You Can Be A Thought Leader

Tune in every day for a mini-masterclass of Thought Leadership tactics that you can deploy to be a gloriously profitable and respected master of your market. Sign up to join the movement at YouCanBeAThoughtLeader.com for more hard-hitting, actionable daily content about positioning yourself as an influential leader of fans and customers.

Everything Old Is New Again 05/05/2023

The Money Is In The Details 05/04/2023

The Money Is In The Details Welcome to day four of “Making Your Stuff Cool.” To review, we covered the little-known “RADIO technique” on Monday, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tactic on Tuesday; Wednesday was about making predictions, and today is about details. Photo by on We’ve all heard the saying that “the devil is in the details,” but I’m going to tell you that the money is there, too. Claude Hopkins taught me that. Of course, I never met Claude, because he died forty-three years before I was born. But he lives on in the ads he created for the companies that were clients of the ad agencies he worked at. And yes, ad men and women can definitely become Thought Leaders. It’s their business to lead the public. Let’s talk about one of his ads and see if we can steal the tactic he employed. If you never saw the very first episode of “Mad Men,” you should probably do that. In the show, a Madison Avenue ad agency Creative Director named Don Draper is trying to come up with a “hook” for an advertising campaign for Lucky Strike cigarettes. At the last minute, he has a stroke of genius. He says to advertise this phrase: “It’s Toasted.” Of course, all tobacco companies toast their leaves as a standard part of their production process, but Don made the point that nobody talks about it. By giving consumers something to think about (besides the fact that cigarettes will kill you), their company gets to sidestep that issue and set themselves apart. It’s genius. And it was pulled from real life. That “Mad Men” episode was based on the campaign that Claude Hopkins came up with in 1917 for Lucky Strike. It was a very successful campaign. So that’s a great story, but what can you and I do with it? Let’s look at the technique itself: Claude learned as much as he could about the product (just as a Thought Leader should) and then took a single, little-known detail that he could talk about in a fresh, new way. The tactic was so successful, Claude also used it for Schlitz beer, Quaker Oats, and other companies. If you put a little thought into it, you could use this tactic as a way to draw interest to your thought leadership content and products as well. Get thought leadership tips like this in your inbox every weekday by getting on my email list. Claim your free subscription at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26744490

Predictions for Fun and Profit 05/03/2023

Predictions for Fun and Profit Welcome to day 3 of “Making Your Stuff Cool.” As previously discussed, I’m talking about driving up the interest of your audience by making your information “cool.” On Monday, we talked about the “Radio Test.” On Tuesday, we talked about combining the interests of your audience in new and original ways. Today, we’re going to apply the technique of fortune-telling to your thought leadership. Photo by on Here’s what we know about all people: they’re fascinated with predictions. I was just reading an article the other day about the end of the NHL regular season, and the writer talked about his predictions, and the predictions of readers who commented on them, at the beginning of the season. You might or might not be surprised to learn that the writer was completely wrong about a number of things he thought would happen. In spite of that, the article was still informative and enjoyable to read. The point I want you to take from that is that while it’s even more fun when people get it right, nobody cares when they get it wrong. In fact, if you make a lot of predictions and only get a few right, you can focus on those few correct ones and people will generally forget that you got some of the others wrong. Now let’s take this one step further, beyond just making predictions. You can use those predictions to draw a crowd by how you talk about them. For example, you could make a prediction about what you think smartphones are going to be like in a year, and then point to a major change that will happen because of that. Maybe people will trade in or throw out their iPhone, and that’s how you begin your story. Of course, not everyone will upgrade, but if a few people do, that’s a valid prediction. Maybe you could talk about what industries will be in decline, or what will happen if the President gets re-elected, or if his opponent gets elected. Maybe you could talk about technologies that will be made obsolete. My prediction is that if you use this to your advantage, you can make your content fun and interesting to the people you want to attract and bond with. Coming up tomorrow, we’ll talk about using a technique from a marketing copywriter who was born in 1866. You’d never believe this tactic is so old because it works so well. I’ll see you then. If you’d like to make certain you keep learning all these strategies, you can do that by subscribing to my free daily thought leadership emails at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26733000

These Two Guys Made Billions Off Cartoon Turtles. Here’s Their Secret. 05/02/2023

This Week: Making Your Stuff Cool 05/01/2023

This Week: Making Your Stuff Cool Some of us might not like to admit it sometimes, but a part of thought leadership is simply bringing cool ideas to your followers. It’s just the appeal of interesting information and concepts. Don’t underestimate your audience’s need to entertained. So how do we do that? This week I’m going to focus every day on ways to bring the “cool” to your followers. Today, I want to talk about a little-known copywriting trick called “the RADIO Test.” Photo by on “RADIO” is an acronym for: Reward Affirmation Deadline Intrigue Originality Reward stands for the advantage that will accrue to your reader (or listener or viewer) for having consumed your content. It’s the old “what’s in it for me?” thing. Make sure that the reward to your follower is clear. Affirmation means that they will feel better for having been with you for that moment. As Blair Warren told us in “The One Sentence Persuasion Course,” people will do anything for someone who makes their follower feel further convinced that they are “right.” A cynical and reductive way of looking at this could be called, “pandering for fun and profit.” Deadline, in this case, refers to the timelines of the content. Why is this important right now, and why should I take action right now? Don’t let your cool stuff get thrown on the pile of “I’ll get to it someday.” Get them in the game right now. Intrigue means to “arouse the curiosity or interest of; fascinate.” Make sure that your content is fascinating. The trick to this is not only to provide interesting information, but make sure you’ve chosen a market that would and should find your information interesting. Originality, the final criteria, means that they can’t have heard what you’ve got to say every day for the past week. You need to bring them something unique. If you can’t be unique, at least say what you’ve got to say in a unique way. If you’re going to use the RADIO Test to be cool, make sure your content meets all five qualifications. Three out of five isn’t much better than one out of five. I’ll see you tomorrow with what you can learn from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! In the meantime, you should sign up for my free daily Thought Leadership email tips at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26705454

The Importance of Experimentation in Thought Leadership 04/28/2023

The Importance of Experimentation in Thought Leadership Today, let’s talk about testing and experimentation in Thought Leadership. You probably already know that establishing yourself as a Thought Leader in your industry requires constant innovation and experimentation. Photo by on As an information marketer, it’s essential to take risks and try new things. Today, we’ll discuss why experimentation is crucial in thought leadership and explore some areas wherein you could greatly benefit by testing and experimentation. I think you’ll get a lot out of this if you’re willing to put in the work. Experimentation can take many forms, such as introducing new marketing strategies, changing the format of content, or exploring new social media platforms. When it comes to thought leadership and information marketing, being open to trying new things and learning from them can be transformative. Some areas in which experimentation is key include: Content formats — Blog posts, videos, podcasts — experimenting with different formats and seeing which ones resonate most with your audience can be eye-opening. Social media — depending on your audience, some social media platforms will definitely be more effective than others. So this is a great area to experiment in. Product development — trying out new products or variations on existing products can inform the direction of your business and inform your audience. You’ll sometimes be pleasantly surprised at your results. Whatever you experiment with, it’s essential to look objectively at the results and use them as a learning opportunity. You may discover new strategies or techniques that you hadn’t considered previously. Experimentation is a necessary component of thought leadership and information marketing success. By constantly iterating and trying new things, you can stay ahead of the curve and differentiate yourself from the competition. Be open to new ideas, and don’t be afraid to take calculated risks. Here’s an experiment you can start right now: Dedicate the next six months to growing your thought leadership. All you need to do is to sign up for my free daily thought leadership emails. Implement one strategy a week — that’s just one out of five — and see what happens in the next six months. You can start this experiment by going to and dropping your email address in the form. The very next weekday, your experiment can start. I can’t wait to see what you accomplish! /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26682933

The Thought Leader’s Guide to Creating Impactful Products 04/27/2023

The Thought Leader’s Guide to Creating Impactful Products If you want to establish yourself as a recognized and well-rewarded Thought Leader in your market, creating and selling information products is a key part of that goal. Providing such products to your audience is a great way to help them achieve the transformation they seek. Photo by on Information products are resources that provide valuable insights and knowledge to your target audience. They come in various formats, such as ebooks and physical books, physical written courses, video courses, or membership sites. Each format has its own strengths and weaknesses, and you should choose the formats of your various products carefully, according to the buying behaviors of your market, the curriculum you plan on teaching, your pricing strategy, and other factors. To create impactful information products, you must invest time in designing a balanced product and curriculum that is tailored to your audience’s needs. A well-designed information product has several characteristics. Let’s go over a few right now: Impactful information products provide value to your audience. Ensure that your product solves a problem they have or introduces them to a body of valuable knowledge. Impactful information products are easy to understand. Communicate clearly and avoid any sort of technical language your audience might not understand. Impactful information products are are tailored to your audience. This is where having an intimate understanding of your market comes in. Whether you are sharing insights for beginners or planning an advanced course, ensure that the content is aligned with the audience’s expectations. Curriculum design for information products is critical, regardless of format. A well-designed curriculum will have a logical flow that builds on the previous lesson or chapter. It should be paired with appropriate examples, questions, and assignments that reinforce the subject’s concepts and provide opportunities for students to confirm to themselves that they are on track. Crafting impactful information products takes time and effort, but it can pay off handsomely when done well. They can help you establish yourself as a Thought Leader in your industry, provide the income an expert deserves, and provide valuable insights and knowledge to your customers. Against my own advice and better judgement, I don’t have a information product to sell you. But I should! In the meantime, I only have something to give you for free: Every day, I email a group of my followers a tip on how to build and maintain thought leadership. It would be a great way for you to up level your skills and start making real progress toward your goals. You can sign up for these emails at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26672466

Why Thought Leaders Need a Call to Action Strategy 04/26/2023

Why Thought Leaders Need a Call to Action Strategy As a Thought Leader, your primary aim is to provide value to your audience. However, your message is incomplete if your audience doesn’t take any action on the information you have provided. That’s where a call to action (CTA) comes in. Photo by on A call to action is a prompt that encourages readers, viewers, or listeners to take a specific action towards doing something about the information you have provided. It can be anything from signing up for a newsletter, buying a product, or leaving a comment on your article or video. Examples of CTAs include “Sign up for our free trial,” “Download your free eBook today,” or “Get your exclusive discount now.” All of these might be very successful, depending on the context. That is why it is important to test the wording of your CTA to see which one works the best. In today’s world where attentions span are short, it’s important to have a strong and effective CTA strategy to turn people into followers, and followers into customers. The key to crafting effective CTAs is to make them persuasive through strong messaging. So here are some tips for crafting persuasive CTAs: Use action-oriented language that drives your message forward, such as “Grab,” “Join,” or “Subscribe.” In other words, lead with a verb. Keep it short and sweet. Make sure your CTA is easy to understand and straightforward. Now is not the time to get cute or to drop hints. Be bold, and be direct. Provide value to the reader. A CTA is always more effective when it offers a clear benefit or incentive to the reader. They aren’t going to do anything for you, so they need to understand why they should do it for their own benefit. Create a sense of legitimate urgency. If there is any kind of deadline or limitation, make sure you highlight that. People respond to urgency like nothing else. It’s also important to note that the placement of CTAs on your website or Thought Leadership material is key. Placing them in high-visibility areas can increase click-through rates. An effective CTA strategy is essential for successful thought leadership and information marketing. It engages potential customers, drives conversions, and helps you build and maintain thought leadership in your industry. My call to action, right now, is this: Register for a free subscription to my daily thought leadership emails so you can up level your skills and achieve the recognition and reward you deserve. Sign up today, right now, at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26662230

The Power of Content Quality in Thought Leadership 04/25/2023

The Power of Content Quality in Thought Leadership Do you want to stand out and establish yourself as a Thought Leader in your industry? Then you must understand the importance of delivering high-quality content to your audience. Photo by on In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, it is essential to provide fresh, relevant, and high-quality content that speaks to the needs and interests of your customers. Solid, informative content can establish you as an authority and start a conversation with your reader. Today, I’ll discuss how quality content can help you differentiate yourself from the competition and drive your thought leadership efforts. One of the most effective ways to develop quality content is by conducting data analytics that identifies your target audience’s needs and preferences. By examining your data, you can create content that fits your target market’s traits, preferences, and behaviors. The importance of readability of the content cannot be overstated. You need to ensure that your readers can understand your content by writing in a way that is concise and straightforward. Finally, providing valuable insights through your content can drive engagement with your readers, who will want to learn more from you. When you produce content that gives readers actionable advice they can take to the bank, they will come back to you for more. Delivering content that resonates with your audience is a game-changer, allowing you to stand out as a Thought Leader in your industry and start being rewarded for your expertise. The tips I have provided here only scratch the surface of content quality. These factors are just the ante that you have to pony up to play the game. In order to establish yourself as a highly rewarded and highly respected Thought Leader, your content must also be persuasive and emotionally connect with your audience in a way that guides them toward being a good follower and customer. Join me as we explore topics like this every day. Register for my free daily thought leadership emails at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26646939

Choosing Your Followers Wisely 04/20/2023

Choosing Your Followers Wisely Photo by on As a Thought Leader trying to grow your audience, you may be trying to target your audience with an ad campaign or some other effort to target who you would like to put your thought leadership content in front of. Today, I want to go over a couple of things that will help you do that. When you think about the kind of people you want as followers, you might start thinking about what you want them to be like. What kind of people you want them to be. I’ll give you an example: for my business, The Educated Authority, I need people who are willing to study and learn. In fact, if they aren’t willing to study and learn — maybe they feel like they already know everything or they’re too intellectually lazy to learn anything — from a thought leadership business perspective, they aren’t any good to me at all. They’re worthless. I need people who want to learn, and enjoy learning about things they’re interested in. And not just willing to learn from me, but to actually be a student of their own industry. I could have a list of a million followers, but if they’re not willing to invest time and money in continually learning, I really have no following at all. What I’m doing there is selecting a follower by something called psychographics. And like the word “psychology,” it has to do with how people think. And it’s important that you spend some time on identifying what your ideal follower would be like. That said, although psychographics are extremely important in attracting the right kind of follower, you can’t run your business by psychographics alone. The opposite of that is what people are like on the outside, their demographics. And this is the kind of thing that’s more identity-based, as well as possibly their careers. And demographics are pretty easy to take to a list broker or someone planning an ad campaign and tell them exactly the demographics you want to talk to. So how do we balance between the two? I suggest that as much as you can, you target market by demographics, and then you filter and indoctrinate by psychographics. You draw a huge crowd with demographics, and then from there you can pull out the best people for your business. Your thought leadership content should repel the people who are psychographically wrong for you, and at the same time, your content will create an even tighter bond with the right people — the people that have the values you need in your ideal follower. And that’s the real trick of thought leadership content. Not only do you establish authority, inform people, and entertain people, but it also has to run off the wrong people and make the right people fall deeper in love with you. If this interests you, you are going to love my free daily Thought Leadership how-to emails. You can sign up for them at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26601051

Persuasion for Thought Leaders 04/19/2023

Persuasion for Thought Leaders Photo by on I wanted to circle back to something I mentioned on Monday, because I think it’s really important for you to understand not just the how but the why. So what I said Monday that I thought was so worthwhile is that there is one thing that no one will ever disagree with: a conclusion that they come to themselves. So in other words, this is important if you’re in a Thought Leadership situation or a sales situation, which you should probably realize are essentially one and the same. If you’re trying to convince someone of something, and you almost always are, you are definitely going to run into some level of resistance. That’s just the way the human brain is wired. So what do we do about that? What we do is we stop trying to force our mental frame on the other person, because that makes them wrong. And nobody wants to be wrong. What we do is we feed them persuasively designed information so that they can’t help but arrive at that conclusion themselves. That way, they get to be right. And once they arrive at that conclusion, it would be difficult to try and convince them otherwise. Why? Because, again, people typically don’t disagree with their own conclusions. Particularly if they feel like they’ve gotten to them somewhat independently. So that’s the “how,” but I really want to focus on the “why” of persuasion for Thought Leaders. Persuasion is not just a matter of convincing others to adopt a certain viewpoint, but also of provoking a shift in underlying attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs. Thought Leaders need to be able to understand the psychological principles of influence in order to effect genuine transformation in their followers. Additionally, thought leadership requires persuasion to be able to communicate in a way that resonates with others and establishes you as the authority. And those two things are what my company, The Educated Authority, is all about. Creating transformation and the establishment of you as the authority in your field. And to do that, I send out emails every day to help you learn exactly what you need to do. You can sign up to get those emails, they’re free, at Y. /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26591328

Establishing Common Ground With Your Followers 04/18/2023

Establishing Common Ground With Your Followers Photo by on I’m once again returning to how followers think (after yesterday’s message was very well received) with a tactic for establishing common ground with your followers. First off, why would you want to establish common ground? Well, you do and you don’t, actually. You are the leader and they are the followers, but they need to be solidly convinced that you understand their lives, and particularly their situation that is applicable to your expertise. This builds trust in you as a Thought Leader, which is something you’re going to need. And the reason you need it is because your follower needs it. There are a few ways to establish common ground with your follower, but I’m going to give you the best one right now. You should have a before and after story about you and your thought leadership career. This is your personalized story about what your life was like before you learned and implemented what you now teach, and what your life is like now. Your followers need to see themselves in the “before” part of your before and after story, so you need to tell that part with as much detail as you can. In the context of telling them about your life, you need to be telling them things about their lives that they’ve never told anyone else. So let me give you an example. Let’s say you help people lose weight and get in shape because you were once very overweight and you figured out how to drop all those pounds. When you’re talking about the “before” in your story, you need to talk about getting winded going up a flight of steps, the embarrassment of having to ask for a seat belt extension on a plane, and how you felt when people looked at you as you were eating an ice cream cone. They need to feel that not only do you empathize with their situation, but that you have lived their life and you understand it intimately. You need to be saying things that only people that have lived through it can understand. And that is the best way to establish common ground with your followers. Now if you haven’t been through their experience like that; let’s say that using my previous example you were never overweight, so you don’t have that “before” phase of your life, don’t despair. There are still ways to establish common ground. Let me give you an example: when I go to the doctor with a broken leg, I don’t need the doctor to tell me about how they broke their leg a few years ago and talk about how much it hurt. I need them to show me they understand what I’m going through, and they have the tools, skills, and knowledge to fix my situation in the best and most painless and convenient way possible. And there are ways that the doctor can communicate that. This is the kind of thing I discuss in the emails I send out every day to people who are up and coming Thought Leaders and quite a few who have been very successful at achieving and maintaining thought leadership. You can claim your place in that discussion by signing up at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26580051

3 Key Facts About Follower Psychology 04/17/2023

3 Key Facts About Follower Psychology on It’s Monday and I have too many other things on the calendar today (and Shayla’s off work), so I’m going to be brief and very, very to-the-point. I don’t often focus a lot on the “leader” part of Thought Leader, so I thought today would be a perfect time to give you three principles about how followers think and what you can do about it. There is a lot more to talk about, and we will, but I think if you can just work on these three, you’ll be off to a good start. Follower Psychology Principle #1: Followers are looking for someone in whom they can place hope and confidence, because they have none for themselves. This means that everything you do, especially when it’s directed at people who are just being exposed to you for the first time, has to inspire confidence in first yourself, and then in the follower. Follower Psychology Principle #2: The follower pays you to fix problems. You can’t be a profitable Thought Leader telling people how to prevent something bad from happening to them. Nobody ever goes on a diet to keep from getting fat, right? They’re looking for solutions, not prevention. Follower Psychology Principle #3: The person who does the convincing is the follower, not the leader. Pop quiz hot shot: what’s one thing no one will ever disagree with? The answer: a conclusion they’ve arrived at themselves. Instead of trying to convince your follower of something, especially in a sales situation, don’t try impressing your belief system about the product on the follower. They’ll resist because we all resist when we’re being sold to. Don’t lecture them. Instead, present the facts in an interesting story in an almost passive way, and let them draw their own conclusions. Now here’s a story about two Thought Leaders. One Thought Leader subscribed to my free daily email tips at . This individual woke up the next day in mysteriously much better shape. Everything was easy for them, and when they were behind the wheel of their car, which was always clean and had a full tank of gas, every single traffic light was green. And their bank account balance ended with more zeroes than it ever had before. They lived happily ever after in a loving relationship with a person even more attractive than they are. Another Thought Leader struggled through life, and died unlamented, broke, and alone. Their body was never identified, and they were buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave outside of town by the garbage dump. Which Thought Leader do you want to be? If you want to be like the first kind of Thought Leader, you know what you need to do. Sign up for my free daily Thought Leadership emails at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26566299

Value & Values: A Guide to Intangible Thought Leadership Deliverables 04/14/2023

What Do Thought Leaders Say? 04/13/2023

What Do Thought Leaders Say? One of the questions I’m constantly asked is, “I want to be a Thought Leader; what do I say?” Photo by on Fair question! And as I said, not an uncommon one. We all have to speak knowledge and wisdom into the silent void. So I’m going to give you three types of things that Thought Leaders say, so that you will at least have a perspective you can work from. You can take your pick between them. The first things Thought Leaders say are things that haven’t been said before. We introduce original concepts and market those concepts. Let the content marketers write about us. So we say things that have never been said before. But you don’t always have to be so original, because that’s extremely difficult to do. If you have three to five original concepts, you could have a entire thought leadership career based around those concepts. Second, we say things that have been said before in ways they have never been said before. Tibor Kalman, one of the premier graphics designers of the late 20th century, once said, “I’m always trying to turn things upside down and see if they look any better.” That’s what Thought Leaders do. We turn things upside down and provide another perspective. Third, we re-introduce people to forgotten and valuable knowledge. It always amazes me how easy it is to find what seem like new ideas in very old books. We’re always on the hunt for old, rare, and valuable knowledge. So we repeat things that haven’t been said in a really long time. So to recap, we say things that have never been said before, we say things that have been said before in ways they haven’t been said before, and we say things that haven’t been said in a really long time. I hope this helps you conquer the blank page. If you are an up and coming Thought Leader, I have something to give you. I want to help you grow into that role, and you will learn a lot from my daily thought leadership emails. You can sign up — it doesn’t cost anything — at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26531760

Compliance Formula 04/12/2023

What’s Your Superhero Costume? 04/11/2023

What’s Your Superhero Costume? Photo by on In his book, “Superhero: The Secret Origins of a Genre,” Peter Coogan discusses the definition of a superhero and how superheroes have evolved over time. By the way, I’m assuming you can see the connection between superheroes and Thought Leaders. If you’re not getting it, you probably aren’t going to be successful as a Thought Leader without some instruction and assistance. I can help you with that. One of the primary conventions of a superhero, Coogan writes, is a costume. Superheroes have costumes. Initially, the costume was to obscure the identity of the superhero. It was a disguise. But the creators of Superman changed everything when they made his costume an expression of his identity. The big “S” chevron on his chest and the colors of his costume all told you, “this is Superman.” Batman had the same thing going on — his costume with the bat logo proclaimed him as being Batman. Coogan says, and I’m quoting here, “The superhero costume removes the specific details of a character’s ordinary appearance, leaving only a simplified idea that is represented in the colors and design of the costume. The chevron especially emphasizes the character’s codename and is itself a simplified statement of that identity.” I told you all that to tell you this: your costume — how you appear in public to your followers and customers — needs to proclaim your identity as a Thought Leader. What does your costume say about you? What message does it send? I’m thinking of Kevin O’Leary on Shark Tank. He’s always in that black undertaker suit and wearing a fancy watch with a red band. That’s his look, and it’s part of his branding as the whole “Mr. Wonderful” persona. Yes, you can find him on social media wearing lots of other kinds of clothing, but when he’s working and there to do business, he’s always dressed the same way. You don’t need a uniform like that, like the black turtleneck and jeans that Steve Jobs often appeared in, but you do need to put some thought into how your personal appearance sends a specific and intentional message about who you are and what you can do. And of course, the same thing could be said for the branding of your business, but that’s another discussion for another day. My followers and I have these discussions every day, and you can be a part of them by signing up for my free daily emails at . /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26508717

The “One Thing” Key To Thought Leadership 04/10/2023

What A Real-Life “Don Draper” Taught Me About Thought Leadership 04/07/2023

The Dangerous Aspects Of Thought Leadership 04/06/2023

The Dangerous Aspects Of Thought Leadership on One reason for that is that it’s anonymous. We’ve all seen someone hiding behind a screen name saying things online that they would never have the guts to say to someone face-to-face. There is a lot of anonymity available on the Internet, but if you’re online as a Thought Leader and you’re selling something to someone, it’s probably the least anonymous place there is. Ten or twenty years ago, there were only a handful of sites people could go to complain about a business online, and really no harm was done. Nowadays, you make one false move and people will blow you up, and it doesn’t cost them anything to tear you down. And just like in rumor mills or between gossips, bad news spreads faster than anything. And there’s no “truth detector” on these sites to let people know that this guy is lying about you. So let’s talk about what you can do to vaccinate yourself from this poison. One thing is to systematically build up as much goodwill as you can between yourself and your followers. Additionally, in the context of a transaction, you want clear and easy ways for your customers to provide feedback and get support. The thinking is that if they can easily get their problem addressed, they won’t make the effort to feel like they need another outlet for their frustration. You’re not going to believe my example for this, but it’s actually “The Godfather.” Not the movie, which was great, but the book by Mario Puzo. In the book, Vito Corleone became the godfather by doing favors for people and establishing such goodwill that people happily did whatever he wanted them to do because he had done so much for them. He based his power on goodwill, not fear. Now do me a favor and let me extend a little goodwill toward you. Sign up for my free daily thought leadership tips, tactics, and strategies at . I hope you’ll find it an offer you can’t refuse. /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26467227

You’ll Soon Be Forgotten 04/05/2023

What Is Your Follower’s Secret Identity? 04/04/2023

Your Customer Canvas (Doesn’t Exist) 04/03/2023

Your Customer Canvas (Doesn’t Exist) I want to keep you from making a big mistake. It’s one I made, repeatedly, and I don’t want you to fall into the same trap. I ran a marketing agency for over 12 years (it still exists, but I’m no longer in charge of most of the day-to-day operations). When I started it, I knew I had the skills and knowledge to help businesses make money. I thought that my business was “selling dollars at a discount.” I would make them make a thousand dollars, and they would pay me two hundred, and everyone would be happy. Sounds logical, right? Small problem… the businesses I was working with had one fatal flaw: they were being run by human beings. And human beings tend to mess things up (you and me included). So how did this fool-proof plan go wrong? Well, any number of ways… they were losing money on each sale because they didn’t have a handle on their profit margins, they went out and bought a new truck and increased their overhead, they had a hard time selling the customers I got in the door… and so on. Eventually, I realized that I couldn’t shoulder the responsibility for the profitability of a business I did not control. My point is: your customer is not a blank canvas onto which you can paint all your skills, knowledge, and experience and then expect them to get results. They’ve got a lot going on in their heads that is going to interfere with your perfect plan. Fortunately, there is a way to get around all that: you’ve got to know your customers extremely well, and then you can defeat these demons in their minds — demons that they are probably not even fully conscious of. Let me ask you a few questions about your followers and customers: What are they afraid of? What are they not telling their spouse or loved ones about what’s going on with this thing? Who are they angry at? Who are their enemies? Who do they blame for their failures? What is their feeling about the way the world is generally heading right now? If you don’t have an accurate answer for every one of those questions, you’re fighting an enemy you can’t see, and the enemy is stronger and more powerful than you think. You can’t fight this enemy head-on. You have to undermine it by making your followers and customers feel understood. Your followers need to feel like they’ve finally found someone who understands what they’re going through, even though you’ve never met. Once you achieve that, you can initiate a transfer of confidence and help them to put hope in you that they were unwilling to put in themselves. I’m going to be very blunt: you don’t want to do this alone, and I’m here to help. Sign up for my free daily at You Can Be A Thought Leader. /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26429136

Don’t Be “Born Yesterday” 03/31/2023

Don’t Be “Born Yesterday” People surprise me. Constantly. You’ll see why in a moment. Photo by on Have you ever heard the phrase “born yesterday?” As in when you say something like, “She won’t fall for his lies, she wasn’t born yesterday.” When we say that a person was “born yesterday,” what we really mean is that they don’t understand a given situation, so they are naive and easily fooled. Much like a one-day-old baby, they just don’t have the knowledge or experience to handle themselves. As a Thought Leader, you can’t be “born yesterday.” It’s simply antithetical to the position. And yet, I see so many people who would be Thought Leaders, and maybe someday could be Thought Leaders, but they’re ignorant of the history of their subject and market. Let me give you an example: I can’t tell you how many marketing agency owners I’ve met who didn’t really have much of an idea of the history of advertising and marketing. They don’t know the likes of Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy, or Eugene Schwartz or the fact that they stand on these people’s shoulders every day. Another example: People who advise their customers on how to lose weight who haven’t read the autobiography of Jean Nidetch, who founded Weight Watchers in 1963. That’s the longest-running, most successful weight loss organization ever, but a lot of people in that business can’t be bothered to learn about it. So yes, I am constantly surprised at how so many would-be Thought Leaders operate as if they were born yesterday, with no knowledge of the context or history they’re operating in. My advice for you today is don’t be that person. This afternoon, I’m releasing the March issue of Authority Gold, the monthly journal of The Educated Authority and the premiere newsletter for up and coming Thought Leaders. In this issue, you can learn the steps you can take to learn history the right way — which is not the way you learned in school. If you want a complementary subscription, go to and register before I send out this month’s issue. I normally never send out back issues of Authority Gold, but if you’re seeing or hearing this after today’s date — March 31, 2023 — you can reply to any of my I offer at and I’ll send you the March 2023 issue of Authority Gold so you can get up to speed. /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26403852

We’re Called Thought Leaders, Not Thought Teachers 03/30/2023

One Superpower That Separates Thought Leadership Winners From Losers 03/29/2023

One Superpower That Separates Thought Leadership Winners From Losers I guess I’m on a “client relationship” kick this week. Bear with me, but this will be applicable to everyone, not just consultants of some sort. Let’s quickly quantify two things: The first is the inflow of new customers for your thought leadership business. Not for your resources or other products (we’ll get to that in a moment), but for the services that demand your time and attention. We’ll call that “demand” for the sake of this conversation. The second is the ability of your business to handle all that business. We’ll call that “supply.” Ideally, we want to have the demand be higher than the supply. If we could graph these two variables, we would call the space in between them “the power to say no.” I call it a superpower because it give you the space you need to breathe and do your best work for the best clients. It also has the pleasant side effect of keeping your prices high enough to be very profitable. Your thought leadership business has the chance to remain healthy when that space is large enough that you don’t have to make too many compromises in who you work with and what you agree to do for them. If that space does not exist, then you have a marketing problem, and that’s something that is often very repairable. Now with information products and other resources like that, you have to adjust this formula a little bit because your supply can and should be extremely high. For example, with a digital download, supply is basically infinite because there is virtually no cost to replicating the product. So here’s what we do with that: we don’t include the supply in your formulation, but we just look at demand. What we don’t want is for the demand to be so low that you feel like you have to convince anyone to buy your stuff. Yes, there is always a bit of persuasion in marketing, but that’s not the kind of convincing I’m talking about. You only want to sell something to someone who is a good fit for your products, and when you find yourself trying to sell something just for the sake of making a sale, and not because the product would be great for them, that’s when you know you’ve got a problem. If you’re ready to graduate to the next level of thought leadership, go to and sign up for my . Every weekday, you’ll get something that will help you move closer to your goal line. /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26380278

An Undeniable Truth Of Thought Leadership 03/28/2023

What Do You Really Sell? 03/27/2023

What Do You Really Sell? I get new listeners pretty regularly, so you might not have been here last week for my discussion of avoiding comparable products. Short version: if you’re a Thought Leader who sells information products of some kind (and you should be), you want to be careful about selling a product that can be easily compared in format or structure to an everyday low-priced product. The example I used is a book. Everyone who buys books has a certain price in their head about what a book should cost. And if you want to sell your book for much more than that, you’re going to have to do some work to disqualify that comparison in the minds of your buyers. The even shorter version is that we price our products based on value, not the market price of a commodity, like a book. The writer Christopher Morley had a great quote about this. He said, “When you sell a man a book, you don’t sell him 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue — you sell him a whole new life.” Photo by on I went through all that explanation to get to answer this question: How do we determine the value of our product? Sometimes, the answer is fairly easy. If you help businesses get more customers, you determine the value of your information based on a multiple of the average customer value of the kind of business you’re helping. Other times, you might be a Thought Leader that just helps people enjoy life more or see things a little differently, and there is no financial outcome tied to the transformation you help with. And while that’s more difficult, it’s okay. One thing you have to do in every thought leadership situation is gauge the passion of your audience. And you’re going to notice varying levels of passion. What you don’t want to do is to let the highly passionate person scratch their itch for only twenty bucks. They want to invest at a higher level than your less passionate customers, and you have to have something for them to buy at an appropriate price point. Likewise, your less passionate people are going to want to limit their spend, and, depending on the size of your market, you may or may not want to have something for them as well. Whether you’re very passionate or only a little passionate about becoming a Thought Leader, I have an incredible price point for this offer to you: it’s free! Just go to You Can Be A Thought Leader and sign up for my that are all about helping you achieve the impact and reward you deserve. /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26355138

Beware Of Comparable Products 03/24/2023

Beware Of Comparable Products Photo by on This one is for Thought Leaders who produce resources (my word for information products) for their followers: Beware of the kind of product you produce so that your prospective purchasers can’t valuate the product just on the type and nature of the product. Here’s an example: What’s the price of a paperback book? Likely, your answer is somewhere in the neighborhood of fifteen to twenty US dollars, right? What made you come to that conclusion? Well, that’s just what a book costs. So when you sell a book, what will your buyers be prepared to spend? That’s right. Twenty bucks, at the most. See where I’m going with this? I suggest that the price of your product shouldn’t be based on the type of product, but on the value it brings to the consumer. And that number should be much, much higher. So, this calls the question: if you agree with me, and you should, then what do you do about it? Well, the main thing to do is to produce a type of product that your market can’t compare with anything else. One way to do that is by bundling. This means, you produce a multimedia product where there might be a book, a DVD, and maybe even a USB key drive all bundled together into one product. Or some combination of those things. Another way is to produce a premium version of a product. Think of a leather-bound book with gold gilded pages. You can charge a lot more for that, and sell it as a signed limited edition that comes with certain bonuses you can’t get anywhere else. You can then sell the book on value, and then charge a premium not only for the quality of the book, but for the quality of the information inside. I hope today’s tactic has helped you expand your horizons about what is possible in your business. If you would like more help with maximizing the profits of your thought leadership business, go to where I can help you achieve the impact and reward you desire. /episode/index/show/authoritymuse/id/26329593

Your Thought Leadership Competition 03/23/2023

You Can Be A Thought Leader

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