The personal brand of the CEO: PR expertise in 90 days

In short

• Weeks 1–2: Diagnosis of the presence, discussion with the president, selection of two or three topics, recording of positions and principles.
• Weeks 3–6: LinkedIn profile, one longer text, short posts every week and material for journalists.
• Weeks 7–12: Media comments, original article, industry presentation and training on difficult questions.
• Safety: The final word belongs to the president, and sensitive topics are reviewed by the legal department. The facts are based on real events; nothing is fabricated.

The personal brand of the CEO is the public image of the company leader, i.e., the topics, values, and opinions with which people outside the organization associate him or her. It can be built consciously, in a calm rhythm and with clear safety rules.

In this article we give a plan for 90 days. Weeks 1–2 are for diagnosis and selection of topics, weeks 3–6 are for the first publications, and weeks 7–12 are for media and speeches. We add rules for statements and an answer to the question of who approves the CEO’s content.

What is the personal brand of the CEO and why is it important for the company

People trust people more than logos. When a client, job candidate, or journalist wants to evaluate a company, they often start with the question: who is behind it? That’s why The personal brand of the CEO is the public image of the leader, that is, the topics, values, and opinions that people outside the company associate with him or her.. It comes down to what the president says, writes, and how he behaves, regardless of whether he plans it or not.

For a B2B company, this makes practical sense. The CEO, who regularly and factually speaks about his industry, shortens the sales process because the client already trusts him. It also makes recruitment and conversations with partners easier. However, it is worth remembering the other side: the same visibility works during a crisis when someone is looking for what the CEO said earlier.

The management visibility strategy was described in the article. Management thought leadership: visibility strategy for the CEO and experts. This text has a different purpose. Instead of strategy, it provides a specific plan for 90 days, which can be started next week.

The rules you set before the first week

Before creating the first text, it is worth agreeing on a few rules. Thanks to them, the plan won’t be derailed by the first doubt.

• The president talks about what he knows about. Choose two or three topics in which they have real experience. Not more, because distraction weakens recognition.
• Every claim has a basis. Your own experience, data from a reliable source, or an example that can be described. No fabricated numbers and no quotes that the CEO didn’t say.
• Without evaluating competitors by name and without political commentary, unless it is a conscious decision of the management.
• Without news that could affect a company's valuation or affect its customers, before the legal department or the person responsible for compliance with regulations approves them.
• Privacy has its limits. The president decides how much he talks about himself. We do not disclose family details or personal matters.

It’s worth writing these rules down on one page and signing them internally. It’s a simple document that saves a lot of discussion.

It’s also good to be clear from the beginning about what the plan doesn’t do. It doesn’t turn the CEO into a celebrity and doesn’t require a daily presence on social media. It also doesn’t replace the company’s reliable work: if the product or service has serious shortcomings, a louder CEO will only draw more attention to them. A personal brand reinforces what is already true, and that should be the limit of promises to the board.

Who approves the president's content

Most often, it is not the idea itself that fails, but the process of acceptance. If the president’s text has to go through five people, one is created every quarter. If it does not pass any of them, sooner or later a mistake will appear. Therefore, set three levels.

1. Author or content manager (a person from communications or an agency) prepares a sketch with the president and checks the facts.
2. President final approval. It's his name, so nothing gets done without his approval. The first-person content must sound like him and contain only what he actually thinks.
3. Legal or compliance department It only looks at sensitive topics: customer data, financial information, disputes, and regulations. Other texts should not be included here so as not to turn the plan into a queue.

A simple time rule also works well: standard texts are approved within two working days, and urgent responses to events within a day. A shorter timeframe requires that there are already ready-made positions for the president in several topics beforehand. That is why the first and second weeks of the plan are so important.

Weeks 1 and 2: diagnosis and topics

At the beginning, we don’t write anything. We first check what we’re starting with and what we want to build.

• Overview of the presence. Enter the president's name into a search engine and into a few AI models. Note what appears, what is outdated, and what is missing. This is your starting point, with which you can later compare the results.
• Interview with the president. The time you discuss: what they really want to talk about, what their experiences are, what they don't want to discuss.
• Choosing two or three topics. Criteria: the CEO’s real knowledge plus the questions asked by the clients. A good topic answers the question „what the client doesn’t understand, but the CEO does”.
• Record of positions. On one side there is a discussion about: what the president’s opinion is, what it is based on and what he/she will not say about it.
• Rules and acceptance from the previous point, signed by the management.

Two weeks later: a recorded diagnosis, selected topics, positions and principles. Nothing is yet public, but the plan already has a foundation.

Weeks 3–6: first publications

We start with the channels that the company controls. A mistake in them costs the least and provides material for the next stages.

1. Profile on LinkedIn. The current photo, a description of what the president helps with and to whom, a link to the company's website. How to connect LinkedIn with sales was described in the text. Social media strategy for B2B companies: LinkedIn, management and sales.
2. One longer text on the company's blog, in which the editor develops the main topic. This is the base to which shorter posts will be referred.
3. Short posts every week. One post based on experience: a situation, a decision, a proposal. Short sentences, no jargon, no company advertising.
4. Ready material for journalists: an „expert in the media” page with a brief description of the president, topics, and contact information.

At this stage, regularity is more important than the number of publications. Four weeks of rhythm will show whether the president has the time for such a work schedule. If not, it is better to reduce the rhythm than abandon the plan after a month.

Weeks 7–12: media and speeches

When you have the material and the initial reactions, you go beyond your own channels. This is a stage that builds credibility, as the evaluation is given by independent editorial boards and event organizers.

• Suggestions for comments for the media. Journalists need an expert who can answer an urgent question quickly. Prepare a short list of industry media outlets and regularly offer commentary on events in your field. How to structure a quarter of cooperation was described in the article Media relations: how to plan a quarter of cooperation with journalists.
• Original article or interview in one selected industry medium. One good place is better than five random ones.
• Presentation or panel discussion. Start with a medium-sized industry event where preparation is easier. The CEO rehearses his presentation with someone who asks difficult questions.
• Training on difficult questions. The hour of preparation before the first interview. The rules for talking to a journalist in a difficult situation can be found in the text. Relations with the media in a crisis.

Remember that the information provided to the media should be in a proper format. We write about how to write messages that cite both the media and AI models in an article Press release in the era of AI.

How to check if it works

After ninety days, do not expect drastic changes. Expect a trend. Time alignment does not prove influence, so determine in advance which signals you consider to be good.

• Comparison with the diagnosis from the first week: What does the search engine and AI models show now after entering the president's name?
• Invitations and questions from the outside: from the media, organizers, candidates, and clients. Record them in one table with the source.
• Notes from traders: do customers remember the texts or the president's speeches?
• The quality of the response, not just the number of likes: comments from people in the target group are more important than likes from random accounts.

We do not measure success by the number of views or by conversions to advertising costs, because they don't say anything about trust. We described this in more detail in the text. PR strategy for a B2B company: from the goal to the metrics.

How Commplace can help

We implement visibility plans for experts and management: from diagnosis and selection of topics, through the preparation of texts and media materials, to training before speeches. We work to ensure that the CEO maintains control over his or her voice. He or she personally approves every text with their name, and sensitive topics undergo additional approval from the company. We do not promise specific publications, because those are decided by the editorial teams.

You can find a wider range of activities on the website Public Relations. If the brand of the CEO is to be derived from the company's overall strategy, see the page Marketing strategy.

Jak wyglądają nasze prace, zobaczysz w projektach Commplace®.

Frequently asked questions about the personal brand of the president

What is the CEO's personal brand?

It is the public image of the CEO in the eyes of people outside the company: what topics, values, and opinions are associated with him or her. It is created from his or her statements, publications, and behavior, so it can be consciously shaped.

Why would a CEO need a personal brand?

It helps clients, candidates and partners trust the company more quickly. It also usually shortens the sales process because the conversation starts with getting to know each other, rather than starting from scratch.

How to build a personal brand of a CEO?

Choose two or three topics in which the CEO has real experience and publish regularly on LinkedIn and the company blog. Then add media comments and industry speeches.

How long does the construction of the CEO's personal brand take?

The first visible effects usually appear after about three months of regular work, but full recognition takes longer. Ninety days are enough to build a foundation and a rhythm.

Who should approve the president’s statements?

The final word always belongs to the CEO himself, because it is his name. The legal or compliance department should additionally check only sensitive topics, such as customer data, finances, or disputes.