Sometimes when I work with new clients, they’re surprised at how much of their content comes down to them — to their thoughts, ideas, and points of view.

I think there’s some sense out there that marketing folks can just create content out of thin air… come up with topics that will rank or resonate, then just write them up, post ‘em, and BAM! Marketing done.

And in some ways, it used to work that way. A marketer could do a bunch of keyword research, which could illuminate some topic ideas, then they could research that topic, write an article, and that article might then rank in search engines.

But for the most part, those days are over. Search engines have gotten smarter and are largely serving up AI generated results for most searches instead of (or before) directing people to webpages where those answers can be found.

What this means is that the stuff in your head is even more important.

Because the content that’s going to stand out from the sea of AI information is based on your perspectives, your strong opinions, your niche expertise.

Your, well, thoughts.

What exactly is thought leadership?

“Thought leadership” is a household concept these days. Everyone and their brother consider themselves to be thought leaders just because they create and share content online.

But thought leadership is actually more than that.

Wikipedia defines a thought leader as: “a person who specializes in a given area and whom others in that industry turn to for guidance. As the term implies, a thought leader leads others in the thinking around a given topic.” It goes on to say: “Being a thought leader means to consistently answer the biggest questions on the minds of the target audience on a particular topic.”

Let’s break that down:

Has a specialty
Others turn to them for guidance and thinking
Answers the big questions

That puts the bar a bit higher, doesn’t it?

It’s a real shame.

I think there are two real shames here:

Sometimes the best experts on a topic are the quietest. They have all these ideas, opinions, and thoughts around their area of expertise, but those are locked up tight in their heads, where they’re not doing anyone much good.
The people who most want to be seen as thought leaders are sometimes the loudest, but don’t actually have any original thoughts or ideas. They spend their time parroting others in their industry.

If you fall into either of these categories, what should you do?

How to be an actual thought leader

In either case, there’s hope for you. But it doesn’t come without effort.

If your ideas are stuck in your head: Well, to be honest, you should work with someone like me. AI isn’t going to help you create content because it’s only using the fodder that’s already out in the world. (It can’t lead, it can only remix.) You need a human to help you: understand the potential of the stuff in your brain; pull those great ideas and opinions out of you; and craft them in strategic ways that will nurture your network and market your business. What you’ve got is a bunch of gemstones that need to be dug out of the earth and shared with the world.

If you don’t have any good ideas: You need to get some. I mean, if you want to be a thought leader, you need to have some quality thoughts. And while this isn’t impossible to do, it does take time and dedication. You need to choose a specialty and become an expert in it. Dive deep into all the stuff already out there on that topic — read books, join conversations, attend events — and then record your reactions and opinions along the way. Uncover your audience’s “big questions” and answer them thoughtfully. Eventually you’ll discover some fresh ways to think about things, or at least an original way to put disparate ideas together. (And if your expertise is a bit rusty or dusty, get back out there and find some new input to inspire new ideas!)

In either case, the goal isn’t just to put more content into the world — lord knows we have enough of that.

The goal should be to shape conversations, challenge ideas, and say something that actually matters.

Because that’s the stuff that will actually make a difference in people’s lives.

Including yours.