[NEW INSIGHT] Why multimedia is becoming a CEOs most powerful thought leadership tool in 2026
CEO positioning isn’t just about managing your reputation. It’s about influence, trust, and the opportunities that follow.
In this article, we deep dive into what CEO positioning really means, why it matters to boards, investors, and stakeholders, and how top leaders use clarity, consistency, and visibility to build a brand that drives business results.
From handling crises to amplifying your narrative across media and social, you’ll discover the strategies that separate CEOs who are followed and respected from those who are overlooked.
CEO positioning is all about how you present yourself to the market, your key stakeholders, and the media, not just to manage your reputation, but to actively build it.
Without it, you can’t earn credibility, use your influence to drive change, or establish yourself as an industry expert.
And in today’s competitive landscape, that’s exactly what separates leaders who are followed and respected from those who are overlooked.
As such, rather than treating CEO positioning as a one-off task, it needs to become part of your daily routine.
So, fundamentally, what does it involve?
At first, double down on what makes you unique, such as your characteristics, expertise, and aspirations. Otherwise, how do you hope to compete against other CEOs that want to be heard, too?
Second, you need a clear, recognisable public stance or vision that builds engagement and trust. This could take the form of thought leadership that educates the business community or strategic messaging that guides your company’s stakeholders and teams, consistently reinforcing your priorities and values.
Third, closely align with your company’s objectives, ensuring your personal brand reinforces wider campaigns. And avoid mixed messages that could alienate your core audience and cause disengagement.
Fourth, maintain visibility across a host of channels, including media, blogs, social, and multimedia to strengthen your messaging and reach key stakeholders more effectively.
Finally, adapt to changing circumstances when necessary. If you don’t shift messaging during crises or market changes, you won’t remain relevant, positive, and impactful, and your brand will eventually fade away.
This should give you a basic understanding of what CEO positioning is and how to get started.
In reality, boards and investors are rarely making decisions with perfect information. Financials lag, strategies evolve, and market conditions shift faster than forecasts expect.
In most cases, leaders become the lens through which everything else is judged. After all, experienced key decision-makers work with hundreds, if not thousands of leaders in their lifetime. They can distinguish potential from risk within minutes. Sometimes seconds.
So, it makes sense for CEO positioning to become a priority if it isn't already. How else can you reduce uncertainty, build confidence, and reassure that your business is being led responsibly?
Share the emotional story behind your business. Explain why it exists, what motivated you to start it, and your personal connection to the mission.
Here are some examples of leaders that got their CEO positioning right…
Take Satya Nadella. Once viewed simply as the CEO of a legacy software company, he’s now widely recognised as a trusted pioneer of cloud computing and enterprise AI.
Over time, his positioning has evolved alongside Microsoft’s strategic shift, reinforcing a clear narrative around innovation, long-term thinking, and responsible leadership.
But he's also known for his "people-first" culture, an image he has built by spotlighting his more personal but distinct leaderships views and qualities.
Then there’s Mary Barra. Previously associated with traditional automotive manufacturing, she has steadily repositioned herself as a leading voice on electric vehicles and the future of sustainable mobility, aligning her public presence closely with General Motors' transformation.
And Brian Chesky, once simply the face of short-term rentals, has repositioned himself as a pioneer of modern travel and community-led commerce, reflecting Airbnb’s broader ambition to reshape how people live and move.
Each share an unwavering commitment to visibility. Sustained, strategic, and aligned with where their businesses are heading.
Alongside a promising business, getting your CEO positioning right gives you a significantly better chance at success.
As the above leaders have shown, bar financials, a consistent narrative is often the first thing key decision-makers look at.
It shows that you know who you are, what you stand for, and what you’re building, signalling confidence, credibility, and value that the likes of boards and investors want to buy into.
That said, this isn’t just about sharing a good story across your pitch decks. It’s more about showcasing your narrative across LinkedIn posts, media coverage, and interviews, so you build trust long before direct contact.
In many cases, it’s what causes decision-makers to proactively approach you.
So, how do you craft and share a consistent narrative?
One: share the emotional story behind your business. Explain why it exists, what motivated you to start it, and your personal connection to the mission.
Two: clearly explain your goals and why they matter. Make it obvious what you’re building and why it’s valuable for your stakeholders.
Three: be transparent about the steps you’re taking. Outline the decisions, processes, and actions you’re implementing to reach those goals.
Four: celebrate crucial wins. Share achievements in a way that demonstrates progress toward the bigger picture, not just milestones.
Five: show how challenges are addressed. Discuss obstacles openly, explain how your team responded, and highlight lessons learned or improvements made.
Six: reiterate your mission across various content forms. Repetition keeps your narrative top-of-mind for stakeholders.
And remember consistency = credibility.
Since crises are inevitable, it’s often wise to confront potential risks proactively.
No matter what you do, you'll eventually realise that CEO positioning isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Serious challenges will arise that you didn’t anticipate, testing your leadership.
It's in these situations that boards and investors will naturally question how they'll be affected, wanting assurances that you can provide stability.
The first thing you can do is show up. Don’t hide from scrutiny, because you'll only add fuel to the fire, especially in today’s fast-paced environment where leaders are expected to be present and media and social scrutiny is constant.
Secondly, the quicker you respond, the better. Leaving a crisis to chance is when you lose control of the narrative at hand. You’ll look irresponsible and sometimes even the villain, no matter whether the crisis was a fault of your own.
Third, when you do respond to a crisis, show accountability. It’s far easier to acknowledge the issue, apologise, and explain how future incidences will be prevented than to try to sidestep it.
Better still, since crises are inevitable, it’s often wise to confront potential risks proactively. Having this awareness, such as forecasting a potential financial downturn, can at least prepare stakeholders for the worst and position you as an honest, forward-thinking leader.
And if your willingness to address risks leads to solutions that prevent crises, you might find yourself earning long-term reputational goodwill that gives you a competitive advantage over others when it comes to surviving future crises and attracting, retaining, and reassuring boards and investors.
You need audience awareness. Sitting in a team meeting and addressing your peers isn’t the same as sharing a company update on social media.
By taking this advice on board and seeing the advantages, you might be eager to get started. But we’re going to ask you to pause for a moment.
One quality a number of CEOs lack, despite it being vital both internally and externally, is clarity.
By this, we mean the ability to communicate direction, priorities, and decisions clearly, consistently, and without ambiguity.
In reality, many major companies rely on others stepping in to bridge that gap. Whether that’s translating vague direction into workable actions for teams, or quite literally ghostwriting statements and messaging on their behalf.
That approach might work. But it only gets you so far. Eventually, cracks will start to show, and with boards and investors being particularly perceptive, this is something you must definitely avoid if you want to grow.
Shape your thoughts logically and straight to the point, whether its a written or spoken message.
So, how do you overcome this challenge?
First, you need audience awareness. Sitting in a team meeting and addressing your peers isn’t the same as sharing a company update on social media.
On one hand, your social audience won't understand your company as your peers do, so you need to go into further detail.
And on the other, jargon often confuses most where direct but conversational language can work better.
Next, you need structure. Every social post or media pitch you craft needs a clear beginning, middle, and end. It not only shows that you know what you’re talking about and your intentions are clear, but allows you to communicate with various stakeholders more easily once you pick up the right habits.
This also applies to in-person engagements and on video. You can’t ramble or jump between points, because your audience will simply switch off.
So, before you produce any content, ask yourself:
What’s the central message.
Why’s it important.
How can I justify it.
Where’s the evidence.
Who does it matter to.
From there, you’ll be able to shape your thoughts logically and straight to the point, whether its a written or spoken message.
Always double down on whatever it is you want to be known for, wherever possible.
No matter how good you are at structuring a message or campaign, avoid inconsistency. This isn't about regularity, but avoiding contradictions.
For instance, saying one thing in public and another in internal meetings, will not only impact your credibility but leave stakeholders unsure of your priorities.
You don't want key decision-makers and investors following your brand to lose confidence and switch off.
So, always double down on whatever it is you want to be known for, wherever possible, and remember what you’ve said prior to a new piece of content, meeting, or interview to avoid embarrassing yourself.
Journalists of all people love to try and catch CEOs out, not out of malice, but to test whether they really mean what they say. And that's important for the journalist's credibility as well as a CEOs.
Clarity isn’t just about what you say. It’s how you say it, consistently, thoughtfully, and with purpose.
Ever heard the phrase, 'fake it until you make it'?
It isn't one a CEO should follow closely.
Though we’ve mentioned that written communication must be clear, concise, and well-structured, when it comes to in-person and video engagements, you really need to perfect your delivery, showing that you’re authentic, confident, and approachable.
Otherwise, why would a key decision-maker want to meet you?
You risk giving the impression that you’re not passionate about your business, that it’s at risk of faltering, or worse, that your media and social activity were contrived all along.
Remember: clarity isn’t just about what you say. It’s how you say it, consistently, thoughtfully, and with purpose.
CEOs today carry the weight of driving corporate success while actively shaping the conversation that surrounds it.
As a CEO in 2026, your content streams should be never-ending if you want to stay relevant, win big-ticket contracts, and secure the funds you need to grow.
That means:
Producing social posts 2–3 times a week.
Speaking to media on a monthly basis.
Creating behind-the-scenes content that goes beyond the corporate curtain.
Attending event panels, where your thought leadership is the main event.
And much more!
The moment you stop is when social engagement dips, website traffic slows, and the headlines that once showed up when Googling your name begin to fade.
More importantly, the ideas you became known for, pioneering industry approaches or shaping your company’s strategy, won’t reach their full potential.
Clients may hesitate, investment flows could slow, and even your own company might start questioning what went wrong. All because CEOs today must drive corporate success while actively shaping the conversation that surrounds it.
When all is said and done, CEO positioning isn’t a minor tactic that guarantees short-term headlines or quick wins. It’s a long-term commitment you need to properly think through and there’s little margin for error.
Turn your day-to-day leadership into a visible, trusted brand that opens doors, builds confidence, and compounds your influence over time.
To perfect your CEO positioning the right way and avoid common pitfalls, it's a good idea to consider working with specialised experts.
Specifically, an agency specialising in CEO positioning that can:
Audit your public profile.
Structure your story.
Identify opportunities to lead conversations in your industry.
Ensure every public touchpoint strengthens your credibility.
Align your campaigns with your companies objectives.
In short, they turn your day-to-day leadership into a visible, trusted brand that opens doors, builds confidence, and compounds your influence over time.
You don’t have to navigate CEO positioning alone.