Intro: What “Actionable” Means
Actionable thought leadership content is content that’s designed to drive a specific decision on topics such as budget, vendor choice, priorities, policy and roadmaps. The majority of thought leadership content is interesting but isn’t always usable. Think of actionable thought leadership as:
Clear point of view + proof + “what to do next” that a decision maker can apply within 7 to 30 days.
Actionable content targets a specific audience such as B2B founders/CEOs, marketing leaders, sales leaders and heads of partnerships. Actionable thought leadership content is written from a clear POV and clearly answers the question “what should we do?” to move forward during the decision making process.
Start With the Outcome: Choose One Decision You Want to Influence
Start by choosing one decision you want thought leaders such as executives or senior leaders to make. Business leaders face many decisions each day, and examples of decisions that may benefit from actionable thought leadership content include:
- Should we prioritize [a specific action] this quarter?
- Should we replace vendor X?
- Should we adopt a new operating model?
- Should we reallocate the budget?
Include a quick exercise:
- Persona (title + context): Write a real job title and add the situational pressure they’re under right now. For example, a CFO at a mid-sized company is preparing for board scrutiny on operating margins.
- Decision: Clearly state the decision to be made.
- Stakes (what happens if wrong): this can include what happens if they make the wrong decision and what happens if they keep postponing making a decision.
- Time: clearly state the time frame, such as this quarter or by the end of the year.
The Actionable Thought Leadership Framework
Actionable thought leadership moves and engages audiences. A simple 5-part framework combines a sharp point of view with very concrete next steps, such as:
POV → Proof → Path → Pitfalls → Next Steps
- POV. In leadership articles or social media posts, take a stand and lead with a sharp point of view. You might want to challenge the status quo or provide a contrarian viewpoint.
- Proof. Demonstrate expertise by providing two or three forms of proof that support your POV, such as data, patterns, compelling statistics or customer insights or provide case studies showing before and after impact.
- Path. Provide specific step-by-step moves to make in no more than three to six steps.
- Pitfalls. Discuss what could go wrong and how to avoid it.
- Next steps. Provide a clear understanding of the immediate next steps by stating something like, “If you only do one thing this week….”
The best thought leadership content is skimmable, easy to follow and provides actionable advice. Use visual elements and bold subheads to make it easy to skim and dive deeper when needed.
Find Topics That Decision Makers Actually Act On
Knowing your target audience and their pain points is key to providing relevant content. To come up with key points that decision makers actually act on, try one or more of the following:
- Daily interactions provide many opportunities for actionable content. Ideas can come from sales calls, customer objections, onboarding friction, competitive losses and renewal risk.
- Use reputable sources and consider industry trends and modern marketing signals, such as regulatory shifts, pricing changes and new category narratives.
- Validate topics by using your own expertise and by having three to five conversations with customers, subject matter experts, partners or industry peers.
Filter your topics by asking yourself questions such as:
- Is this tied to a budget line?
- Does it create an advantage?
- Does it reduce risk?
- Can someone implement within 30 days?
Write It Like an Operator, Not a Commentator
Structure the body of your leadership marketing content so it’s usable. Rather than sounding like something from a commentator, it should sound like it comes from the perspective of a knowledgeable expert. Some things you can do include:
- Instead of abstract claims, provide practical applications including clear steps, checklists, templates and decision criteria.
- Include a compelling story or a mini case study that provides problem – approach – result.
- Clarify tradeoffs, which means if the reader chooses to do one thing, they’re choosing not to do another.
Add a “what to include” list:
- A recommendation
- Assumptions
- Constraints
- Who should not follow this advice
Formats That Make Action Easier
The same idea can be used across multiple formats. This means repurposing content, not starting from scratch each time. Some content marketing formats to make action easier include:
- Long-form blog post
- One-page executive brief
- Short LinkedIn posts highlighting one step each
- Webinar or podcast series for nuance
For effective thought leadership, it’s not necessary to use every format in your content strategy. Use the one or ones that make the most sense for your personal brand.
Distribution: Put It Where Decision Makers Will See It
No matter how well-written your content is, it’s ineffective if it’s not placed where decision makers such as C-suite executives will see it. Make a focused plan to distribute thought leadership content on a maximum of two or three channels, such as:
- LinkedIn: Post short articles or opinion pieces on LinkedIn and respond to comments. Consider sending DM shares to warm connections.
- Newsletters. Direct your content to your target audience through a targeted newsletter or partner newsletter.
- Sales enablement. Provide valuable insights using a snippet and a reason to share.
Keep in mind that distribution is part of the creative process. It shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought.
Measurement: Prove it Worked
As part of your thought leadership strategy, make it a habit to frequently measure your results. Measurements must include both:
- Quantitative signals: Review things like demo requests influenced, meetings booked, newsletter clicks to high-intent pages, time on page, return visitors and pipeline influenced (if available).
- Qualitative signals: This includes replies from target titles, forwarded internally, “we changed X because of this” comments, and speaking engagements.
Data takes time to accrue, so you aren’t likely to learn anything meaningful right away. Measure over weeks or months, not days.
Actionability Checklist
After you create thought leadership content, check it against a final checklist before publishing. Your checklist may include:
- Is the POV clearly stated in one sentence?
- Have steps been provided that can be implemented in 30 days?
- Did we include proof and exclusive insights?
- Did we list lessons learned such as pitfalls or tradeoffs?
- Did we make it clear what the reader should do next?
Creating actionable thought leadership content doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple plan to follow is to stay focused on one persona who needs to make one decision based on one article.
