Becoming a thought leader: 4 ways to get started
You want to get your company’s name out there and start building your brand. You want to be quoted in tier-one news outlets. You want to advance your career. You want to be a keynote speaker. You want to be able to launch a new product with a tweet because everyone is glued to your feed.
None of these things can happen overnight, but you can get there by becoming a thought leader.
While the term “thought leadership” is a cliche at this point, it’s still incredibly effective as a practice. It takes time, effort, and consistency, but once established, you’ll stand in a place of influence that benefits both you and your business.
Here’s how thought leadership works and how to get started.
What is thought leadership?
Thought leaders are influential, trusted experts who shape and drive conversations in their field.
Thought leaders are influencers. They’re the ones you see on TV commenting on the latest news. They’re the prolific bloggers who everyone links to and reads. They’re the ones on social media sparking conversations, answering questions, and sharing their experiences.
If you’re still wondering why thought leadership is important, one of the biggest benefits is that you gain more control over your own destiny. You can establish yourself as an expert in the areas most important to your business, shape conversations in your industry, and build a favorable, trusted reputation for your business.
How to establish thought leadership
There are many different paths, but here are four of the most common pillars:
1. Create content. Choose a medium and own it, whether it’s YouTube, a podcast, a blog, an email newsletter, Instagram stories, or another platform more appropriate for your audience.
See what others are publishing and what’s missing from the conversation. Publish consistently, build an audience, and tap into others’ audiences as well by contributing articles to influential outlets, whether a trade publication or larger business media like Entrepreneur or Forbes.
That contributed content places your thoughts in front of potential new readers and customers, expanding your audience. Promote your content on social media to further amplify it.
Pro tip: There’s a lot of content out there. How can you make yours stand out?
2. Share your expertise with the media. When media opportunities arise, some topics will be right in your wheelhouse. Others you might have to stretch a bit to bridge back to your expertise and what your business does. But don’t try to stretch too far.
Don’t waste a reporter’s time by saying you can address the topic, then only provide vague soundbites that don’t specifically address the story being reported on, just to insert your messages. Provide value to the media and benefit from strong media relationships.
Want to be the go-to expert reporters contact in the wake of a breaking story? It starts with smaller opportunities, good sound bites, pithy opinions, and demonstrated expertise.
When you’re a good resource, able to analyze events in your space, reporters will remember you and seek out your opinion.
3. Seek out speaking opportunities. This is one of the best ways to get in front of targeted audiences as an established expert.
Find appropriate conferences in your space and submit a speaking proposal that chronicles a case study, addresses a specific pain point, reveals new research, undercuts a common misconception, or otherwise shows your audience something new and interesting.
This is a great way to network, show the results of your work for customers, and open up content opportunities: Encourage attendees to live tweet photos, questions, and quotes during your presentation, and later you can adapt your slides into a blog post, article, or webinar.
4. Answer questions and engage on social media. Pick your platform depending on your audience. Should you be writing, sharing, and commenting on LinkedIn? Or is Twitter where your followers congregate?
Wherever is best (and it may be multiple networks), join the conversation. Share insights (whether your own or a link to someone else’s), connect people, weigh in on a relevant question or debate.
Everyone has a slightly different style, so experiment, observe the influencers you admire or want to model yourself after, and find your voice.
What the best thought leaders do well
In each of these endeavors, you should strive to:
- Provide value. Don’t sell your company or your products. Answer your customers’ questions, teach them to do something new, give away your best advice.
- Find your voice. All the top thought leaders have a way of speaking and writing that’s all their own. Just from the style of it you can tell exactly who wrote it or said it. This doesn’t need to be carved in stone from day one, and will evolve over time, but think about how you say things just a bit differently than anyone else and develop that voice.
- Have an opinion. You have to take a stand. The middle ground doesn’t entice most media and their audiences. Tell reporters what you believe and why you believe it. Show your work and reach your opinion responsibly, but plant your flag.
- Do great work. To rise to a thought leader doesn’t even necessarily require promotion. It does require great work. If you consistently do great work and you’re changing the world, people will take notice.
Becoming a thought leader: Get started now
Unfortunately, this isn’t an overnight process. That’s why it’s so important to get started now. Jump into a Twitter conversation. Submit a speaking proposal. Write an article that you can contribute to an influential publication you read. Ace that first interview with a reporter.
Those first steps become second steps. If you keep bringing something new to the table, momentum builds. You become recognized. Your business becomes recognized. By the time you’re a thought leader, you’ll have established a competitive advantage that helps you shape conversations in your industry, attract customers, and grow.
These are the kinds of stories that intrigue Yahoo Tech’s Editor-in-Chief
Dan Tynan lays out his litmus test for tech stories....
Peter Shankman on how to know your audience
Know your audience. It’s the most fundamental — and most ignored — communications advice around. Too many...
7 of the best tech shows for catching the media’s attention
Here are a few big-impact technology shows widely attended by media that should be on your radar over the next several...
2 takeaways on how, when, and where people read news
A deadline used to mean “get your article to your editor.” Now it means the best time for your editor to publish...
How Muck Rack’s Greg Galant is putting a stop to bad PR
VIDEO: The #1 reason media don't return your email, the future of the press release, and a more deliberate approach to...
NewsHacking 2016: Build a standout PR campaign in 12 months
Start the new year with newshacking. Review your PR campaign and refocus your efforts with these 12 steps for greater...
CES 2016 Day 1 in pictures: Virtual reality, robots, 8K TV, drones
Take a photo tour of CES 2016's most eye-catching tech with The...
CES 2016 day 2 & 3 photos: Connected cars, sports tech, curved displays
The best of days 2 and 3 of CES 2016, as experienced by The...
5 ways to get noticed at CES 2018
After 10 years of attending CES, I’ve seen a lot of different strategies for earning media coverage at the show. Here are...
2016 trends in PR and tech media with Sam Whitmore [The NewsHackers Podcast]
Mobile storytelling. Virtual reality as a developing platform. Media opportunities for companies that aren't Apple, Google,...
The simple, extremely challenging way to catch the attention of Digital Trends Editor
As Editor-in-Chief of Digital Trends, Jeremy Kaplan’s job is “keeping the site awesome.” And he has – 20 million...
Headlines abundant as wine: How French tech startups are winning the PR game
Take a look at how French startups make a name for themselves and you’ll find lessons that apply to any entrepreneur....
Paul Cheung explains why the AP is leaping into virtual reality journalism
Will you soon be watching the news on your VR goggles instead of your phone? We went to the source and Paul told us why...
The keys to media coverage at the Collision conference – and every other tech show
Collision offers both startups and growing tech companies an opportunity to get their product in front of the media, but...
Collision Conference: What we saw at day 1 of the show
If you can't join us in New Orleans for the Collision conference, here's what we've been seeing and learning so far....
Collision conference: Highlights of days 2 and 3
The Collision conference did not disappoint. Robert Scoble on VR and AR. Chris Sacca judging the pitch competition. Slack...
3 national media explain what you should and shouldn’t say during an interview
Landing an interview with a top-tier technology reporter is rare. If your story is good enough to catch their attention, get...
Indiegogo’s John Vaskis on how PR fuels crowdfunding success
A compelling video, an existing base of supporters, and a great product are all key to a successful crowdfunding campaign....
The best of CE Week 2016 in photos and video
From 360-degree cameras for your GoPro to drones that fit in the palm of your hand, CE Week 2016 had plenty of cool new...
Why you should watch Cheddar, the future of live business news
Few media are diving into live streaming like Cheddar, the millennial-focused CNBC of Facebook Live. Broadcast from the...
How to prepare for CES: 11 ways to earn media attention and make the show a success
CES 2019 is just weeks away, and there's a lot to get done. Here are the top 11 ways to prepare for...
CES strategies you should never try
Too many companies sabotage their chances of CES success before they ever arrive at the show. Even if you have a standout...
5 year-end consumer tech PR to-dos
Thanksgiving is next week. Holiday gift guides are arriving by the dozen. CES is 50 short days away. Don’t panic....
CES lessons every tech company can learn from the Ehang 184
One of the biggest consumer electronics PR victories out of CES 2016 was the Ehang 184 drone. Large enough to carry a human...
Highlights of CES Unveiled Las Vegas 2017 [PHOTOS]
At CES Unveiled 2017 we saw everything from robots to VR cameras and accessories to smart home appliances to pet tech, and...
The best of Pepcom Digital Experience! at CES 2017
CES 2017 officially kicks off today, but there was plenty to see last night at Pepcom Digital Experience! Here are all the...
Highlights of CES 2017 day 1 [PHOTOS]
CES 2017 has begun. We captured the best of VR, drones, car tech, robots, and more. Take a look at the hottest new tech the...
CES 2017 roundup: The best tech stories from the show
From booths to demos to technology, these were some of the biggest stories out of CES and trends you can expect to see more...
The best tech events to attend in 2018
These 10 big-impact technology conferences are widely attended by media and should be on your...
Finding the tech, and the stories, at Toy Fair NY
Where do all the tech toy companies go to meet with retailers, buyers, distributors, partners, and the media one month after...
SXSW 2017: 6 takeaways on content and tech
For the past several days, we’ve been soaking up SXSW — and plenty of barbecue — in Austin, Texas. We’ve met...
5 of the most insightful people at SXSW 2017
It makes sense that I heard the idea on a Fasten ride home from SXSW. I had been talking to the driver, and she started...
Collision Conference 2017: Highlights of day 1
The colliding has begun. We’re back in New Orleans at what is arguably the “best tech show, period,” and it's packed...
Collision Conference 2017: The best of days 2 and 3
Public relations is all about relationships, and Collision offers conversations you can’t find at many other tech shows....
Voice assistant marketing: 5 strategies for brands
Consumers are adopting smart speakers faster than they took to smartphones. Some 18 percent of Americans -- 43 million...
2017 year in review: 7 top PR and marketing trends
We asked our in-house experts what trends were most impactful in PR, content, and social media in the past 12 months....
Best of CES 2018: Highlights from the biggest show in tech
More than 4,000 companies descended on Las Vegas to show off their consumer tech. Follow this running collection of photos...
Wool gathering, nest building, and massage chairs: Dan Tynan on CES 2018
Few people have a better perspective on CES than journalists, and one of the most insightful has always been Dan...
Earned media strategy: How to grow your influence and authority
Earned media should be an integral part of any thought leadership program. Here’s why you should add this strategy to your...
Collision 2018: 5 takeaways on tech, startups, and storytelling
Collision proved once again why it’s one of the best tech shows around. It brought together some of the biggest names in...
Press release guidelines: A journalist’s advice for writing a useful news release
Is the press release dead or isn’t it? That depends on how you use them. A recent Twitter conversation confirmed as...
E3 2018: 8 takeaways on influencers, gaming, and the media
If there’s one thing to know about attending E3, it’s that you have to wear cool sneakers. If there are two things to...
Cybersecurity PR: 3 ways to earn more media coverage
Why does the media cover your competitors and not you? What can you do to create interest and generate media results so...
Cybersecurity media relations: How to catch reporters’ attention
Year-end cybersecurity research reports are an annual tradition. The best among them create awareness and help build...
How to newsjack breaking cybersecurity stories
The single most powerful technique for getting media coverage is speed. When an attack, a data breach, a new...
Media training for cybersecurity: 4 ways to get better and more frequent coverage
Most cyber security experts are terrible at speaking to media. Before your spokespeople ever go on TV, focused practice...
5 cybersecurity PR strategies to level up media coverage in 2019
Have you spent 2018 struggling to get the top-tier media coverage you deserve? Have you tried to create videos, blog posts,...
CES 2019 preview: 5 storylines that could earn you media coverage
CES 2019 is one of the best media opportunities you’ll have all year. You can gain broad national and international...
CES 2019 highlights: Tech and takeaways from Las Vegas
What are the big themes and storylines of CES 2019? See for yourself....
CES 2019 recap: 4 media storylines for 2019
CES 2019 showed us laundry-folding robots, holograms, voice-enabled everything, and an Apple billboard that had everyone...
RSA Conference 2019: David Strom explains how to get media coverage
We asked David Strom, curator of the Inside Security Newsletter, how to catch the media’s attention at the RSA Confrence...