In partnership with
Good morning!
Welcome to Social Studies.
Today's agenda:
Founder vs. Brand Account: Who Should Be the Face of Your Company?
Why this decision actually matters for growth
The frameworks that work for B2B vs B2C
What to do when your founder hates being on camera
The best marketing ideas come from marketers who live it.
That’s what this newsletter delivers.
The Marketing Millennials is a look inside what’s working right now for other marketers. No theory. No fluff. Just real insights and ideas you can actually use—from marketers who’ve been there, done that, and are sharing the playbook.
Every newsletter is written by Daniel Murray, a marketer obsessed with what goes into great marketing. Expect fresh takes, hot topics, and the kind of stuff you’ll want to steal for your next campaign.
Because marketing shouldn’t feel like guesswork. And you shouldn’t have to dig for the good stuff.
THE STRATEGIC IDENTITY CRISIS EVERY COMPANY FACES
🎬 Let's set the scene.
You're managing social for a growing company. Your founder is active on LinkedIn. They're posting thought leadership, sharing hot takes, building a personal following.
Meanwhile, your brand account is posting product updates and company news to 1/10th the audience. Your boss asks: "Why does the founder's LinkedIn post get 100x more engagement than our company page?"
Let's break it down.
WHY THIS EVEN MATTERS
First, why are we talking about this? Can't you just... do both? Sure. But here's the thing:
Your attention is finite. Your budget is finite. Your team's capacity is finite.
Every hour you spend on the founder's personal brand is an hour you're not spending on the company brand. And the strategic question is: Which one drives more business value?
The answer depends on:
Your industry (B2B vs B2C)
Your company stage (startup vs enterprise)
Your founder's comfort level and commitment
Your target audience
THE B2B VS B2C FRAMEWORK
B2B: FOUNDER-LED IS (USUALLY) THE MOVE
1. People trust people, not logos
When you're selling to businesses, you're selling to people making decisions. They want to know who's behind the company. A founder sharing their expertise, their journey, their insights—that builds trust faster than any branded post about your "revolutionary SaaS platform."
2. Decision-makers follow decision-makers
Your ICP is probably following other founders, CEOs, and industry leaders. If you want to reach them, be where they already are.
3. The algorithm favors personal profiles
LinkedIn's algorithm in particular prioritizes content from personal profiles over company pages by a factor of… a lot. It's not even close.
Example that nails founder-led B2B: Tyler Denk (Beehiiv): Posts constantly about building, growing, learning. The Beehiiv brand accounts exist (and are wildly successful), but Tyler is ALSO Beehiiv.
B2C: BRAND-LED IS (USUALLY) THE MOVE
For B2C companies, the calculus flips.
1. Your customers don't care who the CEO is
When I buy Nikes, I don't care what the CEO of Nike is posting on LinkedIn. I care about the shoes, the brand, the vibe.
2. Brand consistency matters more
B2C brands need consistent voice, aesthetic, and messaging across every touchpoint. That's hard to maintain when it's tied to one person's personal brand.
3. Your founder might not be there forever
What happens when they leave? You've built your entire social presence on someone who just quit.
Examples that nail brand-led B2C:
Duolingo: The brand account is the star. The owl has more personality than most founders.
Liquid Death: Brand voice is everything. The founders could disappear tomorrow and the social presence wouldn't skip a beat.
THE COMPANY STAGE FRAMEWORK
Where you are in the journey matters too.
STAGE 1: PRE-PRODUCT MARKET FIT
Default: Founder-Led
You're scrappy. You're hustling. You need every advantage.
Your founder should be:
Sharing the building journey
Connecting with early customers
Establishing thought leadership in the space
STAGE 2: EARLY TRACTION
Default: Founder-Led + Growing Brand Presence
Your founder's personal brand is working. Now start building the company brand alongside it.
Start differentiating the content:
- Founder: Thought leadership, hot takes, personal journey
- Brand: Product updates, customer stories, educational content
STAGE 3: SCALING
Default: Dual Strategy
You need both firing on all cylinders.
STAGE 4: ENTERPRISE
Default: Brand-Led with Executive Thought Leadership
The brand is established. Now you're adding executive voices as supporting characters. Brand account is the mothership. Executive accounts (CEO, CMO, etc.) provide human touchpoints and thought leadership.
THE HONEST FRAMEWORK: WHEN YOUR FOUNDER SUCKS AT SOCIAL
🐘 Let's talk about the elephant in the room. 🐘
What if your founder:
Hates being on camera
Can't write to save their life
Posts once every 3 months
Has the personality of a wet paper bag
Do you force it? Or pivot to brand-led?
Don't force it.
A bad founder-led strategy is worse than no founder-led strategy. If your founder posts awkwardly and infrequently, it makes the company look worse, not better.
What to do instead:
Option 1: Ghostwriting
You write the posts (or hire an agency). Founder reviews and approves. Posted from their account.
This works if:
Your founder trusts you to capture their voice
They're willing to review/approve regularly
You can interview them monthly for insights/opinions
(If you’re looking for a best ghostwriting agency recommendation, reply to this email and let me know. I have a go-to that I’m happy to share.)
Option 2: The "Founder Features" Approach
Your brand account occasionally features the founder, but doesn't rely on them.
This works if:
Founder is comfortable being featured occasionally
You can capture their insights through interviews
Brand account can stand alone
Option 3: The Spokesperson Approach
Find someone else in the company who IS good at social and make them the face.
This works if:
You have a CMO, CRO, or VP who's got the chops
Founder is okay not being the spotlight
That person commits to the role long-term
THE BOTTOM LINE
There's no one-size-fits-all answer.
For most B2B companies, especially early-stage: Go founder-led.
The ROI is higher, the trust is faster, and the algorithm is better.
For most B2C companies, especially established: Go brand-led.
Your brand is bigger than any one person, and it needs to stand alone.
For companies with resources: Do both strategically.
It’s been real.
See ya next week.
Hope this helps.
VISTA SOCIAL
If you’re a social media pro, check out Vista Social. They’re the best social media management platform on the market.
Grab a free trial here. No credit card required.