Finding a media story in existing research

In 2023, a team at Quest Software commissioned research into cybersecurity risks facing manufacturing businesses in the UK, France and Germany.

The study was intended primarily for marketing activities, including events and customer conversations. It contained findings that could also interest journalists, but there were no plans to use it as part of the PR programme.

Timing mattered. Once the results became publicly available through marketing materials, the opportunity to introduce them as new research would be harder to pursue.

I learned about the study through colleagues in another department before its findings had been published.

After reviewing the research, I identified several angles with potential relevance to technology and industry media. I developed a press release around the findings and used the research to create additional thought-leadership materials.

This allowed us to introduce the results to journalists while also supporting the study’s original marketing purpose.

Quest announced the research in June 2023, with coverage appearing in publications including BetaNews and Germany’s IT-Daily. IoT Now also incorporated the findings into a wider editorial article about technology developments in manufacturing.

The study provided material for several thought-leadership pieces alongside the media announcement.

The press release, thought-leadership materials and coverage all drew on research the company had already commissioned for marketing; no new research was needed.