Elevating Your Writing to Thought Leadership Content
A thought leader is a recognized authority in a field, a trusted source that others turn to for guidance.
Becoming a thought leader takes time, and learning how to write effective thought leadership content is no straightforward endeavor. However, there are some general principles that can help guide your path forward as a thought leader while elevating your writing.
Why Are Thought Leaders Valued?
Thought leaders are valued because they use their experience to shine a light on topics that may otherwise seem daunting. Your expertise is the seedbed of your thought leadership. That degree in software engineering could grant you valuable insights on an emerging technology. Your cross-cultural savvy may bring about unique perspectives, unlocking fresh business angles.
In turn, thought leadership helps open a channel of communication with experts, other companies, and your customers. But you must have something to say. “Becoming a thought leader means having innovative ideas worth sharing,” says Richard Pattinson, founder of CMC Editorial. “Through incisive commentary, you can inspire others to explore—possibly even adopt—your perspective.”
Of course, thought leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum. As a thought leader, you have a chance to ignite confidence by connecting in a variety of ways, which includes writing. But it’s never writing for writing’s sake.
Instead, your impact depends on how well you communicate your perspective through the written word. “Effective writing helps shape narratives and lead conversations”, says Pattinson. “Leverage your insights to offer unique, impactful insights, and you will influence others.”
By providing novel insights and thinking outside the box, thought leaders find ways to push the conversation forward.
“Don’t simply sell products; become a trusted advisor. Knowledge sharing attracts customers, builds loyalty, and naturally boosts your reputation. ”
Writing for thought leadership also means writing for clarity. You must be able to push essential ideas that you want your audience to believe in, encouraging them to explore a new viewpoint. That said, don’t try to be a thought leader in every area of your industry. Focus on what you know best and continue to sharpen that message. Your goal should be to set the pace for the industry, offering intelligent, informed insights through your writing.
What Can Thought Leadership Do For Your Company?
In the din of the business world, impactful thought leadership content can cut through the noise. As Pattinson puts it, "Exposure is the lifeblood of any business. Regularly remind consumers you exist, and they'll be more likely to turn to you when needed."
Thought leadership also helps you stand out from the pack. Building consumer trust in your brand increases its prestige.
A joint survey by Edelman and LinkedIn of 3,275 global business decision makers found that 88% believed that thought leadership could effectively raise their esteem for an organization. However, only 17% rated most thought leadership content they encounter as very good or excellent.
In the end, thought leadership is about delivering authentic insights through content. This content creates value, builds knowledge, and provides guidance for the consumer.
Creating Thought Leadership Content
Be Informed. Expertise is the foundation of thought leadership content. Since no one becomes an expert overnight, ensure you are as informed as possible before creating thought leadership content. Conduct in-depth research to validate your claims. This will help your audience trust you to help them navigate an uncertain business environment.
Have an Opinion. If a business professional only wanted the facts on a subject, they could just use Google. As a thought leader, you provide your interpretation of the facts, putting them into a useful context. Don’t simply cover business trends: use your industry-specific perspective to make observations others might miss. Have a compelling analysis instead of a collection of facts and bullet points.
Be Original. The content deluge is real. Thought leadership content has to be able to cut through the clutter, blazing a trail rather than summarizing past debates. Is there a fact or a statistic that has yet to be discussed? It is your job as a thought leader to bring such overlooked points to light, indicating what it means and why it matters. Having a sense for interesting but unnoticed points lets you provide your readers with content they couldn’t get elsewhere.
Introduce New Questions. The more that you know, the more you know how little you know. Regardless of your expertise on a subject, there will always be open questions, and problems you can’t solve…yet. A thought leader turns this into a strength by asking questions that spark conversations and shed light on insufficiently researched issues. It’s important to be receptive to changing information, and a well-posed question can make room for new lines of thinking.
Make Predictions. Making predictions about potential trends or business opportunities is a high-risk high-reward maneuver. As a thought leader, a well-evidenced prediction can steer the conversation and affect where things are heading. Your predictions can be broad or tentative. They can also be conditional, providing an educated guess of what could happen in any of several possible scenarios. Regardless of what your prediction may be, it must be supported by good arguments to be taken seriously.
Consider Framing. As a thought leader, you aim to shape the narrative surrounding a topic. Think about how your comments and content will impact this narrative and how that impact will affect your company, your clients, and your industry. While you can tailor your message to influence your audience, it is also important to be honest, or your reputation may suffer. Thought leadership is about informed guidance rather than the hard sell.
Don’t Rush. Thought leaders use their expertise to inform, help, and influence others, elevating reputation as a result. All this won’t happen overnight, however. Becoming a thought leader is a process; it requires sustained effort and a willingness to listen and learn. Thought leaders are continually adapting to the ever-changing media landscape. A thought leader is never done learning and never done teaching others.
Find a Good Editor. Don’t simply let your written thoughts fly off into the world. For any work you publish, make sure it’s properly reviewed and edited by a trusted set of eyes. You may even consider hiring an executive ghostwriter to assist you with the work.
The Lifelong Importance Of Thought Leadership
Although it may be challenging to grow into a thought leadership position, the benefits are more than worth it. As you become a trusted source of information, you can influence the narrative surrounding your industry, and become an authority others turn to for quality business predictions and insights. You’ll then be in a better position to connect with more people, expanding your reach as you hone your expertise.
Think of it as a virtuous cycle. Thought leadership helps you connect, and those connections improve your thought leadership. As a thought leader, you’re constantly educating yourself, building an audience, and crafting new ideas that the world needs.