Good writing is the foundation of thought leadership. Whether you choose to write articles online, publish a book, or a combination of both, there’s no way around it: writing is an essential skill for any entrepreneur looking to build their authority. Today’s guest is here to help you sharpen your storytelling skills.

As the founder of The Institute for Thought Leadership, Rhea Wessel helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses through story smarts. She advises on messaging, AI writing, and finding and articulating your best ideas. As a journalist, Rhea wrote thousands of stories for outlets like the NYT, WSJ, and BBC, and has penned and edited thousands of stories across 30 industries.

Becoming a Thought Leader

There’s no formula for becoming a thought leader–but there are shortcuts. Writing a book is one of the fastest ways to skyrocket your authority. Publishing a book can help you gain invitations to speak on bigger stages, which leads to more sales, more invitations, and so on. Books can also be repurposed into social media posts, newsletters, and blogs.

Rhea recommends publishing one book per year. If you’re just dipping your toe into the thought leadership world, you might want to start with online content. But don’t be afraid to pursue bigger publications–one great article could change your business.

The 3-Step Process for Thought Leadership Writing

The first step in establishing thought leadership is to know your niche. What is your area of expertise and how are you going to distinguish yourself from others in the industry?

Once you’re clear on your niche, look for creative ways to frame it. When you’re writing about the same topics over and over again, you need fresh ways of framing your ideas. For example, you could repeat the same story, but frame it through the lens of a different audience. If you have more than one ideal customer avatar (ICA), this technique can help you generate new story ideas.

The last step is to flesh out your ideas and start writing. Rhea recommends always having an editor or friend review your work. Everything you publish is a reflection of your brand, so quality matters.

Enjoy this episode with Rhea Wessel…

Soundbytes

6:47-7:19 “You need to have a writing practice if you're going to be constantly finding new ideas to serve your audience and externalizing those. You need to have ways to take a thought that's just emerging, capture it, and potentially park it for a while until it matures and you're ready to turn that into a piece of intellectual property.”

12:53-13:11 “I am using generative AI daily and It has changed the way I gather information, it's changed the way that I collect it, and also how I write my articles.”

Quotes

“Writing is thinking on paper.”

“Thought leadership practice lives off intellectual property.”

“There are so many great ideas, but they're not being heard.”

“I want to help the world's true subject matter experts get their best ideas out there.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

From Our Guest

Website: http://www.instituteforthoughtleadership.com

Connect with Rhea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rheawessel/

Write Like a Thought Leader Book: https://getbook.at/WriteLikeThoughtLeader

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