The Executive Branding Advice Founders Never Hear In Startup Circles

I recently had the privilege of meeting with a group of women founders preparing to attend Web Summit in Vancouver—many at the startup stage, all with stories worth telling. A colleague and I led a workshop on building personal brand and executive presence in the media.

What stood out wasn’t their ambition (though there was plenty of that). It was how clearly they understood the value of being visible and how few had been shown how to do it strategically. 

These founders are solving real problems in vital industries that have the potential to significantly impact sustainability, commerce and society.

I’ve spent two decades of my career in public relations, helping some of North America’s most recognized leaders share their voices. Most of them have been men. That’s not a judgment, it’s a fact and a reflection of who’s typically given the playbook.

The stats back it up. In 2024, just 2% of venture capital funding went to women-founded startups and less than 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. When it comes to media coverage, women remain severely underrepresented. 

But here’s the good news: thought leadership isn’t gated. You don’t need a PR team or media budget to get started. Publishing on social platforms is free. What’s missing for most founders, especially women, is a strategy and the time to consistently show up.

So this piece is for the women who came to that workshop. And for any founder wondering where to start. These are the three questions I hear most and how I answer them.

The Content You Should Be Posting (Hint: It’s Not Startup Updates)

A lot of founders assume that “posting as a thought leader” means sharing company updates or industry stats. But content that sticks, the kind people remember and return to starts in a different place. It’s what my colleagues and I refer to as the thought leadership sweet spot.

Your thought leadership sweet spot lives at the intersection of three things: your lived experience, your career path and how those experiences have shaped the way you view the trends in your industry, culture and society. 

This lens is where no one can compete with you. It’s where you’re uniquely positioned to be an expert and it’s why your community of supporters will want to learn from you rather than the thousands of other corners on the internet where they could receive content or information. 

We did an exercise at the workshop to help uncover this. Some founders grew up with single parents, others have overcome grief,  broken down barriers in education or learned how to code at an early age. These are the events that shape real thought leadership. 

When your content comes from this sweet spot, it becomes something only you can say. That’s your edge. It’s not just about expertise. It’s about originality, relatability, and depth.

No, That $2M Raise Probably Isn’t Newsworthy—But You Still Are

Founders often assume they need a “big” moment to be featured in the press. A product launch. A funding announcement. A flashy milestone. But most of what feels big internally doesn’t translate externally.

For example, a $2 million raise might feel massive for your team, but if the reporter you’re pitching covers $20 million Series B rounds, it may not land. That doesn’t mean you have nothing to pitch, it means you’re pitching the wrong angle.

Instead of trying to sell a milestone, position yourself as a source. Reporters are always looking for sharp, insightful voices who can speak to current trends. The best way to stay on their radar? Know your sweet spot and connect it to what’s happening in the news.

What unique lens do you bring to a trending issue in your industry? Reach out to reporters covering those beats. Introduce yourself as someone who can offer context or insight. And don’t wait for a reply. Build your own platform. Publish your take. Consistency builds credibility and often leads to reactive media. That’s when the press starts coming to you.

AI Can’t Think for You—But It Can Help You Scale Your Voice

I got asked A LOT about AI (in fact that may very well be the next workshop). Yes, you should be using it, but not to think for you. Use it to scale your own thinking.

The best use of AI in thought leadership isn’t generating polished content from scratch. It’s helping you develop what’s already there. That means training AI with transcripts of your talks, emails, interviews, and social posts so it learns your natural tone and phrasing. Ask it to generate content ideas within your sweet spot. Use it to draft posts, summarize trends, structure your thoughts.

AI can help you save time, but it can’t replace insight. If you don’t train it, your content won’t be distinct. If you do, it becomes one of the most powerful tools for scaling your voice across platforms.

If you’re a founder heading to Web Summit, here’s the most important metric we tried to stress: visibility isn’t a vanity metric. It’s a business asset. You can’t control who funds you, or who gets the mic first, but you can control how you show up.

Your story is already powerful. Your voice already matters. And your audience is already out there. But they won’t find you if you don’t start speaking.