Are you a thought leader, domain expert or curator - and why does it matter?

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Thought leader. The term has been rendered all but meaningless in recent times, thanks to the growing number of chest-beaters, pretenders and wannabes inhabiting social media, and the web more broadly.

And it doesn’t help that there are ever-growing numbers of hucksters and internet marketers loudly proclaiming 📣 "Become an instant thought leader!" 📣 

Ditto “Gain instant authority”.

Ugh!

Be aware though the ‘expert’ label also gets thrown around willy-nilly and it too has lost a lot of its meaning in recent times. Check out LinkedIn (and other online forums) - I think you’ll find no shortage of self-promoters willingly labelling themselves as ‘experts’.

Here’s the thing: Just because you call yourself a thought leader, or an expert, doesn’t necessarily make you one.

That said, there is absolutely no problem in aspiring to be a thought leader, or positioning yourself as a bona fide domain expert in your industry.

Indeed, being recognised and perceived as a genuine thought leader can do wonders for one's profile and reputation.

But it's by no means necessary!

In other words, you don't need to become a thought leader to build your professional personal brand and your business.

You may prefer to be seen as a bona fide domain expert (yes, there are significant differences between thought leaders and experts).

Not your bag? Then what about becoming a CURATOR?

Yes, I’ve just gone and thrown another term into the equation. I unpack this a bit further down 👇

Take stock of your situation

I think it’s critical, if you’re a solopreneur, a business professional, or you’re running a growing expertise-based enterprise, that you understand where your aspirations lie, and also where you fit in terms of marketplace positioning.

Knowing this will not only provide you with some direction (saving you lots of potential angst and internal wrestling), but it will also help you frame and craft content that represents the authentic ‘you’, and thus support your goals and ambitions.

This is important, because expertise and thought leadership is all about PERCEPTION.

If you want to be perceived as a thought leader in a particular area, or an expert with specific deep domain expertise, then you will need to develop a content-led communications plan that’s strategically tailored and can be sustained over a good period of time.

We might aspire to be seen as a thought leader, but it’s up to us to position ourselves as such, and then set about shaping people’s perceptions accordingly.

Don’t chest-beat - demonstrate!

Don’t tell the world how great you are - show us!

Take the high road: ease up on the self-proclamations :)

Thought leader vs domain expert vs curator

I reckon it’s important for motivated solopreneurs and business owners to understand the nuances between being a thought leader, domain expert, and curator.

Is there overlap between them? ABSOLUTELY!

But one thing I can say with certainty, having dealt with hundreds of professionals and entrepreneurs over many years, is that people tend to fit more neatly in one ‘box’ over another. Sure, there are genuine ‘hybrid’ operators out there, but as a rule, they’ll slot into either thought leader category, or domain expert, or curator.

Thought leader defined

A thought leader has strong knowledge and expertise in a particular subject, topic, or issue. However, true thought leadership goes beyond just expertise. For example, here are some key hallmarks of a genuine thought leader in action:

• Bigger picture in their thinking, they often cross intellectual boundaries,

• Sometimes can be hard to pigeon-hole

• Connect dots, provoke thought, change the way people think about a particular topic or issue

• Educate by (a) publishing uniquely original content, and (b) exploring ideas in public

• Tend to build an audience for their insights, ideas and stories

• Their books (they often become authors) are more likely to grab people’s attention and spark public conversation and debate.

SOME THOUGHT LEADER EXAMPLES:

• Mark Schaefer

• Jay Acunzo

• Wes Kao

• Codie Sanchez

• Rand Fishkin

• Ellen Donnelly

• Gina Bianchini

• Rachel Botsman

• Mitch Jackson

Domain expert defined

Domain experts have a high level of knowledge, experience and skill in their specific field or vocation. Indeed, they might know more than their thought leader peers! Some hallmarks include:

• Can demonstrate deep expertise in their particular field, or niche subject

• Stay up to date with industry best practice, always learning - and sharing what they know

• Tend to 'stay in their lane/s' (a bit more focused)

• Are evangelists for their field of expertise

• Passionate about educating people

• Provide utility via their content (useful, helpful)

Note: It’s potentially harder to differentiate your personal brand as there are a lot of 'experts' out there :)

SOME EXAMPLES OF DOMAIN EXPERTS:

• Andy Crestodina

• Dan Oshinsky

• Melinda Cohan

• Sarah-Jane Meeson

• Kevin Kolbe

• Carl Pullein

Curator defined

Now let’s throw ‘curator’ into the mix.

There are individuals who have, or are starting to gain, a profile more so for their ‘curation’ efforts versus their ideas or subject matter expertise specifically.

Mostly, these people are interviewers, and they’ve built up followings of various size due to their podcast, or YouTube show, or even newsletter.

Here are a few examples of what I mean.

A lot of people would say that Steven Bartlett is a thought leader. I disagree. His expertise is in curating interesting guests for his Diary of a CEO podcast, and then extracting compelling insights and stories from them.

You could lump Chris Williamson into this basket as well.

They’re smart guys, very entrepreneurial, and are building terrific personal brands. But they’re doing it off the media platform they’ve built.

Another example is Chenell Basilio, who is making a name for herself reverse engineering the newsletter growth of top creators. Check out her newsletter here.

Thought leader, domain expert or curator: Why does it matter?

Having clarity matters because it affects how you’re positioned in the marketplace: the conversations you start online and/or the comments you make on other people’s posts, the speaking gigs you present, and the content you create - all of these activities are crucial as to how you can shape people’s perceptions, and influence how they see (and talk about) you.

Thought leaders tend to create VANGUARD CONTENT - formerly called ‘leadership content’: flag-in-the-ground, lead the conversation; thought-provoking content, bigger picture themes ››› inspire people: challenge the way they think about a particular topic or issue; move people with your ideas. READ MORE HERE

Domain experts, on the other hand, tend to over-index on UTILITY CONTENT - content that’s useful, helpful, audience-first; addresses people's challenges, needs, pain-points relevant to your expertise.

The key to remember is that there is no right or wrong, it’s just what works for you and your brand and your business.

There are no hard and fast rules, but I maintain that it’s good for solopreneurs and business owners to have an idea where they sit so they can start gaining momentum in the marketplace with clarity and confidence.

Hope this provides you with some food for thought - check in with me and let me know what you think!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; lick it once and you'll suck forever." ~ Brian Wilson

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO:

Miles In Berlin (Miles Davis) - Listen on Spotify

In case we haven’t met yet …

Hi, I’m Trevor. I help purpose-led business owners become clear and confident in how they leverage PR, content and digital communications for profit, impact and legacy.

Would you like to discuss how I can help you in a coaching capacity to build your profile and reputation as a trusted and credible expert or thought leader in your industry?  CLICK HERE TO BOOK A NO-OBLIGATION 30-MINUTE ZOOM CALL