16 Jan 5 Executive Social Media Trends to Watch in 2025

Whether you’re a marketer looking to strategically position your company’s executive on social media, or you’re an executive looking to enhance your digital presence in order to achieve business objectives, it’s important to understand the changing digital landscapes and trends that shape online content.

Check out these five executive social media trends for 2025!

Trend #1: LinkedIn Dominance Continues — And It’s Not Slowing Anytime Soon

Last year, our research of the Fortune 500 list showed how, of the CEOs on social media, 98% were on LinkedIn. LinkedIn remains the premier platform for CEOs and business leaders and we don’t expect to see that change in 2025. If anything, we anticipate executives currently using other platforms to switch to or include LinkedIn among the social media platforms they already use.

There’s more to this platform than professional networking. LinkedIn’s many features are perfect for thought leadership and industry-specific insights that support executive engagement. LinkedIn Newsletters allow executives to distribute long-form content directly to their subscribers. Polls add an interactive element, taking into account what other social media users are thinking about a particular topic.

For executives who aren’t leveraging social media yet, LinkedIn may be your platform of choice. Depending on our client’s goals, this is often the channel we recommend to start developing a strategic online presence on, especially if they’re targeting a B2B audience.

For executives already on other social media platforms, consider repurposing your existing content for LinkedIn if it makes sense to do so. For example, carousels on Instagram can be shared as an image gallery or PDF document on LinkedIn. An omnichannel approach allows executives to broaden their reach to new audiences.

Trend #2: Leverage Video to Make a Memorable Impact

Short-form video content, like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, continues to be one of the most popular formats on social media. Users tend to engage more with short videos since the time commitment is low. Because the completion rate for short-form videos tends to be higher compared to longer videos, this signals to algorithms that an executive’s content is engaging, which helps boost the likelihood of the video being shared on other users’ feeds.

Video isn’t just a dynamic, visually engaging way to showcase insights. It can also help viewers retain information more effectively. One study found that after watching a video, viewers retained 95% of the message compared to just 10% who read text. That’s a significant difference!

For executives who aren’t making any video content yet, it can be a challenge to start. Creating videos takes time and effort but there are plenty of resources out there, whether it’s your in-house team, an external marketing agency, or as we’ll mention in trend #4, an AI tool. At the very least, if you have a smartphone, you’re already good to go. We believe you don’t need a full production crew or professional equipment to get started.

For executives who have been creating videos, keep at it! Consider other topic areas that may lend themselves well to a video format, such as a Q&A or interview session.

Need more tips and tricks? Check out our previous guides:

• How Executives Can Use Video on Social Media
• 5 Myths About Creating Videos For Social Media
• How To Deal With Camera-Shy Executives

Trend #3: The Gap Between Leaders and Laggards Will Widen

The gap between executives who effectively utilize social media and those who don’t is becoming increasingly pronounced. Leaders with a strategic, authentic, and consistent online presence are more likely to foster trust, engage stakeholders, and drive operational success.

On the other hand, a lack of any digital presence and engagement can result in missed opportunities and diminished executive influence.

This divide is further amplified by changing audience expectations over the past several years. Stakeholders increasingly look to social media for transparency and leadership. Executives who fail to meet these expectations by being on social media risk appearing out of touch, especially in industries where innovation is key.

Executives who strategically embrace social media — whether it’s to address consumers directly, engage in industry conversations, or showcase thought leadership — can establish themselves as modern, forward-thinking leaders in their space.

For executives who aren’t on social media yet, while it’s better to start early, we think it’s never too late to actually start! Chances are, many executives are well aware that personal social media accounts are being used to complement the brand’s digital marketing presence but they may struggle in knowing where to start. That’s where working in an in-house marketing team or executive social media marketing specialists can help.

For executives who are on social media already, there may be opportunities to layer on additional strategies to help drive toward business goals. We also recommend performing a competitor analysis. Who are the other CEOs and executives in your industry? Are they on social media? If so, what types of content are they creating or “owning”? If they’re not on social media, how can you craft compelling content to draw engagement from audiences in your shared industry?

Trend #4: AI and Automation in Executive Social Media

As we’ve mentioned in previous articles, for many executives, their number one barrier to positioning themselves on social media is a lack of time.

AI tools, such as ChatGPT, have revolutionized content creation, enabling executives to produce content much faster. It can also be used for repurposing content, such as transforming a long-form LinkedIn article into a series of Posts on X (formerly Twitter), or as content for a short video script. All of these strategies and more allow executives to maintain a consistent posting cadence on social media. However, there are obvious downsides, which we’ll touch on in the next section.

For executives who aren’t using AI tools yet, consider reaching out to different departments at your company to see how they’re using AI, or research on your own about the many tools out there. Some, like generative AI, can create full posts and videos. We do caution against purely copying and pasting whatever a genAI platform generates as it may contain errors and it won’t be written in your unique voice.

For executives who are using AI tools, think of how you’re using them and what purpose they serve for your social media presence. At the end of the day, audiences want to hear from an authentic leader, which leads us to trend #5…

Trend #5: Authenticity and Personalization as the Key Differentiator

Social media is absolutely saturated with content. Competition to get eyes and ears on an executive’s content has become even fiercer because more marketers and their company executives understand that it takes both brand marketing and executive marketing to be successful.

As AI-driven content floods online spaces, authenticity stands out even more. Audiences are increasingly drawn to leaders who share personalized insights and experiences. Rather than watching a branded video with an AI voiceover (which may be beneficial to use in some cases), many users would prefer watching a video featuring a company CEO speaking in front of the camera.

By sharing genuine ideas and engaging with audiences in a meaningful way, executives can build stronger personal branding and trust with their followers.

A part of this is understanding the types of authentic content that resonates with social media followers. AI tools can write polished, professional content, but they may generate social media posts that are factually inaccurate, which can be a major risk. On the other hand, working with an executive social media marketing team presents a much lower risk as these digital marketers are already equipped with the know-how on how to engage in deep research so that they’re prepared to write content, even about complex topics.

For executives who want to maintain their authentic voice, think about your personality. What sort of persona do you want to portray on social media? This isn’t to say you should adopt a new tone and pretend to be someone you’re not, but to really dig deep into what motivates you in your work. Check out our three-part article series where we detail some of the most common personas on social media.

For executives who want to be more authentic on social media, consider different social media topics and formats. As mentioned above, video is an excellent way to show off an executive’s personality. Sharing behind-the-scenes photos can also help humanize executives, such as sharing a snapshot at a conference.

Embrace the Future of Executive Social Media

Executives who embrace these social media trends and have a strong strategic foundation for their digital presence will be well-positioned to enhance their leadership and influence. The key is to remain adaptable and authentic.

If you’re wondering whether executive social media is right for you or if you want to take an existing social media presence and tie it more closely to business objectives, we can help! Click the button below and schedule a one-on-one consultation.

Speak with an executive social media marketing expert!