London Tech Week opened with a tech problem-strewn speech by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that had me thinking about why it is that tech leaders in the UK need to use thought leadership as a tool to excel. Whilst it is true that using it to simply stand out in a crowded market is a good thing for immediate commercial growth, it can also have a more long-term benefit. This is where having a thought leadership expert who is media savvy can be a real help.

On the most simple level, it works like this. A founder, CEO or C-suite member is asked (or asks) to write an opinion piece on their area of expertise for a tech publication, business title, website or even a national newspaper. They either have the time and ability to do this themselves well (both lining up is vanishingly rare) or they consult with someone like me, who is either on a retainer or is someone they have an existing relationship with. I/they then write the article, with current thinking and targeted topics (perhaps a new product release, or a report) in mind.

This is then edited, proofed and approved by any number of people, which may include the leader, the writer, a section editor, sub-editor and overall editor. It may also come back via the company’s legal department and pass under the noses of any partners or stakeholders before making it to publication. The whole company can then share it on socials, post it on the website and create content about it for LinkedIn. So far, so good.

What happens next is where the value is. Given correct timing and well-written content, which includes both ideas and opinions, then the leader will be invited to share those same opinions on radio, podcasts, TV or in other publications. This may be immediate, or it may mean that they go into a booker’s notes for next time they need an expert, it can also have impact when editors or bookers are searching for a guest a year down the road. As you can imagine, the subsequent coverage does the same. And so on.

All of this allows the leader (and the thought leadership writer, who hopefully also knows something about strategy) to expand and increase their influence and that of the business. It makes it easier to get them into/a higher position on the bill at influential industry conferences, it means that white papers will get more attention, new hires will garner more interest and that the media will come back to them for anything from quick comments to full profiles.

Thought leadership may seem like personal branding for a leader, but it grows interest in the business overall. As an investment, it is hard to pin a value on, but easy to see how much you can miss out on if you don’t use it.

I have helped position many tech leaders with thought leadership, from editorials and articles and speeches to conference keynotes and white papers. Do get in touch if you want to explore any of this, from first steps to media training, hostile interview practice or how to get a message across in broadcast media. iain@thisidea.co.uk