Business Media Club blog: Nature abhors a vacuum

08 Apr Business Media Club blog: Nature abhors a vacuum

“They should have come to me – I’d have given them chapter and verse.”

I’m sitting with a guy claiming to be an expert in his field and he’s having a right old moan about media coverage of a subject he knows well.

“What have you done to come on their radar?” I ask. Silence.

Exactly.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle once observed: ‘Nature Abhors a Vacuum’ – noting that nature requires every space to be filled, whether by something or someone.

In media terms this is more than spotting a gap in the market rather commanding public space as an expert commentator. It is commonly known as thought leadership.

In seeking experts to comment on specific topics, the media often go to thought leaders who can meet the brief as proven experts and a track record of offering insight and opinion on subjects in the public domain.

If you don’t bother to do anything to come onto the media radar how can you expect them to: (a) know who you are and what you may have to say? and (b) whether you’ll be any good at talking about the topic in question?

Fact is, be it locally, regionally, nationally or internationally, on radio, TV, online or in print, many experts consistently fill the space and meet the brief as columnists, interviewees, even as presenters.

They are sought after media go-to people – whose names adorn the contacts books and diaries of journalists and media organisations as copper-bottom, trusted experts to deliver soundbites that alter attitudes, inform discussions, shape debates and answer questions.

More than a mere safe pair of hands, they have profile, credibility and reputation – the essential credentials of character marketing.

Are they the only people with knowledge of their given subject? No. Are they trusted to talk knowledgeably about it? Oh, yes. And some…

Thought leaders proactively take time to create their own space – whether it is their own website to post a stream of fresh content be it blogs, vlogs, podcasts, books or other ways to connect with their audience about their particular passion.

Those with big followings become influencers, not just through the brands they wear or products they use but the views they espouse and the reviews they post.

Looking on in anger, another expert (a genuine expert, too) once grumbled to me about supposed ‘propaganda machines’ working on behalf of others against down.

I doubt it. They just care to comment and got better at it than you.

It is it possible to seize the space from a thought leader? Of course. Thought leaders often lag, get lax and lazy, stuck in a glib comfort zone of self-congratulation so can quickly become yesterday’s news as their credibility withers to dust.

Can you step into their shoes and if so, what have you done to prepare for this potential opportunity? Moreover, if you turn your back will someone else (a competitor, maybe?) fill the space? How will you feel then?

Nature abhors a vacuum, you see.

Thought leadership is the theme of our next CGM Business Media Club webinar on Friday, April 30 (10am to 12pm) or Thursday, May 6 (2pm to 4pm).

To book your place, head to Eventbrite.

Chris Green