Hi, Reader.

First of all, I'd like to apologize for not sending a newsletter edition in the last month. Red Cedar Marketing is growing and I've been onboarding two new clients in July with two more coming in August.

If you know any fantastic video podcast editors, please send them my way!

What do we mean by 'thought leadership'?

There's some people in professional service industries who believe 'thought leadership' is simply regurgitating existing information from influencers and AI tools.

That's not thought leadership.

Thought leadership is connecting dots that haven't been connected yet. It's leaning into your unique experiences, stories, and curiosity that propels research; actually going out and engaging with target customers or key industry stakeholders in some fashion.

Then—and perhaps most importantly—thought leadership requires you to synthesize your findings enough to communicate them in a number of ways; blogging, social media posts, newsletters, podcasts, a book...the list goes on.

Measuring the True ROI of Thought Leadership

If you're skeptical of investing time, money, and energy into developing your personal brand and becoming a well-known authority in your niche, consider the upside.

Inbound leads. Shorter sales cycles. Premium fees.

In a recent episode of Breaking BizDev, Mark Wainwright and I break it down:

Podcasting: An Efficient Thought Leadership Vehicle

Ok, so you understand why you need to invest in thought leadership. But what's the right way to communicate your original point of view?

As mentioned above, there are a number of different vehicles you can use to publish your original thought leadership. Podcasting, however, offers a unique opportunity to become present on multiple channels. Efficiently.

In our 2026 State of Podcasting in Professional Services report, we surveyed 71 business show hosts to get their perspective on the benefits, challenges, and opportunities facing business podcasters today. We asked business podcasters what they believe is the biggest benefit of hosting their show:

7-in-10 business podcasters recognized the ability to repurpose content. Content repurposing is the practice of taking one prduced asset and producing it again into a different format. For example, turning a podcast episode into a blog post.

Below is an example of how one conversation can turn into audio, video, and text-based content:

One episode. Multiple brand assets. Compounded by the frequency in which you publish new episodes.

This recipe can build your personal brand visibility as rapidly as you'd like, fueled by your original thought leadership.

In Case You Missed It...

• ​Business Podcasts in 2026 (Do These Tactics Today)​
• ​History of Podcasting: From '80s Radio Tech to Booming Industry​
• ​Podcasting at Conferences: Turning A Booth Into a Pop-Up Studio​
• ​Audio vs Video Podcasts: Which Makes Sense for You?​

Build Your Thought Leadership Visibility Engine

Red Cedar helps experts build media brands that actually make a business impact. Here are a few ways we help clients:

• New show launch + pilot programs
• Podcast audit, benchmarking, and roadmapping
• Managed podcast growth + marketing
• Sponsorship development + monetization
• Video clip production & distribution
• Guest outreach, coaching and booking

Want to learn more? Reply to this email!

Cheers,
- John