BTL 2: Developing your message

Our previous lesson explained the nature of thought leadership. You therefore know that it is all about ideas and relationships.

You now need to start to think about the topics that you will discuss with your content: the ‘red thread’ of your thought leadership.

Start by identifying your main areas of expertise, and particularly where you can add value for your audience. It may help to think about areas where others seek your views: you are probably already seen as an expert.

You also need to think about which ideas you wish to discuss. Many artists are instantly recognisable because all their work shares a particular stylistic or content-related element. Thought leaders need to develop their own style and voice, and become recognisable to their audience. Like artists, they need to be able to show the development of their ideas over time. There is more about this here.

If you are struggling to generate ideas, there are some things that you can do. For example, people with a more diverse Twitter network—that is, a network in which fewer people were connected to each other—are more likely to generate good ideas. It may be worth taking a look at your networks, and broadening them beyond their existing horizons. You can read more about this here.

Don’t be tempted to rush this step. It is really important to understand your message and expertise, to be sure that you will both add value to your audience, and sound authentic and convincing.