Build Your K-12 Influence with Thought Leadership
What is a Thought Leader?
A thought leader is an informed expert or a trusted source on a topic. A thought leader in education is someone decision makers would trust when looking for an expert or a new consultant on a certain topic. When we think of thought leaders, it’s easy to think of the big names in education who keynote major conferences and publish best-selling books, but in reality, thought leadership is so much more than just a few names.
Any speaker, author, or company can grow their thought leadership and share their expertise with a wider audience. This all comes down to identifying ways and strategies to get your content out into the world, outside of your personal network. The smaller your audience or reach is, the harder it will be for anyone outside of this reach to find you or learn about your expertise. But if you’re able to expand your reach and get in front of a new audience with your expertise, you will see an increase in demand for your content and services. Let’s explore a few ways to expand your reach through thought leadership.
Education Conferences
Events are a great way to get in front of a new audience, whether in-person or virtual. It allows you to give a small chunk of content away and will hopefully gain new prospective clients if they want to dig deeper with your content or services. Be sure to ask for email or social media handle lists of participants where available, so you can further nurture relationships with new prospects.
Explore the types of national and regional events you’d like to present at and begin researching their session proposal processes. For example, if you think ASCD’s annual event would be a great national conference, learn more about past presenters and which topics they typically select. Explore state affiliates of ASCD as well, as these events sometimes have shorter proposal processes and they are more flexible in terms of sharing attendee information after your session. For a full rundown of popular education conferences, check out our updated K-12 Education Conference Guide and see which dates and locations might work best for you and your team.
K-12 Blog or Journal Articles
While print publications as a whole may have a rocky future, many of them are thriving and have strong, dedicated readers. The circulation of these journals or magazines vary, but the authority that comes with these publications is valuable. Plus, these content pieces can be shared for months and many have strong association followings behind them that reach large audiences. Make sure to pay attention to editorial calendars and themes as articles are usually due months in advance of the issue’s print date.
Many online blogs and publications have solid audiences as well, and the benefit of these publications is the speed at which things can be published. Usually blogs can be turned around in a matter of weeks, and many popular ones such as Edutopia or Teaching Channel have large followings. Check out our free resource on where to submit K-12 blog posts.
When submitting an article or blog, you want to make sure to remove any sales language related to your specific products or services. Focus on the content and allow your expertise to shine through so people will naturally follow up or connect to learn more.
Podcast Appearances
Podcasts are becoming more and more popular with new ones forming each week in education. In order to secure a podcast guest appearance, make sure to spend time listening to the ones most connected with your content. Review their websites and see if they have guest submission forms or reach out to their contact or host to ask about appearing on an episode. Make sure to explain why you feel you would be a value to their audience, highlighting past episodes and making connections to content they already focus on. It also helps if you can share the size of your audience and highlight that you would be sending out the podcast episode to your email list and social media followers, if applicable. Check out our extensive list of top K-12 podcasts and see where you and your content might be a strong fit.
Book Publishing
Book publishing may be the ultimate form of thought leadership and can allow you to reach a much larger audience. While self-publishing may be a solution to make more money from the books you do sell, working with a traditional publisher has the ability to expand your reach.
Publishers send out emails, catalogs, and social media content around their books and authors, and many have very strong followings. They also have relationships with major resellers and other channels like higher education, school supply stores, and more. The potential audience for your services will grow substantially if you partner with the right publisher and collaborate on your outreach efforts.
Whether you’re looking to publish, speak at events, write blogs, or something else, the goal of thought leadership in education is to grow your expertise and expand your audience. By exploring new outlets for content, you will likely see growth that will lead to more booked speaking days, more professional development opportunities, increase in product sales, and so on. If you need help getting started on your thought leadership journey, Ed2Market can help.