Many CMOs and heads of communications are dealing with the same situation: the company is active on LinkedIn, with a strong presence.
The CEO is on LinkedIn but not particularly active – they are good about reposting company announcements, sharing funding news, and will talk about a speaking engagement or podcast.
But they don’t have a meaningful leadership presence.
Meanwhile competitors are becoming more visible. Their CEOs are shaping how the market understands the sector. They are attracting attention, talent, and opportunities.
The gap is noticeable.
Key Takeaways:
- When a CMO asks their CEO to post more, the CEO sees LinkedIn as marketing’s job rather than their own. Pointing at active competitors rarely changes their mind.
- The conversation shifts when you connect LinkedIn to the business challenges the CEO already faces. Slow hiring, a market that isn’t getting the story, and culture strain during rapid growth are all problems a visible leadership presence helps address.
- LinkedIn is one of the few places to show how a CEO think and lead while reaching employees, candidates, investors, and partners at once. Framed this way, the ask becomes “lead more clearly where people are already looking”.
Why does the usual approach fall flat?
Most internal conversations about LinkedIn start in the same place. The CMO lobbies the CEO to post more, pointing out that competitors are active and the company is missing an opportunity.
But the CEO isn’t convinced.
They see LinkedIn as something marketing is responsible for – not anything that needs to involve them.
How to change the conversation
In our work with CEOs over the past 15 years, we’ve found that a different approach is needed.
You need to show the CEO the connection between the business challenges they are facing and the way a public leadership presence addresses those issues. Here are a few examples:
- The market isn’t getting your story
The product is strong, but the positioning is not landing the way it should. Competitors are shaping the narrative.
If the CEO is not visible, explaining how they think about the space, the company loses some control over how it is understood.
- Hiring takes longer than it should
Strong candidates don’t accept offers. Senior roles are staying open too long. The hiring process feels more difficult than expected.
Many CEOs don’t appreciate how much of an asset their leadership is, or how the quality of the executive team makes the company attractive to job candidates.
- Rapid growth impacts your culture
It’s hard to maintain a strong company culture when you are doubling or tripling in size.
A CEO who leads publicly reinforces company values.
- Post-raise, expectations have changed
After a round, there is more attention from investors, partners, and the market. The stakes are higher, and the CEO’s visibility is an important part of the narrative.
Reframe LinkedIn as the place to lead in public
For CEOs, LinkedIn is one of the few places where you can show how you think and how you lead, in a way that reaches employees, candidates, investors, and partners at the same time.
When LinkedIn is framed this way, the conversation becomes much more relevant.
If you can help your CEO see LinkedIn in those terms, you are no longer asking them to “be more active.”
You are helping them lead more clearly, in a place where people are already looking.