When people think PR, they think press releases, but arguably a bigger part of our work is thought leadership. Press releases need announcements, whereas the profile of an organisation or individual can be crafted continuously. Indeed, done right it can position growing businesses as industry leaders, experts or even visionaries in front of their target audience.

If you’ve read our previous blog post about becoming a thought leader, you’ll be familiar with those benefits and how they can be leveraged to build interest, customer engagement and, ultimately, sales. But how do you generate thought leadership content that is not only valuable enough to be published by the media, but that will actively help you grow?

Solve a problem

If you want people to read what you have to say, you need give them a reason – and journalists are no different. When someone clicks an article, they’re often looking for help. So, do some digging into what it is your target audience want to know. What problems and challenges are they facing? What burning questions are they are asking?

Providing answers adds huge value as it not only draws the reader in, but encourages them to stay, read, and engage. It’s a huge driver of investment too, because it’ll strengthen your identity as somebody who knows what they’re talking about, and customers are far more likely to buy a product or a service if they perceive you as a leader in your field. Peers will look up to you, and other businesses will want to work with you.

Say something brave

When it comes to thought leadership content, it’s important that you’re not just rehashing content that’s already out there. Contributing to an industry hot topic or a trend is key, but you need to say something that’s unique.

Work closely with your PR team to identify what subjects you’re comfortable talking about, what topics you’re passionate about, and what you want to be known for. Then, you can start to look what others are writing and work out how you can say something new or take a different approach.

Remember, journalists don’t want to publish something that reads like an advertisement, they want something that adds value to their reader. Talk about your perspective, your opinion, or give advice on a certain topic. Doing so, will give your audience something to really think about and something take away from the article.

The sizzle

Whatever you’re talking about, you need to be ready to back it up. Whether you use data and statistics, or conclusions you’ve found through real life industry experience, drawing on this will resonate with the reader and cement your authority as a leader in the field.

Research is key here, no matter what the topic is. Your PR team needs to explore all angles of the subject so you’re ready to answer any questions that may crop up along the way. It makes your content reliable, and it adds substance to what you’re saying.

Whatever you do, you need to keep the reader engaged – the last thing you want is them to zone out halfway through. So, work closely with your PR and communications team to craft what you want to say and how to say it.