Share an authentic story

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Thought leaders often assume that the brands that get the most words on the page, publish the most pieces and have the strongest sales will win the most attention. But that’s rarely the case. In fact, thought leaders can learn from start-ups when it comes to crafting cut-through content, says Meg Wright, Senior Technology Editor at FT Longitude (and former start-up marketer).

“A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having,” wrote anarchist, activist and writer Emma Goldman in her 1931 autobiography Living My Life. Goldman was talking about the struggle for freedom of expression, but I would argue that her point is one that today’s producers of B2B thought leadership should bear in mind: content that fails to turn heads is not worth creating.

Easier said than done, of course. But there’s a growing cohort of B2B tech start-ups proving it’s not impossible. They approach their content and communications in a way that’s deliberately anarchic, leaning on what can best be described as a “human” voice to deliver fresh messaging that is understandable, relevant and relatable.

Most importantly, these start-ups recognise who their customers are and aim to speak directly to them—and them alone.

It may not sound revolutionary, but it’s an approach that trickles down into list of peru cell phone numbers all communications, driving what these start-ups say, and when, where and how they say it (we’ll explore some examples of this in the article below). So how can thought leaders do the same?

Share an authentic story
Telling an authentic story is probably the number one way in which start-ups are building powerful networks of brand advocates. Time and again, these authentic stories are what sets them apart from their much larger, established competitors.

It’s a trait that harks back to the first wave of Silicon Valley disruptors – Apple, Google, Amazon –small, innovative brands that gained near-instant popularity, owing in part to their strong, authentic origin stories.


The tech Big Four all have unique and surprising origins, allowing them to market that narrative, via Reuters

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built and distributed the first Apple computers from the garage of Jobs’ childhood home. Google, meanwhile, was launched in 1998 by university students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the core idea coming from a lightbulb moment the pair had during their thesis research project. Amazon was another garage-based enterprise, founded as an online bookseller by Jeff Bezos after coming up with the idea while he was living in the back of his car.