You have a groundbreaking thought leadership vision. How can you get industry influencers to listen?
To make your thought leadership vision stand out, you need a blend of strategy, networking, and persistence. Consider these steps to get influencers on board:
What's your experience with getting influencers to notice your ideas?
You have a groundbreaking thought leadership vision. How can you get industry influencers to listen?
To make your thought leadership vision stand out, you need a blend of strategy, networking, and persistence. Consider these steps to get influencers on board:
What's your experience with getting influencers to notice your ideas?
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To stand out as a thought leader, focus on bold, viral-worthy ideas and building genuine relationships. When I wanted to connect with busy, highly successful thought leaders and influencers, I didn’t pitch—I asked, “How can I help?” and offered real value. Here’s what works: 1. Compelling ideas: They notice fresh, impactful concepts. 2. Proactive value: Show, don’t tell—help them in a way that matters. 3. Public sharing: Consistently post ideas to build credibility and attract attention. Strong ideas and genuine value are the key to getting noticed.
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Let me split the question: Getting the attention of leaders who are peers in your field is relatively easy if you are sufficiently persistent and distinctive in your content and tone of voice. Getting the attention of the C-suite is another ballgame. It is not merely a function of great and logical content. It requires either strong personal relationships with C-suite leaders, or an ability to mobilize peers to share your content with their C-suite leaders. In my field, communication, C-suite leaders rarely pay attention to communicators on LinkedIn or comms industry publications or podcasts. So strong relationships or peer referrals are crucial to breaking through.
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From having twelve gold teeth as a teenager to smiling at the steps of Air Force 1, most would say that such transformation is not possible. To inspire industry influencers, I believe in showing them what’s possible. My philosophy is to create leaders who plant seeds of growth within their organizations—even if they never benefit from the trees’ shade. Every step of my journey, from a challenging start on the streets of Atlanta to serving in the White House, was guided by selfless leaders who saw "people" as the true drivers of success, not just tools for a goal. By putting people first, you build a foundation of trust and legacy that resonates with those who can make your vision heard. When you do so, the possibilities are endless.
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I have always believed that authenticity sells better than anything else. Remain authentic to your vision, show true value and you will build advocates who amplify your message. To resonate further with industry influencers, you can create fresh insights, back them with data and use transmedia storytelling across articles, videos, and social media to deepen engagement.
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First and foremost, the vision statement must be compelling, addressing key issues and creating long-term business, environmental, and social impacts. It should be simple, supported by robust data and logic. Once you have a compelling vision statement, start by creating good-quality, insightful content like blog posts, white papers etc. Share this content on social media and engage in relevant discussions. Share at industry events to network and showcase your thoughts. Collaborate with influencers through guest blogging or interviews. Build a strong online presence using professional website and optimized content. Reach out to your friends/influencers directly through personalized messages, offering unique insights and stir conversations.
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Here's how I get industry influencers to notice my ideas: I build genuine, meaningful relationships instead of just pitching. First, I develop unique, data-backed insights that solve real problems. Then, I engage consistently with their content, adding thoughtful value to discussions. I focus on creating high-quality content that complements their work and showcases expertise. Remember: influencers get bombarded with requests daily. Stand out by being genuinely helpful and bringing unique value first. Build credibility through smaller wins, and be patient - meaningful relationships take time. Quality engagement beats quantity every time. Enjoy the journey and be yourself!
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Craft a clear problem statement that highlights the need for purpose-driven leadership and its potential impact on society. Use data, anecdotes, and case studies to illustrate your points. Create programs, workshops, or seminars that invite influencers to participate actively. This hands-on involvement will deepen their commitment to your cause. Reach out to influencers personally, expressing your admiration for their work and sharing your vision. Use social media, networking events, or industry conferences to connect. Be authentic and establish mutual respect and trust.
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In my opinion, to get industry influencers to listen to our groundbreaking thought leadership vision involves a strategic approach by identifying influencers who align with our vision and have a genuine interest in our industry and have the ability to influence their followers. If we develop compelling and insightful content that showcases our vision through whitepapers, videos, or podcasts that provide unique value. By attending conferences, webinars, and other industry events to network in person, this helps in making direct connection with influencers to discuss how our vision can benefit their audience by providing exclusive insights on how a shared collaboration can develop a mutual win-win outcome for the larger audience.
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The terms Thought leadership and influencers are recent phenomenons which has elevated a certain group of people who somehow became the voice of their space. In my experience, many of these people are not actively practicing their trade but speaking ideas versus actual practice. The way we get influencers to listen is to get the community of professionals involved in sharing their ideas, their best practices and more than anything allow them to give their voice! I speak at conferences/ webinars, most of my presentations end with, encouraging others to share their experiences because many of us have great ideas, but are intimidated or not had the opportunity to share. If you have something to share, please use your voice!
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