Share content from others

You are quite an egocentric prick if you only speak and write about yourself, with an 'I know it all’ attitude. To claim leadership is to acknowledge and to share those great insights, opinions and valuable information that is already out there. Why not share that excellent content from credible sources that benefit your audience.

Frame It

Sharing third party content is quite simple once you know the trick. You just need to frame it. Tell your audience in your own words why this content item is worth reading or watching. Quote that golden nugget and highlight what is the most valuable. Stick to a few words, very short and simple to trigger your audience to read the entire content item.

Keep your audience in mind and make it easy as possible for them. If it has an excellent video that captures the essence, share only the video with the credits and the link to the original source. Don’t be lazy and make an effort to why and how you share this content. 

Give credits

Don’t be an asshole. Always give the producer of the content the credits. If feasible, let them know in advance you are referring to them. ‘Giving credits’ sounds like a no-brainer, in reality often forgotten. Intentionally or not, once discovered you not giving the credits, you have almost unrepairable reputation damage by breaking the trust.

Practicing what I preach, a big chunk of this book consists of content by others. Over the last 10+ years, I collected, resumed, framed and structured all that great knowledge on content. Why reinvent the wheel and doing the same as everybody else? I am being distinctive by bringing a different angle and claiming my leadership by giving a new or overarching vision.