What to Do if You Don’t Have a Thought Leadership Presence (Yes, You Need One!)

Thought leadership (n.) – the piece of the PR puzzle that builds and establishes your professional reputation

Thought leadership is critical to a comprehensive public relations campaign. It’s very difficult to gain recognition and credibility as a market leader if your customers, peers and competitors don’t know who you are and what you do. And while media relations can highlight a brand for many reasons — interesting products, innovative solutions, new offerings, investments, IPOs, and so on — thought leadership is how you highlight the real people at the helm of your brand (and your brand’s expertise).

If your customers trust you on important industry issues, and associate your brand with that expertise, it can help you close more deals and make more sales. It will help your PR efforts, too. When a good reputation precedes you personally, it unlocks access to contributor opportunities, speaking engagements, industry awards, and guest interviews, in addition to appearances on the top podcasts in your space. Despite its clear advantages, only half of companies report investing in thought leadership for their CEOs.

So, what should you do if you aren’t a known name in your industry yet? First — you should book a call with us. Then, while you’re waiting for our strategy session, read this blog post to learn more about the steps the best PR agencies take to establish a thought leadership

Update your owned assets and social media pages.

When was the last time you updated your LinkedIn profile? Your company bio? It’s important to ensure your existing social media and professional profiles are consistent and current at the outset of a thought leadership campaign. When potential media contacts or event staff are evaluating your credentials, they’ll likely do some reconnaissance online. Set yourself up for success by leveraging your existing web pages and profiles to tout your professional accomplishments, capture your mission and vision, and clearly illustrate your current role. Then, make sure to stay active and engaged with regular comments and posts on relevant topics.

If social media and copywriting aren’t your forte, a good PR agency will be able to guide you and offer support.

Get on some podcasts — or start your own.

Podcasts are an excellent entry point for building recognition and thought leadership positioning. Work with your media relations specialist to target relevant, respected podcasts in your niche or industry.

In a crowded space like tech, there are dozens of reputable podcasts from which to choose. Your PR strategist will guide you to prioritize and connect with the most significant shows. In a more niche areas — like drayage in supply chain management, or telehealth for behavioral health applications — your strategist will guide you to find the most relevant shows to showcase your expertise.

Some trade media outlets even host their own podcasts, which can be a promising touchpoint in building a relationship with that publication and its audience. In any case, a compelling podcast interview can serve to showcase both your personality and your expertise to extremely niche audiences, helping you build your thought leadership reputation in the right markets.

If podcasting is a particular area of interest for you — or if your market lacks a good show that covers the issues your customers care about — another option is to start your own.

Become a contributing writer.

If you’ve ever wondered how some executives manage to write for leading publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, or The Business Journals, we’ll clue you in: They likely hired a PR firm.

Contributor opportunities allow thought leaders (like you) to write compelling articles on salient industry issues, from their own perspective and in their own voice. This serves to build your reputation by aligning your own expertise with the most respected and widely-known publications in your industry.

When your customers and target decision-makers read a compelling article in their favorite publication, about their industry struggles or pain points, and they see your name in the byline proposing solutions, those readers are more likely to remember you. (Byline is just industry jargon for the line that lists whom the article was written by, and essentially means you’re a guest contributor to that publication.) They’re also more likely to connect your name with the esteem of the publication they are reading, and extend that trust to your brand.

Book speaking engagements at important events.

A similar principle applies to industry events and conferences. A history of compelling podcast interviews and insightfully written content in your niche media market will serve well to pad your resume for the big leagues: speaking engagements.

Consider this: Industry conferences are almost exclusively attended by highly engaged audiences, with a vested professional interest in the event topic. After all, they or their employers have paid for them to attend the event, traveled to the location, and arranged coverage for those missing team members at the office. This, coupled with the event’s own reputation in the industry, can make speaking engagements extremely valuable in building your reputation as an industry thought leader.

To deliver an excellent presentation, panel discussion, or fireside chat at a leading industry event is to connect directly with key stakeholders in your industry from a broad range of geographic regions. And to add a well-known and respected conference to your roster, as a professional speaker, serves to further reinforce your own credibility.

There are many ways to establish a thought leadership presence online, but these are a few of the key pillars your PR agency might use to help you establish your name and reputation. Interested in learning how these strategies can help you reach your brand goals this year? Reach out to us.