---
name: thought-leadership
description: Create thought leadership content that establishes authority and sparks discussion.
---

# Skill: Thought Leadership Content

Create content that establishes authority and shapes industry conversations.

## What Thought Leadership Is

**It is:**
- Original perspective on industry topics
- Insights from real experience
- Forward-looking analysis
- Challenging conventional wisdom
- Connecting dots others miss

**It is not:**
- Restating what everyone knows
- Generic motivational content
- Self-promotion disguised as insight
- Copying trending takes
- Being contrarian for attention

## Thought Leadership Types

### 1. Industry Analysis
Breaking down trends, shifts, and implications.

### 2. Framework/Model
Original way of thinking about a problem.

### 3. Prediction
Where things are heading and why.

### 4. Contrarian Take
Challenging accepted wisdom with evidence.

### 5. Experience Synthesis
Lessons from doing the work, synthesized into insight.

### 6. Connection Piece
Linking seemingly unrelated ideas.

## Content Framework

### The POV Structure

```
[OBSERVATION]
What you're seeing that others might miss

[ANALYSIS]
Why it matters and what it means

[IMPLICATION]
What should change as a result

[ACTION]
What to do about it
```

### The Contrarian Structure

```
[COMMON BELIEF]
What most people think/do

[THE PROBLEM]
Why that's wrong or incomplete

[THE EVIDENCE]
Your experience/data that contradicts

[THE ALTERNATIVE]
What to think/do instead
```

### The Framework Structure

```
[THE PROBLEM]
What needs solving

[WHY EXISTING APPROACHES FAIL]
Gaps in current thinking

[THE NEW MODEL]
Your framework/approach

[HOW TO APPLY IT]
Practical implementation
```

## Topic Selection

### Strong Thought Leadership Topics

✅ Observations from direct experience
✅ Patterns you've noticed across projects
✅ Predictions based on early signals
✅ Connections between disparate ideas
✅ Challenges to status quo with evidence
✅ Frameworks developed from practice

### Weak Thought Leadership Topics

❌ Restating industry basics
❌ Agreeing with popular takes
❌ Speculation without basis
❌ Self-congratulatory case studies
❌ Trend-hopping without original angle
❌ Generic advice everyone gives

## Writing Approach

### Opening Strategies

**The Bold Claim:**
> WordPress is becoming the new legacy software. And most agencies don't see it coming.

**The Observation:**
> Something shifted in how businesses buy websites last year. I've talked to 47 prospects. The pattern is clear.

**The Question:**
> Why do most WordPress speed guides fail? I've been thinking about this for months.

**The Prediction:**
> By 2027, 40% of WordPress sites will run on serverless infrastructure. Here's why.

### Body Development

**Build your argument:**
1. State the insight clearly
2. Provide evidence (data, examples, experience)
3. Acknowledge counterarguments
4. Explain implications
5. Offer actionable takeaway

**Evidence types:**
- Your direct experience (strongest)
- Data and research
- Industry examples
- Expert opinions
- Logical reasoning

### Closing Strategies

**The Challenge:**
> The question isn't whether this will happen. It's whether you'll be ready.

**The Invitation:**
> I'm curious if others are seeing this. What's your experience?

**The Stake:**
> Get this right, and you're ahead by 2 years. Get it wrong, and you're playing catch-up.

## Voice Calibration

### Confident but Not Arrogant

**Arrogant:** "Everyone else is wrong and here's why."
**Confident:** "Here's what I've observed that challenges the common approach."

### Opinionated but Open

**Closed:** "This is the only way to do it."
**Open:** "This is what's working for me. Your context might differ."

### Specific but Accessible

**Too jargon-y:** "The paradigm shift in headless architecture's decoupled infrastructure..."
**Accessible:** "Websites are splitting into two parts: where content lives and how it's displayed."

## Platform Adaptation

### LinkedIn (Long-form)
- 1000-2000 words
- Professional tone
- Clear structure with headers
- Career/business implications

### Twitter/X (Thread)
- 5-15 tweets
- Each tweet standalone value
- Hook tweet critical
- Numbered format

### Substack/Newsletter
- 800-2000 words
- More personal voice
- Can go deeper on nuance
- Direct to engaged audience

### Blog
- 1500-3000 words
- SEO considerations
- Evergreen potential
- Link to supporting content

## Thought Leadership Calendar

### Frequency
- 1-2 substantial pieces per month
- Not about volume
- Quality and originality matter

### Content Mix
- 60% Experience-based insights
- 20% Industry analysis/predictions
- 20% Frameworks/models

### Timeliness
- Respond to industry events quickly
- Evergreen pieces between news cycles
- Update old pieces when relevant

## Building Credibility

### Show Your Work
- Reference specific projects
- Share actual numbers
- Acknowledge failures
- Explain your reasoning

### Consistency
- Same themes over time
- Develop recognizable POV
- Build body of work
- Let positions evolve publicly

### Engagement
- Respond to comments thoughtfully
- Engage with others' ideas
- Credit influences
- Participate in discussions

## Word Count Targets

| Platform | Word Count |
|----------|------------|
| LinkedIn long-form | 1000-2000 words |
| Twitter/X thread | 1500-2500 words (expanded) |
| Substack/Newsletter | 800-2000 words |
| Blog post | 1500-3000 words |

---

## Internal Linking

For blog-based thought leadership:
- Include 3-5 internal links
- Link to supporting evidence/case studies
- Reference previous pieces that build your POV
- Check `./knowledge/published-blog-articles.md`

---

## Image Guidance

Thought leadership content benefits from:

| Image Type | When to Use |
|------------|-------------|
| Framework diagram | When introducing a new model |
| Data visualization | When citing statistics or trends |
| Timeline | For industry analysis pieces |
| Comparison chart | For contrarian takes |

### Syntax

```markdown
[IMAGE: Framework diagram showing the 3-step model]
Alt: [Framework Name] - visual representation of the process
```

---

## Related Patterns

See `_common-patterns.md` for:
- Verdict / Bottom Line pattern (for conclusion)
- Specific Numbers pattern
- Image placement guidance

---

## Quality Checklist

- [ ] Original insight (not restating obvious)
- [ ] Based on real experience/evidence
- [ ] Challenges or extends current thinking
- [ ] Clearly articulated POV
- [ ] Acknowledges nuance/counterpoints
- [ ] Actionable takeaway
- [ ] Appropriate confidence level
- [ ] Image/diagram where it adds value
- [ ] 3-5 internal links (for blog posts)
- [ ] Would experts find this valuable?
- [ ] Would beginners understand it?
- [ ] Would I share this if someone else wrote it?
- [ ] No banned phrases

## Common Mistakes

### Being Contrarian Without Substance
Disagreeing just to stand out, without real evidence or insight.

### Too Self-Promotional
Every "insight" leads back to your product/service.

### Surface-Level Takes
Observations anyone could make with 5 minutes of research.

### No Skin in the Game
Opinions about things you haven't actually done.

### Copying Other Thought Leaders
Your POV should come from YOUR experience.

## Example Templates

### Industry Analysis Piece

```markdown
# [Trend/Shift]: What It Means for [Audience]

[Opening observation with specific data point]

Over the past [time], I've [done what]. Here's what I'm seeing:

## The Shift

[Describe what's changing]

## Why It's Happening

[2-3 driving factors]

## What Most People Miss

[Your unique insight]

## What This Means for You

[Practical implications]

## What to Do About It

[Specific actions]

---

[Closing thought/question]
```

### Framework Piece

```markdown
# The [Name] Framework: [What It Solves]

[Problem statement]

After [experience], I developed a simple framework:

## The [Name] Framework

[Visual or simple explanation]

### Element 1: [Name]
[Explanation + example]

### Element 2: [Name]
[Explanation + example]

### Element 3: [Name]
[Explanation + example]

## How to Apply It

[Step-by-step guidance]

## When It Works Best

[Ideal conditions]

## When It Doesn't Work

[Limitations - shows honesty]

---

[CTA or question]
```
