That’s not just our opinion; it’s what the research shows us.
During my recent media training, our President Rania Walker facilitated at the Scale to Success Summit for an audience of founders and executives, we looked up some stats to validate our own observations from almost 15 years of media relations and PR: that executive thought leadership is not a nice-to-have, but a strategic investment.
What we found was that it has become one of the most valuable strategic assets a company can invest in, especially at the C-suite level.
The numbers don’t lie: when executives share insights, engage publicly, and lead conversations in their industry, it creates a measurable impact far beyond visibility.
Research shows that executive thought leadership influences retention, brand equity, stakeholder relations and yes, revenue.
Here are 10 reasons to invest in sharing your story and expertise:
- 70% of people believe CEOs should be visible when discussing company values and company actions (Edelman Trust Barometer).
- A 2025 Edelman–LinkedIn update shows that strong thought leadership is a “full-funnel, business-generating” lever and that 71% of hidden decision-makers say high-quality thought leadership makes them more receptive to sales outreach.
- Financial audiences trust CEOs who use social platforms up to 9X more than those who do not (Brunswick Connected Leadership).
- Employees prefer working for a CEO with a public presence by a 5 to 1 ratio (Brunswick).
- A 1 point increase in brand trust raises purchase intent by 33% (Vevo, MAGNA, Initiative study).
- Consistent earned media (thought leadership and content creation) helps drive 9 to 12% of in-store lift for launches and seasonal pushes (retail media studies)
- CEO reputation is one of the strongest influencers of overall corporate reputation. Up to 60% of a company’s market value is tied to corporate reputation (Weber Shandwick).
- Companies that integrate ongoing PR into their strategies experience approximately 20% higher revenue growth over three years (Avaans Media analysis).
- 60% of B2B buyers are willing to pay a premium to work with brands that produce consistently valuable thought leadership(Edelman and LinkedIn).
- 75% of buyers say thought leadership prompted them to research a solution or company they were not previously considering (Edelman).
If your leaders are not actively contributing to the conversation, your competitors’ leaders will be.
Talk to us about how we can help you scale through storytelling.
