An Introduction to CEO Public Relations

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang is America’s most popular CEO, boasting an impressive 96% approval rating — 3X higher than the average executive. When you grow your company’s share price more than 2,700% over five years like Huang has, perhaps that favorability isn’t too surprising.

When a CEO is looked upon favorably, the perception spills over into how the public views the organization they run. For this reason, today’s most effective organizations are investing more and more resources into CEO public relations (PR).

Before we dive into the world of PR for CEOs, let’s take a step back with a refresher on general public relations.

What is public relations?

Public relations is the process of managing the spread of information between a company or individual and the public at large. At its core, PR focuses on building a positive image by casting the organization in the best light. To accomplish this, brands maintain productive relationships with media in hopes of getting good coverage, and they also quickly respond to any issues that might impact their reputation.

A well-rounded PR strategy encompasses several distinct components, including:

• Media coverage – gaining visibility through news articles and broadcasts
• Press releases  – official announcements distributed to the media that share newsworthy information about a company
• Branding – crafting a unique identity and image that distinguishes a company
• Content creation – developing valuable, relevant content (e.g., articles, blogs, and videos) to engage audiences
• Social media management – overseeing and maintaining a company’s social media presence to grow audiences
• Community engagement – building relationships with folks and institutions in the community to boost support
• Crisis management – strategically responding to negative events to protect a company’s reputation

In the age of social media, CEOs have become highly visible figures who can champion their company’s values and mission to a broad audience.

What is PR for CEOs?

PR for CEOs is a more specialized area of public relationships that aims to build and manage the top executive’s public image.

Unlike general PR that usually focuses on an organization, PR for CEOs centers on personal branding, earned media, crisis management, and thought leadership for the CEO exclusively. The objective of CEO PR is simple: position the executive as a credible and trustworthy business leader to engage a wider audience and, through a process akin to osmosis, have the CEO’s sterling reputation drive business to the organization.

Historically, PR for CEOs was limited to contexts like announcing financial results or sharing boardroom communications. But in the age of social media, CEOs have become highly visible figures who can champion their company’s values and mission to a broad audience.

In the case of Nvidia, Jensen Huang looks like he’s from the future every time you see him, thanks to his always-on trademark black leather jacket — a nice fit for the powerful semiconductor company that’s building the technology of tomorrow.

Why is CEO PR important for business leaders?

In addition to driving more business, CEO PR serves as a tool for:

• Building credibility and trust by establishing the CEO as an authority.

• Improving the company’s reputation with the CEO’s positive image reflecting well on the organization.

• Boosting stakeholder confidence by communicating the company’s vision effectively.

• Attracting top talent, since employees like working with CEOs that are perceived favorably; in fact, one study found that 50% of executives decided to accept a new position based on the CEO’s reputation.

• Increasing media coverage, with journalists turning to the CEO as a source for industry news and trends.

• Capturing investor interest, as folks are eager to put money into companies led by CEOs they believe in.

• Mitigating crises, as a well-regarded CEO can manage public perception when the stakes are highest, addressing concerns quickly.

Thought leadership also allows companies and leaders to dictate and control the message. Rather than waiting for the media to come to them, CEOs share their own narrative, directly with a target audience.

How does PR for CEOs differ from other types of PR?

PR for CEOs is different from traditional PR because it focuses on building and leveraging the CEO’s personal brand to meet business goals. By highlighting the CEO’s visions, values, and expertise, CEO PR aims to create a personal connection that resonates with stakeholders.

As an example, Palantir CEO Alex Karp is known to be a bit of an eccentric (perhaps an understatement). The way Karp sees it, his data analytics and AI firm is poised to be the world’s most important software company — leapfrogging big-name players like Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce.

Alex Karp, Palantir’s eccentric CEO, speaking at a World Economic Forum event. Karp’s mannerisms have earned Palantir a cult following of retail investors.

Luckily for Palantir, Karp’s decision to go on a media blitz and prioritize CEO PR has turned him into something of a legend. The gambit has absolutely paid off, and Palantir now boasts a committed cadre of obsessive retail investors who’ve helped contribute to the company’s meteoric valuation in recent months.

As of Nov. 11, Palantir’s shares have climbed more than 200% in 2024.

While Palantir’s traditional PR campaigns might help more enterprises become interested in its software solutions, the company’s CEO PR helps it accomplish its investor relations goals.

Key elements of PR for CEOs

Now that you have a better idea of what PR for CEOs is and why organizations are putting their chief executives in front of more cameras, let’s take a look at some of the key elements that CEO PR encompasses.

1. Communication strategies

CEO PR starts with having a communication strategy that serves as a guardrail for everything that they say or post online. By creating a big-picture strategy and using it to guide the content they create, CEOs can maintain consistent communication across channels, helping build trust. In many ways, knowing what to say and how to say it is the most important piece of the puzzle.

2. Earned media

Earned media is the unpaid coverage CEOs get — like being interviewed on the news, being mentioned in an industry publication, or sitting down to talk shop on a popular podcast. When journalists view your CEO as a trusted source, it serves as a third-party endorsement that increases credibility and visibility.

By prioritizing earned media mentions, CEOs can reach a broader audience, gaining exposure that could translate into more sales and more shareholders. And the best part? There’s no direct fee for this coverage; often, the biggest investment is time.

Home Instead CEO Jeff Huber speaks to MSNBC, getting face time on a major news network without having to pay any fees.

3. Thought leadership

CEOs are ideally positioned to share thought leadership, i.e., cutting-edge first-person insights about their industry or market. This typically involves contributing thought leadership bylines to publications, writing op-eds, speaking at conferences, and posting on social media (i.e., LinkedIn). When done correctly, thought leadership helps CEOs transform into go-to resources in their fields, which positively impacts their organization’s reputation. Thought leadership also allows companies and leaders to dictate and control the message. Rather than waiting for the media to come to them, CEOs share their own narrative, directly with a target audience.

4. Crisis management and reputation building

Over the last five years, 69% of business leaders experienced a crisis. When crises occur, every second counts, and this is an area where CEO PR can make a huge difference. With a plan in place, CEOs can use their own voice to take rapid action to address the crisis at hand and reassure stakeholders. By doing so, they can preserve their reputation and maintain customer trust — which is a big deal, since 67% of customers say they need to trust brands to continue doing business with them.

5. Stakeholder engagement

CEO PR also entails engaging with stakeholders, including customers, employees, investors, and community members. Here, CEOs should maintain open lines of communication and demonstrate an understanding of customer needs and pain points. Over the last decade, social media channels like LinkedIn and Instagram have emerged as a powerful forum for CEOs to engage directly with stakeholders. The upside: CEOs can build stronger relationships — strengthening the business’ long-term health as customer loyalty increases.

Effective strategies for CEO PR Success

Effective CEO PR involves juggling distinct yet equally important elements. Managing all of them to the best of your abilities isn’t something to leave to chance.

Inside many companies, CEOs are supported in these efforts by a chief of staff or director of corporate communications. But even large enterprises lean on the expertise of third-party PR agencies to bolster their CEO PR efforts.

In fact, an increasing number of agencies today specialize exclusively in CEO PR, with extensive experience leveraging leaders’ voices to achieve business results.

The right team will help the CEO skillfully navigate the media landscape, respond to crises, and create an influential presence on social media — enabling you to stay focused on the bigger picture.

Equally important is measuring the impact of your efforts and fine-tuning your strategy over time. By tracking key metrics like media coverage, social media engagement, and press hits — and looking out for increased interest from customers and investors, along with how employee perception has changed — you can gauge the success of your CEO PR efforts and iterate accordingly.

Ready to take the next step in your journey to CEO public relations mastery? Learn about how an integrated approach to PR and branding for executives can be a game-changer.

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