Thought Leadership Content Strategy

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP POSITIONING

Topic Ownership Framework

TOPIC OWNERSHIP WORKSHEET

STEP 1: IDENTIFY CANDIDATE TOPICS
List topics where you have:
• Deep expertise: _______________
• Unique perspective: _______________
• Proof/credentials: _______________
• Audience need: _______________

STEP 2: EVALUATE OWNERSHIP POTENTIAL
For each topic, score 1-5:

TOPIC: _______________
Differentiation (vs. competitors talking about this): _____
Credibility (do we have proof/expertise?): _____
Relevance (does our audience care?): _____
Longevity (will this matter in 2+ years?): _____
Linkage (does it connect to our business?): _____
TOTAL: _____/25

STEP 3: SELECT PRIMARY TOPIC
Primary topic to own: _______________
Why we can own it: _______________
What competitors can't say: _______________

POV Development

Element	Question to Answer	Your POV
The Problem	What's broken in the industry?
The Conventional Wisdom	What does everyone believe?
Your Contrarian View	Why is the CW wrong?
Your Solution	What's the better approach?
The Evidence	What proves you're right?
The Future	Where is this heading?

Differentiation Matrix

Company	Their POV	Our Differentiation
Competitor A	[Their message]	[How we differ]
Competitor B	[Their message]	[How we differ]
Competitor C	[Their message]	[How we differ]

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CONTENT ARCHITECTURE

Flagship Content Pieces

Content Type	Frequency	Purpose	Example
Annual Report/Study	Yearly	Define the conversation	"State of [Industry] Report"
Signature Framework	One-time + updates	Establish methodology	"The [Name] Model"
Prediction Piece	Yearly	Show vision	"X Trends for [Year]"

Supporting Content

Content Type	Frequency	Purpose	Derived From
Bylines	Monthly	Reach new audiences	Flagship themes
Blog posts	Weekly	SEO, depth	Any pillar
Social posts	Daily	Reach, engagement	All content
Podcast appearances	Monthly	Relationship, depth	Key topics
Webinars	Quarterly	Lead gen, depth	Flagship content

Repurposing Strategy

CONTENT REPURPOSING WATERFALL

FLAGSHIP CONTENT (e.g., Annual Report)
    ↓
├── Executive Summary (ungated)
├── Full Report (gated)
├── Infographic
├── Press Release
├── Data Visualizations
    ↓
├── 3-5 Blog Posts (one per key finding)
├── 2-3 Bylines for external publications
├── Webinar presenting findings
├── Podcast talking points
    ↓
├── 20+ Social Posts (stats, quotes, insights)
├── Email Newsletter content
├── Sales presentation slides
├── Customer presentation content
    ↓
└── Evergreen reference content
    (update annually)

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CONTENT TYPES & TEMPLATES

Original Research

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PLANNING

RESEARCH QUESTION:
What do we want to prove/explore?
_______________

METHODOLOGY:
☐ Survey (Sample: _____, Method: _____)
☐ Data analysis (Source: _____)
☐ Expert interviews (Number: _____)
☐ Other: _____

KEY HYPOTHESES:
1. _______________
2. _______________
3. _______________

OUTPUT FORMAT:
☐ Full report
☐ Executive summary
☐ Infographic
☐ Press release

DISTRIBUTION PLAN:
• Exclusive to: _______________
• Embargo date: _______________
• Amplification: _______________

Industry Commentary Structure

COMMENTARY TEMPLATE

THE NEWS/TREND:
[What happened or is happening - 1-2 sentences]

THE CONVENTIONAL TAKE:
[What most people are saying - 1 sentence]

YOUR POV:
[Your unique perspective - 2-3 sentences]

THE EVIDENCE:
[Data, examples, or reasoning - 1-2 sentences]

THE IMPLICATION:
[What this means for the audience - 1-2 sentences]

THE CALL TO ACTION:
[What should readers think/do - 1 sentence]

Prediction Piece Structure

PREDICTIONS TEMPLATE

INTRODUCTION:
[Set up the context, establish credibility - 1 paragraph]

PREDICTION 1: [BOLD CLAIM]
• What we're predicting: [Specific statement]
• Why it will happen: [Reasoning/evidence]
• What it means: [Implication for reader]

PREDICTION 2: [BOLD CLAIM]
[Same structure]

...

CONCLUSION:
[Summary and call to action - 1 paragraph]

NOTE: Include at least one contrarian prediction that
challenges conventional wisdom.

Contrarian Take Structure

CONTRARIAN CONTENT TEMPLATE

THE ACCEPTED TRUTH:
"Everyone believes [common belief]. The data/evidence
seems to support this: [brief support]."

THE PROBLEM WITH THIS VIEW:
"But this misses [critical factor]. Here's what's actually
happening: [contrarian observation]."

THE EVIDENCE:
"[Data point 1]. [Data point 2]. [Example]."

THE BETTER FRAME:
"Instead of [old way], we should think about [new way].
Here's why: [reasoning]."

THE CALL TO ACTION:
"This means [specific implication]. The companies that
understand this will [benefit]."

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DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY

Owned Channels

Channel	Content Type	Frequency	Goal
Blog	Long-form, SEO	2-4x/month	Traffic, authority
Newsletter	Curated + original	Weekly/bi-weekly	Relationship, engagement
LinkedIn Company	All content	3-5x/week	Reach, awareness
Executive LinkedIn	POV, personal	3-5x/week	Authority, reach
YouTube/Video	Tutorials, talks	1-2x/month	Depth, reach

Earned Media Integration

Thought Leadership Asset	Earned Media Application
Original research	Press release, media pitch
Predictions	Expert commentary opportunities
Contrarian POV	Op-ed/byline pitches
Framework	Speaking abstracts

Speaking Integration

Content	Speaking Application
Annual report	Keynote presentation
Framework	Workshop session
Predictions	Panel talking points
Case studies	Customer track sessions

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MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORK

Thought Leadership Metrics

Metric	Definition	Target
Share of Voice	% of topic coverage vs. competitors	>X%
Inbound Requests	Media/speaking requests received	X/month
Content Performance	Engagement on thought leadership pieces	X% above average
Attribution	Deals influenced by thought leadership	X% of pipeline

Quarterly Review Template

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY REVIEW

CONTENT PRODUCED:
• Flagship pieces: _____
• Bylines published: _____
• Blog posts: _____
• Speaking engagements: _____

DISTRIBUTION RESULTS:
• Total reach: _____
• Engagement rate: _____
• Backlinks earned: _____
• Media mentions: _____

BUSINESS IMPACT:
• Inbound media requests: _____
• Speaking invitations: _____
• Leads attributed: _____
• Deals influenced: _____

COMPETITIVE POSITION:
• Share of voice: _____% (change: _____)
• Key wins vs. competitors: _____

NEXT QUARTER PRIORITIES:
1. _____
2. _____
3. _____

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