If you want to create a thought leadership engine—
don’t start with a blank page. 📄
I’ve seen individual experts and whole orgs fall into this trap.
They start with the “empty container.”
It’s time to publish something –
💬 a post on social media
🎙️a podcast
💻 a video
📄a massive annual research study
And they say to themselves
“We need to fill this container”
And they try to come up with ideas to fill it.
That’s like a writer sitting down with a blank page.
“It’s a TRAP!” (Admiral Ackbar) 👽
Instead, the idea, the audience, and the message need to come first.
If you start with a blank page, 📄
you’ll spend most of your time ⌛trying to think of
A good topic,
A fresh angle,
New things to say.
After that, you don’t have much energy left to create the asset.
The best way to build content is to create a solid editorial plan.
It’s like a game of Clue (or Cluedo).
Who are you trying to reach?
What’s the big idea?
Why should they care?
Define the themes you want to focus on
And the topics you want to explore.
Then, stick to that plan.
Each time you sit down 🪑 to create, make sure that you are focusing on those themes and topics.
Thought leadership requires repetition.
You have to stay on message.
Your audience needs to hear the basics, time and again,
So they can begin to associate your org 🏛️with the ideas 💡you’re sharing.
So, don’t start with a blank page.
Take a long, hard look at your content, and focus on its strongest insights.
Your audience needs to hear them!
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I write about:
#ThoughtLeadership, #OrgTL and #content strategy