If You're Selling In Your Story, It's Not Thought Leadership

"Thought leadership is not marketing. It's not PR. And it's definitely not sales copy. Yet, far too often, companies blur the lines-using the space of thought leadership to tout products, overstate credentials, or sneak in promotional messages. Let's be clear: If you're selling in your story, it's not thought leadership. It's marketing. And while there's nothing wrong with marketing-it has its vital place in the sales funnel-thought leadership operates on a different plane altogether. It's a long game. A trust builder."

"Thought leadership writing is service writing. It's born out of a desire to give generously of your expertise, shed light on unspoken challenges and offer fresh ways of seeing and solving them. It's a fundamentally altruistic act-with strategic intent. When done well, thought leadership positions you as a guide-an idea sherpa-who walks beside your reader, helping them navigate complex terrain. You build trust by illuminating problems, offering insight, and giving away a slice of your intellectual property."

Thought leadership has commercial intent but must avoid overt marketing, PR, or sales copy. The primary purpose is to serve readers, not to sell products or services. Effective thought leadership builds long-term trust and opens relationships by illuminating problems, offering insight, and sharing expertise. It functions as service writing: generous, audience-centric, and strategically intended to shed light on unspoken challenges and provide fresh solutions. When executed well, it positions the writer as a guide who helps readers navigate complexity and often generates inbound interest as a consequence. Understanding readers' known and unknown struggles is essential before writing.

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