CEO Advertorial by PR-Leaders: How SME Leaders Can Build Their Personal Brand in Forbes

CEO Advertorial by PR-Leaders: How SME Leaders Can Build Their Personal Brand Visibility in Forbes

Hamburg, March 23, 2026. Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany are in excellent financial shape, but when it comes to the online visibility of their CEOs, a different picture emerges: Search results often appear random, profiles are fragmented, interviews are scattered, and the entrepreneurs' personal stories remain hidden. At the same time, recent studies show that a CEO's reputation influences up to 44 percent of a company's value, and 77 percent of consumers prefer brands whose CEO has a strong personal brand.

Against this backdrop, PR-Leaders GmbH & Co. KG, under the leadership of Kathlen Bremer, has developed a service unlike anything that has existed before: the CEO advertorial--an exclusive, editorially crafted leadership profile published exclusively on the Forbes website, one of the world's most renowned publishers. As the sole provider of this type of CEO advertorial, PR-Leaders deliberately targets only corporate leaders and decision-makers in the SME sector.

From Logo to Leader Persona: Why CEO Visibility Will Be a Must by 2026

The communications landscape has fundamentally changed: trust is shifting from abstract brands to individuals. 92 percent of B2B buyers say they are more likely to engage with companies whose top management is visibly positioned as thought leaders. At the same time, trust and branding studies show that customers and investors are increasingly paying attention to the CEO's public image before making purchasing or investment decisions.

At the same time, search and information-gathering processes are shifting toward AI-powered answers: Google AI Overviews and systems like ChatGPT or Perplexity provide direct, summarized answers instead of just listing links. Anyone who enters a CEO's name into a search engine or AI tool expects a consistent, high-quality profile--not a random mix of old press photos, outdated news articles, and random database entries.

This is exactly where the CEO advertorial comes in: It creates a central, editorial reference result on a globally respected platform that both traditional search engines and AI systems can access.

The product: A Forbes feature for mid-market CEOs--developed by CEOs for CEOs

At its core, the CEO advertorial is an editorially structured article that tells the CEO's story, values, leadership style, and vision in their own words, accompanied by professional photos and video content. The article appears on the Forbes website and is clearly labeled as a collaborative format, yet remains closely aligned with journalistic standards in tone and structure.

PR-Leaders emphasizes that this offering was developed "by CEOs for CEOs": The entire process is tailored to the realities of corporate leaders' lives--limited time, high demands, and clear expectations for professionalism and confidentiality.

The Process: 1-on-1 Briefing, Hamburg Experience, Content Studio, Forbes Publication

The path to the CEO advertorial follows a clearly structured process:

* Personal one-on-one briefing
The project begins with an in-depth conversation--in Hamburg or via video call--led by a business-savvy consultant, not a junior editor. The goal is to truly understand the CEO's background, leadership philosophy, values, and strategic priorities and to translate them into a precise story.
* Designing the Interview Roadmap
Based on the briefing, the PR-Leaders editorial team develops a customized list of questions and the narrative structure for the actual CEO interview--a personalized roadmap tailored to the CEO's positioning and core messages.
* Invitation to Hamburg & Five-Star Hotel
This is followed by an invitation to Hamburg, including accommodations at a select five-star hotel. On the evening before or the morning of the production day, a personal meeting takes place to finalize the schedule, attire, visual style, and key content focus areas.
* Production Day at the Content Studio
The content is created in PR-Leaders' in-house content studio: a CEO-to-CEO interview conducted by Kathlen Bremer, complemented by a professional photo shoot and high-quality video production. The result is video footage and photos that can be used in the Forbes article as well as on the website and social media.
* Editorial Preparation & Forbes Publication
The editorial team assembles all the components, drafts the CEO advertorial in text form, reviews it with the CEO, and, upon approval, submits it to Forbes for publication. In addition, the CEO receives material for their own channels--such as LinkedIn post templates, image packages, and video snippets for content repurposing.

This creates a consistent online presence that is produced in a single day but has a lasting digital impact for years to come.

Strategic Benefit: Search Results That Build Trust

In the digital daily routine of many decision-makers, the first point of contact with a CEO is a simple search: name + company in the search bar or in an AI tool. Instead of vague results with incomplete or outdated information, the CEO advertorial features a precise, high-quality piece prominently displayed, complete with photos, video, and a clear narrative.

At a time when thought leadership, personal branding, and CEO communication have become key factors for building trust, attracting investment, and recruiting talent, PR-Leaders offers a solution that goes far beyond traditional public relations.

Quote from Kathlen Bremer

"CEOs stand for stability, responsibility, and results--but their digital presence often seems haphazard," says Kathlen Bremer, founder and CEO of PR-Leaders. "When someone Googles your name, the best arguments in favor of you and your company should be visible--not random hits from dozens of sources.

With the CEO advertorial, we give decision-makers at medium-sized companies a Forbes-style platform that matches their achievements: a high-quality editorial profile with photos and video, developed by CEOs for CEOs. It's not a vanity project, but a strategic tool for building trust among customers, partners, banks, talent, and the media."

About PR-Leaders and Ma.Le Solutions GmbH

PR-Leaders GmbH & Co. KG is the PR division within the agency network of Kathlen Bremer's Ma.Le Solutions GmbH and specializes in strategic media relations, advertorials, and CEO positioning. The agency combines traditional press relations with modern PR strategy, SEO/GEO optimization, and customized formats such as the CEO advertorial.

With over 1,400 published pieces and access to more than 30 premium publishers, PR-Leaders positions companies and executives in relevant business, industry, and trade media--and ensures that this content is also visible on Google and in AI responses.

For more information on the CEO advertorial: https://pr-leaders.de/ceo-advertorial

PR-Leaders GmbH & Co.KG
Grosser Burstah 45
20457 Hamburg
Germany

http://www.pr-leaders.de

Herr Fabian Bellmann

fabian@pr-leaders.de

PR-Leaders GmbH & Co. KG is a communications and PR agency based in Hamburg. The company helps brands, executives, and organizations clearly articulate their messages and gain visibility in relevant media. Its service portfolio includes media relations, CEO positioning, strategic communications, reputation management, and supporting communications consulting. PR-Leaders works in close coordination with editorial teams and places particular emphasis on precise, understandable, and robust messages.

This release was published on openPR.