4 steps to a great thought leadership post

Penning your next thought leadership piece or LinkedIn post? Here's how I do it - in 4 simple steps.

Just thought of a great new topic? It is tempting to jump straight into the writing.

I never do that. Instead, I apply the following system to everything I write.

💬 1/ Ask questions

I start all content work with a series of simple questions:

• Who am I writing this for?
• What do I have to say?
• How should I say it?
• What outcomes do I want?

For longer-form content, I write them down at the top of the page.

The actual questions don't matter so much as the clarity they bring. And if your answer is a rambling mess, it's not clear enough.

🧱 2/ Lay the foundation

Just like a good building needs a solid foundation, so does your writing.

Break your writing into sections. For reports, I create a detailed outline of key sections and subsections.

If it's a longer project, I paginate it first before crafting the first sentence.

📜 3/ Share anecdotes

People connect with stories and ideas, not your writing prowess or vocabulary. If possible, share personal stories.

Anecdotes are crucial to build an emotional connection. They help readers relate to you as a real person, not another faceless expert.

☀️ 4/ Where are you going?

As I write and edit what I've written, I constantly ask myself this question: Is it clear where I'm leading the reader?

Generative AI can be really bad at this, putting together beautiful, coherent sentences that lose the plot. Don't write like an AI.

And remember, if you try to cover everything, you will likely end up achieving nothing.

What challenges do you currently face when writing?

Image Credit: DALLE-3