There has been a ton of fuss over the last few years about thought leadership. We all recognize its importance, but when it seems everybody is writing thought leadership content, how do we know what actually lives up to the name? There’s so much competition when catching peoples’ attention.
Adam Grant sums it up pretty well when he says, “Creating knowledge for the purpose of sharing it is thought leadership.” Thought leadership is not a byproduct of your content. It requires unique experience and expertise, and it must be recognizably you.
Animalz outlines 5 sources of thought leadership content: Counter-narrative opinions, Personal narrative, Network connections, Industry analysis, and Data storytelling.
- Use your Counter-narrative opinion for sharing a view thoughtfully contradicting the mainstream.
- Shed light on a Personal narrative so you can outline a unique situation you played a part in and the wisdom you gained.
- Reach out to your Network connections and expand your own knowledge by tapping into someone else’s mind.
- Give your own original take on notable events happening within in industry with an Industry analysis.
- Don’t just trust the numbers; interpret them. Share your findings via data storytelling so others can reach a realization or conclusion from different types of data.
This merely scratches the surface of how you can intentionally craft thought leadership content. Read on for more info on the kinds of people certain content types attract, and determine which of the 5 sources will work best for you.
