The term “thought leadership” seems to be everywhere from water cooler conversations, to boardrooms, social platforms, and beyond.

What exactly is it and why does it matter? In this article, we’ll explain the importance of thought leadership and how to best approach it in 2025.

What is Thought Leadership?

Thought leadership is when a subject matter expert speaks on a topic relevant to their expertise. Most often this is done through commentary in a public forum on a current event or trend in the industry.

Providing credible insights in the middle of the conversation in this way helps build trust, awareness, and a following.

If you’re not sure how to do this, don’t worry. There are more methods to amplify your executives’ or company’s voice now than ever before. Read on for what thought leadership looks like in 2025.

The Ins and Outs of Thought Leadership in 2025

Ins:

· Consistency

If content is king, then consistency is queen in the world of thought leadership. Consistency, especially on social media platforms like LinkedIn, is paramount to maintaining favor with algorithms to ensure your content gets seen. With a consistent posting cadence over time, your audience will learn to look to you when a current event or trending topic comes up in your industry.

· Authenticity

Authentic content that feels true to your executive’s or company’s values should be at the core of any thought leadership campaign. When choosing a speaking opportunity or topic to address, always be sure the channel and content is aligned with the key message you want to convey. If you attempt to address atopic outside your area of expertise or passion, your audience will likely recognize the lack of authenticity.

· Personality

Personality is in! As our online platforms become exceedingly saturated, standing out with unique characteristics is more than helpful—it’s necessary. Humanize your content by infusing your personal tone and anecdotes to make it memorable and relatable, giving users a reason to pause their scrolling and engage.

· D2C Sources of Media

‍With the decentralization of media in recent years, audiences consume their news and educational content less from traditional networks and more from new sources such as podcasts, social media, and newsletters.

What does this mean for thought leadership? It highlights the demand for authentic insights. This has created an ideal opportunity for expert executives to connect with niche audiences.

Here are a few of our favorite channels to reach users directly:

LinkedIn

‍Podcasts

Bylines and Council Memberships

Awards and Accolades

Speaking Events

A savvy team of public relations professionals can help identify and secure the best thought leadership opportunities and interviews, ensuring you engage with the right networks.

Outs:

· Waiting to say something unprecedented ‍

One of the obstacles we see clients face with thought leadership campaigns is being overconcerned with providing insight that’s never been said before in the industry. Not only is this nearly impossible to achieve, it’s also unnecessary.

Thought leadership is about your followers and stakeholders hearing your take. They want to know what you think, regardless of if it’s a completely unprecedented thought that’s never been had by others. Think of it less like breaking news and more like sharing a personal opinion.

· Inconsistency

If consistency is in, then it’s no surprise that inconsistency is out. Brainstorm with your marketing or communications team to batch social media content, recycling and reshaping your most successful posts when possible. When it comes to thought leadership, staying top of mind is one of the key components to success.

· Esoteric jargon‍

Keep industry-specific jargon and acronyms to a minimum so new audiences can easily digest your content. This will allow you to expand your network further than if specific knowledge is needed to comprehend what you’re saying.

· Siloed communication with your comms team

‍Last but not least, any successful thought leadership campaign needs coordination with your public relations and marketing team to reach its full potential. Bring them into the conversation early to ensure they’re up to date on your latest networking activity, upcoming plans, and current industry topics. Their job is to take the information already in your mind and turn it into interesting, insightful content. Make their job easier by overcommunicating what you’re working on at the moment.

Ready to position your brand or team as thought leaders in your industry? An experienced public relations team can help you navigate thought leadership opportunities, prepare for interviews, and strategically craft compelling content around your expertise.

Contact us to learn more!

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