Finding your focus: Tips for generating thought leadership video topics
Introduction
Thought leadership isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a way to establish yourself as an authority in your field. By consistently sharing insights and solutions, you build trust and credibility with your audience. But where do you start when you’re staring at a blank page (or camera lens)? In this post, we’ll explore practical ways to uncover engaging themes for thought leadership content. Once you have a process in place, you’ll never run out of subjects to address.
Know your audience’s pain points
- Forum and community discussions: Platforms, like Reddit, LinkedIn Groups or niche community forums, are treasure troves of questions and frustrations people have.
- Customer feedback: If you’re a business owner or consultant, review your customer feedback or support tickets to identify recurring challenges.
- Social media polls: Conduct simple polls on LinkedIn or Twitter. Ask your network about the challenges or topics they want you to address.
By centering your thought leadership content on real-world struggles, you ensure your videos provide value.
Stay current with industry trends
Ideas are everywhere if you keep your finger on the pulse of your industry.
- News and trade journals: Subscribe to relevant newsletters or follow key journalists. When a new development breaks, create a short explainer video or provide your expert take.
- Industry events and webinars: Virtual events can spark ideas as you listen to panelists discuss emerging issues.
- Google Trends: This free tool shows you what people are searching for. Type in specific keywords, and see the related queries. These can inform your next video topic.
Pro tip: Don’t just report the news — explain its implications and why it matters to your specific audience.
Reflect on your own experiences
Your personal career journey can be a goldmine of topic ideas.
- Milestones and failures: Discuss lessons learned from both victories and setbacks. Being transparent about struggles builds trust and relatability.
- Customer success stories: Share case studies detailing how you or your company helped solve a challenging problem.
- Behind-the-scenes insight: Offer a glimpse into your daily workflow or thought processes. Audiences enjoy seeing how experts approach tasks.
Engage with thought leaders and your community
Interview industry experts
Inviting a notable figure in your field for a brief interview can provide a fresh perspective and new angles to explore.
Q&A sessions
Host a live Q&A where viewers submit questions in real time. This not only boosts engagement, but it also provides spontaneous topic ideas.
Curate other people’s content
Review a relevant book, research paper or another thought leader’s article. Summaries and critiques can position you as an informed voice in your niche.
Data-driven insights
Sometimes, your best content comes from cold, hard facts.
- Original research: If your business has proprietary data, present findings in an informative video.
- Surveys: Create a quick poll or survey, then share the results. Based on the data, offer insights and potential solutions.
Batch planning for consistency
To maintain credibility as a thought leader, consistency is key.
- Topic lists: Keep a running list of potential video topics. Add to it anytime inspiration strikes.
- Content calendar: Map out topics for a month or quarter. This strategic approach ensures you maintain variety while addressing a broad spectrum of issues.
- Revisit and update: Some topics are evergreen. Periodically revisit older subjects and provide updates or new insights as trends evolve.
Crafting the narrative
Hook your audience
Start your video with a thought-provoking question or a surprising statistic. This grabs attention and encourages viewers to keep watching.
Structure your points
Use clear headings or bullet points within your video to guide viewers through your main ideas. This organization keeps the content digestible and easy to follow.
Offer actionable takeaways
Don’t just describe a situation — provide solutions or next steps. Thought leadership is about insight, but actionable advice elevates your credibility even more.
SEO considerations
When people search online for information, you want your videos to appear. Integrate SEO best practices by:
- Using relevant keywords: Phrases, like “video marketing strategy,” “thought leadership content” or industry-specific terms, help search engines understand your topic.
- Clear titles and descriptions: Make them catchy but also descriptive so viewers know exactly what they’ll learn.
- Transcripts and captions: Search engines crawl text more effectively than video content. Posting a transcript can boost visibility.
Conclusion
Generating fresh, high-quality ideas for your thought leadership videos doesn’t have to be daunting. By focusing on audience pain points, industry trends, personal experiences and data-driven insights, you’ll always have something valuable to share. The key is to remain curious and engaged with your field — ideas will flow naturally when you’re genuinely interested in your subject.
Remember, thought leadership content is all about building trust and credibility. Bring transparency, authenticity and actionable advice to the table, and you’ll cement your reputation as a go-to expert. With a steady flow of well-crafted videos, you’ll cultivate a loyal following that looks forward to your perspective on the issues that matter.
