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A strong overall digital presence has become a must-have for CEOs—not just a strategy for dealing with a crisis or market announcement, according to a new study from H/Advisors Abernathy. However, making that presence an effective one is not as simple as it might seem.
H/Advisors Abernathy’s “Social in the C-Suite” 2025 Report takes a look at the increasing importance of social media for top executives, as well as pointing out several strategies for turning those efforts into a force for building and protecting reputations.
The report analyzed more than 500 prominent social media accounts from CEOs, policymakers and business leaders, including over 5,000 posts across LinkedIn, X and Instagram. It considered such factors as the size and reach of the poster’s audience, the quantity and frequency of their social media activity and the response to the posted activity.
Two-thirds (67 percent) of the executives surveyed said they have a social media profile. Out of them, more than seven in 10 (73 percent) have optimized their profiles, making sure that contact details and other info are kept updated. The study authors note that doing so helps them protect their reputation.
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In addition, a sizeable majority post on social media at least once a month, an increase of 32 percent from last year’s report.
But when it comes to effectiveness, the study finds that quantity takes a back seat to quality. In terms of overall posts, volume is down 36 percent from last year, but the engagement on those posts is up 19 percent.
In addition, CEOs who post more frequently often see their engagement quality drop. The point at which engagement levels fall on LinkedIn is after nine posts per month. The study authors caution executives to focus on “sharing meaningful content that resonates with stakeholders” rather than simply pumping up the volume.
As regards audience size, once again bigger is not always better. “A moderately sized audience of key stakeholders is far more valuable than a large but disengaged follower base,” the report says.
Finding the right channel is also key. LinkedIn does the best here, with an engagement rate of 4.6 percent. Instagram is moderately behind at 4.0 percent, and X is way behind at less than one percent. And while X might have an edge when it comes to overall visibility, LinkedIn boasts the most CEOs, with 70 percent of them on the platform, and 37 percent of those saying that they’ve increased their activity.
“Since we began publishing our annual digital report, CEOs have increasingly prioritized their digital presence, showing steady growth in social media activity, visibility and audience engagement and size,” said H/Advisors Abernathy head of digital Akeem Anderson. “The question is no longer whether CEOs should be on social media, but how do they engage in ways that improve reputation.”
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