[NEW INSIGHT] Why multimedia is becoming a CEOs most powerful thought leadership tool in 2026
Executive newsletters have quickly become one of the most effective ways for leaders to build influence and drive commercial outcomes.
Unlike traditional company updates, they offer a direct, owned channel to reach investors, clients, and partners with insight-led content that actually gets read. And in a crowded B2B landscape where attention is limited and trust is hard-won, that’s a powerful advantage.
But while many executives are launching newsletters, far fewer are turning them into something more meaningful: a consistent source of inbound opportunities.
In this article, we break down how to start an executive newsletter and turn it into a reliable pipeline, from content and tone to distribution and performance.
The email newsletter has become a staple in the B2B world – almost four in five marketers now use them.
That raises an important question: Why?
Quite simply, newsletters keep companies connected with their key stakeholders. Specifically, to keep leads warm, partners engaged, and investors interested, which are all key hallmarks of growth.
Unlike other marketing tools, companies can promote any piece of content they like, such as company updates, achievements, and coverage, or all at once. They do this via a combination of text, website links, imagery, and videography.
By design, newsletters are also ultra-efficient and cost-effective:
You can reach a large, targeted audience instantly with minimal distribution costs.
You own the channel, removing reliance on algorithms or paid promotion.
You can repurpose existing content, maximising return on investment.
You can track performance easily through open rates, clicks, and engagement metrics.
With everything considered, it's easy to see why newsletters have become indispensable.
If there's one benefit to newsletters many overlook, it's using them to showcase expertise.
This is how you distinguish yourself from competitors, deliver value to stakeholders, and gradually earn influence within your industry and beyond.
And the one thing that makes the difference is who your newsletter is coming from.
Think about it: Your audience is bombarded with marketing messaging daily…
Leads are weighing up multiple providers and looking for signals of credibility and authority.
Partners want to align themselves with organisations that demonstrate clear thinking and industry leadership.
Investors are assessing not just performance, but vision, consistency, and long-term potential.
In that environment, generic company updates are easy to ignore. But insight-led communication from credible voices like founders or CEOs cuts through.
In fact, research highlights a growing preference for these individual-led, personality-driven newsletters, with open rates being 27% higher.
That increase, though it might seem small, is often significant. It’s not only a case of increasing conversions, accessing beneficial partnerships, and obtaining more funding, but earning trust.
Why is trust so important? In 2026, it’s the true currency for success. It impacts whether audiences engage with your content, embrace your perspectives, and show support for your leadership.
So, the question isn’t whether companies should adopt newsletters as part of their marketing strategy, it’s how they should execute them.
You shouldn’t be plugging a product or service. The moment you do this, you lose credibility, and the newsletter becomes ineffective.
Your newsletter should always lead with insight.
You shouldn’t be plugging a product or service. The moment you do this, you lose credibility, and the newsletter becomes ineffective.
So, what does insight look like?
A strong, informed point of view on a relevant industry topic or trend that makes sense to your expertise, business, and stakeholders.
Real-world examples, lessons, or observations from your role to enrich the content, make it relatable, and more engaging to read.
Original content that goes beyond industry reports to add new value, demystify complex industry trends or jargon, and get your audience craving more.
A satisfying conclusion with a key takeaway, prediction, or implication that wraps up the newsletter and sets up new avenues for discussion.
Usually, this will fit between 300 to 400 words, which is the optimal length to provide detail without taking up too much of your readers' time.
What actually works is having a human voice. One that feels relatable and immediately helps audiences disconnect from marketing fluff.
Many B2B newsletters make the mistake of staying too far on brand, which, while important, can create an overly corporate, safe, or impersonal tone.
But what actually works is having a human voice. One that feels relatable and immediately helps audiences disconnect from marketing fluff they see daily.
That said, that balance, professional but personal, is often difficult to get right.
Here are a few tips that make a huge difference:
Avoid jargon and overly technical language. This maintains flow and ensures your message doesn’t alienate certain groups of your audience.
Write how you speak. A natural, conversational tone is far more engaging than corporate phrasing.
Be opinion-led, not neutral. Stakeholders value perspective, not safe summaries of what’s known.
Keep sentences concise. Long, dense paragraphs reduce readability and lose attention quickly.
Show personality where appropriate. A distinct voice makes your content more memorable and builds stronger connections.
Remember: when crafting newsletters, your main point of difference is that they are unique to you.
So, don’t lose that personal voice.
Leave room in your newsletter to embed videos. It can help you communicate nuance and personality in a way that text alone often can’t.
Along with the content itself, you should spend equal time on formatting.
On one hand, consistent sections and ease of navigation improves digestibility, making recipients more willing to open your newsletter every time.
On the other hand, having ready-made, familiar templates makes the drafting process significantly easier. It means you can focus more on getting the actual quality of your content up to scratch.
You should also remember to leave room in your newsletter to embed videos. It can help you communicate nuance and personality in a way that text alone often can’t.
Similarly, linking to external coverage, reports, or interviews can add further depth and reinforce credibility, enabling stakeholders to explore ideas further at their own pace.
When you don’t take any of this into consideration and produce newsletters on the fly, that's when your content becomes forgettable, you look unprofessional, and the process becomes tiresome.
In some cases, your newsletter might not even reach your audience. This happens when poorly designed or overly promotional newsletters are flagged as spam, leaving even the strongest content unseen.
As a rule of thumb:
Ensure titles and subject lines are clear and punchy.
Use consistent sections, order, and layout in every edition to build familiarity and trust.
Keep paragraphs short and make content easy to scan across both desktop and mobile.
Avoid overly promotional language that turns your reader off.
Embed videos and include links to deepen engagement without overwhelming the reader.
Once you develop the right habits, the process becomes much easier.
Newsletters are not only a distribution tool, but a direct line to clients, partners, and investors, where clarity, quality, and credibility all matter.
Any executive can send 3 good newsletters. But very few can send 30, 50, or 100+.
This is the difference between becoming a real thought leader audiences can depend on and someone who only shows up when it suits them.
It’s also the difference between having a growing following and not.
And it’s no coincidence that executives who publish consistently tend to see stronger engagement across media coverage and social channels as well.
Why? Consistency compounds visibility.
Case in point, treat newsletters with the same level of care as any other responsibility. They’re not only a distribution tool, but a direct line to clients, partners, and investors, where clarity, quality, and credibility all matter.
The average B2B professional receives around 117–121 emails per day. Just one of those is your newsletter.
Picture this: you've been distributing newsletters, but engagement numbers are worryingly low.
Yet, you’ve produced strong arguments, structured your newsletters correctly, and have maintained consistency.
The problem? Your reader isn’t choosing between you and nothing.
They’re choosing between:
Internal emails.
Slack.
LinkedIn.
Other newsletters.
All of which can come before you, depending on the reader’s preference.
In fact, the average B2B professional receives around 117–121 emails per day. Just one of those is your newsletter.
So, how do you address this hurdle?
Firstly, you can take this as an opportunity to improve your email subject line and pre-header text. Research shows that around 47% of email recipients decide whether to open an email based on the subject line alone, while pre-header text can significantly increase open rates by providing additional context.
For instance, a newsletter about rising oil prices performs better with:
“How rising oil prices are accelerating EV adoption.”
than:
“Oil prices hit record levels and what it means."
The difference: One is specific and tells the reader why it matters to them, teasing new insight, while the other simply reports what has happened.
Sending your newsletter between 9-11am, midweek, is the sweet spot.
Just before you hit send, consider the time and date.
Though this might seem like a small detail, it tells a lot about why a newsletter performs better or worse, and whether poor performance might be temporary.
For instance:
Mondays tend to underperform, as inboxes are flooded with internal emails, task lists, and meeting follow-ups from the weekend backlog.
Fridays often see reduced attention, as professionals shift focus to wrapping up work and are less likely to engage with in-depth reading.
Holiday seasons can reduce engagement, as decision-makers are away and distracted.
End-of-year periods aren't ideal, as executives and stakeholders are focused on planning cycles, reporting, and internal priorities.
Mid-quarter periods typically perform better, as there is more cognitive space for strategic thinking and external insights.
Generally, though, sending your newsletter between 9-11am, midweek, is the sweet spot.
Add key journalists to your newsletter distribution list if you’ve engaged with them before.
Typically, when your newsletter is performing well, you’ll notice a few positive signs.
In the first instance, there will be high open rates. But better still, replies, forwards, or inbound opportunities.
A good tip to maximise those opportunities: add key journalists to your newsletter distribution list if you’ve engaged with them before.
There’s a good chance that your thought leadership aligns with an article they are set to write or they simply want to cover a company update, such as a funding round, product launch, major hire, partnership announcement, or market expansion.
Another good tip: share your newsletter on your blog and social channels.
Just like how coverage can, you expand the reach of your content, and you may even get additional sign ups to your newsletter, gradually expanding your following.
Just wait a day or two after sending your newsletter, so that it reaches your key audience first.
Unlike impressions or likes, subscribers represent intent. And that’s what resonates at board level.
Not all boards are innately comfortable with their CEO or founder investing in thought leadership and their personal brands.
After all, running the business and delivering commercial results must come first.
However, this is where newsletter sign-ups help: they provide clear, attributable evidence of who is choosing to engage with you over time.
Essentially, you have a powerful way to shift the conversation from:
“Is this worth it?”
to
“Here’s the value it’s delivering.”
Unlike impressions or likes, subscribers represent intent. And that’s what resonates at board level, whether from key decision-makers or inbound interest from investors.
So, don't neglect newsletters any longer. Start yours today.