I Spent 200 Hours Interviewing C-Suite Execs in 2025. Here’s What Actually Elevates Visibility. And No, AI Can’t Replicate It.

If we’re pontificating on business trends, it’s fair to say 2025 was a breakout year for executive thought leadership. PayPal’s viral job posting for a CEO content creator—at a $230K salary—shows companies are finally putting real investment behind their leadership’s voice.

As someone who specializes in CEO PR and executive branding, this year I spent roughly three to four hours a week interviewing C-suite executives on everything from the impact of AI and global trade wars to M&A trends and the role critical minerals will play in national defense.

What I’ve learned through these conversations is the leaders who excel at building a strong executive brand have one thing in common: they offer a perspective no one else can.

In an age where you don’t even need to be human to generate content, the Fortune 500 leaders who excel at executive branding, understand their strongest asset isn’t what they know, it’s how they’ve learned it.

Their ability to communicate not just their insights, but the stories behind how they gained them, is what attracts people to their platform, and AI simply can’t replicate that.

Here’s how they do it.

They Root Their Content in Lived Experience

I’ve heard stories in interviews that never made it into the final article or post, but still became the backbone of a personal brand narrative. Like the CEO who almost got fired after greenlighting a risky operational pivot, until it tripled revenue. Or the executive who lost a key client after unknowingly violating a business custom in Thailand.

These anecdotes offer more than just colour to a story, they offer a glimpse into the character of the executive, showing how they think, what they value, how they approach problems and move through the world.

According to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, 66% of people say they trust those who share their values, but only 25% say they hear leaders talk about values often. That gap is an opportunity. When leaders root their content in real-world experience, they’re not just storytelling, they’re building trust.

They Anchor Their Opinions in Fact

Opinions are, by definition, subjective. One CFO might view cryptocurrency as the future of decentralized finance, while another might see it as a speculative asset no responsible firm should touch. What makes an executive’s opinion effective is how well they support their stance.

Anyone can make a contrarian statement. It’s harder—but far more powerful—to back that opinion with current data, research, or expert insight.

According to the same Edelman report, information quality is now the number one driver of trust across all institutions. In an era where credibility is currency, leaders who ground their views in evidence, not only demonstrate intellectual rigor, they reduce friction for their audience.

They also save the reader the extra step of validating claims while simultaneously positioning themselves as a source who can be relied on.

They Deviate From Sales and Marketing Speak

It should go without saying that when a CEO’s platform is used as a sales or marketing tool, it creates instant cringe for most content consumers. Leaders who want their personal platform to elevate both their own reputation and that of the organizations they represent must ensure it can stand on its own.

Not only does this give their voice more depth, but it also widens their reach, unlocking opportunities for their organization that the brand alone couldn’t access. Whether it’s media coverage in top-tier outlets or speaking invitations in adjacent industries, tying thought leadership content to the leader, not just the company, has benefits for both.

According to LinkedIn’s 2025 B2B Content Marketing Benchmark Report, decision-makers are three times more likely to engage with thought leadership that offers industry insight or a forward-looking perspective than with content focused on brand news.

That shift in audience expectations signals what’s ahead. As we move into 2026, I expect we’ll see more leaders investing in building their executive brands. The ones who will excel will understand the best returns come from building platforms that are deeply human, highly credible, and strategically aligned with company values.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this line of work, it’s that you don’t need to publish more than your competition, you just need a clearer, more compelling perspective.

And like it or not, no robot can replicate that.