How thought leadership can boost credibility

In the ⁱⁱPR world journalists tend to know a little about a lot of things, whereas the MD or CEO of a company will know a lot about their particular business, brand and industry. Therefore, publications are often keen to publish thought leadership articles from experts in business to bring fresh, in-depth insight and opinions to their readers.

A good thought leader must be willing to share their opinions on a particular subject matter. They can offer industry expertise and experience, along with ideas and best practice to help others working in the same area.

According to a PR Week blog the point of thought leadership is to cultivate it. It is a title that you do not claim yourself; rather it is given to you by your target audience because you have earned it. The blog goes on to highlight that there is no denying that developing a thought-leadership position is worthy in today’s socially connected world. It delivers:

• Authority – positioning a client as an expert
• Social proof – demonstrations of expertise, evidence through reviews, and other social commentary
• Scarcity – can position a client as the only person to talk about a topic and therefore a rare commodity for media or journalists
• Influence – it is what persuades people to like or follow and buy, and for that reason it provides commercial value

What makes great thought leadership content?

It must be original and have a unique viewpoint on the subject matter that you believe will be useful to others. To use thought leadership for PR purposes to build your business brand and reputation you must be an expert in the subject you are writing about, which should link to the industry you work in.

It should be topical, and something being talked about in the news and relevant to your industry. It goes without saying that the copy must be engaging and free of jargon and backed up with compelling evidence and data. It should be written in a lively way that draws the reader in.

Adding relevant case studies from your own organisation can be a great way to add authenticity to your article and bring the article to life with real-life examples. And don’t be afraid to express your opinion.

Be inspiring, thought provoking and encourage debate……

We have a huge amount of success placing thought leadership articles from our clients.

We also offer a writing service so should our clients be keen to write a thought leadership article but simply don’t have the time, our team can interview the spokesperson and write the article for them. To find out more about thought leadership and how it can be used to build your brand, please get in touch.