IT thought leadership is one of the best ways tech companies can consistently set themselves apart from their competition, attract investment and talent, and influence industry-wide change.
Because of this, the number of founders and CEOs looking to become thought leaders has skyrocketed in recent years.
But while this has been positive for the industry by humanising companies and driving innovation, at the same time, it has become significantly tough for new voices to break through.
There is a host of overdone, unoriginal commentary on trends like AI, while genuinely fresh perspectives struggle to stand out in a crowded space.
In this article, we'll explore actionable strategies and key topics to help executives rise above the noise and establish themselves among the best IT thought leaders. Let's dive in.
The very best IT thought leaders are often more recognisable, followed, and influential than the companies they lead.
Audiences feel a deeper connection with them. They seem more trustworthy, are knowledgeable, inspire, and entertain.
But unlike their peers, these thought leaders haven’t just stepped into the spotlight. They’ve thrived on making bold predictions and hot takes that turn heads.
Usually, they will own a specific niche, challenge conventional wisdom, and consistently deliver insights that drive action.
They never rehash the ideas of others for likes and follows.
It’s precisely for this reason that a quick Google of their name will show numerous publications that have covered their ideas, cementing their reputation as credible authorities in their field.
Becoming an IT thought leader doesn’t happen overnight. It takes both commitment and patience.
Initially, you need to consider your campaign's objectives. Otherwise, your messaging will never be aligned.
Is your tech firm looking to hire?
Are you looking to attract investment?
Do you want to influence future policy?
Then, think about the topics you want to speak about across different channels to achieve your objectives.
In the case of attracting the very best talent, you might discuss how your startup specifically hires in-house to assess candidates comprehensively rather than solely focusing on their qualifications.
This might help you set yourself apart as a forward-thinking business and attract employees who are motivated to perform well for your company for the long term.
You should also be aware of several other things.
Show enthusiasm and energy. This will ensure that you’re both engaging and genuine.
Stick to your expertise. Avoid straying into arguments that you can’t defend.
Back up statements with relevant data. IT is a rapidly shifting field, you need to stay ahead of the curve.
Ensure your company reflects your views. Audiences will see through your empty statements.
These are the fundamentals that any aspiring IT thought leader must follow.
Now, it might seem like you only need to say the right thing, and your thought leadership will instantly have a positive impact on your company’s reputation and bottom line.
But what’s more important is how you present your ideas.
On one hand, your thought leadership obviously needs to be well-written and punchy. But more importantly, you need to inject some personality.
This is what will give your content much-needed colour and distinguish you from the many other talking heads who have been prompted to speak about XYZ by their comms team.
As a case in point, consider using anecdotes. A good founder story or life lesson will help you ground your thought leadership.
Anecdotes will also help you unpack your ideas in a more digestible and relatable format for audiences that might be unfamiliar with complex IT topics.
Plus, the more you reflect on your past within your writing, you’ll get into the habit of using storytelling as a device during events and tough media interviews, calming you, so you always speak with confidence.
Think of media and social media debate as waves. Each one changes in volatility with time, never staying the same.
Without finding the right, unique angle, you're never going to have any influence.
Right now, the competition for thought leadership is so rife that no matter how good your insights are, you won’t generate engagement if your views aren’t timely.
This means that you need to dedicate a lot of time to media and social media monitoring.
Regularly read media titles to find opportunities for commentary.
Consider Google keyword research to look at what topics are trending.
Actively follow a range of journalists to stay engaged with their content.
Follow other thought leaders for inspiration.
With all these bases covered, you’ll be able to identify gaps in knowledge and regularly react with an intervention.
While it's often best to go against the grain, don’t be controversial for the sake of it. Always ensure what you say will add constructive value to the current conversation.
Though expressing your views on social media might seem straightforward, to reach the media, you’ll need a pitch.
A media pitch is what you’ll use to convince IT journalists to write about you.
Within it, you’ll highlight your experience and company biography within the body of an email and touch upon the various issues you want to speak about.
Our advice is to keep your pitches as short and punchy as possible with bullet points and short sentences rather than trying to sell your ideas within a heartfelt letter.
Ensure that you lead with a strong subject line and go above and beyond with relevant data, links, photographs, and a call to action such as an in-person interview, an invite to a roundtable, or a request to write an opinion article.
Journalists tend to be very short on time and receive hundreds of pitches daily. If yours doesn’t captivate them within ten seconds, it will likely end up in their bin.
If this happens on numerous occasions, expect your email to be blocked. It’s as simple as that.
If you’re pitching to multiple journalists just make sure that you cater your email to each journalist individually. Briefly reference their work to show why your pitch is relevant.
Sometimes you can expect to receive a reply within days. On other occasions, you might receive a response within minutes.
This will depend on various factors, such as the quality of your pitch or whether the journalist was simply busy.
In the instance that you wait numerous days for a response, be polite and considerate when sending a follow-up email. You neither want to appear desperate nor irritate the journalist.
You can follow up twice. But no more.
When you receive a positive reply from a journalist as a validation of your good work, you need to make the most of the opportunity you're given.
The bigger hitters like Fast Company and Bloomberg don't come around very often. So, like all tests in life, the more preparation you put in, the better the outcome.
Research the journalist to understand their interests and body of work thoroughly.
Note and memorise the main points that you want to hammer home.
Draft several questions the journalist might ask.
Stay up-to-date with any recent developments concerning the issues you want to address.
Usually, these are fundamentals a professional comms team will brief you on. But you can undertake this preparation yourself.
That said, media training, involving improving your body language, knowing how to handle pressure, and understanding how different media outlets operate is something comms experts will always be best at.
It’s what the best entrepreneurs, like Elon Musk and Richard Branson, have invested in throughout their careers. You wouldn't notice this today, given how self-assured they are.
While media engagement is often the most desirable thought leadership channel, most of your content should be shared on social media.
It’s the most accessible way to regularly reach a large audience and must be held in high regard, particularly LinkedIn, the most effective IT thought leadership platform.
With this in mind, to perform well on LinkedIn, it's crucial that you master how its algorithms work. This will determine how many users see your posts and whether they go viral.
Though you can’t cheat LinkedIn's algorithm, you can abide by its rules as best as possible. So, here are some key tips.
Write longer yet succinct posts that hold the attention of your connections, with bullets, emojis, and multimedia.
Focus on connecting with those who share interests with you. LinkedIn’s algorithms prioritises content its users like.
Use trending keywords to help people find your content and improve your visibility.
Don’t stray too far from topics you are qualified to speak about. Otherwise, LinkedIn will punish your posts.
Avoid making grammatical and punctual errors. Don't use multiple links and hashtags.
Post consistently. At least once a week, so your engagement snowballs.
With these very basic principles, you can improve your LinkedIn performance significantly.
Undertaking an IT thought leadership campaign for the first time often leads to many rash decisions it would take a whole other article to name. But if we were to name the most common, these would be it.
Firstly, always ensure you update your online profile before launching a campaign. This means listing your credentials and recent achievements across all social pages and websites, using professionally shot videos and photography.
First impressions are everything. You don't want to risk burning bridges with journalists and online followers before they’ve got to know what you’re really about.
Secondly, stay patient and avoid looking for shortcuts, such as purchasing LinkedIn followers or paid articles.
Getting into the habit of this won't only cost you a fortune but risks damaging your reputation and undermining authentic engagement.
Thought leadership can take a long while to see results. You may even need to revisit your strategy numerous times. But once everything clicks, engagement will come naturally, and you'll regularly benefit from opportunities to share your ideas.
Lastly, carefully consider if thought leadership is right for you if there's negative coverage about you or your company online, even if you were not directly responsible.
In such a case, journalists won’t be interested in your thought leadership but in your company’s misdeeds.
Almost every company no matter how successful they are will face a crisis once in their lifetime.
Of course, during an organisational crisis, it is often best to stay out of the spotlight, minimise public attention, and prioritise transparency.
But when a crisis is systemic, you should always confront the issue head and set a precedent for the rest of your industry.
Taking on responsibility will distinguish you from others who use thought leadership superficially.
You can also highlight how your company has innovated to become more resilient, such as investing in new cybersecurity software to defend your firm.
You might influence future policy to better protect your industry from future crises.
You’ll also reinvigorate your workforce, directly improving your company's productivity.
With so many benefits, leaders only disservice themselves and their company by staying quiet.
2025 is bound to be a huge year for IT thought leadership.
AI will continue to be a driving force behind innovation, cybersecurity will be increasingly important, and a rise in organisational change will be influenced by net-zero obligations.
At the same time, with the US and the UK, having now changed governance, we're bound to see a range of new policies and regulations that will impact the biggest of corporates right to the smallest of startups.
Essentially, leaders are spoilt for topics to speak about to guide their peers, foster innovation and resilience, and build their personal brand.
As long as you take thought leadership seriously, show commitment, and have sensible expectations, you'll be on track to become one of the very best within the IT industry.