The Ultimate Guide to True Thought Leaders

Public relations, PR, thought leader: Pathways to Influence

Everybody wants it, but few are willing to do what it takes. In public relations, PR, thought leader status is highly desired. Yet the work required remains consistent across industries.

This can be said of the Lombardi Trophy in the NFL. Additionally, the same applies to the ‘thought leader’ status in business. The parallel highlights what it takes to lead.

Let’s shed some light on this overused term. Generally, there are 3 tactical paths to thought leadership. We will explore them in this guide.

  1. Write a book (or many books) demonstrating your thoughts, views and expertise
  2. Speak on stages including the famous TED events
  3. Get regularly quoted in the press as an authority on a given subject or subjects and use those mentions to build trust with the audience you wish to reach

Writing books is great, but you must write them, and it’s work. Cannot have AI write it as many “thought leaders” do. Ghostwriters will indulge your ego to produce your book, but they charge you $15-20K. I have always written every word of my books, and I treat the process like therapy. And you won’t sell many. Only about 1 percent of books reach a million copies. Spoiler: you won’t sell many, but it’s a nice thing to have on your CV. This matters for public relations, PR, thought leader positioning.

Speaking on stages can make you known, but it takes decades to truly rise. The biggest speaker fees go to celebrities or celebrity-adjacent names. Many teams pay TED or TED coaches for a talk, but few reach many people. This path is worthwhile but costly and you may not be good on stage. Reach is limited to stage audiences who may not be your target customers.

Getting quoted in the press builds credibility. It shows your expertise and earns third‑party trust from outlets helping you and you helping them. Quotations give you content to post on social media, where many brands run out of meaningful things to say.

Thought leaders often zip when others zag. They lead conversations in different directions. They can invite backlash if opinions threaten a lucrative status quo. It is a powerful position, but it has risks. Chasing a Super Bowl trophy is one. This season, my LA Rams are all in and take risks. If all goes well, they will hoist the trophy next February. I’m always looking for experts/thought leaders who are ready to get to work, invest funds, and lead the conversations. Lines are open!