Thought leadership: what is it and why do it?

There is much more to interacting with the media than simply pushing out press releases on product news and corporate announcements.  In most publications, both print and online, you’ll see interviews and articles discussing the key issues in that industry, but without anyone overtly selling their own products or services.

Some people might see this as being counterproductive.  After all, it is coverage in the press that isn’t directly referring to what the company actually does or sells.  But, this isn’t the point.  Thought leadership campaigns position a spokesperson as an authority on that topic, which in turn demonstrates that the brand understands these issues and their impact.  Potential customers will be more likely to buy from a company which it perceives as credible and knowledgeable.

There are many ways of carrying out a thought leadership campaign.  One of the simplest but most effective is to strongly express your point of view in a letter to the editor in response to a relevant story or article.  An extension to this is a longer opinion article, which provides the opportunity to build a coherent argument around a particular topic.  For the broadcast media, it is worth sending out a regular bulletin containing your views on hot topics, with a view to being featured as a spokesperson

Although these techniques can be used with the online press, there are other ways to harness the potential that the internet offers.  For example, a corporate blog can be used as a soapbox to discuss industry issues and help generate visitors to your main website.  Commenting on other people’s blogs can draw traffic back to your blog, but also show that you can engage in debates.  Relevant industry forums and LinkedIn group discussions can also provide opportunities to position yourself as a key industry figure.

However, with any kind of thought leadership activity, there are a couple of things to remember to ensure maximum success.  Firstly, be controversial.  If you’re saying the same as everyone else no one will be interested.  Secondly, don’t overtly try to push a product - this simply defeats the point of this kind of campaign.  Thirdly, make sure that what you‘re saying is relevant to the people who will be reading it. 

Simply creating news can only take a PR programme so far.  It is companies that are also able to discuss industry issues that have the greatest impact on their audience.  People want products and services from experts, and thought leadership campaigns are one of the best ways to prove this.