What Makes Thought Leadership Publishable? Survey Says…
In 2025, decision-makers running health systems, physicians’ practices, insurers and life science companies have more demands on their attention than ever. Yet, even today, these leaders continue to seek out and read thought leadership articles to gain insight into the challenges facing their organizations.
Given their potential influence, these articles continue to play a valuable role as part of an integrated and multifaceted PR/marketing campaign. At Amendola, we regularly help clients craft compelling bylines that resonate with both readers and trade publication editors. But we still wanted to do a pulse check to determine what truly distinguishes one byline from another.
To explore this question, we recently ran a poll on LinkedIn asking: Which of these three is most crucial for getting published and engaging readers when writing thought leadership?
Here’s how the votes broke down:
- Focus on an industry problem: 77%
- Go easy on the self-promo: 15%
- Respect your readers’ time: 8%
Focusing on industry challenges took the top spot by a mile. Still, all three elements are nonetheless essential to thought leadership content that captures attention, builds authority, and clears editorial hurdles. Here’s a closer look at why each matters and how to ensure your bylines accurately reflect them.
Focus on an Industry Problem
The clear winner of our poll, this audience-focused approach centers on their needs and pain points. It is clear from the results that trusted thought leadership should not necessarily be about what your organization wants to say, but rather, what your audience needs to hear.
Editors prioritize content that informs and helps readers do their jobs better. If a byline sheds light on a genuine industry challenge, such as data silos hindering improvements in care quality and outcomes or the slow adoption of AI due to regulatory uncertainty, it immediately signals relevance.
Similarly, in our experience, the best-performing bylines from our health-tech and life-science clients have been those that closely align with the most pressing issues faced by providers, payers, pharmaceutical leaders, or other health IT buyers. For example, instead of broadly discussing the benefits of remote patient monitoring, a more valuable angle would be to examine how payers are adjusting their reimbursement models in response to regulatory uncertainty and what that means for provider adoption at scale.
In most cases, this approach means you should start your byline by identifying a pressing question or problem. If you are unsure about which issue will resonate most, start listening to your customers, the news, and the conference sessions that everyone is buzzing about. The more you anchor your thought leadership in the day-to-day challenges of your audience, the more likely it is to resonate and get published.
Go Easy on the Self-Promo
While only 15% of poll respondents chose minimal-to-no self-promotion as the most crucial trait of published thought leadership, it remains a major factor in whether an editor accepts or rejects a byline. Many otherwise strong pieces lose credibility when they shift from insight-sharing to sales-pitching.
The line between thought leadership and marketing copy is often thin, but it is critical. Readers come to trade publications for insight, not product brochures. Of course, your leaders should still showcase their expertise, but it needs to be demonstrated through stories, lessons learned, or innovative thinking, not direct promotion.
For example, if your company recently led a project that improved medication reconciliation accuracy, open the article by focusing on the broader issue: the clinical and safety consequences of poor medication data. Then, explain how to identify and solve the problem, sharing generalizable insights that other health systems or vendors could apply.
Ultimately, the goal is to earn trust, which is built by offering something of value without strings attached.
Respect Your Readers’ Time
Although this characteristic received the fewest votes in our poll, it should not be underestimated. Clarity and conciseness are the unsung heroes of persuasive writing.
Your audience is busy. They may be reading between meetings, during a quick coffee break, or in the few quiet minutes before their next patient or pitch. A strong byline makes their time feel well spent. That means using plain language, avoiding unnecessary tangents, and structuring your argument in a way that is easy to follow.
In technical fields such as health tech or clinical innovation, it may be especially tempting to showcase expertise through complex language. However, the best thought leaders recognize that simplicity is indeed a strength. One compelling idea, clearly expressed, will consistently outperform three half-developed ones wrapped in buzzwords.
If your byline cannot be understood by an intelligent, time-pressed reader in a few scrolls or less, it is time to revise.
Bringing It All Together
Albeit unscientific, our poll results reinforce what we have long known from working with leading trade and consumer publications: the strongest bylines solve real problems, put the reader first, and let the value of the insight speak louder than the brand behind it.
In a time where healthcare leaders are navigating unprecedented complexity and constant change, the value of strong thought leadership cannot be overstated. Articles that identify real challenges, offer informed perspectives, and respect the reader’s time stand a far better chance not only of being published but also of being read, remembered, and shared. Whether written by an executive, subject matter expert, or seasoned communicator, the best thought leadership doesn’t just fill space, it fuels meaningful dialogue across the industry and elevates your company’s profile in the market.