[NEW INSIGHT] Personal branding for CEOs vs personal branding: what’s the real difference
A thought leadership agency is one of the best investments you can make as a founder or CEO. Your personal brand is so precious that it needs to be managed with precision and care.
But with so many thought leadership agencies offering their services, who should you partner with? Which agency is going to give you the best return on your investment, build your brand the right way, and go the extra mile so your reputation stands the test of time?
In this article, we solve this conundrum by breaking down what the best agencies do differently, and the common pitfalls that weaker ones fall into.
Hopefully, this will help you distinguish true thought leadership experts from those that simply claim to be one, so you can earn the trust and credibility you need to succeed.
The best agencies want to make sure that when your voice finally hits the market, it resonates with the right audience and positions you as a leader worth listening to.
When you first set out as a thought leader, you’ll be keen to get content out there to establish yourself.
Understandably, you might choose an agency that promises a content-first approach to secure some early wins and build momentum.
Things initially seem positive, until you start noticing the content feels generic, repetitive, or disconnected from your actual expertise. Worse, it doesn’t sound like you at all.
The journalists the agency pitched you to aren’t interested in hearing from you, social audiences find no real value, and algorithms don’t favour you.
The mistake you made? Not working with an agency that understands the importance of strategy. Because while it’s important not to dither too long, you need a clear strategic foundation when you get started.
It ensures every piece of content, whether an op-ed, LinkedIn post, keynote, or interview, connects back to a bigger story only you can tell, which is essential.
How else will you distinguish yourself, rise above the noise, and genuinely drive influence?
So, what does a good strategy look like in practice?
Before you sign, the agency should spend time learning more about you, your interests, and your objectives.
After you sign, they should settle on a thought leadership positioning that defines your unique expertise, clarifies the ideas you want to be known for, and sets the tone for every piece of content.
During the first week of work, they will conduct an audit of your online profile to see whether your current persona aligns with your positioning. They will then edit biographies and produce new multimedia for extra polish.
Over subsequent weeks, the agency will aim to inject your voice into relevant, timely discussions they believe you should be seen in. During this time, they will nail down your opinion, key talking points, and voice.
Only then should content be published.
The best agencies take this approach for a reason. They want to make sure that when your voice finally hits the market, it resonates with the right audience and positions you as a leader worth listening to.
The alternative is that you risk audiences never wanting to hear from you again, which is never good for you or the ventures you represent.
Good agencies will challenge your assumptions, help refine your ideas, and guide you toward content that truly resonates with your audience.
Before you share a piece of thought leadership content, always ask yourself is it valuable? Does it move the conversation forward?
If the answer is no, the content isn’t ready.
It takes time to become a good storyteller, and though you might want to prioritise content that serves your own objectives, what matters internally doesn’t always make for strong, audience-focused thought leadership.
Good agencies exist to tell you this. They’ll challenge your assumptions, help refine your ideas, and guide you toward content that truly resonates with your audience.
Other agencies won't. Perhaps, because they’re shy about telling their clients no. But in general, it's better that they always act as confident consultants rather than looking to please you.
This also underlines why you must strike a strong rapport with an agency from the very beginning. There needs to be a level of trust where you can always disagree with each other, and accept constructive feedback, no matter the situation.
This same trust means you can leave the agency to:
Spot angles and insights that will capture attention, spark conversation, and stand out in a crowded market.
Make your ideas relatable and memorable by connecting them to real-world challenges, values, or aspirations.
Use data, research, and examples to back up your points and build credibility with your audience.
Ensure your voice and perspective shine through, giving your content authenticity, authority, and distinction.
They also manage tight deadlines, shifting priorities, and the challenge of keeping your narrative consistent across multiple channels, besides much else in the background.
Step back occasionally. Give your voice a rest. You don’t need to be seen everywhere.
Once you’ve found the agency that you think is right for you, they’ve outlined a strong body of work, and the first pieces of content you’ve produced have started to invite positive engagement, watch out for complacency.
Not in terms of showing up or staying active, but complacency in thinking that more content means better results. It doesn’t.
Even with a sharp narrative and continued strategic focus, too much media engagements and social posts can actually dilute your voice, create audience fatigue, and even reduce your credibility over time.
If you must produce more content in a short window, your agency should use other left-field mediums to share your insights, such as multimedia that diversifies your content, podcasts they pitch you to, and events that give audiences an opportunity to meet you in person.
From our perspective, we see this healthy, balanced approach to thought leadership as much about protecting the agency's reputation as it is about serving a client.
We work with a host of global, pan-sector journalists. If we were to pitch the same client to them every week, it would suggest that we treat our relationships with them as nothing more than a commodity.
And on the journalists’ side, if they were to accept every pitch, their coverage would appear biased and one-dimensional, ultimately undermining the client’s credibility and influence.
So, all things considered, step back occasionally. Give your voice a rest. You don’t need to be seen everywhere. Sometimes, being absent is what makes people notice you most.
A script won’t carry you through every situation where you need to show up. What you need is to bring the tone, energy, and authenticity that no agency can manufacture.
Top thought leadership agencies are great at multi-tasking. They’ll ghostwrite your press releases, produce opinion pieces, manage your social media, and organise a new personal portrait shoot, often all on the same day.
You might think, then, that thought leadership is a relatively relaxed process for you.
But that’s not entirely true. You still need to contribute a lot.
On one hand, that means staying engaged throughout the process by feeding your agency new insights and adjusting your strategy where necessary so your campaign stays aligned with your firm's activities and objectives.
On the other hand, and perhaps more importantly, you need to be ready to inject personality into your content. That includes the videos you film, the interviews you give to journalists, and the podcasts you appear on.
Sure, you can expect your agency to prepare you with a media brief or even some training to sharpen your delivery. But they can’t do everything for you.
No matter what anyone tells you, a script won’t carry you through every situation where you need to show up. What you need is to bring the tone, energy, and authenticity that no agency can manufacture.
Otherwise, you won’t connect with anyone and you won’t be memorable in a world where authenticity has become everything. In fact, you can invite backlash from coming across as fake.
Just be yourself. It's not hard.
Many agencies still inflate their value by pointing to outputs rather than impact. Good agencies take a very different approach.
A common trap in thought leadership is confusing activity with impact. Just because people see your content doesn’t mean it’s actually working for you.
Take LinkedIn impressions, for example. As an established founder or CEO, you can easily generate 20,000+ views on a post simply by reacting to a trending topic or sharing something generic.
But if none of those viewers are journalists, potential clients, or senior industry peers, the number becomes irrelevant.
The same applies to media coverage. You could secure five low-tier mentions in a single week, but that won’t carry the same weight as one well-placed interview in a publication your industry genuinely respects.
Quality always outperforms quantity. Yet, many agencies still inflate their value by pointing to outputs rather than impact. Good agencies take a very different approach.
They’ll look closely at:
Who engaged with your content, not how many did.
Which journalists replied, not how many pitches were sent.
Whether the coverage benefitted your reputation, not how many headlines your name appeared in.
An increase in traffic or big-ticket contracts you recently secured.
These are the metrics that matter. They show whether your narrative is landing in the right places, with the right people, at the right moments.
Because at senior level, real thought leadership isn’t a popularity contest. It’s a positioning exercise. If you aren’t working with an agency for this reason, you’re in the wrong game.
Clients often ask us how long the thought leadership process should take. Without a doubt, there is no clear answer.
It depends on:
Your objectives.
How established you already are.
How quickly your market is willing to accept new voices.
But usually, even with a client who we believe will hit the ground running, we still recommend a long-term approach.
Why? Thought leadership is never a one-off campaign.
On time projects can be expensive in the long-term, lack an overarching strategy, and always leave you wanting more.
Industries quickly shift, markets evolve, and attention spans are short. The moment you ease off, your voice can fade, your influence can plateau, and in the worst cases, you could face a crisis with no strategic support behind you.
That’s why partnering with a personal branding agency is about more than content creation. It’s about having a reputational partner you can trust to keep your narrative sharp, your presence consistent, and your influence stronger with time.
Case in point, when you first speak with an agency, they need to set realistic expectations. And usually, that means working on a retainer. Any agency that doesn’t is usually a red flag.
Why? On time projects can be expensive in the long-term, lack an overarching strategy, and always leave you wanting more, while a long-term, strategic approach ensures every piece of content strengthens your reputation over time.
In 2026, the market for thought leadership agencies will further expand as founders and CEOs realise that their comms can no longer take a backseat to business.
As such, it's going to become trickier to find the right partner to promote and build your brand.
But by following the principles outlined in the article, you can ensure your thought leadership truly makes a difference by building lasting credibility and shaping the conversations that matter most in your industry.
You’ll reap rewards, including stronger industry influence, higher-quality media coverage, and meaningful engagement with the right audiences, and you’ll move forward confidently knowing what opportunities to capitalise on and which tripwires to avoid.