Don’t make the mistake of thinking that every single field doesn’t have some sort of thought leadership out there. The fact is that in some cases, the leaders may just be using thought leadership channels that you aren’t familiar with, and there’s a reason for that.
Different demographics and groups favor different channels to get their content from. Knowing all these options is key for getting your thought leadership strategy off the ground.
Your Thought Leadership Channels Of Choice
For the sake of this conversation, we’re going to break down thought leader channels into three main categories. Different leaders can cross over between all three categories—this designation is more based on rarity than anything else.
Written Thought Leader Channels
This is probably the most common thought leadership that you see, and that’s largely because of the low barrier to entry. This can include basically any sort of written content, mainly blog posts on your own site, guest posts on other sites, as well as longer content like e-books. The catch is because they are so common, your content can get drowned out without good outreach.
Other Digital Thought Leader Channels
This mainly covers other digital content that isn’t text, with the two largest examples being podcasts and other audio content, or videos. Podcast content is great for reaching people who want long-form content, but may not respond to e-books. Video content allows for you to add a lot of visual flair to your content, but there’s more of a barrier to entry.
Non-Digital Thought Leader Channels
Just because thought leaders favor digital content doesn’t mean that this is the only options out there. For example, publishing a formal book or making a speaking engagement at a convention or similar event are great ways to build authority. The problem is that these take more effort than the other options to put together, and are generally reserved for those already well on their way to thought leadership.
What Thought Leader Channels Are Best For You?
As you can see, there are a lot of different thought leader channels you can use, and ideally, a combination of several of them is what you want to use. However, how do you narrow down the field? A good place to start with this is beginning with the end in mind. Look at some of the other thought leaders who are successful in your niche and see what type of channels they are using to get their content out.
In some cases, your budget may also determine your options. For example, video content is a great option, but it’s among the most expensive out there. By comparison, a podcast isn’t as expensive to do, but can appeal to a similar audience.
Knowing your options in terms of thought leadership channels, it’s key to make sure that you can target the ideal options to get your content not only in front of your target audience, but also in front of influencers and other figures that can expand your reach.
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David is the Founder and Director of article-writing.co, the fastest-growing content creation agency in North America. He has transformed companies by offering high-quality content that has impacted their SEO ranking, revitalized websites with engaging and industry-relevant blogs and website copy, and championed successful email campaign copy.
