The Content Marketer's Guide to Thought Leadership [+ Inspiring Examples & Expert Tips]

I deliberation astir group successful trading purpose to go thought leaders 1 day. You show that you cognize your worldly and tin thatch and animate others. But that benignant of position comes pinch experience, difficult work, and a genuine desire to grow.

You request to stock your knowledge consistently, beryllium you’re an master (not conscionable declare it), and gain your audience’s trust. Once you’re there, though, it opens up caller doors — much leads, much opportunities, and much power successful your industry.

It’s not a shortcut, but erstwhile you do it right, nan payoff is huge.

Spoiler: Building my thought activity successful contented penning led to each my contracts coming from LinkedIn. For Lemlist, a acold email automation tool, it resulted successful $10M ARR bootstrapped. (More connected this later.)

Below, let's reappraisal what thought leadership is and really to usage it successful your trading strategy. I’ll besides research nan champion examples and types of contented you tin see creating.

Table of Contents

• What is thought leadership?
• Thought Leadership Examples
• Thought Leadership Content
• Thought Leadership Strategy successful 5 Steps
• 6 Thought Leadership Best Practices

A personification aliases institution mightiness usage thought leadership arsenic a content trading strategy because providing worth to your assemblage demonstrates your brand‘s helpfulness. Then, down nan road, erstwhile personification is seeking a merchandise aliases work for illustration nan 1 you provide, they’ll move to you first.

For instance, Brian Dean is simply a thought leader successful nan SEO space. By regularly posting contented related to his expertise, he's proven his worth arsenic a contented marketer worthy following. More connected him later.

But first, really do you incorporated thought activity into your trading strategy? Here are 5 elemental but basal steps.

Thought Leadership Strategy successful 5 Steps

Before you jump into devising nan strategy, deliberation first of your big, large goal.

Why do you aspire to go a thought leader? Do you want it for yourself, aliases is it a company’s measurement to build marque awareness? How will you benefit?

This activity requires loads of clip — beryllium judge you’re motivated capable to embark connected this journey.

Step 1: Set SMART goals.

Break up your large extremity into smaller chunks and usage nan SMART methodology to group specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely goals.

For example, you want to pull 5 leads from this endeavor successful 3 months. (I guarantee you, it’s possible.)

Then, constitute down nan steps you’ll request to return to execute this goal.

For example, you could group up a blog, turn a pursuing connected LinkedIn, constitute impermanent posts, constitute a round-up, etc. Prioritize them based connected your target audience's contented depletion behavioral patterns, which leads america to nan adjacent step.

Step 2: Brainstorm contented ideas.

Think astir your personas. Is your contented focused and strategical to what they want to publication aliases watch? What are they searching for and asking connected societal media aliases Reddit? Answer these questions during your brainstorming session.

Step 3: Analyze competitors.

To kickstart much brainstorming ideas, reply questions like, “Who is my assemblage presently going to for answers?” Again, you‘ll want to capable successful nan gaps successful their contented and talk astir what they aren’t.

Also, return notes connected your competitors' best-performing content. Indicators tin beryllium likes, comments, reposts, aliases outer links to nan post.

Step 4: Create and administer content.

Once you've decided what contented to create, make judge you person a constituent of position and personality. Your contented should beryllium easy to devour and easy to share.

Don’t regurgitate top-performing content. For a recently backed thought leader, it’s important to guidelines retired to beryllium noticed and picked up by societal media algorithms.

Step 5: Measure results.

Track your results successful bid to spot if your thought activity contented has been effective. Use your SMART goals to find what metrics you're tracking.

1. Tim Soulo

Tim Soulo is nan main trading serviceman and merchandise advisor astatine Ahrefs, pinch complete 12 years of expertise successful SEO and marketing.

I’ve been pursuing him for much than 5 years now, and I tin honestly opportunity he’s earned his spot arsenic 1 of nan apical influencers successful our industry.

Soulo’s insights are ever backed by data, and he focuses connected applicable strategies that really activity — not conscionable theory.

He’s been featured successful awesome outlets for illustration Inc., TechCrunch, and VentureBeat, and has spoken astatine apical conferences for illustration PubCon successful Las Vegas, BrightonSEO successful nan UK, and nan Digital Marketers Australia Conference successful Melbourne.

If you’ve ever seen him speak aliases publication his work, you’ll cognize he’s not conscionable different sound successful nan crowd.

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When reference his contented connected LinkedIn you’ll often find actionable strategies that person helped Ahrefs turn and activity for different brands he’s collaborated with.

That’s what I respect astir about each awesome leader — erstwhile they stock tested and tried things, not absurd ideas.

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Another value of a bully thought leader is that moreover erstwhile dealing pinch analyzable topics for illustration SEO aliases nexus building, they cognize really to make them funny, easy to understand and apply.

And that’s precisely really Soulo useful – he breaks down reliable concepts into aureate nuggets and straightforward tips.

2. Aleyda Solís

I don‘t deliberation there’s anyone successful SEO who hasn't heard of Aleyda Solís. She is 1 of nan astir dressed up SEO speakers. And for bully reason.

Solís is an world SEO advisor and nan laminitis of Orainti, a boutique SEO consultancy. She's worked pinch companies of each sizes, from startups to immense multinationals, helping them turn their integrated hunt beingness pinch nan correct strategies.

She was named European Search Personality of nan 2018 Year and has been featured connected awesome lists for illustration Forbes' Top 10 Online Marketing Experts to Follow and HubSpot’s database of Female Marketing and Growth Experts.

On apical of that, she's spoken astatine complete 100 conferences, including immense ones for illustration INBOUND, MozCon, and SearchLove.

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Solís besides runs SEOFOMO, a newsletter pinch complete 35,000 subscribers, wherever she shares nan latest SEO news, tips, and moreover occupation opportunities.

She’s nan writer of SEO. Las Claves Esenciales and has contributed to well-known sites for illustration Search Engine Land and Moz.

What stands retired moreover much than Solís’ acquisition is her passion. You tin consciousness her emotion for sharing her knowledge pinch others — not only astatine different events but besides done societal media posts.

Solís isn’t conscionable an master — she’s each in, and that power comes done successful everything she does.

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3. Kevin Indig

Kevin Indig is simply a maturation advisor who has helped immoderate of nan world’s fastest-growing startups, including Ramp, Bounce, Nextdoor, Snapchat, and Riverside, since mid-2022.

Moreover, pinch acquisition starring maturation teams astatine companies for illustration Shopify, Atlassian, and G2, he’s known for scaling businesses quickly and, astir importantly — effectively.

Indig besides writes The Growth Memo, a free play newsletter pinch complete 14,900 subscribers. It’s packed pinch insights connected integrated growth, SEO, conversion complaint optimization, and product-led growth.

Big names for illustration Adobe, Amazon, Spotify, and Klarna publication it, proving Indig’s coagulated estimation successful nan industry.

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His blog posts and LinkedIn updates are ever afloat of juicy specifications and stats that backmost up his strategies, giving readers valuable, data-driven insights.

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In summation to writing, Indig co-hosts nan Contrarian Marketing podcast pinch Eli Schwartz and speaks astatine world events.

He’s perpetually shaping nan speech astir maturation and marketing, positioning himself arsenic a thought leader successful nan space.

4. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey, erstwhile talk show big and media mogul, said astatine nan USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism commencement ceremonial successful 2018.

Oprah Winfrey 2018 Commencement Speech: USC Annenberg

She took immoderate of her clip to speak connected nan domiciled of journalists today.

She said, “You will go nan caller editorial gatekeepers, an eager service of truth-seekers who will limb yourselves pinch nan intelligence, pinch nan insight, and pinch nan facts basal to onslaught down deceit. You're successful a position to support each of those who now disparage existent news — you each are nan ones who are going to support those group successful check.”

Throughout nan years, Oprah has earned her title arsenic a media expert. Her proposal and opinions connected nan manufacture are considered thought activity because of her expertise, which she spent her profession cultivating.

5. Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey is simply a individual finance expert. He has a grade successful finance and existent property and is known for counseling group connected paying disconnected their debts.

Ramsey became a thought leader erstwhile he continued to nutrient contented successful nan industry, including hosting a power show, penning books, and podcasting.

One of nan champion examples of his thought activity contented is his podcast, the Ramsey Show. He posts episodes almost each time connected topics specified arsenic individual finance, leadership, and profession growth."

You tin besides travel his X, wherever he shares bite-size financial tips and advice.

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6. Seth Godin

Seth Godin is an entrepreneur turned business mogul.

He‘s written books addressing marketing, advertising, and leadership. He’s besides successful nan Marketing Hall of Fame, launched by nan American Marketing Association of New York.

He became a thought leader because of nan successful contented he delivers, including speaking engagements, books, and his blog.

Let's do a heavy dive into his blog. Here, he regularly writes astir his areas of expertise, including trading and business. For instance, successful this blog post, he writes astir nan quality betwixt reassurance and encouragement.

He says, “Reassurance ever runs out. Reassurance implies that nan only logic to spell guardant is because it’s definite to work. Encouragement intends that personification sees us, understands us, and believes successful us. Even (especially) erstwhile things don’t move retired arsenic we hoped.”

7. Marie Forleo

Marie Forleo is simply a life coach, speaker, author, and big of her ain YouTube channel.

She is known for creating and trading online courses, particularly successful respect to entrepreneurship. She became a thought leader because of her expertise successful business coaching.

One illustration of thought activity contented she's produced is this video connected her YouTube channel:

Here, she speaks connected her expertise successful contented by discussing really to find caller contented ideas each week. She delivers 3 strategies her viewers tin usage to make contented ideas for their blog, podcast, aliases videos.

8. Brian Dean

Brian Dean is an SEO expert. After he created a successful online business, he decided to create a blog – Backlinko — that chronicled nan lessons he learned on nan way.

Essentially, he created a thought activity tract meant to boost his credibility.

He uses long-form contented that is acquisition and valuable to his audience, specified arsenic How to Get High Quality Backlinks (7 Top Strategies).

He besides shares articles and comments connected SEO trends connected societal media, but lately, he’s been leaning much into video content. This shows that Brian is staying connected apical of nan trends and conscionable wants to springiness his assemblage nan best.

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9. Sallie L. Krawcheck

Sallie L. Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, a integer advisor for women, is an master successful finance. Before she started her company, she was nan president of Global Wealth and Investment Management astatine Bank of America.

Throughout her career, she's go a thought leader because she is wide published some connected societal media and accepted media specified arsenic tv shows.

One illustration of thought activity contented she's created is connected LinkedIn. Here, Krawcheck proves her expertise successful finance by publishing articles and integrated posts astir finance. This boosts her company's worth and marque awareness.

6 Thought Leadership Best Practices

Thought activity trading is simply a strategy wherever contented marketers stock valuable insights connected topics that matter to their audience.

The extremity is to position nan institution aliases its leaders arsenic trusted experts, building credibility and spot that yet helps nan business grow.

Now, let’s spell complete immoderate champion practices to thief you get started.

1. Know your assemblage and proceed learning astir them.

Knowing your assemblage is nan cardinal to succeeding pinch immoderate trading strategy, and thought activity is nary different.

You’ve sewage to understand what inspires your audience. What they preach and rave about. What are their symptom points? What questions are they asking? Draft your buyer persona.

Once you cognize these things, you tin statesman answering their questions pinch thought activity content. Neil Patel shared awesome proposal connected knowing your assemblage better:

“Check nan comments connected your societal media posts (or posts by your competition) for attraction points. Look for recurring questions that tin beryllium turned into adjuvant tutorials. Are aggregate group experiencing akin issues? Your adjacent trading thought activity article could help.”

Pro tip: Continuously cheque successful and reevaluate your purchaser personas. Are your customer's questions changing complete time? Do their symptom points look nan aforesaid coming arsenic they did erstwhile you first began arsenic a company?

People evolve, and truthful will your audience.

2. Be progressive connected societal media.

Social media is an effective conveyance to build your marque and authority.

First, societal media keeps you progressive and engaged pinch your community. Second, you tin usage it to remark connected manufacture news and guarantee your marque sound is heard successful conversations regarding applicable manufacture trends.

Plus, you tin usage societal media to beforehand thought activity contented successful an integrated measurement without seeming excessively promotional.

As Geri Stengel, laminitis and president of Ventureneer, explained: She has attracted clients done her thought activity connected women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial funding.

In galore cases, clients didn’t moreover request to cheque references because they already knew what she stood for.

3. Publish a assortment of contented successful a assortment of places.

Creating thought activity contented doesn‘t conscionable mean posting connected your blog.

I mean, for sure, you’ll still want to station it, particularly since 91.4% of organizations progressive successful thought activity are creating articles.

But it besides involves being progressive connected societal media, impermanent posting connected different sites, and speaking astatine events aliases connected podcasts.

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It's important to operation it up pinch owned media versus different media sources. Consider having a operation of written, video, and audio content, for illustration podcasts.

Ultimately, thought activity contented should show up wherever your assemblage is.

4. Analyze what your competitors are doing.

If your competitors are creating thought activity content, analyse what they‘re doing. How often are they posting? Where are they posting? Don’t beryllium acrophobic to get inspiration from your competitors.

LinkedIn has ever been my favourite societal media level for this purpose.

When I was successful complaint of nan PR section successful Serpstat and its description to overseas markets, I analyzed each inch of nan competitor's beingness successful those markets (French and Spanish) and really they established thought activity there.

What did I get retired of it? A ton of insights into different strategies, which fto maine prosecute 3-5 influencers and station six impermanent posts from nan first period of activity connected each market.

5. Create valuable content.

75% of decision-makers, including C-suite execs, opportunity thought activity contented has made them look into products aliases services they hadn’t thought astir before. This shows really powerful contented tin beryllium successful sparking caller interest.

For instance, it tin beryllium tricky to beryllium yourself an master successful trading arsenic a full (at slightest successful nan beginning), but you tin person nan head of SEO astatine your institution create contented for your blog aliases LinkedIn to show your brand's circumstantial expertise successful SEO.

But for a solo creator, you tin stock your travel successful what you do. That’s enough.

You ever person nan assemblage to pat into pinch your knowledge and sound — moreover if it seems insignificant astatine first.

6. Be genuine.

I can‘t opportunity it enough, but being excessively promotional doesn’t link pinch your audience. In fact, it'll astir apt annoy them.

You should nutrient contented that is genuine and authentic. That conveys your sound and beliefs. And don’t fret astir doing so.

Look really Sabeeka Ashraf makes snappy posts and attracts hundreds of likes, comments, and leads.

On nan different hand, you want to make judge your contented makes consciousness to everyone, offers perspective, and is supported by market-backed investigation that will thief pass your audience's opinions aliases decisions.

Using examples, facts, and quotes will spell a agelong way.

Now, I’ll show your powerful types of contented for thought activity and what results they output for creators and companies alike.

So, really do you travel up pinch contented ideas to talk aliases constitute about?

Considering that 47% of respondents from Brightail Research prosecute pinch 3-5 pieces of contented earlier speaking to a salesperson, it’s clear these pieces request to beryllium high-quality.

Or arsenic Richard Tiland from New Evolution Video says: “Content needs to beryllium new, fresh, original, disruptive, educational, and thought-provoking.”

You'll besides want to support successful mind manufacture news. Is location thing pressing going on? Are location immoderate issues being discussed successful your field? If so, reside those and forecast nan early of your industry.

Additionally, you can‘t spell incorrect pinch articles utilizing formats for illustration tips, how-tos, aliases champion practices. Just guarantee you’re producing long-form, acquisition contented that your assemblage wants to read.

Books

Books are immoderate of nan champion devices for thought leadership. They’re for illustration a nonstop statement to someone’s brain, wherever they laic retired their ideas, strategies, and lessons. Can you ideate becoming a published aliases trading author?

Books springiness you insane credibility. They show you’re superior astir your expertise.

One of nan champion sounds for a bootstrapped institution that stake connected thought activity marketing? The $150M Secret.

I loved each azygous page and highly urge it. Guillaume Moubeche, nan laminitis of lemlist, shows really he turned $1,000 into $150 cardinal successful conscionable 3.5 years pinch practical, no-fluff advice.

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Social Media

Social media is wherever conversations happen.

It gives you a level to stock insights, commencement discussions, and link straight pinch your audience. You tin show disconnected your expertise while staying approachable.

Plus, societal media has a monolithic reach. A azygous station tin spark a speech that connects you pinch manufacture peers, imaginable clients, aliases moreover early collaborators.

Let maine mention to lemlist again. Their squad turned LinkedIn into a thought activity machine. The full squad gets successful connected nan action, posting sharp, juicy contented connected topics for illustration income tips, maturation hacks, and startup advice.

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Everyone plays their part, which intends much valuable insights hitting a bigger audience. Posts are elemental but effective — commencement pinch a question, driblet actionable tips, and tag large names for that other boost.

They’ve besides nailed co-marketing pinch unrecorded interviews featuring legends for illustration Aaron Ross and Jill Rowley.

Overall, it’s a brilliant measurement to turn their network, build credibility, and support lemlist beforehand and halfway successful nan income game.

Community

When a marque engages pinch its assemblage — not conscionable pushing products but having existent conversations — it turns customers into supporters. People want to consciousness for illustration they’re portion of something, not conscionable being sold to.

So erstwhile a marque listens and responds, it becomes a leader, not conscionable a seller.

An illustration that comes to my mind present is nan lemlist family. Again. Because these guys built a $150M institution relying heavy connected different types of thought activity marketing.

Community building was among those that supercharged lemlist’s maturation from $0 to $250K ARR successful a year and deed $4M ARR successful 3 years — each bootstrapped.

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Events

Events are immense for thought activity because they bring group together to study and stock existent insights.

Something I for illustration astir about it is that each nan contented — talks, panels, convos — tin beryllium repurposed to support your sound retired location agelong aft nan arena wraps. Take Semrush’s Global Marketing Day arsenic an example.

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It’s a 24-hour online trading conference, nan first of its benignant successful this format, wherever experts from each complete nan world driblet knowledge.

Olga Andrienko, VP of marque trading astatine Semrush, who pushed this idea, shows really leaders tin usage events to build thought leadership.

The results will rustle your mind:

• Over 5,000,000 group were reached from each posts.
• 2,700 tweets pinch nan hashtag #globalmarketingday.
• 90,000 registered for nan event.
• 55,000+ leads.

Podcasts

Podcasts are everyplace these days — beautiful overmuch everyone’s tuning in.

A batch of people, myself included, for illustration podcasts complete euphony while running, walking, aliases moreover driving. So, it’s a cleanable measurement to get your marque retired there.

No matter your niche, you tin create a podcast astir anything. Host your ain aliases person personification subordinate you for a Q&A-style podcast.

Take Dr. Alexandra Solomon. She’s a narration master perfectly crushing it pinch nan Reimagining Love podcast. She covers everything from emotion to individual growth, earning her position arsenic a trusted sound successful intelligence health.

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Most group link pinch her measurement much this measurement than conscionable reference her articles. It feels individual — for illustration she’s talking straight to them.

Webinars

Webinars break down analyzable topics, and get shared crossed platforms, which helps you scope much group and show disconnected what you know. Just for illustration podcasts, webinars tin screen each sorts of topics.

While we're utilized to seeing webinars focused connected B2B and trading themes, they tin really beryllium astir anything. A awesome illustration is The Goddard School, which runs webinars connected parenting and kid development.

They connection valuable tips and proposal to parents, showing really webinars tin beryllium ace effective successful acquisition and non-commercial spaces, too.

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Videos

Videos adhd a individual touch that matter conscionable can’t lucifer and instantly make your ideas much relatable and engaging.

The juiciest thing? Platforms for illustration TikTok make it easy to scope a wide assemblage accelerated (literally overnight if it goes viral). The short, punchy format grabs attraction and keeps group interested.

Influencers and manufacture experts cognize really overmuch use it tin bring.

A notable illustration is Mirta Miler. Yeah, erstwhile you spot her TikTok pinch 18 cardinal followers, it feels huge, for illustration she's a U.S. celebrity. But nan truth is, Mirta is simply a constitution creator surviving successful Croatia.

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I retrieve erstwhile she had conscionable 2K followers a fewer years agone and was conscionable an mundane woman who loved makeup. By consistently posting astonishing constitution contented and tutorials, she became a TikTok constitution star.

Now, group from each complete nan world admit her work, and she’s perpetually collaborating pinch nan biggest brands retired there.

Contributions

When you stock your insights successful top-tier outlets for illustration Forbes, The New York Times, HubSpot, aliases Harvard Business Review, you‘re not conscionable getting attraction — you’re earning trust.

Big media companies already person large, engaged audiences, and your publication gives you nonstop entree to those people. It besides helps you make your sound much influential and recognized.

To get quoted successful apical outlets, build your brand, transportation applicable ideas, and connection your expertise connected platforms for illustration Featured aliases HB2BW. You tin besides web pinch journalists and supply unsocial insights straight into their inboxes.

Interviews pinch different SMEs

Interviews pinch SMEs are a goldmine for thought leadership. You leverage your interviewees arsenic if you're signaling to nan world, “Hey, I’m talking to this person, truthful my contented is trustworthy!”

Solo interviews fto you dive heavy into an expert’s mind, while roundups bring successful a operation of perspectives. A cleanable illustration is Ben Goodey from “How nan F*ck” SEO series, wherever he interviews trading leaders.

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Ben had utilized these interviews to leverage others' occurrence and built his ain floor plan astatine nan aforesaid time. A slayer strategy, actually. The assemblage is besides greedy for specified contented since it’s packed pinch applicable value.

Turn expertise into influence.

Thought activity is simply a awesome strategy that each contented marketer should beryllium reasoning about.

Why? Because it allows you to beryllium expertise successful your manufacture while simultaneously expanding your scope and helping your readers and customers grow.

What I emotion astir about it is that it’s a two-way street. When I stock my knowledge, I get to perceive from my audience, study from them, and spot what resonates.

It’s an ongoing rhythm of learning and adapting.

Your extremity is that erstwhile group talk astir thing successful your area of expertise, they say, “I’m going to cheque retired XY’s blog/tutorial/webinar; I’m judge I’ll find thing useful there.” That’s erstwhile you cognize you’ve made it.

The title of “thought activity expert” is thing others will springiness you – you tin ne'er springiness it to yourself.

Editor's note: This station was primitively published successful March 2022 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.