Can you be a 'thought leader'? (Be careful how you answer!)
Thought leaders have always existed and will always be in demand. This presents an enormous opportunity for those really do know their stuff and can offer fresh perspectives that audiences will be interested to hear about and learn from.
In May 2020, there were 1.1 million self-styled ‘thought leaders’ on LinkedIn. Today, that number stands at 1.6 million. That’s a rise of +45% in five years. Why?
Because we need them.
During times of economic and political uncertainty the need for insights and ideas that can provide decision makers with a full – or even just a partial – solution to the everyday challenges they face will remain high. Take the meteoric rise in business podcasting as the perfect example to highlight this point.
Filling the information void
The number of podcast listeners in the UK has grown from19.1 million in 2021 to an expected 26 million within the next six months, according to figures from Statista.
At the same time, the number of business related podcasts has shot up, too. Across Europe, including the UK, there are now more than 13,400 business-related podcasts – up 9.4% on 2024, with Germany, France and then the UK making up the top three European nations for business podcasting.
In the US, however, the numbers are even higher. In the last 12 months, there has been a 44.4% increase in the number of business podcasts now operating with the total number standing at just over 10,000, according to Listen Notes.
So, our need for answers to the questions we have continues to grow. Yet few of those running podcasts ever describe themselves as ‘thought leaders’ – this tends to be reserve of those using LinkedIn as their primary channel for self-promotion. But are they really thought leaders?
Defining thought leadership
To answer this, we must be clear on what a thought leader actually looks like.
Simply put, a thought leader is recognised by their peers, customers, and industry as an expert with a deep understanding of their specific area of interest. Their insights and ideas are regarded as both distinctly original and valuable to those receiving them.
Thought leadership in its true sense is about building on your area of expertise and then creating shareable and relevant content (articles, videos, white papers, podcasts) that will add value to your target audience because it addresses their challenges, pains, and ultimate needs.
Give the people what they really need
This is an important point. The content being created must be that which your audience is actively seeking out because they ‘need’ it. In fact, a study by Harvard Business Review found that businesses in the US were “losing $1 trillion in annual revenues to their competitors because they are not consistently relevant enough.”
The point is that unless you really understand your customers and can offer them either full or partial solutions to their challenges in a way that differs to what is already out there, don’t waste your time creating new content that they will never be interested in consuming.
Using thought leadership to stimulate brand trust and bottom line growth
Thought leadership development is a huge part of the work that a PR agency like us does for clients. It is about enhancing the personal/executive profile of the organisation’s top people. This has been proven umpteen times to strengthen the brand of the business itself and improve its bottom line over the long-term.
Think of it like this: You know that people-buy-from-people is a cliché, but it’s so true. If you meet someone at a networking event you have a greater chance of doing business with them than if your first contact was via an email.
Indeed, we gravitate towards people who are just like us, and that is why focusing on positioning your key people as thought leaders is critical to business success.
Final thought
Thought leaders have always existed and will always be in demand. This presents an enormous opportunity for those really do know their stuff and can offer fresh perspectives that audiences will be interested to hear about and learn from.
It’s one of the most powerful ways a business can enhance its reputation and get on the radar of those customers it might not otherwise get exposure to.
We were described by a client as being the ‘thought leaders on thought leadership.’ If you want to enhance your thought leadership profile in a way that boosts your brand and bottom line, email me directly at paul@clearlypr.co.uk or complete the Contact Us form.
