How to Write Successful Thought Leadership Articles

Kristin Hackler Headshot
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The key to successful thought leadership articles are not claims of success or promises of improvement. Nor is it lengthy research and data building up to an elaborate graph of ups and downs and a narrowly defined “sweet spot.” They key is nothing, perhaps, that you’ve been led to believe about thought leadership writing. And it’s something that some developing authors are still a little surprised to hear. 

But when they understand why, it makes all the sense in the world.

That truth?

Give it away. All of it. 

Tell your readers everything you know about the answer they’re looking for. Perhaps your life experiences have made you an expert in dealing with difficult clients. Or you’ve found a new way of looking at old data to reveal unexpected trends in AI-human relationships. Whatever your experience is, your readers want to know one thing: how.

There is an old school of thought that encourages authors to hold back, to keep the most essential “how-to” information to themselves. Give the reader just enough to “whet the appetite.” But this only leads to frustration and disappointment in the reader. To become known for leading thought in your specific niche, you need to guide, not hint.

How to Guide Your Readers 

Take Brene Brown’s book, Dare to Lead. As a leadership coach, she gives the reader everything they need to tackle the challenges of leading an exceptional team. She discusses vulnerability to dealing with failure, to embracing true courage. She not only shares her reasoning and data around it, but she also shares first-hand experiences. 

In explaining vulnerability, for instance, she illustrates how essential this emotion is to risk-taking. How it is an act of courage to accept one’s vulnerability and still decide to move forward. She then shares how she once talked to a room full of special forces military personnel. She asked if they could remember taking part in a courageous act without feeling vulnerable. Not a single one of them could. 

Brown then wraps up with a breakdown of what it takes to truly be vulnerable. “The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing,” Brown writes. “It’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.”

Another example would be the well-known work, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki. Kiyosaki breaks down the difference between traditional “poor dad” thinking and the financial independence perspective of “rich dad.” But he doesn’t just explain, he also goes into how. From buying assets to reducing taxes to self-care, Kiyosaki connects with the reader through descriptive storytelling while also providing valuable, applicable insights.

The Structure of a Strong Thought Leadership Piece

Consider the following approach as you consider the structure of your articles: 

  • Explain the problem
  • Give data around the problem
  • Solve the problem with personal examples
  • Recap the solution

This structure is a solid foundation for a thought leadership article. It follows the classical academic structure of: state the problem (A); state the solution (B); explain how to get from (A) to (B). 

It identifies the reader’s concern and not only solves it, but also shares how the author solved it. This may not be the same way that the reader solves their problem, but it puts the solution in context. It gives a story to relate to. 

The storytelling device draws the reader in — such as Brown does with the story about the soldiers. This allows the author to connect with the reader on a deeper level than simple, instructional writing can achieve.

Writing a Thought Leadership Piece

Writing a strong thought leadership article also takes vulnerability. It takes a willingness to open one’s self up and be authentic with readers. It takes inspiring their curiosity, giving them solid structures to follow, and never holding back. 

Because building relationships and establishing trust never starts with “I’ll tell you the rest later.” It starts with giving real value and trusting in the reader that if they need more, they know where to find you.

If you’re looking for support in creating these thought leadership articles, consider working with Forbes Books. We provide a done-for-you thought leadership service that translates your expert knowledge into winning articles.

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Kristin Hackler Headshot

Kristin Hackler

Director of Book Planning

As the Director of Book Planning, I assist in guiding author vision sessions so that we can develop an effective and engaging foundation on which their book can be built.…

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