Getting Leaders On Camera: A Practical Guide for Internal Comms Pros

“Our CEO won’t go on video.” 

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Convincing senior leaders to embrace video isn’t always easy. But if using more video to make leadership visible is a part of your comms strategy (it should be, by now), then this guide is here to help you move from “We’re not doing that” to “When do we film?”

1. Don’t sell it as doing a video – it’s all about visibility

Your CEO or founder might resist video because of the perceived time cost. “I don’t have time for a filming day” is a common excuse.

So don’t start with “Let’s roll out a video series”. 

Try this instead:

“This message doesn’t require a town hall. A short video can help you show up where your people are, whenever they want to view it, and save everyone time.”

Now it’s five minutes of their time instead of a one-hour, mandatory, all-company meeting. Let them do the math. Suddenly, it all sounds much more appealing.

Your job isn’t to push harder. It’s to reframe the value, lower the barrier to entry, and make the ask too good to ignore.

2. Start with peer pressure

You’d be surprised how many CEOs, even the boldest and most successful ones, dread going on camera. The medium makes them feel exposed. It’s vulnerable, it’s personal, and they don’t want to get it wrong. Another common blocker is the fear of looking pretentious or like they’re trying to become an influencer.

A good comms partner helps protect their credibility while nudging them to show up with warmth and clarity. The best way to do this is by showing them what other prominent CEO figures are doing on cam. 

🎬 Joe Thomas, Co-founder of Loom, records Looms (naturally) to share product updates and congratulate new hires. No teleprompter. No script. 

🎬 Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, sends quarterly video messages to his team and external audiences via Facebook and LinkedIn. 

🎬 Jon Gray, President & COO of Blackstone, casually shares selfie videos while jogging, discussing topics like the economic climate, company milestones, or personal reflections. Real and in motion. 

🎬 Angela Ahrendts, former SVP of Retail at Apple, used internal videos to connect with 70,000 retail employees and align them with the company’s vision. This wasn’t a side project, it was how she led. 

3. Make the first one stupidly easy

No heavy lifting. Just hit record and say something nice.

Try:

• A recorded Zoom message on the team chat
• A recorded presentation
• A short thank-you video note to the team. Gratitude is low-risk and high-reward. It sets the tone without requiring performance

4.  Package it as an experiment, not a strategy

If your leadership team is too busy or not engaged, you’ll never get buy-in with, “We want to roll out a video comms plan”.

Try: “Let’s try one quick video. If it doesn’t perform well, we drop it…” or “Let’s try one and see how it lands”.

You’re reducing the cost of failure, which increases the chance of getting buy-in.

But getting them to do it again is where the real value lies.  Create a recurring moment where video makes sense: monthly updates, quarterly town halls, new hire welcomes, and product launches.

Treat video like a communication tool, not a one-off campaign.

5. Prepare and produce it well

✔ Draft talking points
✔ Prep the camera or phone 
✔ Test the lighting and mic (natural light works!)
✔ Suggest one background spot they can reuse
✔ Reassure them: “This is not going viral” (or “This is not going to suck”)
✔ Trim the start and end if needed, add captions (essential for accessibility), and upload the video to wherever your people will actually see it – Workvivo, Slack, Teams, or email.

And always – always – share feedback. 

Whether that’s views, comments, likes, survey results, emails from employees, or word of mouth. You’re not just helping them show up; you’re helping them see that it worked. 

Lights, camera, action!

You don’t need a CEO who loves the spotlight. You need one who understands the power of presence.

You don’t need viral content (or hooks, or effects). You need real, human connection.

And you don’t need a huge budget. Just a quiet space, a phone, and a willingness to try. 

A short video from the top isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s one of the most effective ways to be seen, heard, and trusted.