Content pillars are not a revolutionary concept. Whether we’re posting on Instagram, creating blog content for Pinterest, or mapping out a new podcast, content pillars are a longstanding method to help you organize your content, structure future content, and give your audience some idea of what to expect from you. Today we are going to talk about 5 pillars of thought leadership content.
When it comes to creating thought leadership content on LinkedIn, something freaky happens.
People panic. They freeze up and don’t post anything at all, or they only post their salesiest and most promo heavy content – which like, nobody wants to see, and then they get discouraged and stop posting all together. Maybe this happens for other platforms too, but we see it most often on LinkedIn.
But all this panic is for nothing because LinkedIn has content pillars too – they’re just a little bit different.
When I break down my favorite pieces of thought leadership content on LinkedIn, they fall into 5 main categories. Inspirational, educational, sales, engaging, and personification. There is a lot of overlap between each of these categories. Most posts will fall into more than one category. If you center each post around a specific pillar, you’ll cover all the major categories. Plus, you’ll have your network wrapped around your finger!
5 Pillars of Thought Leadership Content
Pillar #1 – Inspire
Inspirational content is probably the most commonly thought of type of thought leadership content on LinkedIn. This type of content is supposed to help your network see what’s possible if only they follow your method, don’t give up, believe in themselves, etc. If you ask me, a lot of “inspirational” content on LinkedIn is kind of gross, exploitative, and reeks of privilege. Definitely check yourself when writing this type of content.
Pillar #2 – Educate
Educational content is some of my favorite content! When creating a thought leadership strategy, this is your opportunity to show your audience that you know your stuff. Whether you have a great understanding of a difficult concept and know the perfect way to explain it to your network, or you have a new piece of information that everyone must know, educational content is a key part of creating a thought leadership strategy that actually provides value to your network instead of just tooting your own horn.
Pillar #3 – Sell
Sometimes – not always but sometimes – you can include sales related content in your thought leadership strategy. It’s not as obvious as you might instinctually believe. When we create thought leadership content designed to sell, it’s less about “Here is my offer, here is why you need my offer, buy my offer.” It should be about putting your audience in the position to wish that they had more access to your expertise (aka your offer).
Posts in the “sell” pillar of thought leadership content can:
- Illustrate how your offer helped another client solve a problem, inspire them to think about what their life or business could look like with your offer – or without your offer
- Highlight how your offer poses a unique solution to a common (or niche!) problem in your industry.
These posts can include a link to your offer. They don’t have to (and shouldn’t always). You want to sell your audience on the idea of your offer, so you don’t necessarily need to shove it down their throat.
Pillar #4 – Engage
LinkedIn L O V E S engagement. Even though all of your posts should have some type of call to action or engaging element in them, we’ve created an entire pillar designed solely around sparking engagement among your audience. How can we spark engagement? There are a few different approaches:
- First we have Polls. Polls are really big on LinkedIn right now and are a super easy way to drive engagement. Polls should be well constructed with enough answers for great engagement.
- CTA – ask your network to engage! While I personally think “like if you agree” is a little dumb – it is effective. You can also ask for comments or ask a question that will inspire readers.
- Get *spicy* – who doesn’t love a hot take? Controversial posts that spark (lighthearted) disagreement are a third great way to get engagement
Pillar #5 – Personify
Finally we have personal posts. These don’t have to be diving into the details of your personal life. They should include little tidbits that showcase your personality and endear you to your audience. Things like behind the scenes photos, pictures of your coworkers (pets) or funny anecdotes that humanize you are all great ways to fill the personification filter without oversharing and making yourself (or your audience) uncomfortable.
5 Pillars of Thought Leadership Content – Want More?
If you’re ready to make a name for yourself as a thought leader on LinkedIn by logging on, sharing your genius, and just basking in the glow of your newfound visibility- Thought Leaders Collective is the place for you!
You’ll get weekly LinkedIn prompts, access to our supportive Slack community, weekly co-working opportunities and much much more! Check it out and join us inside here!
