How this VP of Comms Built ZoomInfo’s $1.2B CEO Brand on LinkedIn

Meghan Barr helped build one of the most powerful CEO brands on LinkedIn. As VP of Brand, Content & Comms at ZoomInfo, she’s spent the last 5 years helping turn Henry Schuck (CEO of ZoomInfo, $1.2B ARR) into a storytelling machine, without losing authenticity.In this episode, we go behind the scenes of that process:- How Meghan transitioned from journalism to tech- The content pillars behind ZoomInfo’s CEO brand- How their “in your corner” videos are made- What happened when they took out apology billboards- Why Henry’s posts outperform ZoomInfo’s 240K-follower brand page- How she’s scaling the strategy to other executives (and what she looks for)- The playbook for brand leaders, comms teams, and CEOs who actually want their voice to cut through.- Topics we cover in this episode:- Going from Boston Globe journalist to ZoomInfo’s VP of Brand- The origin story of ZoomInfo’s LinkedIn strategy- Why they prioritize LinkedIn over blogs and press releases- How to turn a CEO’s voice into a repeatable content system- Managing risk, pushback, and post-performance conversationsThe “personal + product” content blend that works bestPerfect for:- Comms leaders building their CEO's Brand- Founders building their LinkedIn voice- Brand and content teams scaling thought leadership contentConnect with Meghan:- Meghan’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghan-barr-3211865/- ZoomInfo: https://www.zoominfo.com/LinkedInConnect with me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnthormeier/Website: https://www.project33.io/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/03CXzsZp7wdqIRVDcqPTFH Chapters00:00 Meghan’s journey from newsroom to ZoomInfo02:00 Why Henry Schuck hired a journalist, not a marketer04:00 Making the jump during COVID and overcoming imposter syndrome06:30 How newsroom skills transfer to startup brand leadership08:20 Building trust with a high-expectation founder CEO10:15 When LinkedIn replaced blogs (and why)12:00 Henry’s viral obituary post: how it came together14:30 The sausage-making behind every post16:10 Content goals: Product, People, and Personal18:00 Metrics: From 100K+ impressions to today’s new benchmarks20:45 Dealing with performance pressure and pushback23:00 Risk-taking: The billboard apology stunt that paid off26:15 Turning ZoomInfo’s sentiment from negative to positive28:30 Why LinkedIn is also internal comms now30:00 Activating the rest of the executive team32:00 Why safe content doesn’t work anymore34:00 Aligning CEO messaging with company brand strategy36:00 How Henry’s scrappy product demos are made38:30 Why founder-led video works at scale40:15 The no “leaders of leaders” mindset inside ZoomInfo42:00 KPIs for executive content (followers, media, reach)44:15 The new role of PR in an AI-dominated world46:00 Why thought leader ads are a missed opportunity49:00 Inspiration from John Gray, Daniel Ek, and McDonald’s CEO51:00 What’s next: Vertical earnings videos and employee advocacy53:00 How much time Henry actually spends on content55:00 Final thoughts: Building trust and a strong internal rhythm#linkedin #founderledmarketing #linkedinads #linkedinagency #founderbranding #saas #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #demandgen #content #b2b #revenue #contentmarketing #performancemarketing #videomarketing #personalbranding This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.executivebrand.org