What Web Marketers Have Wrong About Thought Leadership

by BART KING

Some people cringe when they hear the term “thought leadership.” 

To them—and perhaps to you, too—it’s just another marketing buzzword without any real meaning or usefulness. But I disagree. 

I understand how the term got a bad rep. And if you’ll give me two minutes, I’ll explain how it’s been misused and why it’s worth rescuing. 

It’s Not the Same as Content Marketing

Publishing thought leadership for marketing purposes—a.k.a. thought leadership marketing—isn’t the same as content marketing. This misunderstanding is what I think has given the term thought leadership a bad reputation. 

For example, here’s how web marketing guru Michael Brenner misrepresents thought leadership:

“I define thought leadership as a type of content marketing where you tap into the talent, experience, and passion inside your business, or from your community, to consistently answer the biggest questions on the minds of your target audience, on a particular topic.”

I’m OK with the first half of his definition, but not the second.

Consistently publishing the answers to your target audience’s questions is a legitimate strategy for building affinity and search engine optimization (SEO). But that’s rarely thought leadership. It’s a task for a junior copywriter with a list of Google search terms.

For example, a true thought leader isn’t going to write a blog post telling people how to recycle printer cartridges or where to find a decent gluten free beer. Calling that type of content “thought leadership” is just silly. In fact, thought leaders are probably more likely to ask questions than to answer them.

Isn’t it just ‘Leadership?’

No, thought leadership isn’t the same thing as “leadership.” It’s not a case of using two words, when one would work just fine. 

“Leadership” refers to the action of leading an organization, or the roles of responsibility within an organizational structure. Shelves full of books have been written about these two definitions, and we don’t need to burden them with any additional weight. 

Thought leadership is more akin to “strategic leadership” in that it involves inquiry, judgment and decision making. But it’s more than just setting goals and how to achieve them. Thought leadership is what determines strategic direction. 

In the case of sustainability, it involves not only deep business experience, but also the consideration of environmental and social ethics.

So What’s the Point?

True thought leaders have tremendous marketing value to an organization, but it isn’t lending their time or name to a bunch of search engine friendly articles. Real thought leaders wrestle with the ideas that turn heads within organizations, industries and sometimes entire disciplines of human endeavor. They know the critical issues that should have been solved yesterday, and the emerging ones that need to be addressed immediately. 

As a marketing or PR communicator, the job isn’t to tell thought leaders what to write. Instead, our task is to help them publish what they have to say in a way that makes the best use of their time and reaches target audiences. 

I’ll write more about this soon for readers of the New Growth Newsletter. In the meantime, you might want to check out “Can Ghostwriting Really Be Thought Leadership?”.

My 2018 Year in Review

Happy New Year!

This year marks the 10th anniversary of New Growth Communications. I’m glad to say 2018 was our best year to date in terms of projects and impact, and I hope to connect with you on important work in the year ahead.

Below is a glance back at what we achieved, and a quick look forward.

Political Involvement        

Following the 2016 elections, I made a commitment to get more involved in the political process. In 2018, New Growth provided pro bono support to candidates in local, state and national races. It was always going to be an uphill battle here in Georgia, but I’m proud to have helped put Athens commissioner, Patrick Davenport, in office.

Read: Political shift coming for Athens with new mayor, commissioners

New Clients and Projects

In 2018, we added our second Fortune 100 client and collaborated with another on a separate PR campaign. In addition to dozens of press releases written for all our clients, we…

• Wrote & edited video scripts and white papers

• Developed marketing and web copy

• Advised corporate sustainability reporting

• Drafted a TED-style presentation

• Placed thought-leadership commentaries in the media

• Produced policy recommendations by an expert stakeholder group, and

• Advised or implemented numerous PR campaigns

Speaking Engagements

Last year, I further refined my presentation, “Promoting Scholarly Work Beyond Academia,” which I gave for faculty affiliated with the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative and the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business at Georgia Tech.
 
I also co-developed and lead two breakout sessions at The Sustainability Consortium Summit in Chicago on best practices in sustainability reporting and context-based water solutions. The former was revised as a webinar for the EDF Supply Chain Solutions Center: Walmart Sustainability Index: Best Practices for Suppliers.

Major eBook Project

Building on past work with design consultancy clients, I developed and edited a 25,000-word, dynamic ebook with author, Richard Banfield, of Fresh Tilled Soil. It went live in September on DesignBetter.co, the educational site of InVisionApp Inc.

You can read a short case study here.

My 3rd Children’s Picture Book

In December we published my third children’s picture book, Do NOT Read This Book at Bedtime, via New Growth Publishing.

Check out all three titles here.

Looking Ahead…

In 2019, I look forward to continuing volunteer work in the political sphere through support of statewide voter-registration efforts by the Athens Anti-discrimination Movement. Plus, if the wind keeps blowing at my back, I’ll finish my first children’s novel and launch a podcast that integrates my passion for the outdoors, the arts and a sustainable future.

If you need assistance with your communication goals in 2019, I hope you’ll get in touch.

Oh!, and after more than 10 years with the old one, I finally got a new headshot in 2018!
 



Bart King
Founder & Principal
New Growth Communications
706-340-3140

Book Development & Editing

Client:
InVisionApp

Industry:
Software Design

Challenge:
Support a large and growing online community of designers with high-quality online content.

What We Did:

Provided development and copyediting for a 25,000-word dynamic e-book on enterprise design sprints.

How We Did It:
Building on our experience with other design consultancy clients, we worked closely with author and designer, Richard Banfield. Together we captured lessons and best practices from his experience leading design sprints for clients, as well as numerous interviews he conducted with large enterprises that successfully use the design sprint process.

The first step in our involvement was to develop a concepts outline from the 6,000-word skeleton draft Richard had already drafted. With the ideas plotted, we began identifying holes to be filled and information that needed clarification, anecdotal support or graphic design. We also suggested rearranging chapter subsections to improve the overall flow of the book and even out chapter lengths. Next we supported the author in adding the needed level of detail to elevate the concepts outline to a writing outline.

Once Richard began drafting new copy, we provided both development editing and copyediting in tight succession in an effort to meet a relatively short deadline. The first editorial pass typically offered a mixture of clarifying questions and formatting suggestions, as well as copy edits. Then we reviewed each of Richard’s further revisions for clarity, and offered line edits as needed.

Outcomes:
Enterprise Design Sprints went live as a dynamic e-book on InVision’s DesignBetter.co on September 18, 2018. In the first three months alone, it was viewed more than 20,000 times online and downloaded as an epub 10,000 times.

“Bart is a top-notch editor. He took my very loose start to the Enterprise Design Sprints book and gave it a much-needed overhaul,” said Richard Banfield, author, and CEO of design consultancy, Fresh Tilled Soil. “I’ve told Bart this a few times already, but I’ll say it again, working with him made me a better writer. I’ve already recommended him to one of my clients, which is perhaps the best indication of how I feel about his work.”

“It’s obvious Bart knows the writing process inside and out,” said Aarron Walter, VP of Design Education at InVision. “He guided the development and writing of our Enterprise Design Sprints ebook with the kind of assurance that allowed me and my team to focus on production and promotion without any worries about the text.”

Can Ghostwriting Really Be Thought Leadership?

by BART KING

As much as 25 percent of the books on the New York Times bestseller list are ghostwritten, by some estimates. And if it’s a memoir by a politician, celebrity or well-known business person, you can definitely bet a ghost writer was involved.

Does that mean the stories and information in those books are made up? No.

It just means the person to whom they belong didn’t have the time (or the skill) to write them down. Instead, the person shared the ideas and anecdotes with a professional writer—often a former journalist—who asked probing questions, determined a compelling narrative structure, and then worked to capture the person’s unique voice on the page.

The same thing is done all the time with short-form writing. Whether it’s a blog post on a company website, or an opinion piece on Forbes.com or GreenBiz, ghostwritten articles are an effective way to increase the visibility of a thought leader or organization, and to generate web traffic and business leads.

But Is It Really Thought Leadership If Someone Else Writes it?

The quality of the ideas put forward is what determines whether or not a piece of writing is thought leadership.

It’s true there are plenty of organizations and individuals out there hiring writers to crank out articles on their behalf, with little or no guidance. They may do it for SEO purposes, or because they want to provide followers with a steady stream of useful or entertaining content. Both are valid strategies, but that’s not the kind of ghostwriting I’m talking about here.

A very small fraction of those ghostwriters may be coming up with original ideas, but the vast majority of them simply research and remix information and ideas that are already in the public domain.

Thought leadership is when a credible expert shares his or her unique opinions or information on the way that something can or should be done. It’s an op-ed on education policy. Or a commentary on best practices for supply chain engagement. Or a letter to the editor about Urban planning and zoning laws.

Whether or not the bylined author typed every word of the article is irrelevant to the purpose and effect of sharing the expertise.

So How Does Ghostwriting Thought Leadership Work?

I find most ghostwriting thought leadership clients fall into one of two categories—sometimes both.

The first is an incredibly busy leader of a business or nonprofit who doesn’t have the time to dedicate to writing. The second is a person who has important information and ideas to share, but doesn’t have the necessary skills, discipline or experience for the writing.

A good ghostwriter customizes the process to fit the client’s need. For the busy leader, this typically means one or more recorded interviews to gather insights and supporting details. In my experience, true leaders usually have enough ideas in their heads at any one time to generate several different articles.

The work of the ghostwriter is often to help determine which ideas are most compelling. That’s another reason why former journalists make good ghostwriters. They often keep up with what’s hot and what isn’t in industry discussions.

After selecting and discussing a topic, the ghostwriter will usually create an outline for the client to revise or approve before writing a first draft. (Shared documents make it easy for clients to make changes or suggest revisions to outlines and drafts.)

While ghostwriters do their best to write in the voice of their clients, the purpose of a first draft in thought leadership writing is primarily to try to capture and present the client’s ideas as accurately as possible. Then, as the client reviews the writing to make sure it correctly represents what they are trying to say, he or she will also make revisions to better reflect how they would say it. 

The complexity of the topic will usually determine how extensive the revision process is and how many drafts need to be bounced back and forth to reach the final version. But on average, a busy client only needs to spend 1-3 hours on the process, while the ghostwriter may spend anywhere from 7-14 hours on a 1,000-word article.

Ghostwriter as Coach or Editor

For the second category of client—the one who lacks writing skills—the ghostwriter serves largely as an editor or coach.

If the client struggles with the blank page, the interviewing, outlining and drafting process is similar to what I described above. But once the ball is rolling, this type of client may have no problem taking over the lead on the drafting process.

Some clients have the exact opposite problem. They spill too many ideas onto the blank page and need help clarifying and supporting a single idea or logical progression of ideas. In this instance, the ghostwriter is actually serving as an editor from the start, chopping away the irrelevant material and structuring what’s left.

Similarly, it’s the ghostwriter’s job to make sure the quality of the final draft is as high as possible. That often means pulling additional examples and anecdotes out of clients to be sure articles are balanced and readable. Or it may mean insisting on a better structure or narrative pacing, or correcting grammar. For my academic clients, who are accustomed to writing academic papers, it means condensing long, dry conclusions into commentaries with enough opinion to appeal to the editors and audiences of mainstream publications.

Lastly, the role of the ghostwriter can be to provide encouragement and accountability. Clients often have good intentions when committing to a writing project, but it’s the first thing pushed aside if things get busy. Friendly reminders and deadline agreements are key to keeping the collaboration moving forward and achieving the client’s goal.

How Does a Ghostwritten Article Get Placed in the Media?

Technically the job of the ghostwriter is complete upon approval of a final draft by the client.

However, thought leadership ghostwriting is sometimes performed as part of a PR contract in which the ghostwriter or a colleague will take responsibility for placing the article in a publication to achieve the client’s publicity goals. (This is yet another reason why former journalists with good media contacts make successful ghostwriters.)

Unless the client already has an in-house PR manager, this is a good arrangement, because in addition to contacts, finding a placement also takes time and experience.

If I’m handling the article placement for a client, we’ll agree on a list of preferred top-tier publications as well as acceptable mid-tier publications. These outlets typically discourage multiple submissions, so we begin pitching the article one-by-one to editors at the top of the list and work our way down. It can easily take up to three weeks to get a response from a single publication.

Competition is intense for placement in top-tier publications, which is why we’ll often begin reaching out to editors at the beginning of the ghostwriting process. This sometimes allows us to get feedback on the topics we’re considering and improve the chances we’ll produce something the publication is excited about.

Let’s Wrap This Up

I hope this answered your questions about ghostwriting for thought leadership.

At New Growth Communications we’re passionate about helping clients express their expertise. In bringing our skills and effort to their ideas, we feel we’re helping to make the world a better place.

Strategic Sustainability Communications

Client:
Wrangler

Industry:
Apparel, Sustainability

Challenge:
Establish internal and external sustainability communications for an iconic, American brand.

What We Did:

• Produced first-ever sustainability document

• Benchmarked competitors’ sustainability communications and stakeholder concerns

• Advised, drafted and edited presentation decks

• Produced storyboards and video

• Developed and executed targeted PR campaigns

• Social media management

How We Did It:
In 2015, we began working closely with Wrangler’s first director of sustainability to develop a distinct sustainability story and strategy. As a mature brand belonging to one of the largest apparel companies (VF Corporation), Wrangler had been achieving continual progress on major sustainability issues for many years. However, without a director of sustainability, the brand had done little to communicate these achievements or connect them to brand strategy.

The first step was to uncover and benchmark all relevant sustainability work that had been accomplished to date. New Growth Communications lead fact-finding interviews with numerous managers across operations and HR to piece together a comprehensive picture. We then produced a document that communicated the state of Wrangler’s sustainability work to retail customers and VF leadership. In addition, the document established the brand’s unique sustainability story through four pillars of Americana: Land, People, Industry and Future.

With this foundational work in place, our engagement shifted to supporting near- and mid-term strategic development and media relations. This included regular ideation, research and drafting for internal and external communications, as well as coordination with external partners, media and contractors. 

Outcomes:
The first-ever Wrangler sustainability document was well-received internally and by Wrangler customers. In particular, it significantly strengthened Wrangler’s relationship with Wamart. In addition, the document served as the basis for Wrangler’s first consumer-facing sustainability communications on Wrangler.com in 2016, an achievement that is expected to improve the brand’s standing with several important stakeholder organizations. Wrangler’s forward-looking sustainability strategy continues to take shape and has great potential for creating brand value while improving environmental and industry conditions. In addition, visibility for Wrangler’s sustainability program is growing in the media and at industry events.

"Bart has been invaluable to my work at VF,” said VF Jeanswear director of sustainability, Roian Atwood. "We often have multiple work streams underway together at any one time. He’s the ultimate utility player, capable of benchmarking and advising strategy, developing internal and external communications, and independently managing projects. I trust his objectivity as an outsider to my organization and he has a broad understanding of and exposure to the sustainability field. My work life wouldn’t be the same without him."

Strategic Communications Planning

Client:
Business & Environment Initiative, Harvard Business School

Industry:
Academia, Sustainability

Challenge:
Move important sustainability research out of academia and into industry practitioner communities where it can be utilized.

What We Did:
Develop customized communications plans for BEI faculty members

How We Did It:
Numerous faculty associated with Harvard Business School’s Business & Environment Initiative aim to communicate their research knowledge not just to students, but also to current industry professionals who can put it to immediate use. In order to recommend customized outreach strategies for these faculty, we began by reviewing their major areas of research and benchmarking their non-academic publishing and social media efforts. With coordination and guidance from BEI staff, we interviewed the faculty regarding their goals, willingness to engage in different outreach tactics, and availability to do so. Next we researched and contacted existing channels, influencers and publications that might be useful in achieving the identified communications goals. From there we outlined an assortment of strategic and tactical options that could be completed with the help of on-campus or contract resources. Following feedback from faculty members and BEI staff, we finalized and documented communications plans that included high-level strategic intentions, as well as tactical details such as media contacts and best practices for social-media engagement.

Outcomes:
Some of the outcomes of this strategic work include an invitation to a new advisory role with a major, multi-stakeholder effort on food waste; invitations to contribute to industry publications and newsletters; industry publication of a feature article about an on-campus workshop; establishment of new on-campus relationships in support of BEI; a new content-development initiative; and others.

“Bart’s knowledge of the sustainability space and media relations was invaluable to this project,” said BEI director, Jennifer Nash. “It’s clear he knows the issues and the playing fields, and this allowed him to get up to speed quickly on our faculty expertise and their varied needs. I was impressed by the clarity he brought to the strategic process. Bart’s also delightful to work with, and I look forward to future projects together.”

Website Copywriting

Client:
Biomimicry 3.8

Industry:
Innovation consulting, Sustainability

Challenge:
Design and develop a new website for an internationally renowned consulting firm.

What We Did:

• Audited all existing website content

• Advised on new site structure and flow

• Drafted copy for dozens of new pages, modules and portfolio examples

• Revised existing pages for services, bios and other important content

• Collaborated with web designers and developers

How We Did It:
New Growth Communications worked closely with Biomimicry 3.8’s leadership and in-house graphic designer on the initial phases of this extensive project. We helped organize and develop substantial amounts of web copy and establish preliminary design concepts for the new site. In addition to drafting or revising the majority of the new site copy, we also took the lead on developing portfolio examples from a decade’s worth of Biomimicry 3.8’s work with notable clients like P&G, 7th Generation and Interface. This included interviewing the principals that lead the work and combing through proposals, reports and other collateral for storytelling details that would intrigue visitors to the site. Through careful coordination of shared documents, we shepherded the content through several revisions before uploading both copy and design notes to a team of contract web developers and handing off responsibility to Biomimicry 3.8’s internal project manager.

Outcomes:
Biomimicry 3.8 has a dynamic, new site designed to better enable lead generation and engagement with the growing biomimicry community. They also now have a project portfolio that better represents the scope and impact of their trailblazing work with major clients across an array of sectors.
 

“We’re thrilled with the new site and how it’s shifted our web presence for the better,” said Biomimicry 3.8 Managing Director, Nicole Hagerman Miller. “New Growth’s Bart King played a critical role in getting this project organized and off the ground. We’re grateful for the care and professionalism he’s brought to this and numerous other projects. He clearly understands and appreciates the transformative potential of biomimicry.”

Strategic Plan Writing

Client:
Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, Georgia Institute of Technology

Industry:
Academia, Sustainability

Challenge:
Develop and publish a five-year strategic plan for this research center within the Scheller College of Business.

What We Did:
Provided all writing and editing for the strategic plan document.

How We Did It:
New Growth principal Bart King participated in meetings and activities of the Center’s strategic plan steering committee and provided insight from his work with other sustainability research centers. Following the initial sessions, he worked closely with the Center’s faculty director to draft and revise vision and mission statements for review by the committee. The remaining sections, including history, goals and objectives were developed after reviewing the Center’s existing content for themes, language and voice. These sections were outlined, drafted and revised with the Center’s director via shared documents and phone consultations.

Outcomes:
Graphic design for the document was completed in house and the strategic plan was published in fall 2016, solidifying the Center’s mission and near-term goals, as well as laying an important foundation for thematic focus, program development, and future fundraising.

“Publishing our strategic plan was a major step forward that created alignment within the Center and with the strategic plans of Scheller College,” said Faculty Director and Professor Beril Toktay. “Bart’s responsiveness and nuanced understanding of organizational language were especially important in the success of this effort. He’s been a valuable resource to the Center for several years, and I recommend him highly.”

Thought Leadership Editorial Support

Client:
Azul Seven

Industry:
Design, Biomimicry

Challenge:
Execute a regular content marketing strategy for a busy, design consultancy.

What We Did:
Provided ongoing, personalized editorial support to a diverse team of thought leaders.

How We Did It:
New Growth Communications began working on Azul Seven’s content marketing initiative after the design and innovation firm had already developed a lead-generation strategy with a digital marketing agency. We came in to assist in producing weekly thought-leadership articles targeting specific buyer personas at different stages of the sales process.

Per the strategy, designers at Azul Seven were responsible for publishing on predetermined topics roughly every six weeks. Each designer had a different level of writing skill and drew on New Growth’s editorial support to varying degrees. For some, we provided a sounding board for ideas and effective outlines around which they began drafting. For two non-native English speakers, we provided the initial drafting as well. For others, we simply stepped in at the copyediting stage to help clarify thoughts and polish presentation.

In short, we met the writers where they were and helped them cross the finish line as efficiently and effectively as possible. Our role also included careful management of shared documents, coordinating with Azul Seven’s marketing project manager and urging writers forward, as needed, with friendly reminders.

Outcomes:
Together we completed dozens of articles and case studies highlighting Azul Seven’s expertise in design thinking, biomimicry, digital healthcare design and numerous other SEO-ready topics. Personalized editorial processes and relationships allowed us to respond flexibly to strategic and scheduling demands. Azul Seven’s visibility and reputation grew as a result of publishing regular, high-quality content and helped to create a significant growth opportunity.

"Working with Bart of New Growth Communications has been a breakthrough for us,” says Azul Seven co-founder and CEO, Lisa Helminiak. “We’ve worked with other writers and editors in the past, but none matched his level of professionalism and talent. From pulling ideas onto the blank page to carefully addressing concerns of voice and language, he’s clearly invested in facilitating our thought leadership and copywriting. Our entire team enjoys working with him and his speed and responsiveness have been critical to the launch of our new website and content marketing efforts. Frankly, I’m not sure how we would produce this much content without him.”

Targeted PR Campaign

Client:
Imery Group

Industry:
Green Building

Challenge:
Leverage national recognition to increase regional business opportunities for a custom builder of smart homes.

What We Did:
We began working with Imery Group in 2013, when they built a net-zero energy home in the sustainable planned community of Serenbe, south of Atlanta. We helped attract national attention for that project, and since then Imery Group has continued to build an impressive portfolio of custom green homes around metro Atlanta and in Northeast Georgia. In 2016, we conducted two locally targeted PR campaigns for Imery Group to publicize an open house event for a new Zero Energy Ready Home, as well as an award from the U.S. Department of Energy on another net-zero home.

How We Did It:
Imery Group is one of the only builders in Georgia committed to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home program, and the company has built more of these certified high performance homes than any other builder in the state. That’s the hook we used to attract local and regional press coverage for an open house in the north Metro Atlanta community of Chamblee. We prepared a press release that could be converted easily into a short news article explaining the relatively unknown DOE program and the benefits of a high performance home. A New Growth associated photographer produced a gorgeous collection of images to accompany the press release. Then we carefully selected a small number of regional publications with a high likelihood of covering the story and personally reached out to editors. Several months later, we repeated the process when Imery Group was named a Grand Winner for Innovation in Custom Homes by the Department of Energy.

Outcomes:
In total, we contacted 15 publications, resulting in 12 pieces of news coverage from 11 outlets—a success rate of 80 percent. Coverage included two articles in the Atlanta Journal Constitution (one of which was a feature in their Sunday Homefinder section). More than 100 people showed up for the open house event, and Imery Group said it saw direct results from the press coverage, including eight qualified leads for new-home projects and a 30 percent spike in web traffic.

“Bart is our go-to for media relations planning and execution,” said Imery Group CEO, Luis Imery. “He understands the unique importance of what we do, and he knows how to present it to mainstream media at the right scale. We’ve worked together now for several years, and he continues to impress. Hands down a great investment, and good value overall.”