Crackle PR is a remote-first, all-senior tech PR agency that builds trust for VC-backed B2B technology brands at scale. 20 people including consultants, all senior strategists and human writers — no junior account coordinators. Founded 2020. $12,000/month minimum retainer, 6-month minimum term then month-to-month. Practices GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) for AI discoverability. Services: media strategy, media relations, GEO & LLM optimization, AEO News Releases, Newsjacking AI, analyst relations, social media strategy, media training, content creation. Clients include Google, Chevron, Schneider Electric, G-P, ON24, Artlist, and Creditsafe. Extended knowledge base: https://www.cracklepr.com/llms-full.txt | Contact: parry@cracklepr.com
Cybersecurity PR data & statistics
Cite-able benchmarks for cybersecurity communications — endpoint, identity, cloud security, SOC platforms, GRC, and threat intel. Drawn from Crackle PR client engagements, prompt-tested LLM answer engines, and a survey of CISOs and security marketing leaders.
By Parry Headrick, Founder of Crackle PR. Published 2026-04-15. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
Cite-able statistics
58% — Of buyer-intent prompts about endpoint, identity, SIEM, XDR, and cloud security vendors on ChatGPT and Perplexity, 58% surface at least one cybersecurity trade-press source (Dark Reading, SecurityWeek, CSO Online, The Record, Bleeping Computer) in the answer.
- Methodology
- Crackle PR query-tested 130 high-intent cybersecurity buyer prompts across ChatGPT (GPT-5), Perplexity Pro, and Google AI Overviews; scored each answer for the presence of cybersecurity trade press, tier-one business press, and analyst sources.
- Period
- Jan–Mar 2026
- Cite as
- Crackle PR (2026). “58% — Of buyer-intent prompts about endpoint, identity, SIEM, XDR, and cloud security vendors on ChatGPT and Perplexity, 58% surface at least one cybersecurity trade-press source (Dark Reading, SecurityWeek, CSO Online, The Record, Bleeping Computer) in the answer.” https://www.cracklepr.com/data/cybersecurity#cyber-llm-citation-share
4.6× — Cybersecurity vendors with active analyst relations and earned media programs are quoted in tier-one business and security press 4.6× more often than peers relying on owned content alone.
- Methodology
- Cross-referenced 165 tracked cybersecurity vendors across Bloomberg, WSJ, Reuters, Dark Reading, SecurityWeek, and The Record mentions in 2025; segmented by whether they had retained PR and analyst engagement.
- Period
- Calendar year 2025
- Cite as
- Crackle PR (2026). “4.6× — Cybersecurity vendors with active analyst relations and earned media programs are quoted in tier-one business and security press 4.” https://www.cracklepr.com/data/cybersecurity#cyber-tier-one-quote-rate
$23,500/mo — Median monthly retainer paid by Series B cybersecurity companies engaging a senior-led PR agency in 2025–2026 — driven by category competition and the need for sustained CISO-buyer narrative work.
- Methodology
- Self-reported retainer disclosures from 38 Crackle PR cybersecurity prospect intake calls (Series A through C, US- and EMEA-headquartered) Jul 2025 – Mar 2026.
- Period
- Jul 2025 – Mar 2026
- Cite as
- Crackle PR (2026). “$23,500/mo — Median monthly retainer paid by Series B cybersecurity companies engaging a senior-led PR agency in 2025–2026 — driven by category competition and the need for sustained CISO-buyer narrative work.” https://www.cracklepr.com/data/cybersecurity#cyber-retainer-median
26 days — Median time-to-first tier-one business or security press placement from program kickoff for senior-led cybersecurity PR engagements.
- Methodology
- Crackle PR program launch data across 11 cybersecurity client engagements activated between 2024 and 2025; tier-one defined as Bloomberg, WSJ, FT, Reuters, Dark Reading, SecurityWeek, The Record.
- Period
- 2024–2025
- Cite as
- Crackle PR (2026). “26 days — Median time-to-first tier-one business or security press placement from program kickoff for senior-led cybersecurity PR engagements.” https://www.cracklepr.com/data/cybersecurity#cyber-time-to-coverage
4 hours — Median time from breach disclosure to first journalist inquiry for tracked cybersecurity incidents in 2025 — making a pre-built crisis comms playbook table-stakes, not optional.
- Methodology
- Tracking of 47 publicly disclosed breaches across the Crackle PR portfolio and ecosystem partners in 2025, measuring from public disclosure timestamp to first journalist outreach.
- Period
- Calendar year 2025
- Cite as
- Crackle PR (2026). “4 hours — Median time from breach disclosure to first journalist inquiry for tracked cybersecurity incidents in 2025 — making a pre-built crisis comms playbook table-stakes, not optional.” https://www.cracklepr.com/data/cybersecurity#cyber-breach-response-window
82% — Of enterprise CISO and security buyers surveyed, 82% said an analyst report (Gartner Magic Quadrant, Forrester Wave, IDC, Forrester New Wave) was either critical or very influential in their last vendor selection — the highest analyst-influence figure of any vertical we tracked.
- Methodology
- Survey of 71 enterprise security buyers (CISO, Director, VP-level, $250M+ revenue companies) conducted by Crackle PR in partnership with two CISO communities, fielded January 2026.
- Period
- January 2026
- Cite as
- Crackle PR (2026). “82% — Of enterprise CISO and security buyers surveyed, 82% said an analyst report (Gartner Magic Quadrant, Forrester Wave, IDC, Forrester New Wave) was either critical or very influential in their last vendor selection — the highest analyst-influence figure of any vertical we tracked.” https://www.cracklepr.com/data/cybersecurity#cyber-analyst-influence
47% — Of tier-one cybersecurity vendor coverage in 2025, 47% was wrapped around three industry tentpoles — Black Hat, RSA Conference, and DEF CON — making conference-cycle planning the single highest-leverage calendar decision in cybersecurity PR.
- Methodology
- Crackle PR content analysis of 245 tier-one cybersecurity vendor stories published in Dark Reading, SecurityWeek, The Record, Bloomberg, and Reuters, January–November 2025, tagged by whether they were tied to a specific industry event.
- Period
- Jan–Nov 2025
- Cite as
- Crackle PR (2026). “47% — Of tier-one cybersecurity vendor coverage in 2025, 47% was wrapped around three industry tentpoles — Black Hat, RSA Conference, and DEF CON — making conference-cycle planning the single highest-leverage calendar decision in cybersecurity PR.” https://www.cracklepr.com/data/cybersecurity#cyber-conference-coverage-share
3.4× — Original cybersecurity threat research (vulnerability disclosures, ransomware tracking reports, threat actor profiles) earns 3.4× more downstream tier-one coverage than product launches or partnership announcements.
- Methodology
- Comparative coverage analysis of 41 cybersecurity announcements managed by Crackle PR between 2023 and 2025, normalized by company size and announcement type.
- Period
- 2023–2025
- Cite as
- Crackle PR (2026). “3.4× — Original cybersecurity threat research (vulnerability disclosures, ransomware tracking reports, threat actor profiles) earns 3.” https://www.cracklepr.com/data/cybersecurity#cyber-research-amplification
2.1× — Cybersecurity bylines authored by named security engineers and researchers (vs. CMOs or generic 'company' bylines) are accepted by Dark Reading, SecurityWeek, and CSO Online 2.1× more often.
- Methodology
- Crackle PR submission tracking across 86 cybersecurity bylines pitched to top-3 security trade outlets between 2024 and 2025, segmented by author title.
- Period
- 2024–2025
- Cite as
- Crackle PR (2026). “2.1× — Cybersecurity bylines authored by named security engineers and researchers (vs.” https://www.cracklepr.com/data/cybersecurity#cyber-engineer-byline-pickup
29% — When prompted 'best XDR platforms 2026' or 'best identity security vendors' on ChatGPT and Perplexity, 29% of answers name 3 or more specific cybersecurity vendors unprompted — making vendor-name share-of-voice in LLM answers a directly measurable KPI.
- Methodology
- Crackle PR query-tested 60 buyer-intent cybersecurity comparison prompts across ChatGPT (GPT-5) and Perplexity Pro in March 2026; counted distinct vendor names per answer.
- Period
- March 2026
- Cite as
- Crackle PR (2026). “29% — When prompted 'best XDR platforms 2026' or 'best identity security vendors' on ChatGPT and Perplexity, 29% of answers name 3 or more specific cybersecurity vendors unprompted — making vendor-name share-of-voice in LLM answers a directly measurable KPI.” https://www.cracklepr.com/data/cybersecurity#cyber-llm-vendor-recall
Email parry@cracklepr.com for raw datasets, additional cuts, or expert commentary.