by Brandon Glenn | Apr 30, 2025 | Blog
In today’s content-saturated landscape, thought leadership bylines remains a powerful tool for building credibility and influence. For example, 88% of decision-makers believe high-quality thought leadership content improves their perception of an organization, yet 71% say less than half of what they read actually provides valuable insights, according to statistics cited by The New York Times.
This gap underscores the importance of crafting compelling, meaningful bylines that stand out. To increase your chances of publication and audience engagement, consider these three essential tips.
- Go easy on the self-promotion: The quickest way to lose credibility in a thought leadership piece is to turn it into a sales pitch. While it’s tempting to highlight your company’s solutions, most publications require bylines to be vendor-neutral. Readers seek valuable industry insights, not an extended advertisement. Instead of pushing products or services, share a fresh perspective, unique data, or a forward-thinking analysis of an industry trend. If your content provides genuine value, readers will naturally associate that expertise with your brand, enhancing its reputation without overt self-promotion.
- Focus on an industry problem: Readers engage with content that resonates with their professional challenges. A strong byline should tackle a pressing industry issue and offer actionable insights, not just general observations. Rather than reiterating well-known problems, take a deeper dive: Offer a counterintuitive take, present real-world case studies, or challenge conventional wisdom. For example, instead of writing about how digital transformation is crucial in healthcare, explore why certain digital initiatives fail and what organizations can do differently. Thought leadership isn’t about stating the obvious; it’s about advancing the conversation in a meaningful way.
- Respect your readers’ time: In an era where executives and professionals are inundated with content, brevity is key. Editors and readers prefer bylines that get straight to the point, typically around 800 words. If your article stretches beyond that, tighten your argument by removing fluff and redundant points. Strong, concise writing improves engagement and increases the likelihood of publication. Aim for clarity over complexity, and ensure every paragraph serves a purpose.
Final thoughts
A well-crafted byline can elevate your thought leadership profile, but only if it aligns with industry standards and reader expectations. By prioritizing valuable insights over self-promotion, addressing real industry challenges, and keeping your content concise, you enhance your chances of making a lasting impact. As the data suggests, high-quality thought leadership matters, so take the time to refine your byline and provide content that truly informs and engages your audience.
by Brandon Glenn | Feb 17, 2021 | Blog
Of all the deliverables we routinely encounter in public relations, none presents as much of a challenge as the humble byline.
Press releases are necessarily to-the-point and formulaic. Blog posts are often quick-and-dirty shorter pieces that are meant to quickly touch on a specific topic, rather than delve in deeply. (White papers don’t qualify as “routine” as they should be employed sparingly; once per quarter, at most, and even that may be pushing it.)
Bylines, however, are altogether different. To craft a coherent, well-reasoned, nonpromotional 800 to 1,000-word article that offers background, explanation and possible solutions on a pressing industry issue is difficult for a writer to do even in his or her own voice. Add to it the PR writer’s challenge of crafting the piece using the client’s thoughts in the client’s voice and the exercise becomes significantly more arduous.
In that spirit, following are three quick tips for writing a better byline.
Develop a written plan before any phone calls: To make the best use of subject matter experts’ (SMEs) time, start planning your byline long before any phone calls. What’s the major theme or “angle” you’re looking to convey to the reader? Start by brainstorming potential headlines, and then after you have a few, write out what could be the first couple sentences of the article. If you’re unable to get this far, it’s a strong sign your plan for the article isn’t solid enough, and it’s time to refine or rethink the angle.
Do your research: It’s fairly rare to find an idea that is completely new. In other words, whatever you’re planning to write about, it’s likely someone else has written about the same, or a similar, topic previously. Do a few variations of Google searches around the topic you’re planning to write about to evaluate what’s been said before. This will provide an idea of the well-trodden ground that’s been discussed ad nauseum and is better avoided, as well potentially spark ideas for new angles. Further, avail yourself of the research that other writers have performed. Good reporters will “show their receipts” in their articles with links to studies, surveys, data and other articles that can provide helpful background. Save time and boost efficiency by taking advantage of the work that’s already been done.
Come up with a targeted list of questions: Also filed under, “Don’t waste SMEs’ time.” Draw up a list of targeted questions for call participants to review prior to the call. In my experience, the top reason byline intake calls go off-the-rails is lack of preparation. Following a list of predetermined questions enables participants to remain focused and helps keep the call running smoothly. If you’re lucky, the SME will even read over the questions prior to the call and ponder potential responses, which generally helps immensely to boost a byline’s quality in the end.
Due to the nature of what we’re trying to accomplish with bylines, they’ll always be challenging to write. But there is a formula for success. Follow the three tips above to craft better bylines.
