Are you a thought leader? If you’re a business owner, the answer is YES!

I’ve previously written about the importance of public relations (PR) for small business. Sharing your business news, from new product and service launches to partnership announcements, is a great way to generate noise. But the reality is that you’re not always going to have news to share. Nor are you necessarily going to have big budgets to spend on advertising or marketing campaigns.

Fortunately, one of the biggest advantages of being a business founder or owner is that you have a wealth of experience, lessons, and insights to share with others. You may cringe at the idea of being a thought leader (careful, imposter syndrome can seriously impact your business!), but as a business owner if you are immersed in your industry and passionate about your work, you will have insights that others will benefit from. You’re already a thought leader.

Here are four easy ways to use thought leadership to drive your PR efforts and build your brand.

1. Share what you know
There’s no greater fallacy in business than ‘build it and they will come’!

Aaron Smith, founder of KX Pilates and a former client of mine, often recounts the story of opening the doors of his first studio and being genuinely shocked when no one turned up. In that moment, Aaron learned how important it is to create and maintain awareness around his business and brand. Writing about your industry and business is a powerful way to do that.

You don’t need to be a professional writer to communicate your expertise, either. Writing isn’t something I am overly passionate about, but I recognise its importance. Writing is a powerful way to share advice and to help others wanting to understand more about PR, personal branding, and thought leadership.

Keep your writing short and to the point. If it helps, break your story into smaller sections with sub headings. Include anecdotes to help build connection with your readers.

2. Have an opinion, don’t sit on the fence
If you’re really wanting to be heard – and stand out from the crowd – take a side. Have an opinion, especially when it’s different from what others have already said or are saying.

One of the best ways to create ongoing content is to follow the news cycle relevant to your industry. Then look for ways to share your expertise on topics that come up. For example, if you’re in the property industry, you’re never going to be short of news stories to follow, trends to track, or changes to policy and other factors impacting everyday consumers, like interest rates affecting the market. A bold stance on news of the day affecting your industry will get noticed and help establish a presence for your business in front of your target audience.

3. Be consistent
Using a platform like LinkedIn is a great place to build your personal brand and confidence, and reach new audiences. You can upload content to LinkedIn as often as you want, so set yourself an achievable target and stick to it. Don’t promise yourself you’ll post every week if that’s unrealistic. Same goes for your own blog or newsletter; better to schedule a monthly post than none at all!

Consider writing some longer-form articles as well as short-form posts to mix it up for your audience and keep it fresh. You could also research industry blogs or other digital or print media that are open to receiving contributor content.

4. Diversify your channels
Once you’re familiar with writing and publishing content, start looking for other ways to express your views as a thought leader.

You could join a panel of industry experts at an event, attend networking events where you can speak openly about your business experience, or you could even start a podcast!

I spent many years hiding behind the fact that I ran publicity for business leaders and founders because I thought no-one would be interested in what I had to say. I finally took my own advice, faced my fears, and launched my own podcast. That was almost three years ago. Last week we launched Season 4 of Influence Unlocked and it’s been a terrific way for me to both share my own insights and to tap into those of other industry leaders and changemakers.

Becoming a thought leader doesn’t have to be a big deal. It’s simply believing in the value of what you have to say, creating a framework around how, when and how often you’re going to create content, then making sure it – and any PR wins you have along the way – never goes to waste.