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Writing as a Thought Leadership Strategy

How can I possibly find time to write articles, you may ask?  I’m so busy with my role as an HR professional–who has time for writing articles?  However, if you knew that by writing articles you could advance your career, generate new connections, earn additional credibility, and possibly even prepare for a career as a consultant, wouldn’t it be worth it?  By writing articles I’ve been able to accomplish these goals, and create enough interest that 100% of my business is generated through leads from writing and from repeat and referral business.

Your first goal in writing is to establish your own personal purpose:  is it to create new interest in a topic, be controversial, or make the media pick up the phone to call you?  By identifying your key objective, you’ll be more likely to achieve that goal.

Developing the Topic

Where do you begin in picking the best topic?  How do you narrow your scope?  Consider these avenues for topic development:

Narrowing the Scope of Your Article

Now that you’ve selected the topic, you must narrow the scope of your article.  Consider these guidelines for defining the specific issue and treatment:

For example, as an HR leader, I’ve provided consultation services on strategic recruitment and have written articles on the following aspects of recruitment:

Developing Media Contacts For Writing Articles

Now that you have an idea of your topic and its treatment, you must decide where you will send your article for possible publication.  You may even want to do this before you begin to write, since all publications have a unique format, content, and writing style.

To begin your data base for media contacts, consider the following action strategies:

Writing Articles

You’ve done your homework: now you’re ready to write the article.  What are the considerations to review as you begin?  Some recommendations:

You’re Published . . . Now What?

Once the article is published, do you sit back on your laurels and wait for the phone to ring?  Savvy speakers will leverage the publication of an article in these ways:

Writing articles can be an excellent way to remind others of your knowledge and expertise in the field.  By writing articles in your areas of strength, you can build your business by gaining clients and new business as well as establishing your thought leadership.

Writer’s Note:  And who knows . . . I might even get some business from this article, too!


Cathy Fyock, CSP, SPHR, is The Business Book Strategist, and works with professionals who want to write as a career growth strategy. She can be reached at [email protected] and at 502-445-6539.