Sean Kelly (Amperon)

“I met Bart before Amperon even had a marketing team, and I was impressed with the quality of the content he was producing for other industry vendors.

“As soon as we hired our marketing lead, I introduced them and said, ‘Get this guy going for us.’ It’s been a great partnership ever since, and we couldn’t be happier with what he’s been able to help us achieve.”

Sean Kelly
CEO, Amperon

Read more about the work with Amperon…

Thought-Leadership Marketing

Client:

Amperon

Industry:

Utilities

Challenge:

Present Amperon’s subject-matter expertise to raise awareness for the company and the value they create for participants in wholesale electricity markets.

What We Did:

• Interviewed leadership and internal subject matter experts

• Developed concept outlines and media pitches

• Drafted white papers, op-eds and blog posts

• Placed op-eds with industry media outlets

• Pitched podcast guest appearances

How We Did it:

Amperon was founded in 2018 to bring cutting edge analytical technology to utility industry forecasts. To that end, they assembled a team with top-tier talent in data science, artificial intelligence and meteorology, as well as deep experience in energy markets. Following a successful Series A funding in 2022, Amperon engaged us to begin a consistent program of thought-leadership marketing. In collaboration with their new marketing lead, we established a content strategy centered around white papers and promotional content that would raise industry awareness of the company, while showcasing their deep expertise and educating potential customers.

Each whitepaper is aligned with Amperon’s near-term business goals for its expanding suite of analytical and forecasting services. The content development process then begins by interviewing Amperon’s subject matter experts, who explain the complexities of data models, machine-learning algorithms, market operations and much more. Following the interviews, our job is to develop a concept outline and ultimately draft a paper that balances the audience’s informational needs with the marketing goals. After drafting the whitepaper, we refine the main strategic concepts into a short op-ed that we pitch to our editorial contacts at industry publications. Then, any valuable deep-dive information that didn’t make it into the white paper is put into a blog post for Amperon’s website.

Outcomes:

To date, we’ve developed four white papers that Amperon has used to explain the strategic value of different forecasting services to different market participants. In addition, we’ve developed four op-eds and successfully placed them in industry publications to help promote each paper. Supplemental blog posts have also helped drive downloads of the white papers while serving the needs of more knowledgeable audience members.

In 2024, we expanded our work with Amperon to include the development of quarterly Q&As with Amperon CEO Sean Kelly and to pitch him as a guest for industry podcasts. He appeared on The Power Podcast in March 2025, and another guest appearance is in the works.

“I met Bart before Amperon even had a marketing team, and I was impressed with the quality of the content he was producing for other industry vendors,” Kelly said. “As soon as we hired our marketing lead, I introduced them and said, ‘Get this guy going for us.’ It’s been a great partnership ever since, and we couldn’t be happier with what he’s been able to help us achieve.”

Marc Heimbigner (Itron)

“We were extremely fortunate to have Bart handling our conference Advisory Board report. Our entire team was busy handling other challenges associated with moving the conference online, so we had very little time to give to this important piece. Bart simply picked it up and took care of it.

“He knew immediately what we were after and how to pull it together. In fact, the copy he submitted as a first draft was essentially the finished product.

“Bart's an absolute pro at what he does and a pleasure to work with. That’s why he’s become our go-to guy over the last few years.”

Marc Heimbigner
Senior Content Marketing Manager, Itron

Read more about this project with Itron…

Industry Report Development

Client:
Itron

Industry:
Utilities

Challenge: 
Quickly develop a compelling report for the first-ever virtual Itron Utility Week (IUW) conference. 

What We Did:

• Developed survey questions for the IUW Advisory Board

• Analyzed responses 

• Drafted executive summary and response summaries

• Selected and edited quotes

• Edited Advisory Board bios for consistency

How We Did It:
We’ve developed white papers, case studies and op-eds for Itron in the past, so we were able to get a quick start on this project. In fact, we were in the middle of developing a white paper on distributed intelligence capabilities when the need arose for a piece of content that could give greater visibility to the Advisory Board for the annual Itron Utility Week conference. Typically, board members, who work at large and small utilities across the U.S., play an active role in the three-day event, which brings together thousands of industry professionals. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event was taking place virtually for the first time, and Itron wanted to ensure that the Advisory Board’s perspectives were well-represented.

A little over a month before the event, we developed three survey questions with a chronological thread that inherently linked responses to a compelling narrative about the conference’s theme—innovation. By exploring how utilities responded to the pandemic, we also were able to reinforce the timeliness of Itron’s most recent Resourcefulness Report on disaster preparedness. As survey responses trickled in from Advisory Board members, we quickly analyzed them for themes and outstanding quotes. With an eye on our hard deadline, we began drafting, editing and assembling the different parts of the report as soon as we had enough material to do so, adding new pieces as they became available up to the last minute.

Outcomes:
Despite the tight deadline and limited responses from the Advisory Board, we met the deadline, giving Itron’s marketing team enough time to review the content and pass it along to internal graphic designers. Ultimately, the 15-page report was downloaded more than 2,000 times in the weeks surrounding the event and drew praise from Advisory Board members and attendees.

“We were extremely fortunate to have Bart handling our conference Advisory Board report,” said Itron’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, Marc Heimbigner. “Our entire team was busy handling other challenges associated with moving the conference online, so we had very little time to give to this important piece. Bart simply picked it up and took care of it. He knew immediately what we were after and how to pull it together. In fact, the copy he submitted as a first draft was essentially the finished product. Bart’s an absolute pro at what he does and a pleasure to work with. That’s why he’s become our go-to guy over the last few years.”

Thought Leadership and the Danger of Self-Promotion

BY BART KING

There’s one big no-no when it comes to thought leadership. 

It can’t be self-promotional. That’s the first guideline you’ll receive if you reach out to an editor or event organizer about submitting an op-ed or proposing a talk. Self-promotion is for marketing assets and advertising, not thought leadership. 

When a reader or listener shows up for ideas, but what they get is a rundown of someone’s products or services, they quickly turn away. At best, they forget about it. At worst, they hold a grudge. That’s the opposite of what thought-leadership marketing is meant to achieve: trust. 

If you earn someone’s trust with thought leadership, you also earn the opportunity to tell them what you offer. But that has to come later. 

Thought Leadership Separates Ideas from Applications

So let’s get clear on the difference between thought leadership and self-promotion. 

In my experience, innovators often struggle when asked to stay on the thought-leadership side of the line. They’ve lived the creative process so deeply. It’s difficult for them to talk about the value of the ideas behind their products or services without talking about the products or services themselves. 

That’s understandable. However, for thought-leadership content, it’s necessary—and worthwhile—to clearly separate ideas from their applications. Going through the process invariably provides new insights and improves other marketing communications as well.

Four Approaches to Avoid Self-Promotion in Thought Leadership

When it comes to a truly innovative category of product or service, avoiding self-promotion can be as simple as talking about the problem and solution without referencing branded names, pricing or other specific details. But in other situations, finding the right approach requires more thought. Here are four tips. 

Build around the takeaways – This approach is particularly important for academics and other researchers writing about their work for non-academic readers. The focus of the writing should be to lay out useful conclusions. Only describe the research process (what you did) to the extent that’s needed to support the takeaways. (The Conversation is a terrific outlet for research-based articles, such as this one by a client at the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business.)

Share the credit – Another good way to avoid self-promotion is to give examples from the work of other colleagues and organizations—not just your own. This doesn’t mean you have to promote your competitors. If you need to, look to other industries or fields to find parallels. This will also widen the appeal of your thought leadership by demonstrating broader applicability and emergence of the ideas. (Here’s a good example by a New Growth Client who drew on a podcast he hosted with two other design leaders.)

Focus on the need – This approach is particularly good for consultants, who can shine the light on their clients. Essentially, you use one or more case studies from your work to support the central idea(s) of your content. But by focusing the narrative on the needs of a client, or even an entire industry, you avoid presenting yourself as the protagonist. This approach also has the added benefits of giving publicity to your clients (which they may appreciate) and proving your industry experience. (Here’s an example I helped sustainability consultant, Tim Greiner, publish on GreenBiz.) 

Give your opinions – Thought leadership is NOT reporting the news. It requires opinions—often about things that are in the news, and about the way things should be done. This is what people look to thought leaders for. So don’t be shy about stating your opinions and recommendations. They aren’t self-promotion, but a bold, substantiated opinion will promote your expertise and cause people to remember who you are. (Here’s a strong opinion that we placed for an academic leader on Corporate Knights: “It’s Time We See Paying Taxes as a Sustainability Issue.”)

If you succeed in writing a useful piece of thought leadership, editors and readers will typically grant you a sentence or two of self-promotion at the end. Sometimes it can be a call to action that points to another article or a white paper. Other times you may be asked to restrict it to a link in your author bio. But ultimately, if you’re consistently publishing good thought leadership, people will remember you when a relevant need arises. Then they’ll come looking for your marketing assets to learn how you deliver. (But that’s a different article.)

If you’re considering stepping up your commitment to thought leadership publishing, I may be able to help. Please get in touch. (See what I did there? :)

7 Formats for Thought Leadership Content with 3 Ace Marketing Tactics

BY BART KING

In addition to being a valuable service to your industry, true thought leadership is also a tried-and-true way to gain visibility and attract new business opportunities. 

Below are seven different formats in which you can publish thought leadership content. Plus, I’ll describe three content-marketing tactics that will help you get the most mileage out of the energy you put into capturing and sharing your ideas. 

7 Good Formats for Thought-Leadership Content

• Commentary – Also called an op-ed, the commentary is a short piece of writing (650-900 words) that presents a leader’s opinion and perspective on a particular topic. The bolder, the better. (Here’s a collection of examples by New Growth clients.)

• White Paper/Report – A good white paper or report captures the collective knowledge of an organization regarding a topic that’s timely for its industry or customers. This format typically has a somewhat academic tone and includes solid supporting evidence, if not detailed citations. (Here’s a terrific example on sustainable agriculture practices by a New Growth client.)

• Ebook – This longer format is effective when you have lots of practical advice and information to share, and when the reader will benefit from taking it in sequentially. In other words, the last chapters are more useful to someone who first reads the beginning and middle. (Here’s a dynamic ebook I edited on Enterprise Design Sprints.)

• Reference tool – Checklists, templates, process maps and swipe files are all examples of tools people may want to add to their desktops for quick access. They can be tremendously valuable, but not many organizations publish them.

• Q&A – This is probably the easiest type of thought-leadership writing to produce. (It’s also a great format for video.) Just send a list of questions to a leader or subject-matter expert and edit their responses for clarity. The alternating questions and answers are inherently readable and personal. (I’m particularly proud of this Q&A with Janine Benyus.) 

• Webinar – With so many people working remotely these days, webinars are more prevalent than ever. Essentially, it’s a slide presentation delivered as an online event. You know the drill, I’m sure.

• TED-style Talk – Whether delivered at an actual TED event or not, this 20-minute format has set the bar for compelling public speaking. The best talks are tightly structured, well rehearsed, visual, humorous and deeply informative. 

3 Thought Leadership Marketing Tactics

While similar in effect, the formats above are typically applied for different purposes within a marketing strategy. Keep these three tactics in mind as you consider what format to use, and how. 

Build a Cornerstone Campaign
Depending on your marketing capacity, this type of thought leadership marketing campaign could be done quarterly, or every six to nine months. It’s built around a valuable, cornerstone piece of content such as a white paper or ebook, which is typically offered as a download in exchange for an email address. Concepts from the cornerstone piece are then spun out into promotional commentaries, Q&A and/or webinars to drive traffic to the download.

Use Multiple Channels of Distribution
Unless you already have a large, engaged audience, it’s not enough to simply publish thought leadership to your own website. To get the impact you want, you need to send it to people’s inboxes via your email list and promote it on social media. Even better, place those commentaries and Q&As with media outlets that already have the audience you’re trying to reach. Or try advertising your webinar. You can also pitch to a podcast that might want to hear about your latest report or ebook.

Repurpose, Repurpose, Repurpose
The underlying and most important tactic is to repurpose your thought leadership across formats. Important ideas need to live in more than one piece of content to effectively serve your industry and organization. Once you’ve captured an idea for the first time, it will be quicker and easier to rework it. For example, a white paper, TED talk or webinar can spawn one or more op-eds or Q&As. If you have a lot of practical blog posts on your site, they could be combined into an ebook. Or check to see if any of the posts could be turned into a reference tool. Repurposing also means you don’t need as many brilliant ideas (which is a good thing for some of us! ;)

If you’re thinking about stepping up your thought leadership marketing, we may be able to help. Don’t hesitate to reach out. 

How to Ghostwrite a Leader’s Unique Voice

BY BART KING

Business or community leaders often don’t have the time or skill to write well. However, publishing their ideas is valuable to the organizations they serve. 

I’ve written previously about customizing the ghostwriting process to gather a thought leader’s knowledge and opinions. But there’s more to it than that, because good ghostwriting also captures a leader’s unique voice.

Two things constitute voice: the stories a person tells and the style with which she tells them. It’s the ghostwriter’s job to get both elements onto the page. 

What’s the Story Behind That?

Humans are hardwired to think in terms of stories. It’s how we create meaning and remember information. Good leaders naturally use stories to explain their ideas and connect with people's emotions.  

The ghostwriter works to harness the power of these stories in writing. 

If a leader has been talking publicly about a particular idea for a while, she will likely already know what stories are most effective for getting her points across. In these instances, my task as a ghostwriter is simply to polish the narratives and find the best way to work them into the piece.

However, if the topic is relatively new for the leader, she may not have settled on the most effective anecdotes and examples yet. Here the job is to help select the best material, make sure the narrative details are in place, and work out the timing.

The writing process is even more valuable in these instances, because upon completion, the leader will have a confident, new arrow in her quiver. Finalizing the writing requires the leader to crystalize her thoughts and explanatory approach. This ultimately prepares her for future speaking engagements.

Say That Again?

Capturing a leader’s communication style is a more nuanced task. 

I record my interviews, because the written notes I take are invariably in my own voice and arranged in my own way of thinking. These notes help me understand what a leader is trying to communicate, and I use them to create a writing outline. But recordings allow me to go back and focus on style.

Good writing, of course, is different from speech. (And the job is ghostwriting, not transcription.) However, a leader’s rhetorical constructs, timing and phrasing can be lifted from a recording, especially when it's a well-worn subject.

In the end, it’s up to the leader to make final copy edits for accuracy and voice. If the ghostwriting is well done, all the heavy lifting will be finished and the content, stories and style will be faithfully captured. The leader only has to make minor tweaks, if any at all.

Are you developing thought leadership for yourself or your organization? If so, we may be able to help. Contact me to talk it over.

Why Brand Journalism Matters Right Now

BY BART KING

One of the themes that has emerged from the coronavirus pandemic is that some good things will likely come from the disruption to business as usual. We’ve already seen a drastic reduction of carbon emissions and air pollution. Clean waterways in Venice. The opportunity to rethink fast-paced lifestyles. 

Positivity is necessary for the human spirit, and I hope individuals recognize and share these silver linings. But when it comes to brand messaging, it’s too early for rosy, aspirational thinking. In the U.S., we’re still trying to hold off a full-blown, public-health crisis. We don’t yet know how bad the impact will be on people’s health or livelihoods here, or around the globe. 

So what should businesses and other organizations do to stay in touch with their stakeholders without being insensitive to fear and suffering? 

The answer is to provide useful information until we make it through the response phase of the crisis. The buzzword several years ago for this communication strategy was brand journalism. 

What Is Brand Journalism? 

Brand journalism is a content-marketing approach through which organizations build loyal audiences by providing useful or enjoyable updates about topics or industries. 

The Cleanest Line, for example, is Patagonia’s channel for inspiring outdoor adventure stories. Red Bull actually produces a magazine, the Red Bulletin, to keep people informed about the latest and craziest in action sports. And creative software company Adobe produces a website narrowly tailored to chief marketing officers. 

As a former reporter and editor, I’ll admit I’m partial to the idea of brand journalism. However, I’ll also admit that—as a content-marketing strategy—it doesn’t provide the same bang for the buck as evergreen, search-engine friendly content. That’s why only large brands with multi-level marketing strategies have made long-term commitments to brand journalism. 

But a lot of the evergreen content that’s piled up on the Web over the last decade has wilted in the last few weeks. Much of it will need to be updated to remain useful in a new, post-pandemic reality. And none of it addresses the rapidly evolving information needs created by the coronavirus response.

That’s why in the short-term, organizations can best serve their stakeholders by reporting on the emerging challenges, solutions and changes taking place in their niche of the economy or community.

What Does Brand Journalism Look Like Right Now?

You’ve likely seen a few good examples of brand journalism come through your inbox already. I’ve been impressed with the daily emails sent out by my local government tracking infections and giving useful information about small-business relief and food banks.

Daily messages aren’t necessary, though. And there’s no need to produce anything fancy. In fact, simple and straight-forward is arguably better, because people are trying to absorb a lot of information and don’t want fancy bells and whistles. Similarly, the more personable you can be, the better. 

A weekly or biweekly text email, signed by an actual person in your organization could be sufficient. Alternatively, you could record a simple video or podcast to share updates. Again, high production value isn’t important. What’s important is that you share useful information and communicate what you’re learning about the problems and solutions that matter to your stakeholders. 

How To Get the Ball Rolling

To produce valuable updates, a communication director must stay in regular contact with department heads to identify emerging challenges and solutions. Then, like a good reporter, he or she should follow the story. That may mean talking to the sales rep who uncovered a new customer need, or sitting down with legal to learn what contract clauses are being triggered, or contacting a supplier that’s running into logistical problems. 

An objective investigation of the pandemic’s impact will also have internal value. Briefing the leadership team regularly will allow the communications director to disseminate information and gain approval for what information to share with stakeholders, and when. 

Ultimately, a journalistic approach is the most authentic and empathetic approach to communicating with stakeholders during difficult times such as this—helping to meet the basic needs on Maslow’s hierarchy. As we eventually move through the crisis and into recovery, brand messaging can then appropriately return to aspirational thinking.

Need help producing your brand communications? Get in touch to find out how we can help.

It’s Time to Institute Crisis Communications for COVID-19

BY BART KING

Crisis communication often happens after an organization or individual makes some type of mistake. The PR team, for instance, steps up to handle a large safety recall or respond to the release of damning information about a public figure. 

However, crisis communication also comes into play in response to broader, external events. That’s happening now as the spread of the COVID-19 virus affects the operations of nearly every business and organization in the U.S. and abroad. 

The full economic and social impacts of the virus won’t be known for weeks or months. But now is the time for organizations to institute crisis communications to protect their reputations and stakeholders. The risk—even to organizations with minimal operational impact—is that a lack of effective internal and external communication will cause people, who are already under stress, to quickly become confused and upset. 

Without reliable information, customers, clients, partners, shareholders, and/or community members can easily form negative perceptions about what your organization is or isn’t doing in response to the crisis. Similarly, inaccurate news or rumors may spread among employees, customers or other important stakeholders. 

That’s why the first rule of good crisis communication is to get involved as soon as possible. 

Use a Holding Statement

While it’s important to begin communicating with stakeholders right away, it’s equally important to put out accurate information about carefully considered actions. 

We don’t want to make situations worse by rushing strategic decisions. Therefore, the best first step is often to put out a formal holding statement. This press release is meant to establish contact with your stakeholders, acknowledge the situation at hand, and let people know you’re on it. 

• If you’ve already instituted response procedures, say so. You don’t have to go into great detail, but let people know action is underway. 

• Whether or not you have actions to share, take the opportunity to empathize with your stakeholders and express your concern and solidarity for the challenges ahead. 

• Lastly, let them know that you’ll be distributing additional information soon, and where it can be found. 

Solidify an On-Going Comms Strategy

With your holding statement out the door. It’s time to quickly bang out an on-going communication strategy and supporting tactics. As with most comms planning, you can follow this approach:

• Identify the goal – What needs to happen? Do you need to reschedule client appointments? Convene virtual meetings? Educate the community about support services? 

• Identify the audience – Which stakeholder group or groups do you need to reach to achieve the goal. 

• Develop the message – What message or series of messages does the audience need to receive in order to take action toward the goal? 

• Choose the format and distribution channel – Is it a press release and media pitch? Or should it be a blog post, an email blast, a video, a social media post, or some combination? Consider how and where you already communicate with stakeholder groups and the urgency of the message. 

• Develop an SOP – As the pandemic goes through stages, new organizational goals may emerge. At the very least, you’ll need to develop and distribute new messages. A standard operating procedure (SOP) will streamline the drafting, approval and execution process, allowing your organization to react quickly and effectively. 

Should You Reach Out To the Media?

If your organization is involved in first-line response to the virus, yes. 

You’ll also want to make use of the distribution channels you own and control (social accounts, email lists, text, etc.). But public health officials, hospitals, school districts and local governments need to ensure they have open lines of communication with local radio, television and newspapers. Reach out to them right away to coordinate the sharing of important public health and safety information. 

If your organization is not on the front line, take a hard look at your goals and potential distribution channels. Now more than ever, businesses should be mindful of the tone and timing of announcements to avoid coming off as opportunistic or out of touch. (We’re gathering examples of communications going out now and will share them with context soon.)

Ideally, you want to work through existing media relationships to ensure your messages don’t land awkwardly. To this end, keep in mind that media outlets have their own goals for ensuring their audiences are informed about the evolving situation. There will likely be peaks and lulls where editors are alternately overwhelmed with news that needs to get out, or searching for a new angle. 

If your organization’s audience is well-aligned with a media outlet’s audience—and you give as much thought to their goal as your own—you should be able to work together.

Get Ahead of the Situation Now

Ultimately, the COVID-19 crisis is just beginning. 

Now is the time to form your crisis management team, if you haven’t already. The team’s task is to analyze what future developments may adversely affect your organization and develop appropriate scenario plans. 

Scenario plans should contain not only operational responses, but also communication needs. With a communication SOP in place, you can then generate and distribute messages rapidly to maintain positive relationships with key stakeholder groups until the crisis is resolved.

If you need assistance developing your crisis communication plan, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Practical Tips for Reluctant Thought Leaders

by BART KING

Common wisdom tells us people who don’t want power often make the best leaders. Similarly, quiet people often have the most interesting things to say. Both situations can be a dilemma when it comes to thought leadership. 

Contacts in corporate communications or marketing often tell me they have people inside their organizations who would make terrific thought leaders, if only they could be convinced to step up to the plate. 

But they aren’t into it.

These reluctant thought leaders are incredibly knowledgeable. They know how all the pieces fit together. They aren’t buffeted by trends and buzz in the industry. But they’re hesitant to project their voices beyond the walls of their organizations. 

As a result, their full potential to the company, the industry—heck, even the world—isn’t realized.

What’s Stopping Them?

Have you ever been to a conference where it seems every Tom, Schmuck and Harry takes a boring turn on stage? Or what about all the threadbare ideas that people publish and re-publish online? 

If these people aren’t afraid to step into the light, what’s stopping the legitimate and unique thought leaders from doing it? 

Usually, it’s some combination of humility, skepticism and fear. Below are some tips for getting past these common roadblocks. 

Humility - Some folks don’t recognize, or don’t want to admit, they know as much as they do. I find this endearing in a person. But in the professional realm, it can be a problem. These same people often don’t read the opinion pieces published by colleagues. Deep down, I think they know they could do better. That’s why a little goading sometimes does the trick. Try sending them a not-so-great attempt at thought leadership with a short note letting them know YOU know they could do better.

Skepticism - Is thought leadership legit? I’ve heard this from people I know to be thought leaders. They’re busy folks who don’t want to waste time on what they think may be a useless marketing trend. I get it. As I wrote in my last post, thought leadership got a bad reputation from misuse of the term. These folks just need to hear the true strategic value. 

Privacy Concerns - Some thought leaders, particularly older ones, conflate thought leadership with social media and its inherent loss of privacy. From a tactical perspective, it’s a bonus if thought leaders are active on social media. But it isn’t necessary, if the organization has its own social profiles and other effective channels for distributing and promoting thought leadership content.

Fear of Public Speaking - This one’s pretty simple to address. A thought leader doesn’t have to speak in public. His or her role can be limited to the published word. Once captured in writing, others in the organization can represent the opinions and information in person or on stage. 

Poor Writing Skills - It’s the job of the PR or marketing copywriter to make sure the grammar is sound, the anecdotes are crisp, and the opinions are supported. The thought leader just needs to be willing to open up to the writer and review the drafts for factual accuracy. For more on how this process works, read “Is Ghostwriting Really Thought Leadership?”

Lack of Time - As with above, the time burden can be transferred to a professional copywriter. For a typical op-ed, we identify the topic via email before a first conversation. Then we record a 20-minute conversation that becomes the basis of an outline. If needed, the thought leader reviews and adds bullets to the outline. Then we talk through it in detail for about 30 minutes. After the first draft is done, the thought leader spends another 30 minutes reviewing and giving feedback (written or via phone). If the first draft was good, another 15 minutes for final review is all that’s needed. If it needs more work, an additional 15 minutes might be necessary for another round of review. In total, it’s about two hours of their time, spread over two or three weeks. 

The important thing is to have empathy for reluctant thought leaders. By trying to truly understand what’s stopping them from stepping forward, we can help them achieve their full potential. For me, that’s the most gratifying part of the job.

If you need help taking your thought leadership program to the next level, we’d like to hear from you.