I remember years ago, agency teams would build big decks just to convince clients why their CEOs needed to be on social media.
Today, our clients rarely ask us “why” anymore.
The question has become: How?
Executive social has evolved from an experimental extension of corporate communications into a business imperative.A recent Fortune article called it the arrival of the “influencer CEO era.” And the data backs it up: 67% of Fortune 100 CEOs now have a social media profile, according to H/Advisors, and among those who do, 71% post at least monthly, a 47% increase from the year before.
The bigger story is where executive influence goes from here.
Executive influence is business influence
CEOs have always been among their companies’ most visible storytellers. Social gives them something different: direct access to employees, customers, investors, prospective talent, and industry peers.
Done well, executive social can build trust, shape reputation, and open doors for the business. That includes reaching “hidden decision-makers” - influential people behind the scenes who shape buying decisions but rarely engage with sales. According to LinkedIn, 95% say strong thought leadership makes them more receptive to outreach. Increasingly, that influence extends beyond the feed. As AI-powered search changes how people discover and evaluate companies, a credible executive POV isn’t just a reputation asset; it can be a discoverability asset too.
That’s why follower count alone doesn’t define success. Are the right audiences engaging? Is the executive becoming associated with topics the business wants to own? Are those ideas generating media interest, customer conversations, inbound opportunities, or showing up where people and AI look for answers?
The goal isn’t to make an executive popular. It’s to make their influence valuable.
In the age of AI, being human is the secret sauce
There’s an irony to this moment. Just as more executives recognize the need to create content, AI has made perfectly polished content possible in seconds — which means perfectly polished content has never been less differentiated.
What may separate the most influential executives is the one thing we can’t and shouldn’t automate: a genuinely human point of view.
That’s why the best executive social strategies start with the person. What does this executive know that others don’t? What are they passionate about? What do employees hear from them behind closed doors? And what format feels natural to them?
Blackstone CEO Jonathan Gray is a great example. His videos filmed while running around cities have become a signature series because they’re recognizable, repeatable and authentically his. Gray has said clients often bring up the videos when they meet him, before they talk business.
The lesson: Don’t manufacture a persona for social. Let the one that already exists shine.
And don’t let social live in a vacuum. A conversation at an industry event can continue on LinkedIn. A social POV can spark a media conversation. Some of the strongest programs we’ve built connect social with PR, events, influencers, and increasingly GEO, so an executive’s offline and online influence reinforce each other.
From the influencer CEO to the influential C-suite
There’s one limitation to the “influencer CEO” conversation: It puts enormous pressure on one person.
CEOs have limited bandwidth, and they shouldn’t need to be the only credible voice on every topic a company wants to own. The next evolution is building an ecosystem of influence across the C-suite and beyond.
Think of it as a symphony rather than a collection of soloists. The CEO can articulate where the company is going. The CTO can own technology transformation. The CFO can bring perspective on markets and business resilience. The CHRO can lead conversations about talent. Business leaders can speak directly to the industries and customers they know best. Collectively, they tell a richer story about the enterprise.
So instead of asking, How do we make our CEO an influencer?, there’s a more interesting question:
Who do we want our company to be known for, and how can we build our executives’ influence to elevate the business together?
Years ago, the challenge was convincing executives to show up. Today, showing up is table stakes. The opportunity is to build influence that is human, connected, and purposeful enough to move both reputation and business forward.
Maybe the question isn’t just how, after all. It’s how do we make it matter?
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