The Modern Executive’s Communications Playbook

Ted Merz spent 32 years at Bloomberg. He started as reporter #15 and ended as Global Head of News Product.

In this episode, Ted breaks down how storytelling became his next career. He shares the turning point after getting fired, the content habits he developed, and how that turned into Principals Media, a company helping executives build real audiences through honest stories.

We talk about founder content, comms vs. brand, what most ghostwriters get wrong, and the difference between vulnerability and clarity.

Topics we cover in this episode:

- The truth about getting laid off at 57 (and what came next)

- How LinkedIn became a proving ground for executive content

- Why most founder content sounds like it was written by ChatGPT

- What Bloomberg taught Ted about voice, clarity, and leadership

- The difference between being vulnerable and being honest

- Why memorability is more important than engagement as metric

- How ghostwriters can help execs find their POV (not just polish)

- The real ROI of storytelling is reputation, not reach

Perfect for:

- Founders and execs trying to grow on LinkedIn

- Comms teams turning leadership into creators

- Ghostwriters building long-term client relationships

- Anyone starting over and using content to get back in the game

Connect with Ted:

- Ted’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-merz-cfa-b711257/

- Principals Media: https://www.principalsmedia.com/

Connect with me:

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/03CXzsZp7wdqIRVDcqPTFH

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnthormeier/

Website: https://www.project33.io/

Chapters

00:00 From Bloomberg to LinkedIn: how storytelling became the next chapter

02:30 Getting laid off at 57 with no plan

05:00 Going viral with real stories (and no strategy)

07:45 Why so much founder content feels generic

09:30 What ghostwriters should be doing for execs

12:15 The Bloomberg comms lessons that stuck

14:45 The danger of over-polished “vulnerability”

17:10 What metrics Ted cares about (and what he ignores)

20:20 Starting Principals Media: from DMs to clients

23:00 Helping execs write without dumbing it down

25:30 Why founder content is just good leadership in public

27:40 How writing helped Ted clarify what came next

30:00 If you want to start posting this is what you should start with

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