What CISOs Want from Your Content and What They Ignore

Why Reaching CISOs Feels Impossible (But Isn’t)

If you've ever tried to interview a CISO for content, you already know: it’s not easy. Their inboxes are full, their calendars are worse, and you're probably not getting a reply unless you offer a speaking slot at RSA or an exit strategy.

And honestly? That’s kind of the point.

The inaccessibility is the message. CISOs are time-poor, attention-shielded, and professionally allergic to fluff. They're not ignoring content because they're disengaged; they're ignoring it because most of it isn't built for them.

They’re getting:

• Vendor emails promising “seamless zero trust at scale”
• Whitepapers that sound like someone swallowed a buzzword thesaurus
• Content that opens with a pitch and ends with a form
  
  

But here’s what the data shows: they’re still reading. Just not what you think.

A 2022 TrustRadius report found that virtually 100% of B2B tech buyers prefer to self-serve part or all of the buying journey, and most make decisions without ever speaking to a vendor. 

That means content isn’t optional. It’s foundational.

This piece breaks down the patterns behind what resonates with CISOs, the content that gets read, shared, and remembered. There is no first-person guesswork. Just signals, examples, and a closer look at why good content is often the only thing that gets through.

What Gets a CISO to Read, Share, or Care

Content can reach CISOs, but only if it meets a high bar: clarity, relevance, and credibility. After enough pattern-watching, some clear formats consistently break through the noise.

This isn’t guesswork. It’s what shows up in their shares, bookmarks, and podcasts and what quietly earns their trust without needing a subject line like “Just checking in.”

Let’s break down four content formats that work, backed by real examples that are live, accessible, and regularly referenced by security leaders.

1. Peer-Led Narratives

CISOs trust people who’ve had to make the same hard calls. Which is why content featuring other CISOs—even lightly—earns attention that vendor-led storytelling rarely does.

Look at the CISO Series Podcast. It’s informal, practical, and grounded in the daily realities of security leadership. Episodes cover things like:

• “What’s Your Internal Sales Strategy?”
• “When Is Your Security Advice Unwelcome?”

It’s not polished thought leadership, it’s real talk. And that’s the point.

What works: These stories feel like what gets shared in private Slack channels, not a brand’s idea of “thought leadership.”

2. Case Studies That Lead with Outcomes

CISOs don’t care about product specs; they care about results. If a case study doesn’t clearly show how something reduced risk, saved time, or achieved a business goal, it’s just background noise.

Example: CrowdStrike
In an IDC-backed customer story, organizations reported a 6:1 ROI and 66% faster investigation times using CrowdStrike’s platform. 

The value is upfront. The copy is brief. The takeaway is crystal clear.

Takeaway:
If the headline doesn’t show impact and the copy takes more than three minutes to scan, it’s not a CISO case study. It’s a press release in disguise.

3. Clear, Sharp, Strategic Writing

If your blog post reads like it went through six rounds of approvals, it’s not making it past a CISO’s second sentence. 

Phil Venables, CISO at Google Cloud, sets the gold standard with his blog. Posts like “Talk cyber in business terms to win allies” explain how to translate technical risk into boardroom language, without losing meaning or momentum.

What matters: He writes like a CISO speaking to other leaders, because he is. But you don’t have to be one to match that tone. 

4. Data That CISOs Can Use

Stats don’t impress unless they clarify something real. Great content shows the “so what,” not just the number.

The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) has been a staple for over a decade because it’s not just a PDF with pie charts. It gives CISOs:

• Benchmarks for board conversations
• Trends that shape roadmap priorities
• Stats they can steal for budget justification

In the 2024 DBIR, for example, 68% of breaches involved a human element, a statistic already appearing in hundreds of CISO slide decks. 

Don’t confuse density for value: You've lost the room if your “data-led content” requires a decoder ring.

Five Ways CISO Content Misses and How to Make It Better

1. Leads with Product, Not Risk

Most content opens by highlighting what the company does, not what the CISO cares about. This oversight can prevent meaningful connections, as CISOs are primarily focused on risk management, compliance, and data protection.

Why it fails: CISOs care about real problems, not your roadmap.

Fix: Start with the business risk, then show how it's solved.

Example: CrowdStrike’s case study on NCR doesn’t bury the lede; it says up front, “Reduced investigation time by 66%.”

2. Relies on Jargon, Not Results

Terms like "Zero Trust" and "AI-powered" are meaningless without proof.

Why it fails: Buzzwords don't move the needles; outcomes do.

Fix: Explain in concrete terms what changed.

Example: Zscaler’s Zuora case study shows Zero Trust saving $500K+, reducing legacy infrastructure, and boosting reliability.

3. It Overexplains and Under-Delivers

CISOs don’t have time for 300-word intros and SEO padding. They need concise, actionable insights that address the real cybersecurity challenges they face every day. Clarity and efficiency in communication are key to empowering decision-making and driving effective security strategies.

Why does it fail: They’re not reading leisurely, they’re scanning for value. If it’s not visible in 10 seconds, it’s invisible.

What to do instead: Front-load the point. Cut anything that sounds like a setup.

Example: Splunk’s “When an Incident Goes Public” skips the fluff and opens with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pressure, legal definitions, and board visibility. It delivers urgency and clarity from the first sentence, exactly what a CISO scanning between meetings needs.

4. Hides Valuable Content Behind Forms

Genuinely valuable gate content, like tactical insights or original research. But gating content that is a listicle or POV will just breed mistrust. However, gating content that is merely a listicle or a personal point of view will only lead to frustration and mistrust among users. It's important to ensure that the content being offered in exchange for information is truly beneficial and offers unique value.

Why it fails: CISOs won’t share their contact info for a blog post or basic tips.

What to do instead: Keep high-ROI content like opinion pieces ungated. Only require forms for deep, exclusive assets.

Example: Tanium’s “Supply Chain Security Metrics” blog is ungated and board-ready, crisp, insightful, and freely accessible.

5. It Forgets That CISOs Are Skimming Mid-Task

No one’s reading your blog over coffee. They’re scanning it between fire drills and board prep. Keep your content concise and captivating to grab their attention quickly. The goal is to make every word count in this fast-paced environment.

Why it fails: If the value’s buried in paragraph four, it’s as good as invisible.

What to do instead: Make the headline useful. Put the takeaway first. Cut any sentence that only exists to sound smart.

Example: Cisco’s “90‑5‑5 Concept: Solving Human Risk in Cybersecurity” opens with the bold assertion that? “90% of breaches come from human error.”

The reader gets a stat, a context, and a reason to keep reading in the first ten seconds.

Make It Easy to Care

CISOs aren’t looking for more content; they’re looking for content that respects their reality. If something helps them think faster, explain risk better, or support the decisions they need to make, it earns attention. It gets bookmarked. It gets shared.

You don’t need to sound like a CISO to be helpful. You just need to be clear, relevant, and worth the scroll.

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