Joseph Vito DeLuca’s Post

At a fundamental level, I believe that each of us is a storyteller. The novelist Paul Kingsnorth said that "All day every day, we use narratives to try and make sense of the ongoing confusion of reality; of the business of being human." And just as each of us has the opportunity to shape our own individual narrative (for good or ill), so businesses have the opportunity to craft their narrative. As a business leader, what do you want the story of your business to be? One that seeks profit above all else? Or one that, in addition to profit, seeks to better the community which it serves and to provide an environment in which your employees can grow and thrive? Most business leaders I know would like their businesses to fall into the latter category because they know that taking care of your employees and communities and making a profit are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are dependent upon one another. But developing a strategy to implement this narrative can be challenging. That's where we can help. At ThrivePoint, we are in the business of helping small businesses build a solid foundation, cultivate growth, and thrive beyond. Reach out and see how we can partner with you to help develop your narrative.

Are we falling for the “thought leadership" optical illusion? The term "thought leadership" has been thrown around so much that it’s lost its value. What should be deep, insightful content has become surface-level and mass-produced. Companies think that slapping a few quotes or stats equals expertise. It doesn’t! I’ve seen content branded as "thought leadership" that’s nothing more than dressed-up fluff. What matters is the meaning and insights behind the content, not just the packaging. I’ve worked with SMEs and trust me, quoting an expert doesn’t make content valuable. What’s the problem exactly? ❌ Unvalidated stats ❌ Isolated quotes ❌ No real depth. These are just window dressing making the content look authoritative without providing anything actionable. Many of these so-called "thought leadership" pieces lack any real value. They don’t synthesize new ideas or present fresh perspectives. True thought leadership should go beyond recycling old ideas and it should spark new ways of thinking. If readers can’t walk away with something they can implement, then it’s not worth their time to be honest Thought leadership isn’t about looking smart; it’s about offering solutions. Yet, so much content fails to give readers anything tangible they can use. The ugly truth? If human-written content is no better than AI-generated content with just a bunch of stats and fluffy quotes, why pay the premium price? We’re supposed to outthink the machines, not mimic them. It’s an optical illusion! Much of what we call thought leadership looks good at first glance, but there’s no substance behind it. Fancy packaging doesn’t make up for the lack of real insight. Despite all this, it still sells. Why? Because it fits the superficial criteria people expect quotes, stats, and expert interviews. But that doesn’t mean it’s actually valuable. Real thought leadership should: ✅ Provide depth: Go beyond the surface. ✅ Be actionable: Give readers something they can apply. ✅ Be coherent: Create a logical, flowing narrative. ✅ Offer original thinking: Bring fresh ideas, not recycled fluff. In short, don’t settle for the optical illusion. Thought leadership should be insightful, actionable, and worth your audience’s time. What makes content a great thought leadership?

Three questions to answer before you publish thought leadership content: 1. Do I have a memorable one-word (or two-word) uniqueness? 2. Do I have a point of view different from everyone else’s? 3. Do I have a clear call-to-action to drive leads? Is the answer “no” to all three? Don’t write. Is the answer “yes” to all three? Write.

As a founder or leader, your personal brand is not about building thought leadership articles. It's about understanding what thoughts set you apart from the rest in your space. These are a few things you should look at - 1. Who are your immediate founder competitors? 2. In your industry, pick top 10 profiles who have been building their personal brand. 3. How have they grown over the last 2 years? 4. What are they talking about the most? 5. What gaps are they not addressing? 6. Based on their industry, what gaps are they unable to touch upon. 7. What are your core 3 differentiators? (and NO I don't mean I'm authentic) Strategy, Thought leadership, and Authenticity are completely Overrated. Stop saying this over and over again. 🙏 If you CANNOT tell what is the other person's USP immediately, they are not worth the recall. As a ghostwriter, I have my USPs that set me apart from others. That's why Founders prefer sticking with me even if it means spending more. Building a personal brand is no longer personal. Its a public affair because whether you like it or not, you are building in public. Period. Sit down with a paper and pen and write these down immediately. Cheers, Yours truly ♥️

If everyone agrees with your thought leadership, it isn't bold enough. Most execs say they want to stand out and lead, but then retract back to sea of sameness where it's safe. Your POV should be different but relatable. Easy to understand, but not so basic that everyone agrees immediately. That's because true thought leadership has to either introduce a new conversation or re-shape an existing one. Share your POV with conviction, then welcome conflicting views and perspective. This is how you LEAD thoughts vs just regurgitate the same topics as your competitors. Thought leadership creates waves. Content marketing is about riding them. Create waves and you'll *pull* the right buyers towards you. (Plus it'll drive your competitors crazy because they can't steal it.)

The simplest way to improve most business blogs, White Papers and other types of "thought leadership" is through a healthy dose of realism and scepticism. You don't need complex frameworks or matrixes from expensive consulting firms. All you need is the right mindset. Assume that most readers don't know much or care about your company or what it thinks about AI/financial regulation/or its plan for reducing carbon emissions etc. Then prove them wrong with every sentence. - Show them a new way to look at a subject and the wider world - Have strong opinions and back them up with evidence - Have the confidence to present opposing arguments, even if (especially if) you disagree with them - When brainstorming ideas, challenge your company's view on subjects

"Thank you for the feature. It was exactly what I was looking for." Another in-depth thought leadership feature written on a topic I had no idea about before I started! This one was for a big corporate on some new laws coming in. Thought leadership doesn't just explain a topic, it gives analysis about what it means for a business's clients. Thanks to a joint interview with key people from the business (who were super systematic in explaining the different elements the feature needed) I was able to then crack on with research and build something that came back with no amends from the client. Dream scenario! Thought leadership can feel a bit overwhelming and confusing but it doesn't need to be if you've got a good strategy behind you and someone who knows how to pull out the right angles to show your credibility. ___ I'm Helen, a former national website editor who helps businesses get clear on their content by working out what to say where to appeal to their ideal customers. I can write the words too. I have space for one more client next month so get in touch to bag the last slot. #contentwriting #thoughtleadership #writingtips

Try as I might, I can’t see thought leadership only as a type of content, marketing, or part of business strategy. Here’s my working definition: Thought leadership is relentlessly persuing truth in service of people. If you do this long enough, you’re going to solve problems that others haven’t or they’ve not done in that way yet. You’ll get to the edge in your industry or sector and open up “blue oceans” of opportunity. That can produce some of the best strategy, marketing, and content there is. And that is why these disciplines value thought leadership so much. But that doesn’t mean thought leadership IS those things. Those are merely benefits that come from the culmination of months and sometimes years of thought leadership practice. Like when you run a race, I believe that taking our eyes off the prize (content) and focusing more on the training and the race (practices) will make our thought leadership and the other disciplines that benefit from it leagues better. That’s why I’m interested in what those thought leadership practices are that we need to commit to to elevate our work, our businesses, our industries, and the world around us. I’m busy working on a longer article about this idea. It's based on dozens of conversations I’ve been having these past months about what thought leadership is and how it’s best practiced. If you’d like to know when the article is available, leave a comment or DM me, and I’ll let you know when it lands. And if you have thoughts about this, please keep on sharing them. I call this a working definition for a reason!

Earlier in my career, I took the wrong approach when it came to developing thought leadership content. The starting point for every piece was the thought leader: what did they want to say? Executives and thought leaders are where they are for a reason. They’re passionate about what they’re building, and they can captivate you with their ideas. But starting with the thought leader sets you up for failure. Why? No one’s going to give you a microphone if you’re singing the wrong song to the wrong audience. For real success with thought leadership content, you have to start with your audience and work your way backwards. - What is your target audience interested in? - What publications do they read? - What kind of content do those publications publish? - Where is there common ground between what the thought leader wants to say and what the publication wants to run? The goal with thought leadership content should be to convince the reader that what you have to say is valuable. And if what you’re saying is self-serving, self-centered or, even worse, a sales pitch? You’re going nowhere fast. Serve your audience. It’s the only way to move the needle. 📈