Looking for more authority in your niche? Enter thought leadership in B2B PR, the concept of establishing yourself as a go-to resource or expert on a certain subject.
You likely have thought leaders you follow and respect to for the latest industry news and insights in your field. You look to these experts as a source of authority and credibility, knowing they’ll have the strategic recommendations or a relevant hot take on a trending topic.
How do these people raise to thought-leader status? Here’s a hint, almost all of them use PR to get there. Let’s discuss using your unique, personal voice to share insight and knowledge through high-quality, authoritative content, and how that coordinates with PR to turn you into a thought leader.
Defining Thought Leadership in B2B PR
In the context of B2B PR, thought leadership means creating clear, distinct stances on relevant issues. Not regurgitating boring, bland corporate boilerplates. Thought leadership does more than just give advice; it shares the story, emotion, and problem you are solving for customers… and the TANGIENTIAL PROBLEMS. Note that emphasis. Nobody wants to hear a person talk about the exact same things all day, every day. If you’re thinking you can push product or the problems directly related to your product day in and day out, think again. Your market, and the press, will get bored fast.
Instead, a thoughtful B2B PR thought leadership strategy revolves around stories that are intriguing, engaging, and relevant. It’s not enough to just broadcast loudly about your business’s features or products. The goal is to get into conversations around topics that are related to you, where your expertise is invaluable.
Here’s an example: ChatGPT’s founder and CEO doesn’t only talk about ChatGPT or AI language models. Instead, he’s been quoted across publications on all kinds of related topics, including ethics in AI, infrastructure and computer processing power and it’s impact on holding back AI development, leadership, how to be a successful founder, and shockingly, one of AI’s biggest vocal critics.
Especially when considering media pick-up and third-party endorsements, thought leaders differentiate themselves from industry peers. You have a unique point of view that challenges the status quo or looks to the future when other leaders focus on the short term. Journalists want to report on something that is edgy and different from what every other reporter is covering. A great thought leader uses their experience to predict how the world may become, and willingly share that perspective.
The Value of Thought Leadership for B2B PR
Let’s face it — the online world is noisy and crowded. But in the B2B sector and with the right point-of-view, that leadership can have a highly positive impact on brand, recognition, trust, and industry influence.
Thought leadership is crucial in gaining consumers’ trust, which is critical to getting customers to buy from you. Thought leadership also provides the fuel for content marketing strategies, especially for specific arenas like tech company thought leadership. Eighty percent of customers want to buy from a brand they trust, and trusting your thought leadership authority is one of the best ways to do so. Plus, long-term brand trust turns into increased customer loyalty and lifetime value.
Look at the brands that do this so well: Everyone not only knows Apple, but many revere Steve Jobs. Not only does Amazon make news, but Jeff Bezzos sharing his advice or opinion creates a media flurry. Elon Musk is constantly in the news for wild or contrarian views, even more often than his companies, which by the way, seem to weather delayed production and inability to hit goals incredibly well… Half the US doesn’t know the name of Warren Buffet’s company, but when the man speaks, even investors with the smallest portfolios listen.
Identifying Your Thought Leadership Niche
Becoming a true thought leader in B2B PR means embracing your expertise, knowledge and lived experience to stand out and have a unique perspective.
While it’s important to stick to topics and problems your audience cares about, that could be broad-ranging. For example, if you’re a female leader in cybersecurity, you have several angles and conversations that you can join:
- Obviously, cybersecurity, your perspective on recent breaches, areas of risk, places companies often are vulnerable, or even legislation related to cybersecurity and how its effect might ripple across the world in unexpected ways.
- But also, topics of leadership.
- Or being a woman in a male-dominated field and what it takes to attract and retain female talent.
- And even, what it takes to grow a business in the current economy or the current cybersecurity landscape.
All of these topics would be interesting and useful to business leaders making cybersecurity product purchasing decisions.
The perfect alignment of your niche, message, and target means you’re talking about the most relevant content to your customers; you’re providing solutions to complex problems, homing in on pain points, and sharing insights on current news that’s relevant to them.
Content Creation for B2B PR Thought Leadership
The best thought leadership for B2B PR is also an omnichannel approach, including different content formats like guest posts, quotes to the media, speaking events, being a podcast guest, social media engagement, and webinar appearances.
Especially in PR channels, journalists want to see the real human behind the thought leader. Don’t be too polished, and instead of shying away from things that might be edgy — say them! Powerful thought leadership content that actually impacts your business is valuable and informative, going beyond the standard response to showcase true expertise and deeper meaning.
Leveraging Industry Trends and Insights
A simple way to elevate your thought leadership is to leverage industry trends and insights. Subscribe to industry newsletters or read through significant publications to see what journalists are writing about. Then share your opinion and recommendations about it! Leaders already have a wealth of knowledge, research, data analysis, and strong perspectives – share them! Stay provoking and thoughtful in your responses and never shy away from sharing a contrarian perspective.
Depending on your industry, see what your ideal customers are reading, too. This gives you an idea of the best media spots your PR team should be pitching and building relationships with.
Building a Personal Brand
A personal brand also helps differentiate your perspective from competitors, whether you’re launching a new product with PR or working on a PR influencer plan for a product launch. Personal branding includes optimizing your social profiles, publishing on social media, and consistently adding value to your community through real-world stories.
Share your own media mentions and appearances, and also provide unique perspectives to articles or research reports that you find interesting. Plus, stay consistent and build it into your workday to share an article or perspective regularly.
Thought Leadership Platforms and Channels
Effective thought leadership reaches your ideal customers on a variety of different platforms and channels, including speaking engagements, social media, guest blogging, and more. As a busy business leader, you might not have time to engage in absolutely everything, so determine the most appropriate channels for your niche and audience. For example, if your audience isn’t engaged with podcasts, turn down those invitations to focus more on video webinar appearances. Or if your buyers are younger, consider putting more effort behind X, Instagram, or TikTok over LinkedIn, which skews to an older customer base.
Thought Leadership Success Stories
When done well, thought leadership is extremely impactful and makes a long-lasting impact. Take a look at some of these leaders who leverage their unique perspectives and stories to stand out in their industry.
Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta
While working in her corporate role as the chief operations officer at Meta, Sheryl Sandberg gained widespread recognition for her thought leadership and work on women in the workforce. Her 2013 best-selling book, “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,” was a pivotal take on gender inequality that sparked tough conversations about women in the workforce. Even post-Meta, she’s leaned in on her philanthropic work and other business opportunities where she shares her learnings from a successful career at Google and Meta.
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Airlines
Best known for founding Virgin Airlines — and his relentless personality — Richard Branson is another highly successful thought leader. Over the years, he’s leaned into sharing his somewhat controversial perspective on leadership qualities, entrepreneurship, and more. Branson offers a great example of showcasing his true personality beyond bland, corporate speak quotes. He’s often vulnerable and shares stories about his personal life that connect with business.
JOTO PR B2B PR Thought Leadership
Say goodbye to bland, safe, and boring corporate-speak. Become a thought leader and grab major buzz without resorting to sensationalism. Build authority in your niche with disruptive messages that break through the noise, gain customer trust, and build long-term brand loyalty. Contact JOTO PR for PR that changes the status quo.
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