26 Ways to Build Thought Leadership in 2026, Part 2

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and has fun, safe plans for ringing in 2026 tonight. But before you do, here’s part 2 of the 26 ways to build thought leadership in 2026.

Things get a bit more involved from here — but if you’re following these as intended (one every two weeks, in order), you’re ready to level up. I believe in you.

Google Alerts are every PR person’s secret weapon. Yes, there are expensive media monitoring tools. And no, you don’t need them.

Set up alerts for:

Have them delivered once a day (no one needs more emails), and let content ideas come to you.

Remember Tip #2? Now, it’s time to put it to use.

By now, you’ve got a solid list of 10-15 reporters covering your industry, and you’ve already read their work. Send them an email. You don’t need to have news, in fact, it’s better that you don’t.

Thank them for their latest story, and mention something you found useful. Introduce yourself (briefly). If they’re local, offer to grab coffee. If not, ask if they’ll be attending a conference or event where you could connect.

It’s literally just an email. The worst thing that can happen is they delete it without reading it. The best thing that can happen? You build a new relationship you’ll use sooner than you think.

I know you have one. And I know it hasn’t been updated in a while. Time to fix that.

Use Chat GPT if you have to, but try not to. Either way, publish one fresh post. Here’s a few ideas…

Pick one. Publish it. Then post it on LinkedIn too.

While you’re updating your website, let’s add one more page: a media kit. This is simple. All it has to include is:

You already have all of this, it’s just scattered. Put it in one place and move on.

Infograpics are consistently one of the most shared pieces of content on LinkedIn. Want to go viral?

Find one you can cite—or create one in Canva. Share it and see what happens.

I’ll be honest: video doesn’t work for everyone on LinkedIn. For some people, it doesn’t work at all.

Still, it’s worth trying.

Film a short talking video. If you can, include other people. And please—do not do a product demo.

It might flop, or it might perform better than anything you’ve posted all year.

Webinars aren’t just a way to annoy your audience—they’re one of the highest-ROI content formats available.

They can help you:

Choose a topic with staying power and you’ll have content you can share for years.

This one might be a bit hard to accomplish in two weeks. But you may surprise yourself.

I’m sure there’s a podcast or two you listen to related to your business. If not, find a few of them. Then, find the contact information for the host(s).

Podcasts that publish frequently are always looking for guests.

Don’t aim for Joe Rogan. Aim for relevant.

Pitch yourself with one or two topic ideas and a short bio.

If one doesn’t respond, try another. Eventually, one will—and you’ll have a polished hour-long piece of content to share.

At some point this year, you’ve had news worth sharing. Write a press release.

If it makes sense, use a wire service. If not, post it on your site. Share it on LinkedIn. Send it to your media list.

Done.

Ok, this one you definitely won’t accomplish in two weeks. But start now.

Find relevant conferences. Track submission deadlines. Prepare your application.

Speaking builds authority fast—and often comes with perks like free tickets and visibility you can’t buy.

The biggest mistake people make after getting media coverage is thinking that once the story is published, that’s all they need to do.

Being published in a major news outlet or industry journal is great. But if you don’t make sure that your customers and target audiences see it, the value of the coverage goes down drastically.

Send it out in an email. Post a link on LinkedIn. Ask the reporter if you can repost the story (with credit) on your blog.

Even if it’s the Wall Street Journal, don’t just assume your ICP will see it.

Yep, we’ve made it here. You’ve been putting in the work all year to post on LinkedIn, write blogs, appear on podcasts, get media coverage, and build your thought leadership and content engine.

Now put it all together.

A newsletter lets you share your content directly with your audience—on your terms.

Take it from me: within weeks, you’ll know it was worth it.

Since this happens during the quiet final weeks of 2026, keep it simple.

Review what worked. Look at your metrics. Notice what you loved doing—and what you hated.

Then plan your next year.

Or, if you’ve seen what consistent thought leadership can do and want to accelerate it, consider bringing in an expert to build on what you’ve started. You know who to ask first 😉

I can’t wait to see what you do with these.

And if you’re thinking, “This all sounds great, but I’ll never have time to do it myself,” hit reply and let’s talk. I’m currently accepting new clients for the new year, and I’d love to help you implement some, or all, of this together.

See you next week,
Megan