[NEW INSIGHT] Personal branding – what it is and what it isn't
Executive branding sets the very best US leaders apart. Not just in the States, but on the global stage.
It’s the difference between being noticed and being respected. It's the business driver for all of your ventures. It's the one thing you need to build a lasting legacy.
Without it, you can't fulfil your maximum potential.
In this guide, we explore why a compelling executive brand matters in the US and how to build one that, over time, earns international influence, helping you stand out in an increasingly crowded global market.
Staying visible isn't optional. It's as much about controlling damaging narratives as it is capitalizing on publicity.
Whether you’re a founder, CEO, or aspiring executive gradually moving up the corporate ladder, there’s one thing you can’t ignore as a business leader in the US: the growing importance of visible leadership.
On one hand: executive visibility transforms a company’s bottom line by improving your credibility and strengthening stakeholder trust.
On the other hand: Entrepreneur reports that 69% of employees trust their CEO more than government leaders and heads of NGOs, highlighting the influence modern leaders now have.
Not to mention, media scrutiny is intense. 100s of executives appear in headlines daily, not always for the right reasons.
As such, staying visible isn't optional. It's as much about controlling damaging narratives as it is capitalizing publicity.
The problem? Many US leaders shy away from the spotlight, worried that any misstep could trigger media or social backlash. Even for those at the top.
That said, when executives step into the spotlight correctly, with a healthy profile, a comms strategy, and the right support behind them, more often than not, they have the confidence and skillset needed to genuinely drive positive outcomes for themselves and their company.
How? US leaders invest in executive branding.
We work with dozens of US executives every year. Most, when they start, are unsure about what executive branding is.
In a nutshell, just how your company builds a brand to shape how it’s perceived in the market, executive branding is about shaping how you, as a leader, are perceived by stakeholders.
It’s the strategic process of defining, communicating, and amplifying your unique value, expertise, and vision to strengthen trust, influence, and visibility.
In practice, that means developing a consistent presence across media, social media platforms, and industry conversations so that when people think of your sector, your name comes to mind first.
Already have your hands full? Invest in an executive branding agency. Think of it as your strategic partner in building and managing your public reputation.
They act as a:
A ghost-writer.
A consultant.
A media trainer.
All-in-one.
They'll help you clarify your narrative, identify the right audiences, and amplify your voice across the channels that matter most.
They don’t just make you visible. They make you a valuable asset, too, aligning your personal brand with your company’s goals and the broader market landscape.
If you want to stand out, you can’t afford to play things safe by regurgitating what others have already said.
Many US executives might pause and question whether executive branding should be a priority. After all, you're probably dealing with:
Economic and geopolitical uncertainty: UBS says there is a 93% chance of a US recession in the coming months.
A growing skills gap: By 2030, the talent shortage and skills gap in the US alone is expected to total a loss of $8.5 trillion.
Supply chain and operational disruption: 71% of US CEOs plan to alter their supply chains in the next 3-5 years.
Rapid technology & innovation demands: 81% of US companies are struggling to keep up with the pace of technological change.
And that’s just skimming the surface.
Yet, these topics only give you further reasons to invest in executive branding, because of the sheer demand for expert voices who can deliver calm and guidance.
For instance:
An up-and-coming recession warrants guidance from finance executives who can analyze forecasts, help others protect their assets, maintain liquidity, and build resilience in turbulent markets.
The growing skill gap will only worsen unless leaders can encourage talent to pursue careers in their field by highlighting pathways and restoring industry confidence.
Ending supply chain disruption means highlighting and addressing the root of the problem, whether that’s climate change or disruptive tariffs.
Rapid technological change invites executives to actively showcase their expertise in emerging tools and innovations, such as AI, automation, and data analytics, to guide teams through transformation.
Besides, the US is a leader across many global sectors, including finance, tech, aerospace, pharma, and biotech. Not investing in executive branding puts you at a major disadvantage, whereas being part of a leading nation gives you built-in credibility you should take advantage of.
That said, if you want to stand out, you can’t afford to play things safe by regurgitating what others have already said.
You need genuine thought leadership: original insights that your audience can act on or learn from.
Focus on an area where your experience, insights, or vision sets you apart from others in your sector.
Before you can start to share insights with your audiences and drive impact, your executive thought leadership needs a positioning that's clear and recognizable.
You need to:
Identify a unique niche or perspective: Focus on an area where your experience, insights, or vision sets you apart from others in your sector.
Align with your core values: Ensure your messaging reflects your principles and the impact you want to create.
Keep your ideas timely: Your positioning needs to be grounded and realistic. Otherwise, your campaigns won’t relate to audiences nor resonate.
Define your audience and their needs: Understand who you want to influence, whether that’s investors, clients, employees, or peers, and what guidance they're seeking.
Clarify the value you deliver: Be explicit about the outcomes, solutions, or perspectives that make following or engaging with you worthwhile.
Once you have this basic foundation, you can launch a campaign that shares your unique perspective, such a hot-take or data-backed prediction.
Take Lisa Thompson, CEO of a hypothetical US-based renewable energy firm that specializes in solar farms.
Her thought leadership positioning focuses specifically on helping Fortune 500 companies transition to net-zero energy while maintaining cost efficiency.
She draws on 20 years of experience in solar project financing, grid integration, and sustainable operations to offer insights no other executive in her field is sharing.
Her messaging reflects her values: sustainability, measurable results, and innovation.
And she keeps her ideas timely by connecting them to the Inflation Reduction Act incentives, showing her audience that her advice is grounded in current US policy.
Her unique perspective? She predicts corporate solar adoption will grow by 35% over the next five years.
By consistently publishing articles in Forbes and Edie, speaking at industry conferences, and sharing data-driven insights on LinkedIn, she demonstrates tangible value: companies can adopt renewable energy profitably, employees feel inspired, and investors gain confidence in her leadership.
This kind of specific, actionable positioning sets her apart as a credible thought leader and shows exactly how a US executive can build influence with measurable impact.
The initial benefits of executive thought leadership in the US? Greater exposure to key audiences across multiple channels, helping you build credibility and a global following.
These channels include:
Social media: sparks conversation and reaches a diverse audience in real time.
Media coverage: positions you as an authoritative voice, lending credibility to your insights.
Multimedia content: podcasts, videos, or infographics engages your audience in more memorable ways.
Events: provides direct interaction with peers, investors, and clients, building relationships on a personal level.
The risk? Some US executives focus on just one channel, often due to time constraints or limited resources, when they should be using multiple channels in unison for maximum impact.
For instance, a media mention can drive social engagement, social content can promote event participation, and multimedia can repurpose and reinforce your messaging across all touchpoints.
Depending on the focus of your campaign, this can lead to transformed recruitment and retention, sustainable investment across PE, VC, and shares, stronger partnerships, and long-term clients and customers.
But that’s not all. More crucially, executive thought leadership can lead to far greater, more widespread influence on a international scale.
American business leaders often set precedents for how the rest of the world responds to economic, social, and environmental challenges.
After repeatedly contributing to key discussions within your industry, you’ll get to a point that the coverage and followers you’ve earned will cause regulators, policymakers, and even the public at large to take notice.
At this stage, the ideas you share can start to shape how industries evolve, how the media frames critical issues, and even how legislation and regulation are approached.
What happens? Doors begin to open to government advisory roles, public-private collaborations, and policy panels shaping national and international agendas.
US executives, in particular, have a unique chance to make their mark on the world stage. As already mentioned, the US remains a global hub across many sectors, meaning that American business leaders often set precedents for how the rest of the world responds to economic, social, and environmental challenges.
Think of:
The impact Bill Gates has had at COP26.
Jamie Dimon at the World Economic Forum.
Or Mary Barra shaping US manufacturing and EV policy.
These leaders steal global headlines, and people listen. And it's up to you to find a similar watershed moment.
Of course, it takes time to reach this level of authority. But the commitment is certainly worthwhile.
How can you go viral or pitch to global media outlets or conferences, if you only speak about US-specific topics?
Now, if you want to reach the point where your insights are internationally recognised, and you earn widespread influence, there’s a number of things you must bear in mind.
The first? Avoid US-centricity.
It goes without saying, but how can you go viral or pitch to global media outlets or conferences, if you only speak about US-specific topics?
Of course, you need to focus on areas you specialise in. But that doesn’t mean you can’t contextualise your insights so they speak to global challenges, trends, and opportunities, showing how your perspectives apply across markets.
For instance, imagine you're a US-based fintech CEO who talks about improving access to digital payments in underserved US communities.
To make your perspective globally relevant, you could highlight how the same strategies, like mobile banking solutions, can apply in countries across Africa, Southeast Asia, or Latin America, where digital payments are rapidly growing.
To your primary stakeholders, it signals that your presence and perspective are truly global, reinforcing confidence in your leadership and vision.
At the same time, it invites other audiences worldwide to follow, engage with, and learn from your content, expanding your influence far beyond your home market.
The key lesson here: always look at the bigger picture.
The difference between top-tier executive branding and mediocre visibility? Knowing which media outlets matter, how they operate in different regions, and what stories resonate.
If you don’t get this right:
You risk irrelevant coverage that generates noise rather than influence, delivering little real value to your brand.
You may damage relationships with international journalists, making it harder to stay relevant in global markets.
Your messaging can appear culturally tone-deaf, limiting any engagement.
You allow your competitors to dominate the most prominent global discussions instead.
Case in point: on a daily basis, you need to be engaging with global media across podcasts, nationals, and trades to gain an in-depth understanding about how they produce their coverage, what stories they favor, and where you can capitalize on various opportunities.
Don't limit yourself to US media. Work with an expert who can take your voice global.
Studies show that words convey just 7% of the message an executive shares. The rest comes from tone and body language.
What this means? Even with the best intentions and thorough preparation, your words may not land as expected. Add an international audience into the mix and the risk of miscommunication is even higher.
As such:
You need to adapt every statement depending on audience, region, culture, and timing.
You can't be overconfident with your ideas and vision.
You need to pivot from bold, media-driven commentary toward measured, relationship-focused communication.
Many US executives, pressured to deliver results or respond quickly to media or investor scrutiny, fail to do this, undermining their global influence significantly.
Don't make the same mistake. Seek the right counsel.
For example, an executive branding agency can produce professional multimedia that helps global audiences grasp your insights quickly.
The best executive brands avoid the “us vs. them” dynamic that breeds backlash, instead cultivating a positive narrative centered on progress and long-term impact.
Equally important is the mindset you bring.
Global leadership is less about domination and more about collaboration:
Promoting cross-border partnerships.
Encouraging joint innovation.
Celebrating regional talent.
Valuing diverse operational models and supply chains.
Besides much else.
Essentially, the best executive brands avoid the “us vs. them” dynamic that breeds backlash, instead cultivating a positive narrative centered on progress and long term impact.
That doesn’t mean shying away from difficult topics. Strong thought leadership can (and should) challenge how different nations approach issues like sustainability, AI governance, or workforce transformation. But the tone matters.
You shouldn't want to win an argument, but move the conversation, and the world, forward.
Small, visible steps show you're thinking internationally and that your network genuinely extends beyond your own borders.
It’s one thing to talk about worldwide impact. It’s another to actually operate beyond your home market, where you earn genuine credibility.
Think of: leaders with investments, partnerships, or advisory roles across different regions. The types whose statements naturally hold more weight because their perspective has been tested in multiple cultural and commercial environments.
How can you find similar leverage?
If you're a US-based SME, you might pilot a product in a second market, collaborate with an overseas research group, or work with suppliers from other regions to build credibility.
Essentially, these don’t need to be big, headline-grabbing moves. Just small, visible steps that show you're thinking internationally and that you have a strong network. That’s where real global authority, and strong executive branding, comes from.
Don’t ever expect executive branding to directly close deals. Its job is to build credibility, trust, and influence.
Even when you’re doing everything right, it can be hard to gauge the impact of your executive branding, especially as a busy founder or CEO.
However, in the first instance, you might see:
A surge in global coverage for content about you.
A clear uptick in followers across your social accounts.
Journalists beginning to proactively reach out.
Invites to speak at global conferences from industry peers.
Website traffic and conversions starting to rise.
In addition to this, by including logos of reputable publications in slide decks, you'll be able to swing tough meetings with clients or investors in your favor. You'll see firsthand that your influence is real, not just visibility for visibility’s sake.
That said, don’t ever expect executive branding to directly close deals. Its job is to build credibility, trust, and influence, so when opportunities arise, people take you seriously.
And that's when global impact becomes possible.
What is executive branding for US leaders?
Executive branding is the strategic process of shaping how a leader is perceived by stakeholders, combining personal visibility with credibility and influence to strengthen trust, attract talent, and open global opportunities.
Why is executive branding important in the US?
US executives operate in a highly visible, competitive market. Strong executive branding positions leaders as credible authorities, helps them influence key audiences, and ensures their voice resonates both nationally and internationally.
How can US leaders stand out globally?
By demonstrating tangible impact beyond the US, such as cross-border partnerships, international projects, or global thought leadership, leaders signal authority and relevance on a worldwide scale.
Can small or mid-sized US companies benefit from executive branding?
Absolutely. Even smaller organizations can show global intent through strategic initiatives, international collaborations, and by sharing insights that resonate beyond their home market.
How does thought leadership fit into executive branding?
Thought leadership allows executives to share unique insights, establish expertise, and shape conversations in their sector, all of which amplify their executive brand and global influence.
Why should US executives work with a personal PR agency?
A PR agency acts as a strategic partner, helping leaders clarify their narrative, identify the right audiences, and amplify their voice across media, social platforms, and events. This ensures visibility is purposeful and aligned with broader business goals.
What can a PR agency do that an executive can’t do alone?
Agencies bring expertise, resources, and media relationships that most executives don’t have time to build themselves. They manage reputation risk, secure high-impact coverage, and provide guidance on tone, timing, and messaging, all critical for building a credible global profile.
How does a personal PR agency support international visibility?
Leading PR agencies have global contacts and capabilities, including relationships with international media, experience navigating different markets, and the ability to craft messages that resonate across cultures. This ensures your executive brand is seen and respected beyond the US.