The rise of founder-first PR: Why personality is the new brand strategy

There is a moment in every business journey when the founder realises that the market is no longer listening to brands the way it once did. Audiences today do not connect with taglines, product sheets or corporate statements. They connect with people. They want a face, a voice and a story they can trust. 

In a landscape filled with similar products and endless noise, the founder’s personality becomes the sharpest differentiator a business can own.

What follows is not a cosmetic shift driven by online trends. It is a fundamental realignment in how consumers decide who deserves their attention. Founder-led visibility has emerged as one of the most dependable routes to credibility because it brings something the market cannot fabricate: a real human being.

Founder-first PR is not a vanity exercise

For many leaders, the idea of stepping forward publicly can feel self-promotional. In reality, it is one of the most strategic decisions a business can make. Investors want to understand who is steering the ship. 

Early customers seek reassurance that the mission is driven by conviction, not convenience. High-performing talent is drawn to leaders whose values are clear and consistent.

A founder’s visibility gives stakeholders something tangible to hold on to. It becomes a trust anchor that the company can build around. 

A leader who communicates with clarity and confidence signals stability, purpose and accountability—qualities that cannot be replicated through brand guidelines alone.

Interestingly, research today shows that 48% of a company’s reputation is shaped by how the founder or CEO is perceived. This reflects a larger shift in how businesses are evaluated.

People judge companies based on the behaviour, clarity and intent of those at the top, making founder-led communication a structural part of brand-building rather than a personality-driven exercise.

Real-world journeys reinforce this shift. Zerodha’s rise is a strong example. The founder's transparent communication about discipline, risk, and long-term investing fuels its growth instead of advertising. 

By consistently sharing insights, he helped build a credibility loop that anchored public trust. It shows how a founder’s voice can quietly become the bedrock of a brand’s authenticity.

Personality converts faster than any marketing campaign

The market today responds more to authenticity than to polished marketing. A founder who communicates openly, explains decisions and shares the journey with sincerity becomes relatable. Relatability, in turn, drives conversion. A thoughtful post, a grounded interview or candid insight often carries more weight than a full-scale marketing push.

Consumers are naturally curious about the people shaping the brands they support. They want to know what drives them, what challenges them and which principles guide their thinking. When founders articulate these layers honestly, they create an emotional connection, one that turns early interest into long-term loyalty.

This emotional connection isn’t anecdotal.

Studies show that over 70% of consumers feel more aligned with brands when their founders communicate directly.  People instinctively trust a brand more when they can sense the intent and clarity of the person behind it. 

It’s why personality-driven storytelling works: it accelerates trust formation and shortens the journey from awareness to belief.

Nykaa’s early trajectory reflects this power of relatability. The founder’s grounded leadership style and her story of starting later in life deeply resonated with consumers, especially women who saw courage and authenticity in her path. That connection did not require campaigns; it required clarity, consistency and a genuine presence.

Storytelling is the new currency of influence

The founder's first PR thrives on narrative. It focuses on the journey rather than only the milestones. It highlights the experiments, the pivots and the uncomfortable lessons that shaped the business. These stories create depth and context. They also give audiences a reason to trust that the founder understands the terrain well enough to lead.

This approach shifts communication from promotional to purposeful. It removes the distance between the brand and the audience. 

Once that distance disappears, the founder begins to operate as a category voice, not just a company voice. That is when influence takes shape. Influence built on insight and lived experience lasts far longer than influence built on visibility alone.

Building leadership presence, not fame

The purpose of a founder's PR is to enhance leadership equity, which includes the ability to shape conversations, inspire confidence, and intentionally guide the company's narrative.

A strong founder profile is built around four core pillars:

1.    Purpose: The deeper reason behind the company’s existence and the long-term impact it aims to create.

2.    Personality: The communication style that feels natural to the founder, whether it is calm, direct, analytical or visionary.

3.    Presence: The platforms where the founder shows up consistently and meaningfully.

4.    Proof: The results, decisions and thought leadership that validate the founder’s point of view.

When these elements work in harmony, the founder’s presence becomes a strategic advantage. It gives the company a recognisable voice and a leader who represents the organisation's values.

Visibility with intent

Not every founder wants to be everywhere, and that is entirely valid. Adequate visibility is selective. Some leaders excel in thoughtful long-form writing. Others communicate best through conversations, panel discussions, or podcasts. What matters is intentional presence. 

Audiences can sense the difference between thoughtful communication and performative content. Leaders who speak with purpose, not frequency, build respect and credibility without overwhelming themselves.

The future belongs to leaders who are willing to be seen

The importance of founder visibility will only grow. As markets get noisier and products become easier to replicate, the human behind the business becomes the real differentiator. Personality cannot be copied. Experience cannot be imitated. A founder’s perspective cannot be manufactured.

A strong public presence accelerates early traction, stabilises the organisation during transitions, and contributes to a long-term legacy—far beyond what marketing alone can achieve.

In a world rediscovering the value of real human connection, the founder is no longer an optional part of the brand story.

The founder is the story.

(Akshaara Lalwani is the Founder & CEO of Communicate India, a leading communications consulting firm. She leads a team of over 100 professionals, delivering strategic solutions across banking, healthcare, hospitality, and education sectors.)