiring Marketing Talent: Philosophy and Strategy

08:41 Navigating the AI Security Landscape

11:19 Building Trust Between Founders and Marketers

13:36 The Role of Marketing in Early Stage Startups

16:08 Finding the Right Marketing Candidates

18:55 Stealth Mode vs. Building in Public

21:37 Common Mistakes in Hiring Marketing

23:21 Conclusion and Contact Information

About Merav:

Merav Ben Avi is VP of Marketing at YL Ventures, where she works hands-on with early-stage cybersecurity startups on positioning, messaging, and go-to-market.

She partners closely with founders to shape how their companies show up from day one, while also leading marketing for YL Ventures.

Links & Resources:

Merav Ben Avi on LinkedIn

YL Ventures website

Building Island’s Brand with Ari Yablok (referenced in this episode)

You Don’t Need a Budget—You Need a Hat: Orly Bar-Lev on Lasso’s GTM (referenced in this episode)

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Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page. 

See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary:

What changes when you go from a startup to a much bigger company after an acquisition? On today’s episode, Kevin Bobowski, now CMO of Archer, breaks down what that shift looks like based on his experience moving from Aware into Mimecast.

At Aware, staying close to the customer was built into the day-to-day. Conversations were constant, and product-market fit came from paying attention to what was working and cutting what wasn’t, even if it looked good on paper.

At Mimecast, that same instinct still mattered, but it became harder to maintain. There’s more data, more structure, and more distance from the customer if you’re not careful.

Kevin shares how that shift changed the way he thinks about product-market fit across segments, products, and teams, and why it’s something you have to keep reworking as markets evolve.

If you’re trying to stay grounded in what your buyers are really saying while everything around you scales, this one will resonate.

About Kevin:

Kevin Bobowski is Chief Marketing Officer at Archer.

He previously led marketing at Aware, where he helped build the go-to-market motion that led to the company’s acquisition by Mimecast.

His experience spans startups and larger organizations, with a focus on product-market fit, segmentation, and scaling marketing teams.

Links & Resources:

Kevin Bobowski on LinkedIn

Mimecast

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Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page. 

See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary:

Christine Bartlett, SVP of Marketing at Hack The Box, tackles one of the trickiest challenges in marketing leadership: how to come in, make meaningful changes, and still preserve the magic that was there before you arrived.

She gets into building a field marketing team, moving past last-touch attribution to create alignment amongst the business, and what it takes to get execs and the board on board. There’s also a good conversation around how Hack The Box balances a community model with enterprise, and why investing in early-career talent still pays off!

About Christine: Christine Bartlett is the SVP of Marketing at Hack The Box, where she leads global marketing across both community and enterprise.

She’s spent over a decade in cybersecurity marketing, with leadership roles at Cisco and SonicWall, focused on building teams and driving growth.

Links & Resources:

Hack the Box 

Let's Defend

CyberMarketingCon 2026 

HubSpot 

LinkedIn 

Subscribe & Review: 👉 Enjoyed this one? Drop us a quick ⭐ rating or review, it helps more cyber marketers find the show.

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Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page. 

See you on the next episode!

Episode Summary:

In this Cyber CMO Confidential episode, Netwrix CMO John Knightly joins Gianna and Charles to talk through the company’s recent rebrand and the thinking behind it.

After years of growth through acquisitions, Netwrix needed a clearer story. John shares how the team repositioned the company around data security that starts with identity, simplified its messaging, and rolled the new brand out across a global organization.

If you’re navigating brand evolution, product complexity, or internal buy-in, this episode offers a look at what it actually takes to pull off a cybersecurity rebrand.

About John:

John Knightly is the Chief Marketing Officer at Netwrix, where he leads the company’s global marketing organization. Before joining Netwrix, he held senior marketing leadership roles at Zscaler, BlueJeans by Verizon, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and HP, bringing more than 20 years of experience in enterprise technology and cybersecurity marketing.

Links & Resources:

John Knightly on LinkedIn

Netwrix

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Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

Charles Gold on LinkedIn

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page. 

See you in the next episode!

Episode Summary:

Vanta CMO Scott Holden joins Gianna to talk about how the company is expanding beyond automated SOC 2 compliance and positioning Vanta as an Agentic Trust Platform.

Scott shares his path from Salesforce to ThoughtSpot and Brex, why Vanta’s preventive security approach stood out, and how the team is evolving its messaging as it moves further into the enterprise.

Tune in to hear how Vanta is thinking about category positioning, CISOs, and the strategy behind its new “Calm-pliance” campaign.

About Scott:

Scott Holden is the Chief Marketing Officer at Vanta, where he leads marketing as the company expands beyond automated compliance into a broader trust platform. 

Before joining Vanta, he was CMO at Brex and spent more than eight years at ThoughtSpot in marketing leadership roles. Earlier in his career, Scott held several marketing roles at Salesforce.

Links & Resources:

Follow Scott Holden on LinkedIn

Vanta

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Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. You can join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, our Instagram page, or our podcast LinkedIn page. 

See you in the next episode!