What is thought leadership content? 10 different types of thought leadership content that boost credibility
In our previous discussion of thought leaders, we explained that a thought leader is a person or organization that demonstrates significant expertise or knowledge in a particular domain. The demonstration of that expertise is a critical element of thought leadership, as one can only build a credible reputation by sharing their knowledge with an audience where it will resonate. To position themselves as a thought leader, individuals and companies will create and share what is known as thought leadership content. Thought leadership content is educational content that shares unique insights and ideas with a relevant audience, in the process demonstrating the credibility and authority of the author.
In different industries, thought leadership content can mean slightly different things. A few examples:
Financial services. Financial services thought leadership content generally focuses on unique views about financial markets, investment opportunities, and financial planning strategies. Large banks and investment firms will often share thoughtful research pieces in white paper format with their clients detailing their views on the economy, their outlook for certain asset classes, and their firm’s strategies for constructing investment portfolios that outperform. Email newsletters can also be popular delivery mechanisms for shorter-form market commentary and updates.
Technology and software. Technology companies and their executives typically create content that demonstrates their understanding of the problems their technology solves, the evolution of technology in their category, and the value proposition of their services. Case studies are one popular type of thought leadership content used in tech, with brands outlining the specific problem faced by a client, the detrimental impact of that problem, their unique solution to it, and the value created by solving it. This content is not only informative, but it serves as effective marketing for a company’s products and services.
Marketing and advertising. Whether its marketing agencies or platforms offering marketing tools, companies in this rapidly evolving space will often offer content that illustrates industry best practices. Through eBooks and white papers, it’s not uncommon to see these best practices expressed via polls of marketing personnel at client firms or otherwise anecdotally summarized. These firms leverage their broad visibility across industries and client types to understand which marketing strategies or tools are resonating and which are not, sharing this information with their audiences to demonstrate that they’re on the cutting edge of the space.
To better understand the various shapes that this material can take, here are ten different types of thought leadership content, including details on how each is composed and delivered.
White Papers
When a thought leader has deep research to share on a topic, comprised of numerous salient takeaways supported by rich data and important context, a white paper is often the vehicle of choice. A white paper is a report-style piece of content that leverages thorough research to provide an audience of knowledgeable readers with compelling and original insights on specific subject matter. Typically shared in PDF format, well-executed white papers may be long, but they take care to ease the reader’s fatigue through the heavy use of graphics, an appealing format, and consistent amplification of key takeaways both at the beginning of the paper and with eye-catching headings throughout. Downloading these materials may require a reader to provide contact information, generating leads for the author; as such, they may be referred to as “lead magnets.” The mere selection of a white paper as the preferred medium for a topic conveys a sense of sophistication that alerts the reader to the idea that they’ll be consuming valuable thought leadership rather than a pedestrian blog post.
eBooks
Similar in some ways to a white paper due to its PDF format and frequent use as a lead magnet, the eBook is a valuable tool for those thought leaders that have how-to guides to share. While white papers are typically heavy on data and conclusions about a specific domain, appealing to a more advanced audience, eBooks may be designed to provide best practices to a novice audience, sharing more general information. While they may sound less rigorous to prepare or consume, eBooks are just as essential and effective a tool at conveying thought leadership, as imparting clear guidance to those just starting out in a domain may create engaged audience members for life.
Blog Posts
The trusty blog boasts superb versatility and ease-of-use, allowing authors to produce and share both periodical and evergreen content in their demonstration of thought leadership. With that versatility, though, comes challenges. Because the blog can serve as such a catch-all, meaningful thought leadership content may be lost in a sea of SEO-oriented posts. It’s for that reason that authors so frequently choose the white paper and eBook mediums for their most insightful content. Still, blogs can be great places to repurpose that white paper content for wider reach and stronger amplification.
Social Media Posts
Social media posts - whether text-based on LinkedIn and X or more visually oriented on Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok - provide a short-form method of sharing expertise with an audience of followers or interested parties. While short-form content necessitates brevity, that doesn’t mean social media can’t play host to thought leadership. In fact, your insights might be best shared in the most concise manner possible. Problematically, these audiences aren’t “owned” and are subject to the health and policies of the platform. Moreover, algorithms change often, sometimes dramatically, potentially making it harder to ensure the messaging reaches its targeted recipients. Nonetheless, social media can be a valuable tool to tease, summarize, or promote your more intricate thought leadership efforts.
Newsletters
An email newsletter offers creators a means of directly interacting with their valued clients and prospects, rather than entrusting their key messaging to the whims of social media or search algorithms. Companies often use newsletters to deliver timely, pertinent information, though it’s not uncommon to see evergreen material occasionally offered via this medium. Effective newsletters bear little resemblance to the litany of sales-oriented emails that clutter our inboxes; rather, they deliver valuable information to a targeted audience. The provision of valuable information allows companies to occasionally or subtly pitch their products and services without immediately drawing the ire of recipients who will hastily scroll to the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the message.
Case Studies
Case studies are valuable tools, often hosted directly on a company’s website, that allow businesses to publicly share success stories arising from the use of their product or service. Unlike more general marketing copy, which can sometimes make it hard to tangibly understand the use cases and benefits of a product or service, this material typically leverages real customer experiences to clearly illuminate a value proposition. However, the best case studies don’t just market a service, they provide the reader with actionable and useful takeaways. While the marketing component is important for willing buyers, incessantly salesy material will turn off a larger audience that would otherwise fill the top of the funnel if satiated by valuable content.
Courses
While all thought leadership content - at least done right - is implicitly educational in nature, sometimes the education component is explicitly delivered in course format. Educational courses can be shared in blog form or in a multi-part email newsletter series, but there are numerous platforms today like Kajabi and Thinkific that allow creators to develop, host, and monetize their own courses. Similarly, larger companies may host their own courses or boot camps that teach users how to more effectively solve a business problem (often using their company’s services). When a company possesses specific skills or knowledge that are in high demand, a course can be an excellent longer-form vehicle to nurture an engaged audience.
Podcasts
The rising popularity of podcasts over the course of the 2010s is not a secret, and today, the medium remains extremely popular, particularly in those moments where active reading isn’t possible. Podcasts offer a more informal way to deliver expertise and knowledge with regularity, and they can be particularly effective in sharing reactions to current events. The guest-centric nature of some podcasts also creates a unique avenue to build credibility. Hosting other thought leaders and experts on your podcast can be a great way to “borrow” credibility; similarly, the act of curating expertise for listeners can also build a reputation for thought leadership.
Webinars/Webcasts
While written content and podcasts are effective materials accessible anytime, sometimes live content - thanks to its fleeting nature - has a unique ability to foster greater viewership and engagement, particularly when the expertise on offer is in demand. Webinars are useful tools for showcasing authority around recent events and issues that may be top of mind for the intended audience. For instance, a financial services firm might make its Chief Investment Officer available to clients to discuss the impact of a recent market-shifting event. Or after a newsworthy data breach, a cybersecurity firm might host a webinar with its experts discussing how corporate clients can take steps to prevent such incidents and minimize vulnerabilities. These events can be recorded for future viewership, but sometimes, an exclusively live setting will allow for more candid conversation and a FOMO effect.
Speeches
Even in a digital world, we can’t discount the value of appearing in public and in person to deliver remarks via a keynote speech or in other formats like a fireside chat or audience Q&A. We consume countless blog posts, emails, podcasts, and PDFs over the course of week, but we seldom sit and listen to an authority in person. That being the case, those in-person experiences can be both valuable and exceptionally memorable to those in the audience. Industry-centric events ensure an ideal composition of the audience, which will be filled with some of the most engaged individuals in a category. They’ll remember the knowledge you shared and may even become the biggest evangelists for your status as a thought leader.
Interested in pursuing one of these methods to demonstrate your unique expertise? ThoughtLede works with you to transform your unique insights, ideas, and perspectives into credible thought leadership. Get in touch today to create game-changing white papers, newsletters, case studies, and more.