Welcome to The Spoonful newsletter!
We’re officially into 2026, and if the first couple of weeks are any indication, this year isn’t interested in easing anyone in. Between major acquisitions, shifting narratives, and platforms quietly changing how visibility actually works, cybersecurity marketing is already moving fast!
A message (and hopefully a laugh) from Gianna
I hope you're rested, recharged, rejuvenated, and reinvigorated for an amazing 2026.
Notice that I said "amazing"? At the 2025 Marquee Awards at CyberMarketingCon in December, Society member & Varonis EMEA Field Marketing Manager Oscar Burns opened the show with a hilarious comedy set about cybersecurity marketing - including a sharp but funny insight into marketers' overuse of the word "amazing."
Guilty as charged! 😳
This year is off with a whirlwind gallop...if you need a break, we've posted the video to YouTube, so take 12 minutes and laugh along below:
As the Cybersecurity Marketing Society looks to the rest of the year, we're planning our programs, education, and networking activities! We always want to hear from you, so if there's something we can do to help, if there's a topic you're SUPER interested in, or if there's a resource you're hunting for, never hesitate from reaching out: heythere@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com
One thing we've launching this year is a new monthly Ask a Cybersecurity Creator Anything series. We've got some amazing cyber creators lined up, willing to answer any questions you have and share their knowledge about building large and trusted audiences!
Our first one is next week is with Tyler Ramsbey, offensive security expert and founder of Kairos Sec, who has built a thriving community of over 100,000 followers across YouTube and LinkedIn! Register here and see you there!
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And of course, no one wants to be reminded, but RSAC 2026 Conference is around the corner! We've got a few things planned for the biggest show in cyber this year.
Our Party for Marketers at RSAC is planned for the Sunday before: can't wait to see you there!
And, if you're looking for more ways to activate / have a bigger presence at RSAC this year, we've got Partner Up: Last Minute Co-Marketing at RSAC 2026 Conference virtual co-marketing matchmaking planned for January 23rd. Register here.
Trending News 📰
Do you have cool news from your company? Please send it to us! Email media@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com
[ICYMI] ON24 & Goldcast Acquired by Cvent
ON24 is being acquired by Cvent in a $400M all-cash deal, merging two platforms that already sit at the center of B2B webinars, events, and digital engagement. This follows the announcement of Cvent's acquisition of Goldcast, which made big waves in the Cybersecurity Marketing Society internal Slack community. Consolidation in martech + event tech is clearly not slowing down!
👉 Read the announcement
Publishers Warn Against 50 ‘Experts’ Linked to Likely Fake Stories
Press Gazette reports that publishers are urging caution around 50 experts and associated brands connected to more than 1,000 likely fake stories, highlighting growing pressure on credibility and sourcing in media.
👉 Read the Press Gazette report
LinkedIn’s Algorithm Changed (Again, and Allegedly)
LinkedIn is potentially rewarding different signals in 2026, and hiding links in the first comment is no longer necessary. As Jodie Cook writes in Forbes, you can start including external links directly in your post without a meaningful penalty. (We're probably still going to be typing out "link in comment" for a while before moving over!)
👉 What’s changed for 2026
TORQ Raises $140M at $1.2B Valuation
Marketing-darling TORQ has raised $140M in a Series D at a $1.2B valuation. We'd like to suggest spending some of that on a second monster truck. Maybe Bigfoot or Megalodon? Congrats Don & Team!
CrowdStrike Buys SGNL for $740M (Identity Is Having a Moment [still]!)
CrowdStrike acquired identity security startup SGNL for $740M, adding serious weight to its push beyond endpoint and into identity. This is one of the largest cybersecurity deals so far this year and we will bet you big bucks that it's not the last.
👉 Get the deal details
👉 Read SGNL’s take
Cyera Jumps from $6B to $9B in Six Months
Cyera just hit a $9B valuation after raising another $400M, only six months after its last mega-round. Data security continues to attract serious money, even as funding elsewhere tightens. Congrats Jessica, Chris, and the whole Cyera team!
👉 See the TechCrunch coverage
Partner Corner 💼
Partners of the Cybersecurity Marketing Society are amazing! Check out some of their great products & services below:
Informa TechTarget: The Cybersecurity Marketing Partner Your Buyers Already Trust
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Deep insights & end-to-end services to help you stay ahead of a constantly changing market and convert Cybersecurity audiences into high-value customers Learn More
Will AI Choose You or Someone Else?
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Your buyers already ask LLMs to reason about fit, tradeoffs, and constraints. Salespeak creates an LLM-optimized version of your site so AI can recommend you in real buyer conversations. Teams see 20–30% LLM traffic growth within weeks without changing their website.
👉 Make AI choose you
Get your website ready for the AI Era
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Meet the next evolution of web engagement. In under 30 mins, Webless helps you modernize your website with AI-powered search and discovery—turning static traffic into active conversations, revealing intent, and driving conversions with precision
Link: Book a Demo
CMO Corner with Charles Gold
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Know the Three Numbers That Actually Matter
By Charles Gold
The mistake we make is drowning in tiny numbers and ignoring the ones that matter to the CEO and the board. In most B2B motions, the Big Three are: Sales & Marketing Efficiency ($ of ARR per $ spent), Pipeline Coverage (by segment, territory, and close quarter), and Marketing’s Share of Pipeline (% of SQLs/opps or pipeline started or accelerated by marketing).
Build a simple tracker that shows each metric versus its target and a multi-quarter trend. Example targets:
- S&M efficiency ≥ $1.20 ARR/$;
- Enterprise coverage ≥ 3.0× for the quarter;
- Marketing share of pipeline ≥ 35%.
If a program can’t plausibly move one of the three, it’s a nice-to-have. Park it and redeploy budget where math says it matters.
Ask yourself: Which current programs have clear potential to move one of the Big Three—and are there candidates to refocus time and resources?
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On a separate topic, I’m a firm believer that the CMO role is the loneliest on the estaff. It’s tough to find someone who truly understands your challenges inside your company.
But you are NOT ALONE.
Each month, Gianna and I host Cyber CMO Confidential, a closed meeting for top marketing leaders to discuss challenges, share ideas, and, well, yeah, vent. Sign up here
Not in the “CMOs Only” Slack channel yet? If you’re a CMO or Head of Marketing, reply to this email and we’ll get you in.
From the Community 💌
What the Community is up to this week!
- Congrats to our friends at StrongDM and Delinia on Delinia's upcoming acquisition of StrongDM!
- Oscar Burns opened the Marquee Awards at CyberMarketingCon 2025 with a 12-minute comedy set about cybersecurity marketing. ▶︎ ▶︎ Full comedy set
- Tiziana Barrow shares a short video on Category Design and why cybersecurity messaging needs clarity, not fear.
- Blackbird.AI was named “The Company to Beat” for Disinformation Narrative Intelligence in Gartner’s AI Vendor Race report, a big moment for an emerging category.
- Ashish Malpani shares predictions on AEO replacing SEO, AI agents as SDRs, and why trust may become the core metric for cyber GTM teams.
Where We’re Meeting Next:
Upcoming events, webinars, and meetups across the community.
Jan 22: Behind the Cyber Creator: AMA with Tyler Ramsbey (Virtual) 2 -3 p.m.
Jan 27: Boston Cyber Marketing Meetup (Hosted by 7AI, In-Person) 4:30-6 p.m.
Feb 19: Cyber CEO & Founder Dinner: NYC / Manhattan (In-Person) 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Feb 26: Behind the Cyber Creator: AMA with Phillip Wylie (Virtual) 2-3 p.m.
Apr 10: Partner Up: Co-Marketing @ Black Hat USA Matchmaking (Virtual) 12-1 p.m.
May 29: LAST DAY to Apply to Speak at CyberMarketingCon + Summits
Check out the monthly member & non-member events calendar! It’s packed with exciting networking opportunities and recurring meetups designed just for you.
Just for laughs: Meme of the Week... 😂
Thanks to Michael Yehoshua for the hilarious and relatable meme
That’s it for this edition! Thanks for reading!
Don't forget: you're the best! 💪
Have a great weekend!
❤️ Gianna & Maria
PS: This newsletter is made by humans. We might not reply, but we read all your responses.
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