{"id":49349,"date":"2025-09-30T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/?p=49349"},"modified":"2025-09-29T16:51:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T20:51:35","slug":"how-to-become-a-thought-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader","title":{"rendered":"How to Become a Thought Leader"},"content":{"rendered":"

If I were to ask you what a thought leader is, what would you say? Someone who keynotes major industry conferences? The expert who is interviewed on the news or in podcasts? The author of an influential book?<\/p>\n

In a way, any of these answers would probably be correct. On the other hand, no single one of these answers is enough to describe a thought leader. That\u2019s because most thought leaders build their reputations using multiple channels<\/a>. They aren\u2019t just public speakers. They\u2019re also writers. They\u2019re networks. Above all, they influence the way others think.<\/p>\n

At Hinge, we call these industry standouts Visible Experts\u00ae. We\u2019ve done a great deal of research on them and how an ordinary expert becomes a high-profile thought leader. (We\u2019ve even written a book<\/a> about it.)<\/p>\n

\n

Read the Visible Expert Book<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Don\u2019t Be a One-Trick Pony<\/h2>\n

There are many paths to Visible Expertise. But one thing all have in common is that they build their visibility in more than one way.<\/p>\n

Kimberly Ellison-Taylor<\/a> is one of Accounting Today<\/em>‘s Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting and CPA Practice Advisor<\/em>‘s 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting. \u201cI have a technical writing minor,\u201d she told us. \u201cI love to write.\u201d But she recognizes that her audiences aren\u2019t reading all the time. Many watch videos, attend conference presentations, listen to podcasts and attend webinars. \u201cSo, I use various communication channels to reach different audiences because different audiences might move across each one of those channels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or consider the case of Michael Zipursky<\/a>. Michael is the CEO and co-founder of Consulting Success, a firm that works with entrepreneurial consultants to help them build more profitable, scalable and strategic consulting businesses. Like Kimberly, he is a speaker and write. He is a community builder. But he and his team bring a different type of insight to their expertise: research.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe conduct several surveys each year. One survey explores the area of marketing and business development in consulting. Another looks at fees and pricing strategies for consultants. We also do a survey around the lifestyle, health and wellness issues that consultants face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael and his team use these findings in a variety of ways. \u201cWe get a lot of ideas about what kind of content, articles, podcasts, training and new programs we might offer. We see what the market wants to learn more about and where our buyers have the greatest needs and desires.\u201d<\/p>\n

Become a Writer and a Speaker<\/h2>\n

If you want to position yourself as a thought leader, then, you need to work in different mediums. Typically, this means developing skills as a writer and public speaker. Public speaking is a skill that most people can master with practice. Start small with intimate local events. Or join a group like Toastmasters where you can hone your skills in a supportive environment.<\/p>\n

If you aren\u2019t a great writer, don\u2019t despair. Everyone can become a better writer. If you look around, you can find many courses and good books to help you (here\u2019s one my favorites<\/a>). If you aren\u2019t able to make that commitment, you still have options.<\/p>\n

For instance, you can work with an editor. That\u2019s what Jody Padar<\/a>, a consultant known as The Radical CPA, does. \u201cI\u2019m a good writer, but I\u2019m not an editor. One thing that set me apart was that my blogs were always well written because I wrote them, and then they were professionally edited so they were always ready for publication.\u201d This extra step gave her a competitive edge. \u201cThe people who accepted my blogs loved to have me because I was giving them a polished piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or you can outsource your writing entirely. Many experts hire a ghostwriter to produce content that they don\u2019t have time or talent to produce. In this scenario, you provide a briefing to the writer. Then you review the draft and provide feedback. As you collaborate over time, you and your writer will develop a rhythm and shared understanding of what\u2019s needed to produce a piece of exceptional quality.<\/p>\n

When you can produce thought-provoking ideas orally and in writing you can deliver your content in a variety of channels\u2014blog posts, journal articles, speeches, webinars, social media posts and videos, to name just a few.<\/p>\n

Be Where Your Audience Is<\/h2>\n

Before you decide where to contribute, however, it\u2019s important to know where your audience is reading, listening and watching. One way to learn this is to ask your clients. You might even send out a short survey. Or you may already have a good idea based on your industry experience. Equipped with this knowledge, you can start writing and speaking, gradually building your reputation among your target audience.<\/p>\n

Stand Apart<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s one last ingredient every thought leader needs to bake into their persona, one I hinted at earlier. I\u2019m talking about having a strong point of view. I\u2019ll write more on this in a future article, but for now it\u2019s enough to recognize that people are drawn to experts who have something interesting or different to say. For instance, they may take a contrarian point of view on an issue, or they may champion an idea that is fresh and new. Or you might simply develop a reputation for being very knowledgeable in a narrow area. The point is to become known for something specific. That\u2019s how thought leaders grow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If I were to ask you what a thought leader is, what would you say? Someone who keynotes major industry conferences? The expert who is interviewed on the news or in podcasts? The author of an influential book? In a way, any of these answers would probably be correct. On the other hand, no single…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":49350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Become a Thought Leader - Hinge Marketing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Become a Thought Leader - Hinge Marketing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If I were to ask you what a thought leader is, what would you say? Someone who keynotes major industry conferences? The expert who is interviewed on the news or in podcasts? The author of an influential book? In a way, any of these answers would probably be correct. On the other hand, no single...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hinge Marketing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hingemarketing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-30T12:00:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kevin-gonzalez-NXNaE9lu6w-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1709\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Harr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@HingeMarketing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HingeMarketing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Harr\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Harr\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/78b91276289e3fd48cb50a0899086265\"},\"headline\":\"How to Become a Thought Leader\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-30T12:00:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader\"},\"wordCount\":920,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/kevin-gonzalez-NXNaE9lu6w-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Any Industry\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader\",\"name\":\"How to Become a Thought Leader - Hinge Marketing\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/kevin-gonzalez-NXNaE9lu6w-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-30T12:00:03+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/kevin-gonzalez-NXNaE9lu6w-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/kevin-gonzalez-NXNaE9lu6w-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1709},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Become a Thought Leader\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Hinge Marketing\",\"description\":\"Branding and Marketing for Professional Services\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Hinge Marketing\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/03\\\/HIN-h-logo-RGB.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/03\\\/HIN-h-logo-RGB.svg\",\"width\":514,\"height\":194,\"caption\":\"Hinge Marketing\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/hingemarketing\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/HingeMarketing\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/hinge\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/hingemarketing\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/78b91276289e3fd48cb50a0899086265\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Harr\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hingemarketing.com\\\/blog\\\/story\\\/author\\\/elizabeth-harr\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Become a Thought Leader - Hinge Marketing","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Become a Thought Leader - Hinge Marketing","og_description":"If I were to ask you what a thought leader is, what would you say? Someone who keynotes major industry conferences? The expert who is interviewed on the news or in podcasts? The author of an influential book? In a way, any of these answers would probably be correct. On the other hand, no single...","og_url":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader","og_site_name":"Hinge Marketing","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hingemarketing","article_published_time":"2025-09-30T12:00:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1709,"url":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kevin-gonzalez-NXNaE9lu6w-unsplash-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Harr","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@HingeMarketing","twitter_site":"@HingeMarketing","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Harr","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Harr","@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/#\/schema\/person\/78b91276289e3fd48cb50a0899086265"},"headline":"How to Become a Thought Leader","datePublished":"2025-09-30T12:00:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader"},"wordCount":920,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kevin-gonzalez-NXNaE9lu6w-unsplash-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Any Industry"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader","url":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader","name":"How to Become a Thought Leader - Hinge Marketing","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kevin-gonzalez-NXNaE9lu6w-unsplash-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-30T12:00:03+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kevin-gonzalez-NXNaE9lu6w-unsplash-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kevin-gonzalez-NXNaE9lu6w-unsplash-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1709},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-become-a-thought-leader#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Become a Thought Leader"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/","name":"Hinge Marketing","description":"Branding and Marketing for Professional Services","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/#organization","name":"Hinge Marketing","url":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/HIN-h-logo-RGB.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/HIN-h-logo-RGB.svg","width":514,"height":194,"caption":"Hinge Marketing"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hingemarketing","https:\/\/x.com\/HingeMarketing","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/hinge","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hingemarketing"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/#\/schema\/person\/78b91276289e3fd48cb50a0899086265","name":"Elizabeth Harr","url":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/author\/elizabeth-harr"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}