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Personal branding for executives has evolved into a content-driven discipline.
Below we profile 10 U.S.-based agencies (with two notable global studios) that specialize in building founder/CEO brands through SEO-optimized blogs, newsletters, and podcasts.
Each agency’s founders, strategies, and services are highlighted, with an emphasis on their SEO frameworks, podcast offerings, newsletter impact, and toolsets.
We group Blushush and Ohh My Brand as full-stack content studios due to their end-to-end services, followed by other leading U.S. agencies in this space.
Full-Stack Content Studios
These agencies provide 360° content services from written SEO content to design and media, making them one-stop shops for personal brand building.
Blushush (London, UK – Global Full-Stack Studio)
Co-founded by Sahil Gandhi (aka “The Brand Professor”), Blushush is a design-forward personal branding studio with a rebellious streak.
Gandhi’s background in visual identity and branding (working with 3x startup founders and bestselling authors) gives Blushush strong design credibility.
Their mantra – "No boring brands" – is reflected in bold, personality-driven websites and founder-first storytelling for clients.
● SEO Frameworks: Blushush historically emphasized visual branding over SEO, but a recent collaboration with Ohh My Brand has integrated more SEO-driven content into their offerings. They ensure client websites are not only visually striking but also structured for conversions and basic search visibility (e.g. fast load, mobile-friendly). Advanced SEO (pillar-blog strategies) is handled via partners like OMB.
● Podcast Services: Limited. Blushush’s focus is on web and design; they do not advertise in-house podcast production. They may assist with branding for podcasts (cover art, visual identity) and coordinate with content partners if a client seeks to launch one, but podcasting is not a core service.
● Newsletter Impact: N/A. The agency does not run a known newsletter for clients; their projects are bespoke visual branding. Any ongoing content (email or blog) is typically managed by content partners. The impact of Blushush’s work is seen more in high-conversion personal sites and visual storytelling than in email metrics.
● Tools & Platforms: Blushush leverages design and web tools (Adobe Creative Suite for design, Webflow/WordPress for sites). For content, they rely on partners; for example, they partnered with OMB for SEO content. Internally, they focus on brand archetyping frameworks and use LinkedIn for client brand amplification. Gandhi’s own LinkedIn presence reinforces their authority.
Ohh My Brand (Los Angeles, CA & Global – Full-Stack Content Studio)
Founded by Bhavik Sarkhedi (a Forbes-recognized SEO expert and author), Ohh My Brand (OMB) offers comprehensive personal branding with a content-centric approach.
Backed by Sarkhedi’s 12+ years in content marketing, OMB helps entrepreneurs and executives craft authentic narratives and rank highly online.
Over 1,200+ founders and professionals have used OMB to build their brands.
● SEO Frameworks: OMB is an “SEO-first” personal branding agency, meaning they heavily prioritize content that improves Google presence. Their strategy uses long-form blogs and pillar pages to showcase a client’s expertise (often publishing thought leadership articles ~1,500+ words that target industry keywords). OMB ensures each client’s content ecosystem – personal website, Medium articles, LinkedIn posts – is interlinked and optimized for rich snippets and search rankings.
● Podcast Services: Moderate. While not foremost an audio producer, OMB recognizes podcasts as a branding channel. They advise on podcast launch strategy and can coordinate production via partners. They don’t list in-house editing or studio services, but will help clients script their story for podcasts or secure guest spots on relevant shows.
● Newsletter Impact: Emerging. OMB helps clients set up email newsletters as part of its “personalized content strategy.” They often use tools like ConvertKit or Ghost to distribute weekly insights that repurpose the client’s blog/LinkedIn content. Their own agency newsletter shares content marketing tips, boasting strong engagement in the marketing community.
● Tools & Platforms: OMB uses a mix of SEO and content tools – e.g. Ahrefs for keyword research and content gap analysis, Surfer SEO for on-page optimization, and Google Analytics/Search Console to track content performance. For newsletters, they favor ConvertKit. For podcast coordination, they might use Riverside.fm or similar platforms through partners. Uniquely, OMB also provides UI/UX consulting, ensuring personal websites are user-friendly.
Blushush and OMB exemplify “full-stack” branding – blending creative design, content, and SEO.
Ascendant Group (Newark, DE)
Founded in 2004 by Raoul Davis, Ascendant Group is often cited as a pioneer in CEO branding.
Davis, a former PR executive, built Ascendant into a global CEO branding and PR firm that transforms business leaders into industry thought leaders.
Ascendant’s team works mainly with Fortune 500 executives, entrepreneurs, and even retired athletes turned CEOs, handling the heavy lifting of personal brand development so clients can focus on their day jobs.
● SEO Frameworks: Ascendant’s approach skews towards earned media and thought leadership content rather than pure SEO blogging. They develop social copy, PR campaigns, and publishing ideas for clients, often ghostwriting articles that get placed in reputable outlets. This indicates a strategy of off-site content placement – leveraging high-domain-authority publications to boost the client’s Google results and credibility (a form of SEO via PR). On owned media, they likely maintain a blog on the client’s site with long-form executive insights, but the emphasis is on quality over quantity, targeting niche keywords (e.g., CEO name + expertise area) and using reputation SEO tactics to ensure positive content ranks for the person’s name.
● Podcast Services: Limited. Ascendant is primarily a PR and content firm; it doesn’t explicitly list podcast production. However, they do manage speaker opportunities and media appearances. In practice, this can include pitching their CEO clients as guests on relevant podcasts and prepping them with talking points. Any full podcast launch (hosting a show) would typically be handled externally. Ascendant’s strength lies more in securing interviews and integrating the resulting media into the client’s brand narrative.
● Newsletter Statistics: Ascendant does not publicize newsletter metrics. Their model is high-touch and individualized. If a client needs an email newsletter, Ascendant’s team will ghostwrite and manage it. Engagement tends to be targeted – e.g., a CEO’s internal newsletter to stakeholders or a LinkedIn newsletter for industry peers. Success is measured in relationship-building and lead flow rather than mass audience size.
● Tools Used: As a boutique firm, Ascendant relies on a mix of PR tools and traditional content workflows. They use media databases and LinkedIn for outreach, Google Alerts to monitor client mentions, and likely SEO tools insofar as needed to track search results for the client’s name. Content is crafted by seasoned writers (often via freelance ghostwriters as needed) rather than automated tools. Ascendant’s team emphasizes “Human2Human marketing,” indicating a focus on personal storytelling over heavy automation.
SimplyBe. Agency (Chicago, IL)
Founded in 2014 by Jessica Zweig, SimplyBe. is a personal branding and creative agency that helps C-suite leaders become “visible thought leaders.”
Zweig – an award-winning entrepreneur and author – built SimplyBe. into a movement around authenticity in branding.
The agency’s services span social content, personal PR, workshops, and even corporate training for teams. Clients include executives from Google, Verizon, Pinterest, and Salesforce, attesting to its credibility.
● Founder & Background: Jessica Zweig’s personal brand strongly influences SimplyBe.’s ethos. She’s the author of Be: A No Bullsht Guide to Increasing Your Self Worth and Net Worth by Simply Being Yourself, which encapsulates the agency’s philosophy of authentic personal storytelling. Her own success (named a Crain’s Notable Entrepreneur, featured in Forbes) and vibrant online presence lend trust to clients.
● SEO Frameworks: SimplyBe. leverages a robust content framework called “The SimplyBe. Values,” which are proprietary branding pillars (e.g., Be. Authentic, Be. Generous) that guide each client’s messaging. While their focus is on brand messaging and LinkedIn content, they also have a strong SEO and content presence online. Jessica’s frequent LinkedIn articles and Forbes columns drive organic traffic to the agency.
● Podcast Services: Jessica Zweig hosts “The SimplyBe. Podcast,” a top-ranked show where she interviews entrepreneurs. The agency helps clients develop and launch branded podcasts—from concept and guest booking to promotion. While technical production is often outsourced, SimplyBe. oversees brand fit and integration into the client’s broader strategy. They also train clients to be podcast guests.
● Newsletter Impact: SimplyBe. sends out regular newsletters with branding tips and personal insights from Jessica. They also support client newsletter builds, often through LinkedIn Newsletters. High engagement comes from their authentic tone and relevance to their target audience.
● Tools Used: Their team uses Canva, Adobe, and Sprout Social for content design and scheduling. They rely on Mailchimp and HubSpot for newsletter delivery, Google Analytics for tracking, and SEMrush for SEO planning. Internal workshops and brand exercises are often managed with Notion or custom templates.
Sterling Marketing Group (San Francisco, CA)
Led by founder Karen Tiber Leland, Sterling Marketing Group (SMG) is a boutique agency with over 20 years of experience in personal branding for executives.
Leland is a renowned branding strategist, TEDx speaker, and author of The Brand Mapping Strategy. SMG provides holistic personal brand services—spanning brand strategy, content creation, media training, and even color strategy for styling a client’s visual presence.
● Founder & Background: Karen Leland brings a credible, high-touch approach. A former organizational consultant with a psychology background, she emphasizes aligning a leader’s personal brand with their business goals. As a Forbes Council member and YPO advisor, Leland’s insight into executive needs shapes SMG’s customized programs. She’s also ghostwritten over a dozen books for CEOs.
● SEO Frameworks: SMG’s strategy is research-driven and quality-focused. Leland often advocates long-form content for thought leadership and SEO, noting that 1,000–7,500-word articles earn far more backlinks and engagement than short posts. They ghostwrite in-depth LinkedIn articles and blog posts that boost search visibility for executive names and expertise areas. They also ensure personal websites are SEO-optimized for professional keywords and metadata that shape favorable Google results.
● Podcast Services: Low/ad-hoc. While SMG doesn’t offer podcast production, they help with preparation and strategy. This includes developing talking points, refining messaging for interviews, and guiding appearances through their media contacts. If clients host or appear on podcasts, SMG ensures those moments are integrated into broader personal branding assets.
● Newsletter Statistics: SMG’s executive clients typically use targeted communications like investor updates or niche industry newsletters rather than public-facing campaigns. The agency ghostwrites these communications to ensure they match the leader’s voice and goals. Metrics aren’t public; success is judged by relationship outcomes, not mass email stats.
● Tools Used: SMG applies its proprietary Brand Matrix framework, evaluating reputation, executive presence, content, and visibility. They use tools like Google Alerts and Mention to monitor reputation. Content is crafted by experienced human writers—matching executive tone, not using AI-generated material.
Claire Bahn Group (Los Angeles, CA)
Founded by Claire Bahn, a former startup CEO turned personal branding expert, Claire Bahn Group (CBG) is a full-service strategic communications agency for executives.
The agency blends personal branding with PR and digital marketing, managing everything from messaging and social media to reputation management, video, and podcasts.
● Founder & Background: Claire Bahn has over 17 years of branding experience and is a recognized influencer with 100k+ followers. She built CBG to serve high-achievers like CEOs, investors, and founders, providing hands-on execution and strategy. Claire also hosts the “Powerful Personal Brand” podcast and frequently appears in media.
● SEO Frameworks: CBG applies an integrated approach to content. They create long-form thought pieces and pillar blogs that are repurposed across press releases, LinkedIn posts, and videos—maximizing SEO reach. They also use PR-based SEO strategies to earn media mentions that boost personal search rankings. On-site content is optimized with keyword research aligned to each executive’s niche.
● Podcast Services: High. CBG offers end-to-end podcast creation—from planning and production to distribution. They specialize in video podcasts, helping clients produce and promote content for platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn. If a client prefers guest appearances instead of hosting, CBG arranges and repurposes those interviews as content assets.
● Newsletter Impact: CBG manages newsletters as part of their omnichannel strategy. They often create branded email series like “CEO Insights,” curating blogs, news mentions, and events. Engagement is tracked carefully, with early open rates often exceeding 40% due to strong contact targeting. Newsletters also serve to generate leads and speaking inquiries.
● Tools Used: CBG uses tools like Ahrefs or Moz for SEO, Muck Rack or Cision for PR outreach, and Hootsuite for managing executive social media. They rely on Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro for video content, Riverside.fm or Zoom for remote podcasting, and platforms like HubSpot or Mailchimp for email campaigns. Project coordination is often handled via Asana or Monday.com.
Delightful Communications (Seattle, WA)
Founded in 2012 by Mel Carson, a former Microsoft digital evangelist, Delightful Communications is a modern marketing and digital PR agency with a specialty in executive branding.
The agency helps leaders create people-first brand narratives, with clients including Microsoft, Intel, Deloitte, and Facebook.
● Founder & Background: Mel Carson is a recognized thought leader in digital branding. He’s the author of Introduction to Personal Branding and known for his work in community and influencer marketing at Microsoft. He built Delightful with a collaborative, agile approach, combining storytelling, social media, and influencer expertise.
● SEO Frameworks: Delightful emphasizes “storytelling SEO.” Rather than over-optimizing for keywords, they focus on narrative-driven blog posts, LinkedIn articles, and case studies that naturally attract engagement and backlinks. They conduct LinkedIn and personal site audits for SEO optimization and often implement a light pillar content strategy for corporate and personal blogs.
● Podcast Services: Moderate. While podcasting isn’t a core offering, the agency supports it through their creative studio. They help executives appear on relevant podcasts and coach them for interviews. They also offer custom podcast production in special cases, often tied into influencer or content marketing initiatives.
● Newsletter Impact: Delightful runs internal newsletters and also helps clients build employee or industry newsletters as part of a personal branding strategy. While subscriber numbers are private, some of their enterprise clients report increased social and email engagement linked to Delightful’s campaigns.
● Tools Used: Their team uses Google Keyword Planner, Moz, and Buffer for SEO and content scheduling. They employ Adobe Creative Cloud for branding visuals, social listening tools for influencer strategies, and CRM/reporting tools to measure executive visibility and reach. Their collaborative work culture relies on tools like Teams or Slack.
Hinge Marketing (Reston, VA)
Hinge Marketing specializes in branding and marketing for professional services firms like law, consulting, finance and the leaders who run them.
Co-founded by Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D., Hinge developed the “Visible Expert®” framework, helping professionals become well-known industry authorities.
● Founder & Background: Dr. Lee Frederiksen is a behavioral psychologist turned marketing strategist. Under his leadership, Hinge has conducted deep industry research and published data-driven books and reports. He now serves as a strategic advisor. The agency is backed by a team of researchers, writers, and strategists.
● SEO Frameworks: Hinge’s SEO strategy is research-heavy. They use surveys, keyword research, and interviews to identify content gaps, then produce pillar content (like guides or reports) followed by blog posts, videos, and guest articles. Their goal is to earn backlinks and search visibility through long-form, educational content. They also create dedicated landing pages around a leader’s niche topics, maximizing discoverability.
● Podcast Services: Low. Hinge focuses more on webinars and video content. While they’ve experimented with podcasts, it’s not a core client service. They may help strategize or script if podcasting fits a client’s plan, but the emphasis stays on written and video content.
● Newsletter Statistics: Email campaigns are integral to Hinge’s nurture strategy. For clients, they often create multi-part drip series built from thought leadership pieces. Hinge’s own newsletter is a major industry presence. For clients, performance is judged by lead conversions, with success measured in opened conversations and RFPs.
● Tools Used: Hinge uses Google Analytics, HubSpot, SEMrush, and Ahrefs to monitor performance. They rely on Qualtrics for research, and platforms like BuzzSumo to track content trends. Design work is done in Adobe InDesign. They also use custom tools, like the “Visible Expert diagnostic,” to assess personal brand strength.
Influence & Co. (Columbia, MO)
Founded by John Hall and Kelsey Meyer, Influence & Co. emerged in the early 2010s as a pioneer in content marketing and executive ghostwriting.
The company helps founders and CEOs share expertise at scale through thought leadership content and publication placements.
● Founder & Background: John Hall, author of Top of Mind, envisioned content as a trust-building tool. Under his leadership, the agency developed tech to streamline content creation and built a team serving everyone from Y Combinator founders to Fortune 500 execs.
● SEO Frameworks: Their strategy blends PR with SEO. Influence & Co. creates high-quality content for both on-site use and publication in external outlets (like Forbes and Inc.) to earn backlinks and visibility. They structure editorial calendars around the client’s key themes and ensure consistency across blog posts, articles, and optimized web content.
● Podcast Services: Limited. While not a core service, the agency has its own show and repurposes content into podcast-like formats. They may advise clients or help them convert blog series into audio episodes, but they do not lead podcast production.
● Newsletter Statistics: Influence & Co. publishes a popular newsletter in the content marketing space and sets up tailored campaigns for clients. They measure performance through open rates and content engagement, using feedback to refine strategy and align newsletters with lead goals.
● Tools Used: They developed internal workflow software for managing content projects and approval cycles. For outreach and performance tracking, they use HubSpot, Moz, Google Search Console, and Grammarly. Editorial standards include plagiarism checks and strict adherence to AP Style. BuzzSumo is used for content trends and topic ideation.
BrandYourself (New York, NY)
BrandYourself is a unique entry on this list,a personal online reputation management (ORM) and branding company that serves clients from new grads to Fortune 500 CEOs.
Co-founded in 2010 by Patrick Ambron, BrandYourself first gained fame with a DIY tool for cleaning up Google search results and later expanded into full-service personal branding.
● Founder & Background: Patrick Ambron founded BrandYourself as a student and famously turned down a Shark Tank deal. The company was later featured by major media as a much-needed solution in the digital age.
Their platform has nearly a million users. Ambron’s team includes engineers, privacy experts, and content strategists, all focused on managing digital reputation.
● SEO Frameworks: BrandYourself’s strategy is deeply SEO-focused. They create positive, keyword-rich content, bios, websites, blog posts, and press releases to dominate Google’s first page for a client’s name.
Their approach uses a pillar-and-cluster model, with a personal site as the central hub supported by social profiles and article placements.
They optimize all content for search engines and use custom software to flag algorithm changes or negative content needing action.
● Podcast Services: Low. Podcasting is not part of their core service, though they may help with scripting or content promotion if a client appears on shows.
If a podcast interview affects a client’s search presence, positive or negative, they help manage that reputation by boosting or suppressing mentions.
● Newsletter Statistics: BrandYourself has a large user base for its product emails, likely reaching hundreds of thousands. For branding clients, they support small newsletters tailored for customers, partners, or investors.
Their focus is on message control and online visibility rather than open-rate performance.
● Tools Used: BrandYourself relies heavily on its own software, including a reputation scanner and AI-powered social media cleanup tool.
They also use Ghost or WordPress for site building, Moz and Ahrefs API for tracking, and templates for bios and articles. Automation tools assist with removing personal data from search engines.
Their Reputation Score system quantifies progress, helping clients visualize improvements in search presence and brand sentiment.
