Demonstrating yourself to be an expert in your field — a “thought leader” — is a powerful public relations tool to attract new business and create a presence in your industry.
If you’re a principal or manager of a company, chances are good that you’ve become an expert with unique insights or outspoken views about some aspect of your industry. You can put this knowledge to work and leverage it to enhance your company’s marketing.
One of the best ways to establish yourself as an expert and thought leader is to create relationships with reporters and become a source they quote in stories or broadcast news reports. This takes work — you’ll have to reach out to the reporters and prove your expertise to gain a position on their contact lists — but it can result in huge rewards.
Reporters are constantly looking for news tips and information about emerging trends, so keep an eye out for news and trends they would be interested in covering. When you identify something newsworthy, let the reporter know. Newsrooms are hectic places, and one of the best ways to contact reporters is via e-mail. Write a note explaining the news or trend and why it will be of interest to the reporter’s audience, and make yourself available for further comments or analysis. If additional experts will be necessary, do this research in advance and be prepared to share them with the reporter.
Your goal is to give reporters a “complete package” they can follow up on quickly and efficiently. The more complete your package (or story pitch) is, the more likely it is to be pursued.
Being quoted by the media is the holy grail of thought leadership. It’s one thing to say “I’m an expert,” but being quoted and identified as an expert in the media is much more powerful and vastly increases your credibility.
Another way to demonstrate thought leadership — and attract attention from reporters and editors — is by publishing a blog or distributing an e-newsletter. These can provide forums to express your views and knowledge while driving traffic to your company’s website.
Starting a blog can be a bigger commitment, though. Blogs ideally should be updated at least once or twice a week, if not daily, so make sure you’ll be willing and able to make that commitment. You might want to consider sharing the writing with employees. This will generate more content, reward key employees and increase their recognition as experts and thought leaders — which in turn will improve your bottom line.
Be a thought leader, and reap the rewards.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley advertising and public relations agency. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 294-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at www.advertisingandpr.com.
