Case Study

How to be an elite CEO-to-CEO networker

May 26, 2026

This article originally appeared on Blue Engine Collaborative’s LinkedIn.

When America’s newspaper executives go hunting for their next big advertiser or partner, the smartest ones skip the sales deck and pick up the phone themselves.

More than half of American newspaper executives make executive-to-executive relationship building a major focus, with nearly all the rest (4 in 10) doing so when called upon, according to the fifth Blue Engine Collaborative and Lenfest Institute for Journalism Newspaper Executive Insights Poll.

(Earlier polls covered the industry’s philanthropic push, biggest regrets, AI wish lists, and marketing channels.)

This month, we asked four questions:

Does your top executive(s) play a role in building relationships with other CEOs / top executives in your market?
How do your top executives work to build relationships with other business leaders?
What’s your best tip for getting these “top-to-top” meetings?
What’s your best tip for making these “top-to-top” meetings productive?

Here’s the playbook from the executives in the “major focus” camp, insights that are relevant for all publishers (looking at you, nonprofits looking to build a sponsorship business!) who want better connection with commercial leaders in your market.

No delegating…

The single most consistent piece of advice from elite top-to-top networkers: this has to come from you.

“We do not delegate appointment setting by an assistant or the advertising team,” said a midwestern newspaper executive. “The best outcome is to have a personal call or email directed by our executive team member directly to the office of the CEO or executive we desire to engage.”

Kevin Hall, Publisher at Georges Media Group, personally reaches out to CEOs and CMOs for meetings and lunches — no middlemen.

Patrick Dorsey, Publisher of The Santa Fe New Mexican, describes it as near-obsessive intentionality, making sure “business leaders, politicians and other decision makers or people of influence in our community” are regularly on his calendar.

The message is consistent: if a relationship is worth having, it’s worth your name in the “From” field.

… which is a lot easier if you’ve met outside work.

Reed Anfinson , Publisher of the Swift County Monitor-News, put it plainly: “Create relationships beyond the business setting.”

Community boards, clubs, and economic development councils are not new – and they are still paying off, as Heidi Wright put it: “Business owners will take a meeting with someone they know.”

Across our survey, some version of these social and civic bodies is where the most relationship-savvy publishers are doing their best work.

Josh O’Connor, President of Wick Communications, describes the best publishers from the Wick universe as those who “participate on highly visible community boards, and show up at local school and business functions to build personal trust with municipal and business leaders.”

Show your admiration and curiosity.

“Tell them you admire them.”

That concise advice from a midwestern newspaper executive speaks to a common thread from our survey responses: the executives landing the best meetings walk in with genuine interest and, as importantly, without a pitch deck.

“We wanted to meet with you as you are an organization that we admire and want to get to know more about,” said a midwestern newspaper executive, describing their standard opening frame. “All conversations in this meeting are off the record. We clearly state the major initiatives we are working on as a company — and then turn it over to them.”

Their two key questions: What opportunities are your team pursuing to overcome challenges in your organization? And: What excites you most about your industry and/or organization?

John Garrett, Founder & CEO of Community Impact, agrees that curiosity is the real differentiator. “The best question I ask is the follow-up question,” he said. “Be ready for it because it shows you care, and it gives you a chance to ask for a future meeting.”

But that doesn’t mean you’re coming in without some opportunities in mind.

“I try to keep the 2-3 ideas or opportunities we’d like to put in front of them top of mind,” as one Mountain West newspaper leader put it, “and work them into the conversation.”

Use the meeting to clear the air.

Here’s a counterintuitive move the best publishers make: they use top-to-top meetings to invite criticism, not dodge it.

“Let the guest speak about their interests, concerns, and frustrations with our brands,” said one local news leader. “We are not very good at listening to criticism, but it’s cathartic and gives us an important external view on our brand and service.”

One industry adviser echoed the principle: “Address any lingering issues or concerns tied with your news organization. Explain the importance of the relationship and be direct and respectful with their time.”

It’s a high-confidence play. Inviting hard feedback signals you’re secure enough to hear it.

Host.

Don’t forget that hosting a distinctive discussion shows your value as a convener.

“I had the EDs of three local cultural institutions into the Villager Cafe as a kind of small summit of new leaders of legacy organizations,” said Aaron Britt, Publisher of Midcoast Villager. “Having the Villager Cafe attached to the newspaper is also an incredible way to just bump into business leaders who happen to be having lunch.”

Georges’ Hall turns the dynamic by inviting business leaders to present to a group of top news executives on their priorities. The business leaders do the talking. Hall’s team listens and learns.

An invitation to a community event your news organization is sponsoring can go a long way, too, as one northeastern news executive pointed out.

These gatherings aren’t a substitute for direct conversations. “Business lunches and golf rounds are nice,” as Press Enterprise Publisher Brad Bailey put it, “but the actual WORK gets done in face-to-face in-office meetings with all your resources available,” – but they can crack open doors or renew relationships outside of Business As Usual.

Follow up with love.

The meeting is just chapter one. What separates the best from the rest is what happens next.

One midwestern newspaper executive noted that he will often write his thank-you note in the car after the meeting, affix the stamp, and mail it from a nearby Post Office to make sure the executive gets the message right away: we’re grateful for your time.

Another kindness: showing the executive that you’ve listened with clear ideas for where to take the relationship next.

“Follow-up, follow-up, and more follow-up!” said Wick Communication’s O’Connor, and having a plan in place to make sure high-level commitments reach operational teams.

The bottom line.

The good news: this isn’t complicated. Show up yourself. Earn your seat before you need it. Lead with curiosity, not a pitch. Use meetings to clear the air. Host. And follow up with love.

The publishers treating this as a discipline — not a nice-to-have — are building the relationships that will matter most when the next big ask comes around.