Becoming a thought leader in your industry requires you establish your credibility over time

If you’ve ever turned on the television only to see your biggest competitor interviewed on a subject in your mutual industry and thought he was lucky to get that gig, you’re probably wrong.

The real answer is that your competitor wasn’t really lucky. He probably hired a public relations agency.

A PR agency can help you establish yourself as a thought-leader through a variety of ongoing opportunities designed to influence others through traditional and social media, industry events and interviews.

Press releases and bylines

In order to establish your credibility, you need to show journalists your company is newsworthy and that you can speak with authority on issues related to your industry. The best way to do this is to write periodic press releases about your company’s events or to offer tips to consumers.

You can also write articles discussing newsworthy issues in your industry from your point of view. These are called bylines. While you do need to clarify your area of expertise, you should step back from your own business agenda and write bylines that speak to a larger issue in your market and not just your company’s approach.

Relationships

A public relations agency has built relationships with members of both the traditional and trade media and knows how to get you in front of the right journalists at the right time.

Once the press releases and bylines are written, they need to appear in an outlet that will help you establish your credibility. If your company has won a prestigious award, your local business news outlets will want to know about your achievement, but if you wrote an article specifically about an issue in your industry, it may be more suitable for a trade publication that caters to your market.

Attend and/or speak at industry events

Put your expertise on the stage. If you have something important to say about your industry, don’t get shy about expressing it. Offer yourself up for speaking gigs at industry conferences or simply attend these events to network. The more people you meet with and talk to, the bigger your influence.

Put your thoughts out on your company’s blog and social media accounts

Writing blog posts and using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media accounts as a sounding board for your expert opinions should be something you do with regularity. Be consistent and focus on issues that are newsworthy and timely.

Your articles and posts should display your command over your subject matter and should approach the subject matter from a unique angle or provide information that cannot be found elsewhere.

Building content should be what you focus on most after the nuts and bolts of your business. Content is king and helps establish you as an expert.

Interviews

To become known as a thought-leader in your industry, you cannot be camera or media shy. You need to be able to give on-camera interviews as necessary when a news event occurs that your expertise can shed light on.

Make yourself available to your local and state media to build a relationship with them and they will call on you often.

Establishing yourself as a thought-leader is not for the faint at heart. It requires some time investment, hard work and patience as you build up a following. It doesn’t happen overnight.

A public relations agency can help you build content, secure speaking engagements for you and even train you how to speak to the media. It’s an on-going process and remains one even when you have reached the pinnacle.