INSIGHTS
Listen up! We have all kinds of opinions about how to do this stuff right. No ranting — we promise.
Ghostwriters for thought leadership? Nothing scary about that!
Done right, using a ghostwriter for thought leadership actually mitigates risk for the companies that create it.
Why Great Thought Leadership Isn’t About The Clever Words
I want to kill off the myth that all it takes is a great writer to create killer strategic content for businesses. The truth is, you could hire the world’s best writer from any era and they would probably fail in our line of work.
What Makes You Think Your White Paper Is Any Good?
After months of debate and discussion, your big new white paper is out. But is it really any good? How will you know? Hint: scorecards.
The Art of Story Telling
Ever sit in on a presentation as you strain to read the small font delivered in a Tolstoyan-length PowerPoint, where each chart is packed with information? And then somewhere in the middle … you start thinking about lunch. You’re done!
No, Let’s Keep Saying “Thought Leadership”
A week or so ago, I reposted a pointed critique of the term “thought leadership.” Then I realized I’d become part of the howling mob.
A lesson in how not to write thought leadership
It’s surprisingly easy to slip into promising something and not quite delivering, to become overly focused on the firm’s approach or methodology, or to create something that doesn’t have a strong engaging story.
Content Creation: 4 Reasons Why You Need a Fox, Not a Hedgehog
The British philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin created a stir in 1953 when he published an essay that classified various writers as either foxes—generalists, able to leap nimbly from one realm of knowledge to …
How PowerPoint is wrecking your thought leadership
You’ve seen them: papers that start out with a tantalizing headline and opening text that really grabs you in anticipation of learning something great. And then you get to the first chart [sound of screeching tires].
Q: If you’re blogging, are you a thought leader? (A: maybe not)
These days, it seems like more and more professional services firms are turning to blogs as their preferred expression of thought leadership. That’s a mistake.