Audience 1st

Why Most Tech “Communities” Fail Before They Begin

Everyone in tech is suddenly “building community.” But most aren’t building anything close to the real thing - community that's built on mission, trust, and transparency.
In this raw, no-buzzword conversation recorded live at CyberMarketingCon, Dani Woolf sits with Ben Siegel, George Kamide, Bronwen Hudson, and Elliot Volkman, real community builders, to unpack what community actually means, why most efforts fall flat, and what it takes to build something alive, resilient, and trustworthy - especially in an industry like cybersecurity where trust is scarce and attention is fractured.
We go deep on:
Why most corporate “communities” are poorly disguised funnels
The difference between an audience, a user group, and a true community
What trust looks like when your members are CISOs, not consumers
Why growth is nonlinear, unpredictable, and absolutely not guaranteed
The emotional labor and invisible moderation that holds real communities together
You’ll also hear tactical advice on how to build thriving spaces across Reddit, Slack, LinkedIn, and beyond - without flashy tools or six-figure budgets.

5 Mindset Shifts Security Teams Must Adopt to Master Multi-Cloud Security

Multi-cloud security isn’t just a technology challenge—it’s an organizational mindset problem.Security teams are juggling AWS, Azure, and GCP, each with different security models, policies, and rules.The result? Silos, misconfigurations, and security gaps big enough to drive an exploit through.In this episode, I sat down with Gal Yosef from AlgoSec to break down:
Why multi-cloud security is so complex (and what security teams are getting wrong)
How to bridge the gap between network security and cloud security teams
How large enterprises manage cloud security policy enforcement across business units
The shift from one-size-fits-all security policies to flexible, risk-based guardrails
Why automation and visibility are critical for securing multi-cloud environments
If you want to secure application connectivity across your hybrid environment, visit algosec.com.

How to Diagnose Your Organization’s Real Growth Problem

In this episode of Audience 1st, Dani Woolf cuts straight through the noise to confront the silent killer of growth in B2B organizations: misdiagnosing the real growth problem.
Most GTM teams think they’re aligned. They’re not.
Most believe they’re solving the right thing. They aren’t.
In this raw, unfiltered solo episode, Dani unpacks why internal alignment is often a lie, how companies waste entire quarters solving surface-level symptoms, and what it takes to actually identify the bleeding neck - the one problem that’s quietly draining your growth, budget, and team morale.
If you’ve ever felt like your team is moving fast but going nowhere, this is the episode you didn’t know you needed.
What You’ll Learn:
Why most organizations aren’t solving their biggest growth problem and how to tell if you’re one of them
The high cost of chasing lagging indicators instead of root causes
The real reason marketing, sales, and product don’t align and why buyer truth is the only fix
How to recognize “growth triggers” that signal it’s time to do qualitative buyer research
Dani’s four-step clarity framework: Diagnose → Validate → Align → Act
How to stop guessing, and finally build from buyer reality—not internal theory
Don’t just walk away from this episode inspired. Take action.
Ask yourself:
What’s the one growth problem we think we’re solving right now?
Who told us that?
When was the last time we heard it from a buyer’s mouth verbatim?
What would it feel like to know we’re solving the right thing?
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start listening, reach out to Dani and her team.
Let’s uncover the bleeding neck together.

The CISO POV Checklist That Drives Buying Decisions

In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast, Dani Woolf sits down with Jason Loomis, Chief Information Security Officer at Freshworks, to uncover the raw truth behind how CISOs evaluate security vendors, what actually moves a deal forward, and why most POVs fall flat before they even start.
Jason gets brutally honest about the emotional dynamics of enterprise buying, the real reason vendors lose trust, and what it actually takes to turn a POV into a purchase.
If you’re in product marketing, sales, or demand generation at a cybersecurity company, this episode will change how you think about the buyer journey and give you a blueprint to win trust, increase conversions, and build long-term influence with technical buyers.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why emotional certainty - not ROI - is the key to winning a CISO’s trust
The most common POV mistakes vendors make (and how to avoid them)
How Jason evaluates vendors - and what gets them instantly disqualified
The danger of relying on generic “What problems are you solving?” questions
Why transparency beats feature-stuffing in every sales motion
How to make your booth presence less awkward and more effective
The impact of new SEC regulations on security budgeting and priorities
Why buyers referring your product - even after saying no - is the ultimate win
If you’re serious about understanding what really drives buyer decisions in cybersecurity subscribe to Audience 1st Podcast. New episodes every week. Raw, unfiltered, and straight from the source - your buyers.
🎧 Listen now, take notes, and share with your GTM team.

Why the Legacy Analyst Model is Misaligned with Cybersecurity Buyer and Vendor Needs

In this episode of Risk & Real, host Jeffrey Wheatman sits down with Dani Woolf, co-founder of CyberSynapse and CEO of Audience 1st, to discuss a major shift happening in the cybersecurity industry: the decline of the traditional analyst model and the rise of direct buyer engagement.
Cybersecurity vendors that engage directly with their buyers gain faster, more actionable insights than those relying solely on traditional analyst firms.
Tune in as we discuss:
The flaws in the traditional analyst model and why it’s no longer aligned with today’s fast-moving cybersecurity landscape.
Why analyst reports take too long to produce and how they filter buyer insights.
The power of direct buyer engagement and how vendors can gather real-time, unfiltered insights.
Why cybersecurity vendors are cutting back on analyst firm budgets and shifting to a hybrid research model.
How CyberSynapse enables vendors to talk directly to security practitioners, CISOs, and IT leaders.
Resources & Links:
Learn more about CyberSynapse: https://www.cybersynapse.ioFollow Dani Woolf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniwoolfCheck out Audience 1st Podcast: https://audience1st.fm
 
Subscribe & Stay Connected!
Follow Risk & Real on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Connect with host Jeffrey Wheatman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreywheatman
Don’t forget to leave a review if you enjoyed the episode! 

Why Cloud Security Starts with Applications & How to Protect Them at Scale

Cloud security didn’t make life easier—it made it exponentially harder.Security teams are stuck in legacy network security models while trying to secure cloud-native applications, security groups, IAM policies, and ephemeral workloads.The result? Confusion, misalignment, and a security posture that can’t keep up with cloud speed.In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast, I chatted with Kyle Wickert from AlgoSec about:
Why network security teams struggle with cloud security models
The hidden complexity of securing applications across multi-cloud environments
Why firewalls and network segmentation don’t translate well to the cloud
How security teams can gain visibility and control over cloud security policies
The role of automation in bridging the gap between network security and cloud security
If you want to secure application connectivity across your hybrid environment, visit algosec.com.

Why Mobile Security is Dangerously Overlooked (And What To Do About It)

What happens when you meet a cybersecurity founder over dinner and 12 hours later, they’re on your podcast?You get one of the most brutally honest conversations about mobile security.In this episode, Rocky Cole, co-founder of iVerify, lays out why mobile security is dangerously behind—and why businesses are in denial about the scale of the threat.We dive into:
The biggest myth in mobile security—why MDM (Mobile Device Management) is not a security tool and never was.
Why enterprise security leaders are still ignoring mobile security (even when businesses are now prime targets).
How attackers have outpaced traditional mobile security measures—and what needs to change.
The operational bottlenecks holding CISOs back from fixing the problem—and how to work around them.
Rocky shares raw insights from the frontlines of mobile security, including how his team uncovered new Pegasus infections, why BYOD security is broken, and what companies should be doing NOW.If you're still treating mobile devices differently than desktops, this episode will change your perspective—fast.

How to Accelerate Speed to Buyer Insights to Gain a Competitive Edge | The Confident Cyber Marketer Series

Welcome to the first episode of The Confident Cyber Marketer, a monthly series hosted by CyberSynapse.io!
In this special in-person episode from New York City, I'm joined by Ben Siegel to break down how cybersecurity marketers and sales teams can accelerate speed to buyer insights to gain a competitive edge.
In this tactical, no-BS conversation, we reveal why traditional analyst models fail, why most cybersecurity vendors get it wrong, and how real-time insights from buyers—not just customers—can drive better messaging, faster sales cycles, and higher conversion rates.
Key Takeaways and Topics Covered:
Why cybersecurity marketing is broken—and how to fix it
The myth of proprietary data in cybersecurity marketing
Why most data doesn’t tell you the full buyer story
The Rapid Buyer Insight Loop (RBIL) framework for gathering and applying insights in less than two weeks
The difference between customer research vs. buyer research—and why both matter
How traditional analyst models hold cybersecurity vendors back
Real-world stories from Dani & Ben on how shifting to direct buyer insights changed everything
How to operationalize fast, actionable insights across marketing, sales, and product
Metrics that matter: Time to Insight, Time to Decision, Time to Value
The high cost of getting your target audience wrong—and how to avoid it.
Resources & Links:
🔗 CyberSynapse – Ready to ditch the traditional analyst model and get real insights from real key decision-makers? Visit CyberSynapse.io to schedule a quick call.🔗 Connect with Dani & Ben – Let’s keep the conversation going! Find us on LinkedIn:
Dani Woolf
Ben Siegel
Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review if you found this episode valuable.
More deep dives into cybersecurity marketing that actually works coming soon!

Why Human-Centric Security is the Next Frontier in Data Privacy (and Why It Matters Now More Than Ever)

In this episode of Audience 1st, I'm joined by Rob Shavell, co-founder of DeleteMe, to explore the data privacy space and the growing importance of human-centric security.Rob will share his journey from Silicon Valley venture capitalist to privacy entrepreneur and how being a contrarian led him to build one of the leading services in the data removal space.We'll dive into:
Why privacy is no longer just a noun but an active set of actions.
How AI and automation have transformed cybercrime into a “creative industry” and what it means for security teams.
Why it’s difficult to quantify the impact of continuous data removal and how security leaders can build a better ROI story.
How to overcome employee skepticism and drive adoption of security tools through simplicity and clear communication.
We will also discusses the future of privacy, emerging threats like AI-generated deepfakes, and what security practitioners need to do to protect their people in an increasingly hostile digital world.

What a Modern, Buyer-Centric Approach to Software Market Intelligence Looks Like

Early in my career as a tech marketer, I was told that securing a top-right position in an analyst report was the way to gain credibility.
It didn’t take long before I started questioning the whole system.
In this episode of Audience 1st, I sat down with Chase Cunningham, VP of Security Market Research at G2 and Co-Founder of Demo-Force, to dig into a hot topic:
The flaws in the legacy analyst model and what a modern, buyer-centric approach to market intelligence looks like.
We explored how the legacy analyst firms operate, the influence of vendor dollars on rankings, and why many CMOs are quietly walking away from the old system.
Chase shared eye-opening insights into how buyers actually evaluate security solutions—hint: they’re relying more on peer reviews and real-world data than on Magic Quadrants.
Key takeaways from this episode:
Why vendors are overpaying for analyst influence instead of listening to buyers.
How data-driven insights from G2 are reshaping go-to-market strategies.
The most overlooked buyer signals that vendors should start paying attention to.
The shift from C-suite-targeted sales to winning over the “lieutenants” who make buying decisions.
The real truth about security software pricing, discounts, and contract lengths.
If you're in cybersecurity marketing, product, or sales and looking for smarter ways to understand and reach your buyers, this episode is a must-listen.
Get free access to more than 100 million people researching, comparing, and buying software on G2 every year: https://sell.g2.com/