Elevating Your Writing to Thought Leadership Content

A thought leader is a person or organization that is recognized as a foremost authority within a selected area of specialization. They are a trusted source that other organizations or potential consumers can turn to for guidance and expertise.

There’s no short-cut to becoming a thought leader: it takes experience and insight within your area. However, there are some general principles that can help you recognize thought leadership and understand what makes it so valuable. Applied over time, these same principles can help you elevate your own writing to the level of thought leadership content.

Why Are Thought Leaders Valued?

Thought leaders are, above all, experts: thought leadership doesn’t succeed without solid expertise. “Having valuable insights on a topic lets you build your brand and establish credibility within your field,” says Richard Pattinson, founder of CMC Editorial. “Consumers know they can turn to your business for trusted advice and expert knowledge, which will, in turn, hopefully lead to an increase in both sales and overall brand reputation.”

Thought leadership helps open a dialogue among thought leaders, other businesses, and society at large. But you must have something to say. “Becoming a thought leader means having innovative ideas worth communicating,” says Pattinson. “Through incisive commentary, you can inspire others to strive and believe in your goals.”

Enter the power of the written word. As a thought leader, you have a chance to create confidence and trust by connecting through writing. “Position yourself on the cutting edge of a conversation, and you will influence and inspire others. Trust your ability to draw from the past, analyze the present, and predict the future to create a comprehensive, unique, and impactful view of events.”

By providing novel insights and thinking outside the box, thought leaders find ways to push the conversation forward.

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, thereby inviting them to change their perspective. Don’t try to be a thought leader in every area of your industry. Focus on what you know best and tailor that message to perfection. Your goal should be to set the pace for the industry and offer intelligent insights and informed opinions in your writing. 

What Can Thought Leadership Do For Your Company?

Effective thought leadership content can help your company gain exposure. As you share insights, your company will typically expand its reach and strengthen its prospects. “In a crowded business world, exposure is key,” says Pattinson. “Consumers need to be regularly reminded that you and your company exists. If they know of you, they're more likely to think of you or your company when they require solutions to a problem.”

Thought leadership creates credibility and trust. Building consumer trust in a brand allows your company to solidify its status and gain respect, thus increasing brand prestige. Positioning your company as an expert in a given field also helps differentiate your organization from competitors.

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 all about delivering authentic and genuine insights through content. This content creates value, builds knowledge, and provides guidance for the consumer.

Creating Thought Leadership Content

Be Informed. The more informed you are, the easier becoming a thought leader is. Talk about what you know. The content you produce should be a reflection of your expertise. This will require, above all else, research. No one becomes an expert overnight, so ensure you are as informed as possible before creating thought leadership content. Only then will readers trust you to help them navigate an uncertain business world.

Have an Opinion. If someone just wanted the facts on a subject, they could simply use Google. You are there to provide your take as well as the necessary information. On top of this, you will bring insight into current business trends, insights that others may not be so easily able to provide. Ensure you have something to say and that your content isn’t just a regurgitation of facts and bullet points.

Be Original. There is so much content out there, much of it saying the same thing. Thought leadership content has to be able to cut through the clutter. You want to provide a unique perspective that doesn’t just summarize what others in the industry have already said. There has to be a fact or a statistic that has yet to be discussed; it is your job as a thought leader to bring this overlooked point to light and indicate what it means or why it is so important. Provide readers with content they couldn’t get anywhere else.

Introduce New Questions. The more one knows, the more one knows they know nothing. Regardless of your expertise on a subject, there will always be things you don’t know, and problems you can’t solve…yet. This is not a weakness but a strength. You have the opportunity as a thought leader to raise new questions that spark conversation and shed light on overlooked or insufficiently researched issues. It’s important to be receptive to new and changing information. Thought leaders make room for a diversity of opinion and for new lines of thinking to emerge.

Make Predictions. With all your knowledge, no one is more apt to predict potential trends or business opportunities. As a thought leader, you can steer the conversation and affect where things are heading. Your predictions can be broad or tentative. They can also be conditional, meaning you can provide an educated guess of what will happen in different possible scenarios. Regardless of what your prediction may be, it must be supported by evidence. Making predictions is a high-risk, high-reward maneuver, so you must back up your prediction with data.

Consider Framing. As a thought leader, you can impact the narrative surrounding a topic. Your words can influence the business decisions and feelings of many. So, it is essential to consider how your comments and content will impact the narrative and how said impact will affect your business. As a thought leader, you can tailor your message to fit the narrative that will benefit your company and clients the most. That being said, it is important to be honest. It is easy to become biased in one's beliefs and let your reputation suffer. Be honest when covering any issue, and allow your writing to flourish naturally.

Don’t Rush. Thought leadership is about utilizing your expertise to inform, help, and influence others, elevating your 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, more importantly, 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

Becoming a thought leader will take work. It requires dedication and a sustained thirst for knowledge. Although it may be challenging to grow into a thought leadership position, the benefits are more than worth it. As you become a more trusted source of information, you can influence the narrative around any given topic within your industry, becoming a place where people need to go to get the best possible business predictions. You’ll then be in a position to connect with and understand more people, expanding your reach as you hone your expertise.

From here, the cycle continues leading to ever more effective and thorough thought leadership. It’s a goal that never ends. As a thought leader, you’re constantly educating yourself, building an audience, and crafting new ideas that the world needs.