In this blog, Whiteoaks CEO Hayley Goff shares:
- The importance of senior leadership teams buying into PR strategies
- How to align PR strategy with the priorities of the senior leadership team
- The role of regular reporting and meetings in showing the value of their investments
For strategic communications to make a real impact, it needs more than a good plan – it needs full backing from the senior leadership team (SLT). When leaders are aligned, communications land more clearly, consistently and with greater purpose. When they’re not, confusion follows.
Too often, PR is expected to perform miracles without visibility of business priorities or a seat at the top table. That approach rarely works. To extract the greatest value, communications needs to start where decisions are made.
Start with open conversations
A comms strategy worth backing begins with a frank discussion. What are the business priorities? Where is the leadership team trying to take the company? This isn’t about filling out a template – it’s about persuading people to open up about ambitions, challenges and even tensions.
A well-run strategy workshop can help. It gives structure to those conversations and helps distil the inputs into clear messaging pillars and company narratives. These should form the basis of every communication – whether it’s outward-facing PR, social and sales enablement or internal comms.
Build a strategy that reflects the business
Once the inputs are gathered, it’s the PR team’s job to translate them into a plan. That means a strategy that speaks directly to the business’s goals, with KPIs to match. It also means leaving room for adjustment.
It’s important the SLT sees and shapes the final strategy – not just to rubber-stamp it, but to test it, challenge it and take ownership. The best plans are those the whole leadership team believes in and feels part of.
Craft distinctive leadership voices
When senior leaders are involved early, it’s easier to build thought leadership that feels credible and personal. These pieces should go beyond generic opinion or trend commentary, they should reflect how that individual thinks, what they’re seeing in the market and how they want the business to look to the most relevant audiences.
One-on-one sessions can help surface original perspectives and sharpen arguments. This is especially powerful when conducted as part of a broader content strategy, rather than in isolation.
Set a rhythm that keeps leadership engaged
Leadership buy-in doesn’t stop once the plan is signed off. Regular updates – monthly and quarterly – should show clear progress against agreed KPIs. These meetings don’t need to be long, but they do need to be honest and jargon-free.
They’re also a moment to course-correct if something isn’t landing, and to make sure the comms team is still focused on the right priorities. Done well, they reinforce the value of comms and keep leadership invested.
The result is greater reach and cohesion
When leadership is fully involved, the impact shows. The content is sharper. The messaging is more consistent and the outputs – from thought leadership to social content – are used across functions like sales, recruitment and internal engagement.
Communications becomes a strategic driver, not a support function. It helps tell the story of the business from the inside out – starting at the top but reaching right across the organisation.
When the SLT is truly part of the communications process, things move faster, have greater impact and go further. That kind of alignment doesn’t happen by accident – but when it does, the results speak for themselves.
Want to embark on a PR journey that your SLT can get onboard with? Get in touch to find out how we can help.
