Best Practices for Leadership in Content Strategy

I’ll never regret investing in a strong content strategy from day 1 at a company. There have been so many times in a sales process—especially in the early days—when I would get feedback from reps that prospects were finding us & wanting to have a conversation because they saw something one of us shared on LinkedIn, listened to a podcast one of our execs was on, or read one of our industry content pieces. If I had limited resources, here’s how I would prioritize content development: 1️⃣ Have your exec team start posting regularly on LI: You want them to be seen as THE thought leaders and influencers in the space. By establishing their personal brand, they build an audience for your organization and drive pipeline. 2️⃣ Use original data: Create content based on internal data (anonymized, of course!) from your product, surveys you conduct, the information you collect, or drinking your own champagne stories - these are unique angles that people or AI can't copy, and this content educates and performs well. 3️⃣ Video: Video is a win for any organization because you can get started with little investment and scale up to higher production as you grow. Showing the human side builds authenticity for a brand and it's easy to break longer videos into shorter clips suitable for social sharing. 4️⃣ Leverage influencers: B2C crushes the influencer marketing game, and we're seeing more B2B brands leverage trusted industry experts in their field to boost brand reach and establish credibility—whether by having them as advisors at their company, getting them to speak at their industry event, or having them share a post on social media. 5️⃣ Quality over quantity: AI writing tools are amazing, but I'm also seeing them used to produce high volumes of content that lack quality. I promise it’s okay not to have a blog out each week or the same webinar every month. Be unique and break the mold! What else would you invest in with content?

Thought leadership isn’t just about what you know. It's about how effectively you share it—with a strategy that captivates and convinces. Master the art with these 14 strategy essentials: 1. Clear Target Audience Definition ☑ Identify your primary audience's demographics, interests, and challenges. ☑ Understand the questions your audience is asking and the problems they need solving. 2. Defined Brand Voice and Personality ☑ Establish a consistent brand voice that reflects your expertise and values. ☑ Ensure your content's tone aligns with your audience's expectations and preferences. 3. Unique Value Proposition (UVP) ☑ Clearly articulate what sets your thought leadership apart from competitors. ☑ Highlight your unique insights, experiences, or methodologies. 4. Content Pillars ☑ Develop 3-5 content pillars that cover the core themes of your expertise. ☑ Ensure each pillar provides a mix of educational, inspirational, and actionable content. 5. Content Mix and Formats ☑ Plan a variety of content formats (blogs, videos, podcasts, infographics) to cater to different audience preferences. ☑ Schedule a balance of evergreen content and timely, trend-based pieces. 6. Editorial Calendar ☑ Create an editorial calendar to plan content publication across platforms. ☑ Include key dates, themes, and content formats in your calendar. 7. SEO Strategy ☑ Research keywords and topics that align with your audience's search intent. ☑ Optimize content for SEO to improve visibility and reach. 8. Distribution and Promotion Plan ☑ Identify the primary channels for distributing your content (social media, email, guest blogging). ☑ Develop a promotion plan to amplify content reach beyond organic visibility. 9. Engagement Strategy ☑ Plan for active engagement with your audience through comments, forums, and social media. ☑ Encourage feedback and discussions to foster community around your thought leadership. 10. Measurement and Analytics ☑ Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your content strategy. ☑ Regularly review analytics to understand content performance and audience behavior. 11. Continuous Learning and Adaptation ☑ Stay informed about industry trends and audience shifts. ☑ Be willing to adapt your strategy based on performance data and feedback. 12. Collaboration and Networking ☑ Seek opportunities for collaboration with other thought leaders and influencers. ☑ Leverage networking to expand your reach and credibility. 13. Personal Stories and Experiences ☑ Integrate personal stories and experiences to humanize your content. ☑ Use storytelling to make complex ideas more relatable and memorable. 14. Call to Action (CTA) ☑ Include clear CTAs to guide your audience on the next steps (subscribe, contact, download). ☑ Tailor CTAs to match the content's context and audience's stage in the buyer's journey. Found this post useful? Follow me Owen Sammarone 🚀

“Content isn’t the problem. The system is.” That’s why most founders fail at LinkedIn. They don’t lack ideas. They just don’t have a system to capture and scale them. Here’s what usually happens: → You have no time to share insights → Your team posts generic content with no real POV → Agencies create fluff that sounds like AI wrote it The result? → Thought leadership that doesn’t lead → Content that doesn’t convert → A public presence that doesn’t match your company’s value The root cause? No system. No system to - collect - repurpose - distribute real expertise → Smart ideas die in Slack threads → Sales calls get recorded and forgotten → Marketing, CS, and product insights live in silos And when internal thinking isn’t turned into external messaging? You get posts that feel... soulless. And content that doesn't move the needle. Here’s what actually works (and what we help you build): 🧠 Insight Engine → Weekly founder/leadership interviews → Record & store CS/sales calls → Save decks, webinars, podcasts → Centralize everything in an AI-powered knowledge base 🎯 Content Engine → Turn rants into POV posts → Customer calls into carousels → Webinars into infographics → Podcasts into short-form clips → Build repeatable formats that scale without sounding robotic 💬 Social Selling Engine → Track who’s engaging (and filter by ICP) → DM warm leads referencing what they liked → Share deeper value content → Route context-rich leads to sales The mindset shift founders need: Stop asking: “What should we post this week?” Start asking: “What content builds trust with buyers?” When you build trust, you earn influence. And influence = revenue. — At Content Path, we help founders and B2B teams turn internal insights into content that converts. Done-for-you LinkedIn ghostwriting & design for B2B businesses. Want a custom LinkedIn strategy for your business? → DM “Path” to book a free 30-min call with our team.

I’ve been digging into our C2V portfolio, looking at companies that’ve embraced thought leadership and its impact on their scaling journey. They’re shaping conversations, attracting top talent, and generating leads faster. It’s not just about throwing content at the wall. Here’s what makes the difference: - Varying thought leadership through speaking events, publications, podcasts, and social media. - Authenticity & Value: They offer unique insights, solutions, and actionable advice, not just self-promotion. - Audience Focus: They understand their target audience’s pain points and tailor content to address them. - Consistency & Momentum: They build a strong online presence through regular engagement and high-quality content. Investing in thought leadership is not a luxury, it’s a strategic growth driver. It builds brand awareness, attracts talent, and positions your company as an industry authority. Actionable Steps: 1. Identify your unique voice and expertise. 2. Choose content formats that resonate with your target audience. 3. Be consistent and authentic in your engagement. Remember, thought leadership isn’t a one-time effort, it’s an ongoing journey. By actively engaging and providing valuable insights, you can turn your voice into a powerful tool for scaling your business and attracting investors like us. #founders #foundersjourney #startup

Consistently sharing content is one of the hardest parts of becoming a leader in your niche. Especially when you hit idea fatigue. 😩 Here's the formula I've used to make sure I create market leader content daily on LinkedIn. 🤔 Questions to ask yourself before creating content: ♦Who am I writing this for? ♦How can I make this different from what they've already heard? ♦How do I want my Avatar to feel/think when reading this? ♦How can I empathize with them and lead them at the same time? ♦Am I positioning myself as someone they can relate to? ♦What value or message do I want to bring to this piece of content? ♦What direction can I give them? 📏Questions to ask yourself after creating content: ♦Am I putting a filter on what I really want to say or who I really am? ♦Is this too wordy or complex? ♦What is my level of conviction with this piece of content? ♦If I was my Avatar, would I read this? Care about this? Tell someone about this? ♦Is this easy to understand or impossible to not understand? ♦Can I make this even better, even more clear, etc. ? ♦How can my Avatar connect or relate? 💎 The Captivating Content Creation Code: ♦Simple always wins ♦Be yourself ♦Consistency breeds creativity ♦Enjoy the brush strokes that create the big picture ♦Creativity is a muscle ♦Ideas are all around you, rather than inside of you ♦Write for them, not for you ♦Build a village, not a mansion ♦Nobody's favorite flavor is actually vanilla ♦Flow, not force Save this checklist for the next time you sit down for your content strategy session! 📑

Here's how you can get your CEO and other executives to post on LinkedIn. I know what you're thinking: easier said than done, right? But hear me out. Getting your leadership team active on LinkedIn isn't just about building their personal brands (although that's a perk). Use it to - build awareness, - shape perception, and - tell the stories stakeholders want to hear. So how do you get these busy execs to prioritize LinkedIn? Make it easy for them. Block off 60 minutes on their calendar each month for a content creation session. Come prepared with questions like: - What leadership trends are you seeing in our industry? - What's your take on [recent industry event]? - You just got back from [conference]. What were your key takeaways? Then, shape those nuggets into compelling LinkedIn content. The options are endless. Take our monthly content creation process for founders and executives, for example. Rather than bombarding my clients with constant requests for input or approvals, we operate on a "one and done" model. - One 60-minute strategy and interview session to align on goals and capture their insights. - One round of content drafts for their review and feedback, with clear deadlines to keep things moving. - One final approval before we hit publish and start distributing to their key channels and communities. This produces 8-15 pieces of thought leadership content that positions them as the go-to expert - without the headaches. So don’t let "I'm too busy" be an excuse. Carve out the time, ask the right questions, and watch how these sessions can build awareness for the company’s initiatives. Or reach out to me to help. #TheLinkedInBlackBelt

Content marketers shouldn’t say “no” to most leadership content requests. From a career and collaboration standpoint, it’s a bad idea to decline every random act of content request you get. But we absolutely need to 1. avoid burnout, and 2. stay true to our content strategy and vision! So what can we say instead? Watch the video for my talk track tips on steering the conversation. I suggest content marketers… 🙏 THANK leadership for their interest in content. A culture of content is a great place to be. 🤓 EDUCATE leaders on existing content that already meets their needs. You can’t expect that leadership has read every blog or watched every video. ✨ INSPIRE leaders with your content plan. Remind them what’s coming up. Bring them back to the vision. 🤝 COLLABORATE with leaders to brainstorm and evolve their ideas with you, so new ideas fit your content strategy. 📊 MEASURE success, so leaders understand that publishing new content isn’t a quick hit of dopamine before jumping to the next thing. I share specific alternatives in the video you can try instead of “thanks, but no thanks.” This is especially important to learn if you’re a junior marketer. As you move up in your career, you’ll want to co-create WITH execs and riff off their ideas. This 👏 is 👏 a 👏 skill. Much more effective than being a lone wolf. How do you push back strategically on random acts of content? Leave a comment with your best tips, and let me know what you think of the ones I came up with! If this was helpful, follow Heike Young. ♥️ I’m posting #contentmarketing #contentstrategy and content #career advice weekly.

The path to becoming a thought leader isn't just about expertise; it's about strategically leveraging your unique perspective and your book to make a lasting impact. Here are 5 actionable steps to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field: 𝟏. 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲:  Hone in on a specific niche related to your book's themes. Develop a comprehensive strategy that aligns with your target audience, integrating your book’s core messages into your overall content plan and marketing approach. 𝟐. 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:  Dive into creating thoughtful, well-researched insights that stem from your book's content. Offer unique perspectives on your field that highlight your depth of knowledge and provoke thoughtful discussions. 𝟑. 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰:  Focus on producing high-quality content regularly. This could range from insightful articles and blog posts to engaging videos, all reflecting the quality and tone of your book. 𝟒. 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞:  Use your content as a springboard for meaningful interactions. Engage with your readers through comments, discussions, and Q&A sessions, using your book as a catalyst for deeper conversations. 𝟓. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭:  Stay current on trends and developments in your field. Relate these to your book's themes and your expertise, demonstrating your ongoing engagement and relevance in the subject area. Becoming a thought leader as an author means blending the richness of your book with strategic, engaging, and innovative approaches to content and interaction. It’s about creating a narrative that not only informs but also inspires and connects. Embark on this journey with purpose and passion, and witness how your unique voice transforms from simple words on a page to a resonating echo in the minds and hearts of your audience. Ready to elevate your authorial presence into thought leadership? DM me to explore how these five actionable steps can be tailored to your unique journey! #Leadership #ThoughtLeadership #Author

Thought leadership is content that starts or contributes to important conversations shaping how people think about emerging ideas and technology. One of my favorite approaches to developing thought leadership outlines is to use Writer to repurpose existing content that was created in response to conversations in sales demos, customer calls, or social media. I don’t need to reinvent the wheel continuously – I can refer to existing material from our pitch decks, slideshows, or well-performing LinkedIn posts that have gained engagement from our community. From there, I can create thought leadership article outlines that’ll help me clearly argue opinions, articulate perspectives, and support ideas, for the full piece. Best practices for finding sources of thought leadership inspiration: 1. Mine sales pitch decks for thought leadership gold: Sales teams are always cobbling together new slides as they discover new pain points and address questions that come up in demos. Those slides represent the seeds for growing beautiful crops of thought leadership. 2. Tap into well-performing LinkedIn posts: Many LinkedIn posts that get good engagement or garner a deeper conversation can be expanded into an outline for an article. 3. Use podcast transcripts: Podcasts that interview subject matter experts hold a goldmine of valuable content, lean into the conversation and use themes that show up to write leadership pieces. For example, I used one of my past LinkedIn posts as input and asked Writer to generate a blog outline. I quickly got a workable outline with all the main points from my post — time to write!

🔍 Here’s an idea…instead of looking for thought leadership externally, why not try looking to your own people? Within your organization, you have a wealth of knowledge and expertise already present in the people around you! Make use of that by asking your colleagues to nominate individuals who could speak authoritatively on specific topics or areas of interest. Use these crowdsourced recommendations to build a pool of potential thought leaders right under your roof. From there, review the nominees and reach out to those best suited to share their insights on particular subjects. Invite them to lead virtual webinars or discussions, which you can record and build into a library of thought leadership content. ✨ Here are 3 reasons this works ✨ 💪 You're empowering and showcasing the expertise of your own team members, fostering a culture of knowledge-sharing and recognition. 🎯 The content is highly relevant and tailored to your organization's needs, since it’s coming from someone directly in your business. 🔄 You're creating a sustainable, cost-effective way to continuously generate fresh thought leadership material. Instead of always relying on external speakers or off-the-shelf training, look to internal subject matter experts! Not only will you develop a rich repository of insights, but you'll also cultivate a more engaged, collaborative, and knowledge-driven workforce. #learninganddevelopment #learningleader #lifelonglearning