How one post got 3 CEOs to stop scrolling

How One Post Got Three CEOs to Stop Scrolling

Last week, one LinkedIn post changed a lot for me.

336,152 impressions. The CEO of PepsiCo connected with me. Unilever's CMO commented on it. Zak Brown himself jumped into the conversation. 5,413 likes and 227 comments later, I realised something important.

This happened because of a specific communication blueprint that any CCO can use to get C-suite attention for their partnership stories and their pitching process.

Here's exactly how it worked and how you can use the same framework.

The Post That Started It All

The post was about McLaren's transformation from 5 to 53 sponsors in 7 years. But here's what most people missed - it wasn't really about McLaren at all. It was about how to communicate partnership transformation in a way that makes executives stop everything and pay attention.

Every CCO has partnership wins. Most CCOs struggle to get anyone important to notice them.

The difference is in how you tell the story.

The Framework: Five Elements That Made Executives Stop Scrolling

1. Lead with a clear before and after

I opened with "McLaren went from 5 to 53 sponsors in 7 years." People love transformation stories. The visual I included provided actual proof to back up the numbers.

Your partnership presentations typically begin with background information, objectives, and methodology. That's exactly backwards. Start with the transformation that makes people think, "How the hell did they do that?"

The executives who engaged didn't care about McLaren's history. They cared about a 960% increase in partnerships.

2. Create immediate tension

"They stopped thinking like a race team" - this line created cognitive dissonance. McLaren IS a race team. How do you stop being what you are?

That tension forces people to keep reading.

Your partnership stories need the same tension. "We got our biggest competitor to become our partner." "We turned our worst-performing activation into our most valuable relationship." The contradiction makes them lean in.

3. Use the CCN framework

The post worked because it hit what Paddy Galloway calls the CCN - Core, Casual, and New audiences simultaneously. Core F1 fans got the McLaren details. Casual sports business readers saw the strategic insights. New audiences discovered principles of partnership that they could apply anywhere.

Your partnership stories need the same range. Write them so your internal teams understand the business impact, potential partners see the opportunity, and industry peers recognise the strategic thinking. When you hit all three audience levels, your content travels further and gets more engagement.

4. Repurpose with better hooks

This post was actually a repurposed version of content I'd shared before. The difference was the opening hook and adding the time element - "7 years" made the transformation feel more dramatic and achievable. It got 295,152 fewer impressions.

Your partnership wins can be told in multiple ways. The same case study can be adapted into a board presentation, a conference talk, and a LinkedIn post. Change the hook, keep the insights.

5. Get the right person to engage first

Zak Brown's comment changed everything. One high-profile engagement signals to the algorithm and other executives that this content matters.

Your partnership announcements need the same social proof. Get your CEO to share it. Get your biggest partner to comment. Get industry leaders to engage first.

Why This Framework Works on C-Suite Executives

Here's what I learned from watching how these executives engaged:

They don't have time for buildup. They need the payoff first, then they'll invest attention in understanding how you got there.

They care about principles, not tactics. They want to know the strategic shift that drove results, not the seventeen different activation techniques you used.

They share content that makes them look smart. The post gave them language and insights they could use in their own conversations about partnerships.

They respond to confidence. The post didn't hedge or qualify and made definitive statements about what worked and why.

How to Apply This to Your Own Partnership Communications

For internal presentations: Start your board updates with the clear before and after. "We turned a $2M partnership into $8M in additional revenue in 18 months." Then explain how.

For partner pitches: Lead with the transformation story and include visuals that prove the results. Show them what's possible before you show them what you need.

For industry speaking: Structure every partnership case study to hit the core audience, casual audience, and new audience simultaneously. Make it relevant to multiple stakeholder groups.

For social content: Repurpose your wins with different hooks. The same case study can be applied multiple times if you modify the opening and incorporate time elements that create a dramatic transformation.

For amplification: Get high-profile people in your network to engage first. One comment from the right person can significantly expand your reach.

The Meta-Lesson

The post worked because it demonstrated partnership orchestration in action. McLaren succeeded by getting all their teams aligned around one clear message. My post succeeded by aligning all my insights around a clear framework.

Your partnerships are working, and you have success stories to share. The partnership comms need better organisation of the information you already have. The challenge is how you communicate what you're doing to others.

Most executives scroll past partnership wins because the insight gets buried under too much context. You need to lead with the clear before and after, create that tension, use the CCN framework to hit multiple audiences, repurpose with better hooks, and get the right people to engage first.

This framework is straightforward, but executing it requires practice. The good news is you already have the partnership wins. You just need to communicate them in a way that makes executives stop scrolling and start engaging.