How do you update your engagement strategy with thought leaders?

1 Assess your goals and metrics

Before you reach out to any thought leader, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. Do you want to increase your visibility, generate leads, or create partnerships? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will show your success? How will you track and report them? Having a well-defined goal and metric system will help you align your engagement strategy with your business objectives and evaluate your results.

2 Research your target thought leaders

You can't engage with thought leaders if you don't know who they are, what they care about, and how they communicate. You need to do your homework and find out as much as you can about your target thought leaders. What are their areas of expertise, interests, and values? What are their pain points, challenges, and goals? What platforms, channels, and formats do they use to share their insights and opinions? How do they interact with their followers and peers? What kind of content and messages resonate with them? By researching your target thought leaders, you can tailor your engagement strategy to their preferences and needs.

3 Provide value and relevance

One of the most important principles of engaging with thought leaders is to provide value and relevance. You don't want to be seen as a spammer, a salesperson, or a leech. You want to be seen as a peer, a partner, or a supporter. To do that, you need to offer something that is useful, interesting, or beneficial to them. It could be a piece of content, a resource, a referral, a feedback, a compliment, or a challenge. Whatever it is, it has to be relevant to their goals, problems, or passions. You also have to be authentic, respectful, and transparent in your communication. Don't try to fake it, flatter it, or hide it. Be yourself, be honest, and be clear.

4 Build relationships and trust

Engaging with thought leaders is not a one-time event. It's a long-term process that requires consistent effort and commitment. You need to build relationships and trust with them over time. You can do that by following their work, joining their conversations, supporting their initiatives, and acknowledging their achievements. You can also share your own insights, opinions, and stories that relate to their topics and perspectives. You can also ask for their advice, feedback, or collaboration on your projects or challenges. The key is to show genuine interest, appreciation, and respect for them and their work. You also have to be reliable, responsive, and respectful of their time and boundaries.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?