Thought Leadership for Newsletter Creators

How can you create compelling content in a world where information has become not just a commodity, but a nuisance?

People open their inboxes every morning and slog through piles of messages, hoping to delete most of them without opening them. A Google search on any topic can instantly locate hundreds of thousands of results — way more information than anyone needs or could ever wade through.

Now the world is fascinated with AI, which can produce thousands of words on any topic in seconds.

If you want your readers to look forward to your email newsletters, simply producing content won't cut it. You've got to give them thought leadership.

What is Thought Leadership?

Thought leadership refers to an individual or organization that offers a unique perspective and thought-provoking ideas on a particular topic. A thought leader influences the thought process of their audience by challenging conventional wisdom and offering a unique point of view. Thought leaders are valued for their fresh insight, strong opinions, and "out of the box" thinking.

So, for example, an ordinary travel newsletter might cover destinations, packing tips, and advice for traveling on a budget — information that already exists in numerous places. However, a thought leader in the travel space might cover those same topics from a unique point of view, such as how to travel ethically to those destinations, or how a traveler can connect more deeply with locals and experience the culture in profound ways.

Another example of thought leadership might be a financial newsletter written by an economist who knows how to cut through the usual noise and read the trends.

Thought leadership has revolutionized industries and created trends. Consider what Steve Jobs, Anthony Bourdain, and Neil Patel brought to the worlds of computing, food journalism, and SEO strategy in their times.

How Do You Develop a Thought Leadership Strategy?

Your thought leadership strategy should bring creative thinking to your industry from a unique perspective.

Anyone — including AI — can compile resources and create content around a subject. But thought leaders bring their own theories and ideas to a topic and create content that doesn't already exist. Or, they cover the same topics as everyone else from a unique angle.

The first step is simply to shift your self-image. As you raise your expectations from 'content creator' to 'thought leader,' you'll be stepping onto a path that many of your competitors cannot follow.

To refine your image of yourself as a thought leader, you'll need to define what sets your point of view apart from others in your industry. Ask yourself questions like:

• What firmly held values does my point of view reflect?

• What unique (perhaps unrelated) experiences do I bring to this topic?

• What ideas have I been holding back because they don't fit the status quo?

• What thought-provoking ideas can I offer my audience?

• How do I see the future of my industry evolving?

• What is the type of content that only I can offer?

Once you've captured your point of view in broad strokes, allow a little time for your brain to digest your ideas and uncover the thought leader who lives within you. Keep a journal and jot down ideas as they come to you.

Allow the full picture of yourself as a thought leader to unfold over several weeks. Then, when you feel like you understand the unique perspective you’re bringing to your industry, try to distill it into a short tagline (even if you’ll never share it publicly).

Even after you’ve distilled and captured your point of view as a thought leader, expect it to continue evolving for the rest of your life.

How Do You Create Content as a Thought Leader?

First, you have to abandon the mindset of a thought follower.

It's a common practice for creators to sit down with a list of well-researched keywords, assemble the top resources on those keywords, and compile them. But that process just creates more of the same noise that already exists in the world.

In order to become a thought leader, you'll need to do things differently.

First, you’ll need to create space to have original thoughts. There's a reason our best ideas tend to come when we step away from our computers to take a shower or a walk. When we're sitting at the computer, our brains are so busy processing information that there's no mental space for developing unique ideas with all that incoming data.

If you want to think creatively, you'll need to build rhythms into your life that give you space away from all that input. For example, a daily routine that includes time for journaling, walking, yoga, or meditation will help you develop your abilities to philosophize and think creatively.

Also, allow time to read books, listen to podcasts, and share ideas with people who inspire you. Don't confine these activities to your industry — the best ideas come from synergistic thinking across disciplines.

When you sit down to write, you can still use keyword research to select your topic matter, but don’t start writing as soon as you’ve read the background material. Instead, give yourself time to ponder the topic until you come up with an angle that only you can write.

Write your post from your own thoughts, consulting your research material only to back up your ideas with facts and figures.

After — and only after — you've finished your post, you might want to look at your competitors' material to see if you need to close any gaps in your thinking and ensure your point of view is unique.

Is Thought Leadership a Marketing Strategy?

Thought leadership can absolutely be a powerful marketing tool.

Thought leaders are skilled at creating content that drives engagement — and when thought leaders recommend products or services, it gives those brands a much greater level of credibility.

That said, thought leadership is more than just a shallow marketing tool. Instead, it's about creating genuinely thought-provoking content that adds real value to its readers and thoughtfully engages them in an ongoing dialogue.

Some of the best examples of thought leadership marketing for email include:

• Creating industry trend predictions

• Compiling original data via surveys, studies, or experiments

• Hosting thought-provoking webinars or podcasts

• Giving insights into how different parts of your industry fit into the world

• Interviewing other thought leaders and asking original questions

Putting Thought Leadership in Action

Thought leadership as an email newsletter publisher is about providing unique insight and thought-provoking ideas that challenge the status quo.

As you can see, thought leadership requires you to do much more than just read and regurgitate material. You'll need to develop your capacity for creative thinking, and you'll need to bring a higher level of experience in your industry than the average creator.

Start by thinking of yourself as a thought leader instead of a content creator. It’s a profoundly rewarding shift. Not only will you be producing content that readers find engaging and irresistible — you'll also be driving conversations in your industry in new directions.