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Thought leadership often fails for managed security service providers (MSSPs). There’s a simple reason: It is written to fill space instead of change how a buyer thinks.
That is a problem in a market where prospects are already overwhelmed by cybersecurity content, vendor claims and AI-generated commentary.
“The honest answer is a little uncomfortable. The pieces that traveled were almost never the ones built to travel,” said Martin Summerhayes, managed services director at U.K.-based MSSP Northdoor PLC. “What gets us noticed is a clear point of view by one of our experts applied to a real-world problem.”
That distinction matters. A polished white paper may look professional, but Summerhayes said format matters less than whether the content contains a legitimate argument. Blog posts, LinkedIn articles and media commentary can all work when they connect with a client’s real-world pressure.
For Northdoor, that audience is mid-market financial services and insurance companies. The most compelling content often ties back to compliance, operational resilience, and the gap between technology ambition and delivery.
Think from the buyer’s problem first
Martin Summerhayes
The best test for an MSSP thought-leadership topic is whether it already appears on the client’s risk register or board agenda.
“If it does, you are writing about their problem,” Summerhayes said. “If it does not, you are writing about someone else’s interest.”
For Northdoor’s clients, that means creating content that touches on the security and resilience frameworks that impact U.K. businesses: DORA, Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001. Other subjects include practical business problems, including AI experiments that stall, cloud services bills that rise unexpectedly or internal IT teams that are stretched to the breaking point.
The idea is to focus on what the client needs.
Too much cybersecurity content reads like a pitch for a product or service. Stronger thought leadership starts with what the client is trying to protect or fix.
“A customer defines what a job well done looks like,” Summerhayes said. “Too much of our industry’s content is written from the inside looking out, and the reader can feel it.”
Avoid generic content buyers do not trust
Generic cybersecurity content will rarely attract an MSSP audience.
The bar has moved. Competent writing is no longer enough when AI tools can quickly produce polished copy. Buyers need perspective, specificity and proof that the provider understands their world. “Polish is now cheap; a point of view is not,” Summerhayes said.
Another common mistake is writing for the wrong reader. The result may be technically accurate, but commercially weak. “A great many MSSPs write for the SOC analyst when the person signing the contract is the CFO,” Summerhayes said. “The result is technically immaculate and commercially mute.”
Language can also undermine trust. Summerhayes warned against vague business jargon such as “synergy,” “leverage” and “win-win.” Those words often hide the real meaning.
“The moment those words appear, I trust the writer a little less. They are reaching for sound when they should be reaching for meaning,” he said.
Build real media relationships
Thought leadership is not only about what an MSSP publishes on its own channels. Media relationships matter, too.
The formula is straightforward for MSSPs that want to build a stronger relationship with an outlet such as MSSP Alert, Summerhayes noted. Be useful, direct and reliable:
- Answer the questions you were asked.
- Make the deadline.
- Offer a real opinion rather than a sanitized one.
- Resist the urge to turn every answer into a product pitch.
“Treat journalists the way you would want a client to treat you,” Summerhayes added. “Do that consistently and you become a reliable, trusted source, which is worth far more than any single placement.”
Recognition can further strengthen that trust. Programs such as the MSSP Alert Top 250 give providers a credible third-party signal they can highlight in sales conversations, marketing materials and recruiting efforts. That recognition can help validate that an MSSP is not just making claims about its capabilities. It is visible and respected within the managed security market.
That does not replace good thought leadership; it reinforces it. An MSSP still needs clear opinions, practical advice and proof that it understands the client’s business.
When strong content is paired with respected industry recognition, the provider has a stronger story to tell before the first sales call ever happens.
Use facts instead of fear
Cybersecurity risk is serious, but MSSPs do not need to rely on scare tactics to get attention.
“Fear is a stimulant, not a strategy,” Summerhayes said. “It produces a short spike of attention and a long tail of mistrust.”
The better approach is to lead with business impact, compliance requirements and practical consequences. Instead of making the threat the center of the story, MSSPs should help buyers understand what a disruption would cost and what action makes sense.
That could mean discussing downtime, audit failure, insurance pressure or the limits of “good enough” security controls.
Summerhayes said client-adjacent examples often land better than broad global statistics. A story about an organization losing several days of work after a phishing email can feel more relevant to the reader than a large industrywide number. “Clients buy on emotion but they close on facts, so give them the facts.”
Know which metrics matter
Data can help MSSPs build trust, but only when it is real, sourced and used honestly.
“When I cite a figure, I cite the source — whether that is Gartner, IDC or Harvard Business Review — and I use the actual number, rather than a flattering paraphrase,” Summerhayes said. “Borrowed authority with no reference is just assertion in a smarter suit.”
Likes, shares and page views still matter, but they’re not the whole story. Those metrics show reach, not whether the content created trust.
Summerhayes said he pays closer attention to signals that show the content worked. Did a prospect mention an article in a first meeting? Did the piece shorten the sales cycle?
The buyer journey is also changing. Summerhayes pointed to research showing that more B2B buyers are using generative AI during the purchasing process, including to evaluate vendors. As a result, original insight becomes more important.
The goal is not only to be found in search. It is to become the source that AI tools, buyers and decision-makers rely on.
Show that you understand the client’s industry
The strongest MSSP thought leadership proves that the provider understands more than cybersecurity. “Generalists describe cybersecurity. Specialists describe your cybersecurity,” Summerhayes said.
A financial services reader can quickly tell whether a provider understands the sector. Does the content reference the regulation that actually applies? Does the provider understand supplier requirements? Can it speak to operational resilience in terms the buyer recognizes?
For Northdoor’s market, Summerhayes pointed to sector-specific proof points such as FSQS registration. Financial institutions recognize that because they use it to evaluate suppliers.
That kind of specificity tells the buyer that the MSSP understands the environment they operate in, not just the tools used to protect it.
Summing things up
- The best MSSP thought leadership does not begin with a product, a pitch or a generic threat statistic. It begins with the buyer’s reality.
- The strongest content makes a clear argument, connects to a business problem and shows that the provider understands the industry it serves.
- That is especially important as AI makes generic content easier to produce and harder to trust. In that environment, MSSPs need to stand out with original perspective, real examples and practical guidance.
- The goal should not be to publish more. Instead, publish credible work that lays the groundwork for a future sale.
Jonathan Browning is executive director of content and engagement for The ChannelPro Network. He has been a leader in the IT channel for close to a decade. He’s an avid fan and early adopter of technology. He believes that the Managed Services industry is the most important driver of economic growth and human innovation in today’s world.
Images: cherries – stock.adobe.com, James Ritchie/LinkedIn, Ajay Nawani/LinkedIn
