Think about it: There\u2019s an insane <\/em>amount of high-quality content circulating the web and standing out is becoming increasingly difficult. You\u2019re now in competition with practically everyone else <\/em>and finding content angles that give you the edge is hard. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are only a few things that make you and your brand unique: your story, your knowledge, and your circle. These are your three wells of inspiration and thought leadership content usually always centers on one of them (if not all of them at once). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we dive in, I want to clarify one tricky thing about thought leadership: if you try too hard, you\u2019re probably not doing it right. The key component to thought leadership content is authenticity (another buzzword, oops). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thought leadership cannot be templatized\u2014which is why it makes for awesome<\/em> content. This guide is our best shot at helping you create your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thought leadership content is much more than writing up a controversial opinion for the sake of it. Instead, it\u2019s content that\u2019s deeply rooted in a unique perspective or experience (whether that\u2019s your own, your CEO\u2019s, that of a co-founder, or someone from your wider network). <\/p>\n\n\n\n A thought leader isn\u2019t just someone with something to say\u2014because, let\u2019s face it, everyone<\/em> has something to say). They\u2019re someone with enough experience and knowledge to make what they\u2019re saying valuable and unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At their most basic level, SEO and thought leadership content<\/a> occupy two different ends of the spectrum. One satisfies a keyword query, and the other satisfies a story or narrative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, as search engines become more sophisticated, topic relevance and content value contribute to rankability nearly as much as the number of keywords in your article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You optimize your article to the point of A++ on Clearscope or 100\/100 on Rankmath, but if readers aren\u2019t sticking around to read it or aren\u2019t engaging with it beyond a quick scroll, Google will push it down the search results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your ideas for thought leadership may be more ad hoc or unique than a keyword-driven strategy<\/a>, but it\u2019s absolutely possible to optimize your thought leadership content for SEO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And, when you\u2019re going above and beyond by incorporating expert opinions and personal anecdotes, you\u2019re giving your content everything it needs to rise to the top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Search for any topic on Google, and you\u2019re greeted with billions of results. Many are the same, tired old pieces of content wheeled out time and time again in the hopes of catching the attention of the algorithm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if your product is a time tracking app<\/a>, you\u2019re looking at competing with a lot <\/em>of other content on that topic. Adding a unique spin is a must if you don\u2019t want to blend into the background. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to giving you a competitive edge, there are plenty of other benefits of thought leadership and its accompanying content strategy<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 2020 Thought Leadership Report<\/a>, 71% of marketers saw an increase in website traffic through thought leadership pieces and 62% saw an increase in new leads. Publishing thought leadership content also led to more media mentions, more email subscribers, and better customer relationships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The benefits are hard to pass up. So, how can you create your own thought leadership strategy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Succeeding at thought leadership marketing is an exercise in strategic thinking. Don\u2019t just throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks; instead, take stock of your experiences, experts, and resources to determine what has the potential to become a winning piece in your content marketing funnel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We mentioned the three wells of thought leadership inspiration earlier, and we\u2019ll dig into these in more detail now with hints and tips for how you can put them into action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your brand\u2019s story is unique. Sure, competitors might have the same target audience and sell a similar product or service, but how your brand came to be is completely unprecedented. It\u2019s an untold story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Along the way, you\u2019ll have learned valuable lessons, taken a fork in the road where a competitor didn\u2019t, and experienced very different things. These lessons and experiences are the meat of your thought leadership content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Humans love a good story. We thrive on a beginning, middle, and end structure, and we\u2019ve been hardwired to engage with stories for millions of years. And, when that story stands out from everything else is out there, it\u2019s going to draw us in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Use the stories that have surfaced from past experiences and share them in relation to a topic or technique in your industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dropbox is great at publishing opinion pieces based on past experiences. \u201c<\/em>Your obsession with optionality is holding you back<\/em><\/a>\u201d<\/em> calls out readers and provides a new way of thinking\u2014ergo, it combines personal opinion and <\/em>actionable advice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To create opinion pieces born from past experiences<\/strong>, consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We all learn in different ways and discovering how one person overcame a specific struggle can be mind-blowing for someone who never even considered that realm of thinking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our own experiences might not seem fascinating to us (it\u2019s easy to take our own thinking for granted), but they can be incredibly interesting for others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Take Drift\u2019s roundup post that covers the lessons their marketing team learned during the pandemic<\/a>. Each and every point in the list has the potential to spark inspiration in readers and provide a new way of thinking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To share lessons learned<\/strong>, consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second well of inspiration taps into your unique knowledge. Maybe you\u2019re an expert on a niche part of your industry or you have a particular penchant for a tool or technique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Use this to your advantage. What might seem like easy information to you might be a knowledge gap for someone else, and sharing what you know can build trust and expertise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s easy enough to find second-hand survey results that support what you\u2019re saying, but going one step further and running your own <\/em>experiments and research gives your content an extra edge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re not saying you should conduct time-consuming scientific studies daily, but you can <\/em>make notes when trying out a new strategy or do a simple write-up of your latest task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The team at Grow & Convert does this a lot. \u201c<\/em>How we used a simple survey to crack the code on our customers<\/em><\/a>\u201d<\/em> provides an insight into a technique that might be able to help others do the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To share your experiments and findings<\/strong>, consider: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Running your own experiments is one thing, but getting knowledge and insight straight from the horse\u2019s mouth can be even better. The \u201chorse\u201d here can be anyone from a group of industry professionals, a niche segment of your audience, or a particular group of people that impact your brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, you don\u2019t need to go all \u201cEinstein.\u201d A simple survey or questionnaire can do the trick if you want to get numbers, percentages, and a general consensus on a topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Survey Monkey\u2019s Thought Leadership Report<\/a> is a prime example of this. They created a basic 23-question survey for content marketers and wrote up the results into a report. Simple, but effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To share data and statistics<\/strong>, consider: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everyone is an expert or has a wildly exciting history to draw from. However, there\u2019s a high chance you know people that do <\/em>have interesting stories and advice to share. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a content manager, your network is crucial not only for the distribution of your content, but also for gathering information and knowledge to share. Leverage this resource by sharing \u201csecond-hand\u201d thought leadership content from industry experts, business leaders, influencers, and even your own customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a limit to the number of times you can share your brand story, but there\u2019s absolutely no limit to the number of times you can share other peoples\u2019 <\/em>stories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Expert opinions (whether they come in the form of interviews, opinion pieces, or something else) can provide a unique insight into different aspects of your industry that you aren\u2019t able to as an individual brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Intercom regularly shares expert advice on topics that are relevant to their audience, like \u201c<\/em>MadKudu\u2019s Francis Brero on how AI can boost your conversational support<\/em><\/a>\u201d<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To share expert opinions<\/strong>, consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While your customers might not all be industry experts, they can provide insights into what it\u2019s like working with your brand or product and the results they\u2019ve managed to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one knows your prospects better than your existing customers (because they\u2019ve been in their shoes before), and sharing insights into their struggles and challenges and then diving into how they overcame them can provide a unique solution to solving specific pain points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/em>How Swipe Pages grew their customer base 466% by launching on AppSumo<\/em><\/a>\u201d<\/em> shows how one brand managed to solve a particular pain point with the help of AppSumo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To share customer stories and case studies<\/strong>, consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. The thought leadership blogs we\u2019ve shared above have all carved their own space in their industry by sharing stories, data, and expert opinions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, more importantly, thought leadership leads to other business benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, as we discussed above, thought content has led to increased traffic, more leads, and better customer relationships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thought leadership might seem like a trendy buzzword, but it has the potential to elevate your content strategy beyond your competitors\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By sharing unique insights based on your own experiences, anecdotes, experiments, and opinions, you\u2019re able to forge a deeper connection with prospects, build trust, and drive more brand awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just remember, if you\u2019re trying too hard to emulate others or fabricate your own thought leadership, you\u2019re not doing it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weekly learnings from working on B2B content & SEO for dozens of companies.<\/p>\nOur Definition of Thought Leadership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Can SEO and Thought Leadership Coexist? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why is Thought Leadership Valuable for Content Marketing? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The 3 Thought Leadership Content Wells and How to Leverage Them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Your Story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Opinion Pieces Born From Past Experiences<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Lessons Learned<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"thought](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/kV7O4hjJCa0dFxBoLgok7RWNLD9xRfUhSs1Q0S4NQGzX8WFITEepld70j5ebRpOOMofCVD_jRjXUY3wmV8jfotpYxYcvE324K4zUYjv3vqCF0Jcrnx2Yn61-rWBD6NGr1rCpVn7c\")
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2. Your Knowledge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Experiments and Findings <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"thought](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/_m5-LuJqmiIQlI3OeUB0VYGAWya7uPmVKCiE1GfujJnZ82ntAWO4he3h8_gL5yKj0J7OqtB7D5onWS5qWm9h1263LIdvX5eIqjblrKiBkM4B0ls5u6r8TV3-lYLJg3b4QkzZyACk\")
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Data and Statistics <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"thought](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/Q6ySGAP4T1Zfdn4esrbrm8pJjj6cNRI5670Vvyh0wOjpfyjjBCddKB9tLKizCYrD7QSmkXaPcGwM2zjnEYMzgkHw7xfkMSHccRkYp_CJWqv4saBhwFCtq9LEfwPEBuW7z9CPbdyZ\")
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3. Your Circle <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Expert Opinions and Interviews<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"thought](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/NY7qPWQPAtg2v6KnuwzZ_VX7YnKyuyTyxWMinwD3yOmAXis4A-Y2MP8oVbpqSwfQ9yBzcYQ55fL9Dh_x2SjEs4-qvW7AT5fbM8a-3o29nfX3DbD9PCEptyKauUOg1BhSN3XKemd9\")
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Customer Stories<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"thought](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/0Gw9R1_qRd0gHayWbwqCjCyMQgrKd2VON3lfyphw6iccyaJIGAcMJNYk2UrrBNlMI9UGMBqWnnlx4obk0QrCA5Iay8GXW7Ojw6QHfYGkuOlxR5dX4E6TqzvQauLtD-ekUvcRk9UA\")
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Does Thought Leadership Content Work? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Get the Field Notes<\/h2>\n