Thought leadership: a quick start guide

Technology develops so fast that all you notice is the wind in your hair as it flies by——at least, that’s how it often feels. The good news is that makes the space a perfect arena for thought leadership, where knowledgeable individuals can share insights, challenge norms, and spur thoughtful conversation. Assuming you have some thoughts to lead with (that’s really quite important), this quick start guide can help shape your strategy and start sharing content that builds credibility and trust.  

Define your objectives 

There are plenty of reasons to throw your hat in the thought leadership ring: building a personal brand, shaping conversations in your industry, attracting talent, increasing your business’s market influence——the list goes on. But before you do anything, it’s important to understand that thought leadership takes work, so it’s a good idea to know what you’re aiming to achieve from the outset. Without clear objectives in mind, you’ll find it hard to know what success looks like let alone build a functional strategy. 

Know your audience 

Once you know why you’re investing time and effort into thought leadership, you’ll need to think about who you’re creating content for. You’ll probably already have a basic idea of specific industries or job titles you want to target, but why stop there? What does your ideal demographic look like? What’s their age range and interests, what challenges are they facing, what technologies are they interested in? When you know the answers to questions like these, you can create more finely tuned, targeted content.  

Choose your channels 

Where does your audience hang out? LinkedIn is a pretty safe bet in the world of B2B tech, but the channels and platforms you focus on ultimately depend on your target demographic and industries. If your expertise skews more towards consumer technologies and devices, Instagram, TikTok, and X might be suitable. Many AI startups have active YouTube accounts, and you can find a large community of cybersecurity professionals over on Reddit. If you have the connections or are willing to pitch articles, third-party publications can also add authority to your voice and provide exposure to a wider audience.  

Nail your approach 

Thought leadership can fulfill many functions. The approaches listed below can help you define the intent behind your content and the responses you hope to evoke in your audience. Bear in mind, it’s not always easy to categorise content in this way, and it’s perfectly acceptable to approach individual pieces of thought leadership in different ways.

Inform 

Technology moves fast. If you’ve got your finger on the pulse of a specific industry, technology, or customer base, your audience will want to hear from you. Informative thought leadership relies on timely and consistent updates that build trust and credibility. Your job is to spotlight and react to information that is relevant and useful to your audience. 

Think of yourself as a one-person newsroom rather than an aggregator. This is about more than simply reposting the latest articles from The Economist or Forbes. You need to go beyond bare facts and provide context around the insights you’re sharing. Maybe you regularly speak with independent software vendors (ISVs) and keep hearing about the need to improve net dollar retention. Great, create content that explains the reasons behind that trend and what it signals for the future of the industry. 

By maintaining quality output over time, you can build a reputation as a go-to source of reliable, relevant, and well-packaged information. You have a lot of choice when it comes to the types of content you share, including blog posts, newsletters, social media updates (think LinkedIn carousels), or even short videos summarising key developments. 

Educate 

Every day’s a school day and there’s always something new to learn in the world of technology. Taking an educational approach to thought leadership is all about demystifying——but not oversimplifying——complex concepts and helping your audience deepen their understanding of the subjects they care about. In-depth analysis, frameworks, and how-to guides can equip them with actionable knowledge or skills that provide value.

Where the ‘inform’ category is focused on what, an educational approach is more focused on how. For instance, a cybersecurity thought leader might highlight the increased prevalence of AI-powered cyber attacks and use that as a springboard to share best practices that decision-makers assess and mitigate associated risks in their own organisation. Imparting practical knowledge in this way is where educational thought leadership shines. 

Credibility with this approach is built on depth, clarity, and consistency. Showcase your knowledge by pulling in research, data, and firsthand experience where relevant. Long-form articles, white papers, webinars, or interactive workshops are all worth exploring if your goal is to become the go-to knowledge provider in your field.  

Inspire 

We live in a world that too often focuses on the negative. Inspirational thought leadership content can be a powerful motivator for your audience and an oasis of optimism in their congested feeds. This approach thrives on emotional storytelling, big-picture thinking, and bold visions of the future.  

Inspirational content usually focuses on personal journeys, groundbreaking innovations, and real-world success stories. Everyone faces challenges in their professional lives and most of us enjoy hearing stories of individuals or teams turning struggles into triumphs. It keeps us positive about what we can achieve in our own careers and businesses. Thought leadership that inspires challenges your audience to think big and take action. 

To increase your chances of success, focus in on subjects that you and your audience are passionate about. While we’re on the topic, that word ‘passion’ is an important one. It’s derived from the Latin word ‘pati’ meaning suffer. Inspiring stories are about more than big smiles and high-fives, they are about overcoming hardship. For example, a green tech founder might share a sobering breakdown of the environmental challenges we all face before providing a positive outlook on how green ammonia fuel can——or even will——deliver a carbon-free future.  

Counter 

It’s easy to get swept up in industry trends, fall back on buzzwords, and throw your weight behind whatever trending topic is currently making waves in tech. It’s a lot harder to be a lone voice in the crowd, speaking in opposition to what the majority have already accepted as fact.  

Counter-narrative thought leadership can be a powerful tool and, if done successfully, will help you quickly establish yourself as an authority in your field. That doesn’t mean you should embrace contrarianism for its own sake but instead provide fresh perspectives. Maybe you’re a software-as-a-service (SaaS) specialist with the view that ‘swallowing the fish’ is overrated, and it’s high time we started salivating over donkeys or fruit bats instead.

Whatever your viewpoint, challenging conventional wisdom isn’t easy, so you’d better know your subject inside-out and be willing to defend your position if needed. The good news is that you don’t need to constantly pick fights or even have all the answers yourself. Sometimes, simply raising your hand and posing a question can spark conversations that move the needle.  

Over to you 

By following the strategies outlined above, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an established thought leader. But you don’t have to go it alone. I’ve written and shaped thought leadership content for public figures at some of the world’s largest technology companies. If you’re looking for an experienced writer to support your own efforts or would simply like to see some examples of my work, feel free to reach out.