Why You Should Add Thought Leadership to Your PR Strategy
(The following post is the first part of a two-part series. Part II will cover how to incorporate thought leadership into your PR strategy.)
In an environment of shrinking newsrooms, rapid change and shifting perceptions, it has never been more essential for PR professionals to prove their value. Adding thought leadership, such as guest columns, LinkedIn articles and op-eds, to your PR strategy is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate your value to media outlets and spotlight your clients’ expertise for existing and new customers.
Here are three reasons to consider adding thought leadership to your PR strategy:
1. Thought leadership builds trust
The foundation of effective PR is built on establishing relationships with media outlets by providing useful news, information and insight that media outlets and their audiences can trust. Because it is intended to educate and inform, not sell, good thought leadership builds trust between PR professionals and media outlets and between businesses and their existing or potential new customers.
A 2024 survey by LinkedIn and Edelman of more than 3,000 business executives found that roughly three-quarters of decision-makers said they trusted thought leadership more than other marketing materials.
2. Thought leadership creates preference
Effective PR creates awareness and preference for a brand. As more and more prospective customers research products and services online, thought leadership can have a direct impact on consideration because it helps them assess a brand’s capabilities and evaluate its competencies.
According to the survey, 7 in 10 executives said they think more of solution providers that consistently produce high-quality thought leadership. More than half (54%) said a brand that consistently produces high-quality thought-leadership content has prompted them to research the organization’s offers or capabilities, and 75% said thought leadership led them to research a product or service they were not previously considering.
3. Thought leadership retains existing customers and obtains new ones
Our clients always need to attract new business, and they cannot afford to lose existing customers to their competitors. Thought leadership can change customers’ perspective. It can reinforce their confidence and trust in an existing relationship or inspire them to re-evaluate and consider a competitor.
According to the survey, 70% of C-suite leaders said thought leadership had at least occasionally led them to question whether they should continue working with an existing company. More than half (54%) said thought leadership made them realize there were other companies they could work with that had a better understanding of their challenges. A quarter (25%) said thought leadership led them to end or significantly reduce a current business relationship.
In an environment where newsrooms are shrinking and the few journalists who remain are asked to do more with less, many outlets are increasingly relying on guest articles and other bylined content. PR professionals can serve their clients and strengthen their relationships with both prospective customers and editors/reporters by providing well-crafted pieces their audience wants to read.
