[WEBINAR] Building your executive profile for B2B
Executive branding is all about cultivating a positive public image that shapes perceptions, establishes authority, and ultimately drives business goals. But what isn't spoken about enough is how difficult campaigns are to pull off.
Leaders must balance authenticity with professionalism, navigate public scrutiny, and consistently maintain a strong online presence, all while ensuring clarity and consistency in their messaging.
With this in mind, the most helpful guidance often comes from experts who work on executive branding campaigns every day.
So, here we are, with six executive branding techniques that help you build a powerful profile.
Executives often believe that landing high-quality media coverage depends on the journalists you know well, and that without strong relationships, it’s impossible.
But no matter what you might have already heard, landing media coverage surprisingly isn’t hard. Not when you approach it with the right frame of mind.
Rather than starting your pitch by focusing on what you want to say, such as the internal milestone you want to highlight or the narrative that will make your brand look good, think about what makes a story truly compelling.
The truth is: journalists aren’t here to promote your company. They’re here to serve their readers.
Instead, ask yourself: If this story ran on Bloomberg, what would the headline be? If you can't imagine a reader clicking on it, rethink the angle.
Alternatively, think deeply about the tension, change, or surprise that hooked you to the last story you read. Then ask: why is this relevant now?
Working backwards like this forces you to shape your narrative based on what matters to those outside your company.
At the end of the day, great PR doesn't start with announcements. It starts with empathy for journalists and their audience.
We incorporate this mindset into our daily work and we’d encourage you to do the same.
Scour headlines, follow other thought leaders, and start to think from the perspective of journalists and their audience to fully grasp what makes a good story.
Whenever we launch an executive branding campaign, we prioritise as many podcast and radio hits as possible.
In the first instance, these opportunities initially help our clients improve credibility.
But much more importantly, they create a portfolio of content we can present to producers to secure much more prized broadcast media slots.
After all, with broadcast remaining the most trusted source of news despite the boom of digital media, it's understandable that competition is fierce.
In our experience, only strong performers make the cut. Many networks will blacklist you if you dare to pitch without substance, no matter the size of your business.
How do we know this works? One of our clients recently secured a live interview with the FT after years of experience with podcast and radio.
Since then, securing further broadcast interviews has become much easier.
So, if you want to gain similar momentum, too, don't rush to pitch, protect those producer relationships, and prioritise podcast and radio.
When building your executive brand, you’ll also want to boost your SEO ranking to gain more exposure to customers, talent, investors, and much more.
With this in mind, we’d advise you to focus your campaigns on niche topics.
This doesn’t necessarily mean addressing topics you aren’t familiar with, but zeroing in on trends other leaders haven’t spoken about, with unique points of view.
Other than helping your pitches stand out, your coverage will rank much better across search engines by sitting on less competitive search terms.
So, before you embark on your campaign, take the time to think outside the box.
As a finance leader, rather than commenting on interest rates, speak about blockchain.
As a tech leader, don’t write about AI, share your thoughts on quantum computing.
If you’re a sustainability leader, pause talk on CO2 emissions and focus on sustainable finance.
If you're a healthcare leader, drop digital transformation and pick up DEI topics.
As long as you stay in tune with the media landscape, there will always be an angle you can leverage.
Too many executive branding campaigns see virality as success. As a result, leaders do nothing but follow the crowd, replicating post formats and arguments.
Our advice? Don’t do this.
Unless you’re Sam Altman, as soon as you rehash others’ content, you blend into the noise and simply become a number.
We saw a good example of this in the last two years with AI. Everyone had their take and only a few cut through the noise.
Instead, lean on something novel and true to yourself.
Of course, to instigate some level of engagement you still need to play to LinkedIn or X’s algorithms and discover an impending trend to latch onto.
But taking the time to build social pages with strong insight and regularity will, over time, lead to the virality you seek as your following snowballs.
So, take your time. Be patient.
After all, jumping at what’s popular often hints at desperation for the spotlight, which can, inevitably, have the reverse effect. Don't be that exec.
Speaking at a high-profile industry conference can be a turning point in any executive branding campaign.
It signals that you're a recognised industry authority, a confident communicator, and an innovation driver, whether in strategy, technology, or market insight.
It’s no surprise, then, that speaking opportunities are key for many executives.
The good news is that with pan-sector conferences taking place year-round, opportunities are abundant.
The bad news is that they are also tough to secure.
So, if there’s one piece of advice we’d offer to improve your chances of landing a speaking slot, it’s this: show up and attend more events.
By doing so, you’ll gain firsthand insight into what resonates with live audiences, observe what makes certain speakers stand out, and better understand the formats and themes that organisers prioritise.
You can even post about your attendance to show you're passionate, diversify your content, and boost engagement.
You'll also get to build genuine relationships with organisers, panellists, and moderators, the very people who can make the difference between being overlooked and being invited to future panels.
The value of an executive branding campaign will ultimately hinge on whether you’re remembered.
This will determine whether you drive long-term influence, repeatedly earn media opportunities, gain access to beneficial collaborations, and even earn leadership roles.
So, with every campaign, always craft a strong central message or mission that you return to in every interview, blog, and social media post you write.
Even if you get to the point where every headline in a Google search is identical, don’t panic. It tells that people instantly know what you’re about.
You’ll own the topic you specialise in because you’ve put in the work, no matter how time-consuming or repetitive.
So, think deeply about your personal goals, where you see your company in five years, and the progress you've made to date.
It’s this clarity that will keep you grounded, and steadily moving toward genuine, lasting success.