Media Relations Strategist

Forcepoint•Austin, TX

5d•$90,000 - $113,000•Onsite

About The Position

Forcepoint is hiring a sharp, driven Media Relations Strategist to join our Corporate Communications team, a career path with purpose at a global leader in AI Data Security. This role brings the Forcepoint story to life for journalists, podcasters, influencers and other audiences around the world. You will own media relationships, craft compelling pitches, help drive global media strategy and extend our thought leadership and AI Data Security category voice across trade, business and broadcast outlets, while growing Forcepoint's presence on relevant podcasts targeting C-suite to practitioner audiences. You have a nose for news and know how to work across teams including internal stakeholders, regional teams and global PR agencies to ensure every market tells a consistent yet locally resonant story. Forcepoint values the influence of earned media, particularly in the age of AIO, AEO and GEO. As Muck Rack reported, earned media drives roughly 84% of AI-generated search citations, far outpacing brand-owned websites and paid advertising.

Requirements

5–7 years of media relations or communications experience, with current or recent tenure at a PR or communications agency serving cybersecurity or B2B technology clients; former technology journalists are also encouraged to apply.
Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or a closely related field preferred.
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with journalists, editors and media contacts.
Strong network of existing technology, cybersecurity and business media relationships and a track record of securing top-tier business and trade placements.
Experience executing media pitches independently, from research through follow-up.
Familiarity with regionalized campaign execution.
Hands-on experience with podcast outreach, guest pitching or show production support.
Strong writer who can translate technical cybersecurity concepts for general business audiences.
Proficiency with media monitoring and database tools such as Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack or similar.
Critical thinker with strong business acumen and a passion for brand journalism and media storytelling.
Cultural curiosity and a global mindset to communicate effectively with regional audiences across the company.
Experience leveraging AI platforms such as Claude, ChatGPT and others to augment research, ideation and KPI measurement.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting awards and executive thought leadership programs, including conference speaker submissions.

Responsibilities

Define global media strategy as part of an integrated annual media relations plan with quarter-by-quarter thematic narratives aligned to emerging industry trends, competitor moves as well as Forcepoint's product roadmap, global event calendar and key industry moments.
Define priority audiences, story angles and measurable KPIs for earned media performance.
Monitor the competitive media landscape and advise communications leadership on emerging trends, risks and opportunities with particular emphasis on competitive de-positioning.
Partner with content, demand generation and social teams to amplify earned coverage — including podcast placements — across owned, shared and paid channels.
Build, maintain and own relationships with an active global roster of cybersecurity, enterprise tech and business media contacts across print, digital and broadcast — keeping beats, outlets and regions current.
Serve as primary point of contact for media inquiries, coordinating timely and accurate responses with subject-matter experts.
Track reporter beats and coverage trends to surface proactive storytelling opportunities for Forcepoint spokespeople.
Actively pitch stories directly to media contacts utilizing existing relationships and cultivating new relationships across business, tech and trade media
Develop creative, news-driven pitches for product launches, executive thought leadership, research reports and corporate announcements — tailored to each reporter and outlet audience.
Ideate strategic and creative media storytelling that pulls together all needed elements to package up media ready stories – including relevant business proof points, customer references, analyst references, etc.
Translate complex cybersecurity topics into accessible, compelling business narratives.
Secure earned coverage through reactive and proactive commentary, contributed articles, trendjacking and corporate strategy interviews across top-tier business, trade and channel media outlets.
Develop global and regional media toolkits — messaging frameworks, press materials and spokesperson bios and briefs — that can be utilized for media engagements, trade show events
Equip regional teams with a steady cadence of storytelling pitch angles localized by market.
Ensure regional campaigns balance global brand consistency with culturally nuanced storytelling.
Maintain a database of cybersecurity, enterprise tech and business podcasts — including host contacts, episode cadence and audience demographics.
Pitch Forcepoint executives and subject-matter experts as guests on external podcasts, negotiating appearances that reinforce strategic messaging priorities.
Manage end-to-end guest booking for the Forcepoint podcast: outreach, scheduling, pre-interview briefings and post-recording follow-up.
Track podcast performance metrics and use data to refine outreach and booking strategy over time.
And other duties as assigned.