Beyond Press Releases: Why Executives Need a Credible Social Media Presence

In recent months, Executive Advocacy has gained significant relevance in the communication departments of companies, both large and small.

More and more executives are developing their personal profiles on social media (mainly on LinkedIn, though not exclusively), turning them into an additional communication channel for the company.

A channel that offers immense benefits, especially with regards to the credibility of the company’s messages. If you’re not very familiar with Executive Advocacy, we recommend reading the article we wrote about it last year before continuing.

If you already have some understanding of Executive Advocacy, this time we’re here to talk about something fundamental to any such project: defining a unique territory for each profile and personalising all the content published from it.

LinkedIn: The leading platform preferred by executives.

LinkedIn, the primary platform for this type of communication, has not yet reached saturation. Increasingly, executive profiles are choosing to bring their messages to the platform.

In parallel with the growing relevance of the conversations taking place on LinkedIn, Alice Xiong, Product Director at LinkedIn and part of LinkedIn Search, noted that 40% of new users join the platform to follow relevant profiles in topics of interest rather than to network or find jobs.

However, while many companies are adopting this communication strategy, it is still common for it to be executed in a generic and undifferentiated manner compared to other corporate channels (press releases, corporate social media accounts, etc.).

This often means that content created for profiles participating in Executive Advocacy projects remains rigid, unnatural, and excessively focused on milestones and corporate events—content designed for insiders only. This is a fundamental error. It’s not just about sharing specific information but doing so organically, authentically, and personally. In fact, and this is crucial, the specific message is often less significant than the broader narrative we want to convey.

For example, when discussing our company receiving an award for investing in continuous training or prioritising young talent, it’s more important to frame the communication in a way that highlights the personal commitment of the executive announcing it. Through the emotions they can display and transmit, an emotional connection is forged between the profile and the audience, reinforcing the perception of the company as a great place for professional growth.

To make personalisation meaningful and ensure that Executive Advocacy content positively impacts the company, it’s vital to design a strategy that clarifies the “why” and the “how.” Let’s explore this in more detail.

The company narrative: Why launch an Executive Advocacy project?

To give meaning to the messages shared from profiles involved in an Executive Advocacy programme, the first step is to think about the purpose of such a project: What do we want to say, why, and how?

A clear objective is essential for defining our publication strategy, the topics we’ll cover, the frequency with which we’ll address them, the tone we’ll use, and the communities we’re targeting.

Do we aim to attract talent to our company or foster a sense of belonging among our employees? Are we striving to generate awareness or construct and lead a narrative? Do we want to change public perceptions of our company or reinforce existing ones? Are we seeking relevance within our sector or across industries?

Although these decisions are rarely black and white, it’s crucial to understand what we want to achieve as a company with such projects. Only by having a clear vision of the narrative we want to communicate can we create a coherent strategy for the executive profiles participating in the programme.

From the big picture to content personalisation.

Once the key messages are defined, the next step is to outline the role of each profile involved in the Executive Advocacy project:

• The audience they are targeting (general or niche, technical or non-technical).
• The degree of personalisation they are comfortable with (e.g., discussing hobbies or personal interests).
• The tone they prefer (formal or informal, calm or optimistic, moderate or bold).
• Their objectives (becoming a thought leader to support the company’s strategic vision or serving as a corporate amplifier).

The positioning of each profile in these areas will evolve. People are not static, and at different points in our personal and professional lives, we may feel more comfortable with certain ways of expressing ourselves on social media than others. This is also true in Executive Advocacy programmes, where an additional element—trust—plays a critical role.

Executive profiles represent not only their company but also themselves as high-level professionals. Concerns about reputation, credibility, and the impact of their posts on the company are natural. As they gain confidence and fluency on social media and begin to see its benefits, their engagement in the project tends to grow. This, in turn, increases the degree of personalisation in their profile, creating a human, credible presence that invites conversations and connections, benefiting both their own image and the company’s.

With this clarity, it’s time to define the strategy. We have the board and the pieces; now, we just need to determine how to play the game and the role each profile will fulfil.

Personalisation: How much, how, and why.

To conclude, a short disclaimer: When discussing personalisation in executive profiles, many communication departments raise alarms. Do executives need to turn their social media profiles into personal diaries? No. But they must, at a minimum, give their profiles a touch of personality—a splash of colour that distinguishes them and makes them credible as individuals. Without this, embarking on such a project makes little sense.

Many corporate pages on social media struggle due to their inability to adapt to platform-specific norms. However, it’s unnecessary to be present on all platforms. Instead, focus on those that add strategic value. For executives acting as company ambassadors on platforms like LinkedIn, it’s crucial to understand and respect their dynamics. There are many ways to succeed, always aiming for authentic integration.

We connect more with people than brands because, as humans, we’re naturally more interested in what others have to say. The same applies to content: the more authentic a profile is, the more naturally it communicates. The less promotional their writing is and the more they help us understand their company, its challenges, and the state of its sector, the more likely we are to trust their words. This trust in the authenticity of both the messenger and the message fosters audience growth and loyalty.

Executive Advocacy operates within specific norms but has immense potential impact. The question companies must ask themselves is whether they’re ready to break free and play the game…or not.