7 Mistakes CEOs Make with Video Content (And How to Fix Them)

Trust is the only currency that matters in professional services. With 78% of B2B marketers now prioritising video to build credibility, executive video content has become a competitive necessity, not a nice-to-have. Yet most CEO video initiatives fail spectacularly, not because leaders lack expertise, but because they're executing with an outdated playbook.

In an era where business is the sole institution perceived as both competent and ethical, the spotlight has shifted from the corporate entity to its human leadership. B2B buyers, now dominated by digital natives, scrutinise leadership authenticity long before issuing an RFP. Video bridges this trust gap, but only when executed strategically.

Here are the seven critical mistakes UK CEOs make with video content, and how to fix them.

Mistake 1: The Authenticity Paradox ,  Trading Connection for Polish

The biggest error? Confusing professionalism with perfection. Conditioned by decades of crisis management media training, CEOs approach video with a "broadcast mindset", over-produced, heavily scripted content that feels more like a press release than a conversation.

When a leader reads verbatim from a teleprompter, they enter what psychologists call the "uncanny valley" of communication. The audience recognises the human form but detects artificiality in the micro-behaviours: fixed gaze, rhythmic monotony, darting eyes. The human brain, evolutionarily wired to detect authenticity through word-tone-body congruency, triggers subconscious alarm bells.

Research consistently shows viewers prioritise relatability and authenticity (63%) over polished production value (37%). In B2B contexts where high-stakes decisions depend on partner credibility, overly rehearsed content actively erodes trust.

The Fix:

• Abandon the teleprompter for bullet points. Use 3-5 key points on a sticky note. This cognitive load naturally introduces pauses and eye movements that signal "I'm thinking and speaking truth."
• Embrace the one-take rule. Limit recordings to three attempts maximum. If you stumble, correct it and keep going, that stumble proves humanity.
• Optimise for eye contact, not reading. For 90% of LinkedIn content, direct-to-camera improvisation beats scripted perfection.

Mistake 2: The "Tall Poppy" Paralysis ,  Misreading Cultural Dynamics

UK executives face a unique challenge: the Tall Poppy Syndrome. This cultural tendency to cut down those who appear self-aggrandising creates a minefield around executive visibility. Many CEOs retreat into safe, beige content to avoid seeming narcissistic, resulting in leadership brands that fail to inspire.

The syndrome is particularly sharp for female executives, who face a double bind, too assertive and they're "aggressive," too modest and they lack "leadership presence." This cultural friction causes many leaders to adopt the cringe-worthy "humble brag" ("So humbled to receive this award..."), which UK audiences instantly detect as performative modesty.

The Fix:

• Shift pronouns from "I/We" to "You." Instead of "I'm excited to announce our new AI tool," try "Here's how AI will change your compliance processes next year."
• Position yourself as the guide, not the hero. Share failures and lessons learned. "Three mistakes I made in my first year as CEO" is more compelling, and culturally acceptable, than boasting about record profits.
• Use radical clarity. Apply the "bar test": would you say this sentence to a peer in a pub? If not, don't say it on video. Plain English signals mastery; jargon signals insecurity.

Mistake 3: Strategic Drift ,  Ignoring Platform Mechanics

Many CEOs treat video as a "tick-the-box" exercise, filming a 5-minute horizontal video for YouTube and pasting the link into LinkedIn. This ignores fundamental platform mechanics and ensures even high-quality content remains unseen.

LinkedIn's algorithm penalises posts containing external links because they drive users off-platform. Native video uploads generate up to 10x higher reach than YouTube links. Meanwhile, 80-85% of LinkedIn videos are watched with sound off, making "talking head" videos without captions invisible to silent scrollers.

The aspect ratio error compounds this problem. Over 57% of LinkedIn traffic happens on mobile, yet corporate videos are still shot in landscape. On mobile feeds, landscape video occupies a fraction of screen real estate compared to vertical or square formats.

The Fix:

• Upload natively to each platform. Never rely on external links for social distribution.
• Shoot in 4:5 or 1:1 aspect ratio to maximise mobile screen real estate.
• Apply the "no-sound" test. Ensure videos make sense without audio using bold on-screen text and accurate captions.
• Hook within 3 seconds. Use visual or textual elements that immediately frame the value proposition.

Mistake 4: The Perfection Bottleneck ,  Building Friction Into Workflows

"I don't have time" is the most common CEO objection to video, valid if your workflow requires three hours to produce two minutes of content. Treating every update like a Super Bowl commercial creates unsustainable friction, leading to sporadic posting that prevents algorithmic momentum.

The algorithm rewards consistency and recency. A quarterly "glossy" video disappears in 24 hours; weekly "raw" insights build cumulative reputation and maintain top-of-mind awareness with your network.

The Fix:

• Batch content creation. Schedule one 60-minute session monthly to record 4-5 videos back-to-back. Change a jacket to simulate different days, one hour produces a month's worth of weekly content.
• Use remote recording platforms like Riverside.fm for 4K quality without crews or studios.
• Leverage AI for post-production. Tools like Descript allow editing by deleting text and automatically remove filler words, reducing production cycles from days to hours.
• Repurpose "exhaust content." Record existing keynotes, webinars, and town halls, a 45-minute presentation becomes 10 stand-alone clips requiring zero additional CEO time.

Mistake 5: The Compliance Chokehold ,  Paralysed by Regulation

In regulated industries like finance (FCA) and law (SRA), fear of non-compliance often paralyses video initiatives entirely. CEOs worry that unscripted remarks will violate financial promotion rules, leading to a "compliance chokehold" where content is either blocked or sanitized into irrelevance.

The mistake lies in conflating "thought leadership" (generally safe) with "product promotion" (regulated). This conflation stifles commentary on market trends or leadership philosophy, areas that are typically safer but commercially valuable for building authority.

The Fix:

• Define content swim lanes. Create "Green Lane" topics (culture, hiring, industry trends, leadership philosophy) that require minimal oversight, and "Red Lane" subjects (specific investment advice, product claims) needing pre-approval.
• Use the sandwich technique. Keep videos educational, linking to fully compliant landing pages for commercial content.
• Build pre-approved libraries of talking points and key phrases to expedite the approval process while maintaining compliance.

Mistake 6: The Vanity Trap ,  Measuring Irrelevant Metrics

CEOs demand rigorous data analysis for every business function, except video, where they often accept vanity metrics they'd never tolerate elsewhere. A video with 100,000 views from irrelevant audiences is commercially worthless compared to 500 views from key decision-makers at target accounts.

Viral content often requires diluting messages to appeal broadly, alienating the sophisticated, high-value buyers who expect depth. Meanwhile, much of video's impact happens in the "dark funnel", unmeasurable channels where B2B decisions are actually influenced through Slack shares, WhatsApp forwards, and boardroom discussions.

The Fix:

• Measure trust velocity: Track relationship progression speed, time from first contact to NDA, first meeting to proposal, and qualitative feedback like "I feel like I already know you."
• Focus on account-based engagement. Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify who's watching. Fifty views from C-level executives at target accounts beats 5,000 random impressions.
• Correlate with pipeline influence. Track whether prospects consume content before converting, deals influenced by executive content close 35-40% faster.
• Implement qualitative feedback loops. Train sales teams to ask: "How did you hear about us, and did you see any of our content?" This often reveals video impact better than attribution software.

Mistake 7: The Campaign Mentality ,  Treating Video as a Project, Not a Process

The most fatal mistake: treating video as a marketing "campaign" rather than a leadership "habit." CEOs launch video series with fanfare, post three episodes, get discouraged by initial low engagement, then stop entirely.

Social algorithms operate on momentum and reward consistency. They learn audience preferences and serve future content accordingly. Stop posting for a month, and you lose that algorithmic equity, starting from zero again. Trust builds through frequency and familiarity, sporadic communication signals lack of commitment.

The Fix:

• Define 3-4 content pillars you want to own (e.g., "Future of AI in Law," "Sustainable Finance," "Leadership Culture"). Every video must fall into one pillar, reducing creator's block and ensuring brand consistency.
• Build a repurposing pyramid. One keynote becomes a blog post, six LinkedIn videos, twelve social media posts, and email newsletter content: maximising ROI from single CEO time investments.
• Think "engine," not "campaign." Campaigns have end dates; engines run continuously. Rely on systems, templates, and repeatable formats for sustainable production.

The modern CEO's dilemma isn't whether to embrace video: it's how to do it strategically. In a low-trust economy where business leaders are the last credible voices, authentic, consistent video content isn't just marketing: it's competitive intelligence. The question isn't whether you have time for video; it's whether you can afford to remain invisible while competitors build trust velocity at scale.

Want to transform your executive presence from invisible to influential? The framework exists; execution is everything.

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