Now that content creation has become part of the daily or weekly grind of running a business; it has split content into two different types. On the one hand, you have SEO content which is written to target common search terms and keywords to get eyes on your website. On the other hand, you have thought leadership content which is designed to position you as an expert in your field.
What Is Thought Leadership Content?
Thought leadership content seeks to differentiate you from other coaches or businesses in your industry. It draws on your unique perspectives, hard-won knowledge, and personal experiences to give a perspective only you can give.
Think of thought leadership content as an approach to content writing. Thought leadership can be SEO friendly; the focus is just less on keywords and more on delivering value with a large helping of personality.
For example, instead of an SEO article that gives 10 possible solutions for problem X, a thought leadership article will talk about your experience solving problem X. It might detail:
- Your frustrations with the problem and why you were keen to solve it
- Solutions that you tried that failed
- Solutions that helped but didn’t entirely fix the problem or give you the desired results
- The solution you advise and why
- Your journey and the results you have seen trying that solution
- Results your clients have seen trying that solution
Thought leadership articles will use storytelling to illustrate these points and to build rapport with prospective coaching clients. Readers of this type of content feel like they get to know you as they read.
Elements of Thought Leadership Content
There are some key elements that are mandatory for well-written thought leadership content.
A Strong Opinion
Thought leadership content doesn’t create an unbiased summary of all available options; it presents a strong opinion as to which option is best. It can feel risky to have a strong opinion on the internet these days, and you may worry about alienating your ideal coaching clients. But it is riskier to be wishy-washy.
Your coaching clients want to know where you stand. If they purchase your coaching course, they will be working closely with you for months, so they want to know that you have the expertise they require and that you have shared values. That doesn’t mean go in guns blazing, not caring who you offend. You can have a strong opinion without shoving it down peoples’ throats.
Experience to Back Up That Opinion
Show the people reading your thought leadership articles why they should trust your point of view by highlighting your experience. This doesn’t mean you need to be a coach with a certain number of years in the biz or have taken an expensive course. More often than not, the experience that counts is lived experience dealing with that particular problem. Here are some ways you could do this:
- Explain how long you’ve been trying to solve the problem and all the solutions you’ve tried
- Give examples of how you’ve helped coaching clients overcome this (change names to protect their identities, of course)
- Mention research or trusted sources of information you referred to while solving the problem
- Justify your opinion through real examples of your experience
You don’t have to do all of them; often, one is enough. If you have the ability to do multiple, then do so.
A WHY
This is less about your “why” and more about “why should your ideal coaching client care.” The best way to do this is to talk about the cost (financial or otherwise) of this problem. Use your experience to illustrate why you were motivated to solve the problem, and your ideal clients will probably see themselves in your description.
Positivity
Be real and emotional in your thought leadership content. Your ideal coaching clients want to get to know you, not some watered-down, commercial version of you. That being said, you need to end thought leadership content on a note of positivity. This creates a satisfying resolution for readers; we’re all looking for that happy ending.
This is true even for thought leadership content about ongoing situations. In these cases, end on a note of hope. Talk about your goals, motivations, and predictions for the future.
Who Can Write Thought Leadership Content?
Anyone. There are no accreditations required to write thought leadership content.
One thing to note is they require a little more skill to write than SEO content. That is because it really needs to capture your personality and point of view. Thought leadership content also often uses storytelling which is a skill in its own right.
What Is the Difference Between Thought Leadership Content and SEO Content?
They’re not always mutually exclusive, but the main difference is the purpose of the content. Thought leadership content is created to engage people in your point of view and add value. It can absolutely have SEO value, but SEO tactics are not permitted to dictate the layout of the article. Thought leadership content is based on your opinions and experience, so it is unique to you. It is not easy for someone else to copy it, and if they do, it is fairly obvious.
SEO content is created to achieve high search engine rankings and boost your overall SEO strategy. The purpose is to get eyes on your website and keep them there. It can use techniques from thought leadership content, but not at the expense of SEO. Due to the simplicity and formulaic nature of SEO content, it is easily replicable, so SEO content is not as unique.
Your content strategy needs to have a mixture of thought leadership content and SEO content. They both have their roles to play in growing your brand and getting in front of your ideal coaching clients.
Why Coaches Need to Write Thought Leadership Content
Thought leadership content is particularly important for coaches because your clients are investing in your expertise. They want to see that you can give them the expertise and support they are looking for before they hand over their hard-earned money. They also want to know that your personality and values align with theirs because they will be working closely with you throughout the duration of your coaching.
Another benefit of thought leadership content is it establishes you as a leader in your industry, which results in more publicity for your brand. People will share your thought leader articles, quote you, and comment on your commentary. Once you position yourself as an expert with a point of view, people will begin to see you that way.
While thought leadership content may not have long-term SEO benefits in most cases, it can result in organic traffic. Writing thought leadership articles on trending topics can gain a lot of search traffic. For example, commenting on breaking news stories or giving your perspective on upcoming uncertainties can lead to a lot of people finding your content because they are looking for information about that topic. If you get out far enough ahead of the topic, then you may even get mentioned in the news or by other people in your industry.
Thought Leadership Content Ideas
Ready to start writing thought leadership content, but not sure what to write about? Here are some prompts for you.
- Unexpected or unorthodox opinions – Opinions that go against popular opinion or the standard way of doing things are great topics for thought leadership articles. This is because you can make a strong statement in the heading to create intrigue. These types of articles can challenge industry standards or even misconceptions that your ideal coaching clients hold. For example, you could title a thought leadership article “I hate weekends” or “I don’t want to make 6-figures a year.”
- Industry commentary – Share your thoughts on what is happening in your industry and what other thought leaders are saying. If you disagree with what another coach in your field is saying, explain why (in a respectful way). Just make sure you give readers something actionable in your article.
- Personal story – Get vulnerable by sharing lessons you learned the hard way or your happiest moment and why it was so meaningful. This is one of the best types of thought leadership content because it is unique to you.
Thought leadership content can take many forms. It can be shared on social media as video content or thought leadership articles. The trick is to match the thought leadership content with the right form. Some topics work better as short, snappy social media content, and some topics will work best as long-form videos or articles. Consider how long the story you are telling is first. Then consider if there is a format that lends itself to telling the story.
What Next?
Great thought leadership content starts with a compelling headline, so a great place to start writing thought leadership is this article about how to write viral headlines.
If you want someone to write thought leader articles for you, we can help. Browse our content packages here. We have content writing packages starting at £750 per month for SEO content and thought leadership content. Contact us if you have any questions about thought leadership content, and we’ll be happy to answer them.