What Is Thought Leadership? A Practical Framework

Creating genuine thought leadership is an effective and underused way to establish credibility and drive business growth. Yet many professionals struggle to go beyond surface-level content and share true thought leadership.

In this guide, I'll show you what this practice really involves, complete with examples from Livestorm's leadership team. I'll also cover how to create good thought leadership content so you can start building your strategy today.

Key takeaways:

• Thought leadership requires publishing original insights and moving your industry forward, not just sharing common opinions or repeating accepted ideas.
• You can scale your strategy by involving multiple team members across different channels—your CMO on LinkedIn, CEO on podcasts, CPO creating technical content.
• Focus on two to three core topics where you can consistently add unique value rather than trying to comment on everything in your industry.

What is thought leadership?

Thought leadership is the practice of demonstrating expertise, sharing innovation, and building influence in an industry. It involves sharing unique viewpoints and shaping how the industry approaches certain topics.

However, thought leadership is much more than just promoting yourself, repeating ideas the industry has already accepted, or sharing common opinions. It requires originality and the ability to move the industry forward.

Executives and influencers can become thought leaders by regularly sharing expert insights. But becoming known as a thought leader takes time and requires a strategy backed by original insights and data.

Thought leadership vs. content marketing

Thought leadership uses content marketing tactics like webinars, blog posts, and social media posts to share unique perspectives and educate followers. However, not all content marketing involves thought leadership.

Content marketing can revolve around a variety of purposes, ranging from thought leadership to SEO to promoting the business. While thought leadership focuses on inspiring others, content marketing centers on promotion.

Why thought leadership matters for B2B businesses

Thought leadership is an important B2B marketing strategy because it can help them build trust with customers and prospects. Here's an example: Say your business sells AI-powered marketing software. You can establish trust and credibility by discussing how marketers are using your software, including the trends you're seeing — and what's next.

One of the biggest benefits of thought leadership is that you can easily scale your strategy by involving more members of your team. So your CMO might build a strong LinkedIn presence while your CEO appears on relevant podcasts and your CPO creates content for more technical audiences.

The more you scale your thought leadership marketing strategy, the more you can capture share of voice and build a competitive edge for your business. Over time, this can expand brand awareness and improve lead generation.

5 thought leadership content formats to leverage

From long-form video content to podcast episodes to conference keynotes, here are five formats to explore for your business — including thought leadership examples from Livestorm employees.

1. Long-form articles and reports

Livestorm employees regularly share thought leadership on Medium. There, we talk about everything from how we approach remote work to how we're embracing AI.

For example, Livestorm Head of Customer Success, Loïse Mercier, and Livestorm Customer Care Representative, Marguerite Zion, co-wrote an article about building an AI project as part of a company-wide AI hackathon.

In addition to discussing the project itself, the article reveals how Livestorm approaches AI, innovation, and collaboration. It also includes an opportunity to test the AI app that the team developed, demonstrating Livestorm's innovative ways of thinking.

2. LinkedIn posts and social content

Many Livestorm employees frequently share thought leadership on LinkedIn. There, we discuss trends related to webinars, growth, and AI — often backed up with original data.

For example, Livestorm Head of Growth, Benoit Leggieri, posted about how our team is approaching AI search. The post features data from our AI search efforts and discusses what we plan to do next.

3. Webinars and panel discussions

As a webinar software platform, Livestorm hosts a wide range of virtual events, some of which feature our team. In these webinars, we discuss advanced tips on why to repurpose content, how to follow up with attendees, and how to drive registrations.

For example, Livestorm Senior Marketing Partnerships Manager, Pauline Mura, hosted this webinar about repurposing long-form content. In the video, she shares expert insights gained from hosting many webinars for Livestorm.

4. Conferences and virtual events

Some Livestorm employees share their expertise at in-person and virtual conferences. During these events, our team shares their personal experience building Livestorm.

For example, Livestorm Co-founder and CEO, Gilles Bertaux, spoke at B2B Rocks, an event for SaaS leaders. His session focused on how Livestorm built a competitive edge and became more profitable with contract centralization.

5. Podcast appearances

In addition, some Livestorm team members share their unique insights on podcasts. For example, Gilles spoke on the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, discussing how startups can achieve global reach and sharing the wins and challenges he's experienced while building Livestorm.

Benoit spoke on the Humans of Martech podcast, sharing how Livestorm's martech stack has evolved to drive growth, deliver personalized experiences, and scale with our team.

How to build a thought leadership strategy

Follow these steps to develop a thought leadership strategy for your organization.

Identify your unique expertise and perspective

Before you begin publishing content, figure out what makes your organization and your leadership team different. Consider your team's specialized knowledge and industry experience as well as your organization's proprietary data. Ask questions like:

• Where do you disagree with conventional wisdom?
• Which unconventional approaches have worked?
• What specific problems have you solved that your peers haven't?

Choose the right thought leader(s)

Not everyone makes a true thought leader, even if they're great at their job. Pick members of your leadership team who:

• Have unique perspectives
• Can communicate their thoughts clearly using a variety of formats
• Have credibility with your target audience
• Enjoy sharing their experience
• Can commit time to sharing their expertise

Pick topics that align with business goals

Identify two or three content pillars that align with business goals. These topics should align with what you want your brand to be known for, what your target customers care about, and where you can continue to share unique insights over time.

Select content formats and distribution channels

When producing thought leader content, use the channels where your target audience spends time and the formats that align with your experts' strengths. For example, strong speakers might focus on webinar marketing and video marketing. Great writers might focus on blog posts and social media content.

Develop a content creation system

Use your pillars, formats, and channels to build out your thought leader content marketing strategy. Decide on a publishing frequency and topics for each piece of content. Develop a system based for briefing, content creation, and approvals so your team can publish consistently.

Monitor and respond to engagement

When creating a thought leadership strategy, make engagement a key component. Set up alerts for social media engagement, blog post shares, and video comments. Aim to respond in a timely manner and continue the conversation.

Measure success and ROI

Monitor analytics and connect thought leadership outcomes to business results. Track metrics like:

• Content engagement, including comments, likes, and follows
• Reach and awareness, including impressions, traffic, and mentions
• Lead generation and conversions

Then, use the results to optimize your thought leadership strategy toward business outcomes.

Common thought leadership challenges

Building a meaningful thought leadership content strategy requires navigating roadblocks. Here are some challenges you're likely to encounter and how to work past them:

• Securing internal buy-in: Start with a pilot program that includes select thought leaders and certain types of content. Present marketing ROI metrics showing how thought leadership pieces correlate with lead generation or conversions before making a larger investment.
• Standing out in a saturated market: Differentiate by taking contrarian positions that your original data backs or by sharing behind-the-scenes failures. The best thought leaders focus on becoming the definitive voice in one specific area rather than commenting on everything.
• Managing time constraints for subject matter experts: Help your executive team create thought leadership content. Conduct monthly interviews, and then repurpose the content into social media posts, short-form videos, and blog posts.
• Maintaining a consistent thought leadership content calendar: Decide on content pillars and channels that align with business goals. Then, create content in batches and post on a set schedule.

Frequently asked questions about thought leadership

What is the concept of thought leadership?

The concept of thought leadership involves positioning individuals or organizations as authoritative voices by consistently sharing innovative ideas that influence the industry. It focuses on industry experts contributing valuable knowledge rather than directly promoting products or services.

How do you identify a thought leader?

You can identify a thought leader by looking for professionals who regularly publish original research, speak at industry conferences, and generate meaningful engagement within the industry. Look for experts whose ideas get referenced by others and whose predictions prove accurate over time.

What are the three types of thought leadership?

The three types of thought leadership include visionary (anticipating future trends), expert (sharing advanced how-to content), and contrarian (challenging accepted practices with evidence-backed alternatives). Most successful thought leaders combine elements from multiple types but typically excel in one primary area.

How do you demonstrate thought leadership?

You can demonstrate thought leadership by consistently creating original content that takes a stand. Publish original research, speak at industry events, and share unique perspectives that move the industry forward.