How do you reach CISOs at large companies?

How do you reach CISOs at large companies? First, we have to ask what is the end game before we ask, “How do we reach CISOs at large companies?” CISOs, or Chief Information Security Officers, are often board members tasked with protecting a company’s digital assets. It’s a big responsibility with huge risks. And like many other C-level positions, it seems everybody wants some of their time. While I will share some LLM, (Large Langiuage Model), insights into answering this question, in a general sense this approach relates to anyone in a position of power, who’s in high demand, and that you’re trying to get through to in order to present your product or service. The short answer is, you have to earn their trust. To do that though you need to execute a strategy over time that will lead you to connect to them, be introduced to them, meet them, listen to and understand them, and then craft your proposal to match their needs. Here’s how Chat GPT answers the question: How do you reach CISOs at large companies?

“Reaching CISOs at large U.S. companies takes a very different approach than general B2B outreach — they’re inundated with vendors, suspicious of cold pitches, and operate under intense time and security pressures. The key is to earn trust before you sell, and to position yourself where CISOs are already seeking insights or peers.

Here’s the proven multi-channel playbook:

1. Go Through Trusted Networks & Referrals

• Peer introductions are the gold standard — CISOs are far more likely to respond to someone vouched for by a peer or board member.
• Leverage your existing customers’ networks — ask them to broker introductions.
• If possible, engage your own CISO or security advisor to make the first outreach.

2. Meet Them Where They Already Gather

• High-trust events:
  • Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit
  • RSA Conference (executive programs, private dinners)
  • Black Hat Executive Briefings
  • Evanta CISO Executive Summits (invite-only, regional)
  • CISO Executive Network private roundtables
• Sponsorship & speaking — but skip the generic booth; instead, host closed-door, Chatham House–style discussions.

3. Targeted, Content-Led ABM (Account-Based Marketing)

• Develop hyper-specific thought leadership:
  • “Zero Trust Pitfalls in Global Supply Chains” is more compelling than “Cybersecurity Best Practices.”
  • Include real-world case studies (anonymized if needed).
• Use LinkedIn ABM ads targeting “Chief Information Security Officer” at companies with 1,000+ employees, paired with gated executive briefs (2–3 pages max).
• Personalized landing pages for each target account — with their company name and relevant industry insights.

4. Partner With Trusted Industry Channels

• Publish through ISACA, (ISC)², or SANS Institute newsletters or webinars.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity analysts (Forrester, Gartner) for joint white papers.
• Sponsor select podcast episodes (e.g., CISO Series, Down the Security Rabbit Hole) that CISOs already listen to.

5. Precision Outreach, Not Spray & Pray

• Use Sales Navigator to find exact CISO profiles, then warm up via LinkedIn engagement weeks before you send a connection request.
• When you reach out:
  • Keep it under 75 words.
  • Lead with a security insight or urgent threat trend — not your product.
  • Example:
    “We’ve seen 3 Fortune 500 companies in your sector breached via vendor MFA bypass in the last 90 days. Would you be open to comparing notes on mitigation strategies?”

6. Create an Executive-Only Forum

• CISOs are more likely to attend small, private, peer-only roundtables than public webinars.
• Offer value: a briefing on emerging attack vectors from a credible security researcher.
• Make it invite-only and non-salesy — you follow up 1:1 later.

7. Show Up in Incident Response

• Many CISO relationships start when you help solve a real problem fast.
• Maintain rapid-response security bulletins and distribute them to your target list during major zero-day or breach news.
• Offer a free, 15-minute “threat posture check” relevant to the breaking incident.

✅ Bottom line: CISOs ignore generic pitches — but they respond to peers, urgent insights, and closed-door discussions where they control the agenda. The best results come from blending referral-based entry, executive events, and content-led ABM rather than pure cold outreach.”

So just like any C-Level prospect in demand, the answer to, “How do you reach CISOs at large companies?” is to build the relationship over time, find and link to mutual connections, ask for an introduction, meet them where they are, listen to their needs, and craft a proposal that addresses the issues important to them.

In my next post, we’ll discuss how content marketing helps accelerate the process of earning trust with decision makers.