If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on PR – Bill Gates

Cutting-edge, confident thought leadership can put your brand on the map. Always be clear about your perspective on things and specialisation, as thought leaders push the boundaries, are constantly engaged, and set themselves apart from the competition by providing true value.

Cultivate your speciality, innovate, and above all, differentiate. Thought leadership can boost your brand’s exposure, develop your voice and personality, and cement your position as an expert in your field.

Here are 9 tips to get you on the road to success:

1. Be within reach

Be open to thought leadership PR opportunities ensuring journalists, bloggers and industry event organisers can easily contact you. Always make sure to nurture and cultivate press relationships, and use them effectively to heighten your thought leadership.

2. Collaborate on projects

Combine your name with the notably high-powered individuals in your industry to increase your impact. It could be a blog post, an eBook, or a speaking engagement, collaboration is an excellent way to elevate your thought leadership.

3. Include a personal element

We are all human beings – we respond emotionally and intellectually. Thought leaders must not be afraid to show their human side. Highlight personal aspects of yourself whenever you pitch a story, prepare a talk or publish a blog post. You can also feature real-world examples of people who use your products to solve real-life problems or shine the spotlight on the individual members that make up your team.

4. Be generous and humble

Make your content easily accessible and be generous with it. Provide valuable and pertinent content that is not restricted in any way.

5. Choose your speaking engagements wisely

The speaking engagements you choose will later define your thought leadership abilities, which may take time to refine. If you’re unsure how to write an engaging speech, take a couple of your best-written articles, and transform them into a speaking outline.

6. Create content consistently

Create, create, create! Whether it’s a blog post, infographic, eBook, or video, regularly create content for your audience. The more traffic to your site, the bigger your footprint grows.

7. Use guest posts strategically

By-lines are like fuel to your PR engine. An article in a well-known industry publication is a fantastic way to promote your company – why not let guests do the talking?

8. Conduct surveys

Surveys are a powerful tool as the information and insights that survey responses provide can position you as the go-to person within your industry. Use easy platforms such as SurveyMonkey and SurveyGizmo (now Alchemer). Surveys can help you to:

  • deliver new insights
  • build your credibility
  • reveal previously unknown needs in your industry

9. Take the lead

It’s all about action. Don’t be afraid to act on the knowledge and expertise you have. When a controversial issue arises, get right in the middle of it and offer a unique perspective on industry issues. Take every opportunity to display your ingenuity, innovation and authentic voice.

LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST

  • Ensure you have the perfect lead, call-to-action and value proposition in your media pitch.
  • Get newsjacking and engage or capitalise on news stories or trends concerning your brand’s products or services.
  • Make sure you always have pre-prepared commentary on the themes that you care about.
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