In the age of endless social media scrolling and information overload, standing out as a thought leader in your industry can feel like a Herculean task. 

With the world's 4.8 billion social media users spending a combined 11.5 billion hours on various platforms daily, competition for the public’s attention is fierce. Yet the rewards of building a personal brand online are too immense to ignore. 

Becoming an industry thought can open doors, guide sector conversations and even increase your brand's profitability. According to recent findings from LinkedIn, 64% of buyers rate thought leadership content as more trustworthy than traditional marketing, and 47% said that this type of content inspired them to buy from brands they hadn't considered before. 

That said, establishing yourself as a thought leader is no mean feat. As the old saying goes: "It can take ten years to be an overnight success." So, lock in for the long haul and consistently share valuable insights to steadily build your credibility online. 

This article will act as your blueprint for refining your personal brand and developing a long-term social media strategy to grow your thought leadership content organically. Read on to learn more. 

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Establish Yourself as the Compelling Protagonist in Your Thought Leadership Story

There's no one-size-fits-all social media strategy for building a personal brand, but the best thought leaders have one thing in common: they all have something interesting to say. This doesn't mean you have to know everything there is to know about your industry. But you do have to bear your heart and soul to your audience, as they deserve something authentic to connect to. 

Think of building a personal brand along the same lines as developing a compelling protagonist in a novel. The most-loved fictional characters share similar attributes to bring the author's story to life. So, consider the following character development questions to develop your own personal brand: 

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• Hero's Journey: Where did you start on your hero's journey? What problems did you set out to solve? How did your unique experiences shape the thoughts and ideas you have today? 

• Trustworthy Narrator: Are you striving to be transparent and honest with your readers about your industry views? Is it necessary to put a positive spin on everything, or is it more authentic to be honest about the setbacks? How are you guiding your followers towards a brighter future despite the pitfalls?

• Excitement Factor: Do you bounce ideas off a supporting cast of other thought leaders? Do you keep up with the latest developments and trends in your sector, and incorporate them into your work? How willing are you to challenge the status quo, experiment with new ideas, and embrace novelty?

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Establishing yourself as the hero in your personal brand's story is the first step to building trust and loyalty with your social media followers, as well as establishing yourself as an authority with a wealth of hard-won experience. 

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Consistency is Key in Building a Personal Brand

You must post regularly to catch the eye of scrollers on your favourite social media platforms. So, how often should you post? The answer varies depending on the sites you use and the algorithms it deploys to seed content (which can change often, so you'll need to check back frequently). 

As a starting point, 2024 research suggests the optimal social media posting schedules are as follows: 

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• LinkedIn: Posting 2-5 times a week may give you a 2x lift in engagement. Read this previous post for more tips. 

• Twitter (now X): Post at least three times a day, but posting more frequently is preferable. 

• Instagram: Posting on the grid five times a week (one post per day) and 2-4 story posts daily will help you grow your reach. 

• TikTok: The platform recommends 1-4 posts daily, although 3-5 times a week is a great starting point for building a consistent presence. 

• YouTube: Aim for three long-form videos a month (around 8 minutes each to boost monetisation efforts), and 2-4 YouTube Shorts daily. 

• Facebook: Audiences on this platform prefer not to be bombarded with professional content, so limit yourself to 1-2 posts per day. 

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Alongside social media, thought-leaders-in-the-making should frequently post new articles on their websites, guest blogs, and subscription newsletter platforms like Medium, Substack, and Ghost. 

Moreover, your inbox should be as busy as your posting schedule; contact industry event hosts, podcasters, and networking organisations regularly to help you meet new people and get your name (and brand) out there. 

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Follow Posting Etiquette to Help your Thought Leadership Content Thrive

We’ve all heard the cliche: "Don't judge a book by its cover." But, sadly, first impressions really do count when it comes to social media content. So, to stand out from the crowd, thought leaders need to create content that not only resonates with audiences, but also aligns with each platform's format expectations. 

Understanding the nuances of content style, post length and visual elements will help you win hearts and minds with your social media strategy. Here are some quick pointers: 

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LinkedIn

• Share longer-form posts (under 3000 characters) or short videos of your professional insights. 
• Infographics and carousel slide deck posts are easily shareable and work well.
• Polls and posing questions to your audience boosts engagement and impressions. 
• Posting under relevant hashtags and adding links to your articles will help you expand your reach. 

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Twitter (now X)

• Create short-form (under 280 characters) posts for maximum impact. 
• Break down complex ideas into a digestible thread. 
• Polls encourage people to participate and retweet your content far and wide. 
• Hashtags are still widely used, so utilise them on each post. 
• Posting URLs to your blog is permitted, and you can use URL shorteners to save space. 

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Instagram

• Visual content works best here, so use graphics and photos with captions to convey your ideas concisely. 
• Instagram Reels gain more traction than grid posts nowadays, but they don't need to be super polished. Selfie-style, short commentary videos can work well. 
• Instagram only allows one clickable link in the bio, so use a service like Linktree to create a customised landing page hosting all of your links. 

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TikTok

• TikToks that gain the most traction are under a minute long. However, you can post live streams (up to three hours long) and longer-form videos (under 10 minutes). 
• Short, educational content like how-tos and quick tips attract viewers. 
• Less formal day-in-the-life or trend participation videos help give the impression that you're fun and relatable — very handy, if this ties into your personal brand ethos. 
• TikTok only allows one clickable link in your bio, so guide people to check your caption and main page for more information. 

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YouTube

• Longer-form videos (over 8 minutes) are highly recommended as they allow you to explore your deep expertise on a subject.
• Invest in a decent microphone, lighting setup and editing tools to ensure your content is a pleasure to listen to and watch. 
• Shorts can be selfie posts recapping the subject of your latest video, or even choice clips from that footage. 
• Inviting interviewees, or creating reaction content to relevant stories will help your channel gain traction. 

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Facebook

• Post snippets or longer passages of your articles on Facebook and invite your readers to click your URL to learn more. 
• You can also share your Instagram reels with one tap on Facebook, so don’t sleep on the chance to maximise your reach on all platforms. 
• Photos, memes, and encouraging your readers to leave comments on a subject will also help expand your audience. 
• Facebook is a versatile platform in terms of posting format, but human interest angles work best – even if you're a B2B specialist. For more tips on humanising B2B content, check out this previous CopyHouse article. 

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Keeping up with your comments should also be crucial to your social media strategy. Sure, you may get some spam or even some trolls lurking on your page occasionally. However, replying promptly and professionally to genuine commenters will help turn your thought leadership content into a two-way conversation – helping you deepen your knowledge and grow your personal brand. 

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CopyHouse can Help you Win Friends and Influence People with Great Content

Here at CopyHouse, we have a team of copywriting, design and social media experts who can help you take your personal branding to the next level. Regardless of your industry or specialism, our team has a wealth of experience creating short and long-form content that will pique followers' interest on all platforms. 

So, if you're curious about where thought leadership content can take your career or brand, contact us now for a free 30-minute consultation. We'd be happy to help you. 

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