Kristen Wessel, ChicExecs Vice President of PR and Digital Marketing and President of ExPR, shares essential PR strategies every thought leader should know about on Forbes blog. Enjoy this excerpt from the article below.
Public relations (PR) might seem like a private club reserved for the Samantha Joneses of the world, but anyone can become a PR pro with the right tools. Of course, you still need a solid strategy backing up your big ideas, but with the right touch, thought leaders can get their name out there and build a solid reputation.
Industry connections are great, but if you’re trying to boost your clout and are starting from square one, the right tools make all the difference. Try these five PR strategies to build a solid personal brand that attracts speaking engagements, interviews and the respect you’ve earned from years in the trenches.
Branding is about much more than colors and logos. As a thought leader, you need to decide what your personal brand will be. A personal brand is what differentiates you from everyone else in the space. For example, Neil deGrasse Tyson’s brand helps him stand out as an outspoken, entertaining leader in a field as cerebral (and, to some, boring) as astrophysics.
Social media is one of the best ways to build a reputation as a thought leader. You need to post content regularly on all of the platforms your target audience uses. For example, if you’re a dermatologist who wants to educate young people about skin health, WhatsApp and TikTok are good choices. B2B professionals do well on X and LinkedIn.
Posting regularly on social media is awesome, but the meat of your content needs to be solid. In addition to social media, you also need to post content on your website, blog and email newsletter. That’s a lot, but that’s what it takes to spread the word.
Engaging with journalists isn’t many thought leaders’ cup of tea, but it’s the best way to snag press interviews and media features for free. Hiring a PR firm can speed this up and improve the quality of your features, but you can also engage with the press on your own.
Speaking engagements are a chicken-and-egg situation. You need to be considered an expert to score speaking engagements, but speaking can also boost your reputation as a thought leader.
Read Kristen’s blog in its entirety here.
