Thought Leadership Content Generation

Purpose

Generate expert-positioning content that leverages TIPS trend analysis (WHY NOW) and portfolio authority (WHAT WE KNOW) to establish the brand as a trusted voice. Thought leadership lives at the top of funnel — it educates, provokes, and builds credibility without hard selling.

Prerequisites

• Marketing project with at least one GTM path configured
• Content strategy recommended (but not required — can generate ad-hoc)

Input Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
market	Yes	Market slug (determines language, persona, proposition context)
gtm_path	Yes	GTM path theme ID (determines trend narrative)
format	No	Specific format: blog, linkedin-article, keynote-abstract, podcast-outline, op-ed. If omitted, ask user

Workflow

Step 1: Load Context

1. Read marketing-project.json — extract brand voice, tone modifiers, content defaults, language
2. Read content-strategy.json — find the narrative angle for this market × GTM path cell
3. Load TIPS data for the GTM path:
   • Strategic theme narrative (from tips-value-model.json)
   • Top 3 trend candidates in the theme's value chains (from trend-scout-output.json)
   • Relevant claims with evidence (from tips-trend-report-claims.json)
4. Load portfolio context:
   • Propositions for this market (IS/DOES/MEANS — for domain authority, not sales pitch)
   • Company positioning (from portfolio.json)
5. Optional enrichment: If sources.enriched_portfolio_narratives exists in marketing-project.json, read the market-level customer narrative for this market. Use it as a voice and messaging reference — it contains pre-written audience-tailored language that helps maintain consistency between portfolio communication and marketing content. Do not copy verbatim; use it to inform tone and framing.

Step 2: Select Format

If format not specified, present options with recommendations:

Thought leadership formats for {market} × {gtm_path}:
  1. blog (800-1200w) — Recommended as anchor content
  2. linkedin-article (600-800w) — Good for professional reach
  3. keynote-abstract (150-200w) — If speaking engagement planned
  4. podcast-outline (400-500w) — If podcast channel active
  5. op-ed (600-800w) — If publishing in industry media

Step 3: Generate Content

Delegate to content-writer agent with these instructions per format:

Blog Post (800-1200 words)

Structure:

1. Hook (1 paragraph): Start with the trend's most surprising data point or provocative claim. Reference TIPS claim with source.
2. Context (2-3 paragraphs): Explain the trend landscape. Use TIPS T→I narrative arc — what's happening and what it means for the reader's business.
3. Insight (2-3 paragraphs): The brand's unique perspective. Draw from portfolio domain expertise WITHOUT pitching products. Show thinking, not selling.
4. Implications (2-3 paragraphs): What should the reader do? Use TIPS I→P narrative — from implication to possibility.
5. Forward look (1 paragraph): Where is this heading? Reference TIPS horizon data (act/plan/observe).
6. CTA (1 line): Soft — "Follow for more insights" or "Download our [related whitepaper]" based on brand CTA style.

Tone: Brand voice + thought-leadership modifiers (+educational, +engaging). Evidence: Embed 3-5 TIPS claims with sources inline. Mark unverified claims. Language: Generate in project language. Preserve technical terms per language rules.

LinkedIn Article (600-800 words)

Structure:

1. Opening hook (1-2 sentences): Bold claim or question that stops the scroll
2. Trend context (2 paragraphs): Concise version of TIPS trend narrative
3. Expert take (2-3 paragraphs): Brand's unique insight — what others are missing
4. Practical takeaway (1 paragraph): One actionable insight the reader can use immediately
5. Engagement prompt: Question to the audience ("What's your experience with...?")

Tone: Brand voice + social modifiers (+conversational for LinkedIn). No hard CTA — this is brand building.

Keynote Abstract (150-200 words)

Structure:

1. Title: Provocative, memorable (max 10 words)
2. Abstract: Problem → Insight → Promise format
3. Key takeaways: 3 bullet points
4. Speaker bio context: 1 sentence connecting speaker to topic

Podcast Outline (400-500 words)

Structure:

1. Episode title + subtitle
2. Hook question (the central debate)
3. Segment plan (3-4 segments with talking points)
4. Key data points to reference (from TIPS claims)
5. Guest suggestions (based on market/industry)
6. Listener CTA

Op-Ed (600-800 words)

Structure:

1. Provocative thesis (1 paragraph): Contrarian or forward-looking claim
2. Evidence (2-3 paragraphs): Data and examples supporting the thesis
3. Counter-argument (1 paragraph): Acknowledge the opposing view
4. Resolution (1-2 paragraphs): Why the thesis holds — with nuance
5. Call to industry (1 paragraph): What should change?

Step 4: Write Output

Write the generated content to:

cogni-marketing/{project}/content/thought-leadership/{market}--{gtm-path}--{format}.md

Apply frontmatter per data model schema. Include:

---
type: thought-leadership
format: blog
market: mid-market-saas-dach
gtm_path: ai-predictive-maintenance
funnel_stage: awareness
language: de
brand_voice: "authoritative, data-driven, forward-looking +educational +engaging"
sources:
  tips_theme: "AI-Driven Predictive Maintenance"
  tips_claims: ["claim_EE_003", "claim_NH_007", "claim_DW_012"]
  portfolio_propositions: ["predictive-analytics--mid-market-saas-dach"]
word_count: 1050
status: draft
created: 2026-03-14
---

Step 5: Review & Polish Recommendation

After generating, display:

Content generated: {format} ({word_count} words)
  File: content/thought-leadership/{filename}
  Evidence: {claim_count} TIPS claims embedded
  Language: {language}

Optional next steps:
  - Polish with cogni-copywriting: /copywriter {file_path}
  - Transform into narrative arc: /narrative {file_path}
  - Generate derivative LinkedIn post: /demand-gen --market {m} --gtm-path {g} --format linkedin-post
  - Create visual brief: /cogni-visual:story-to-slides {file_path}

Update content-strategy.json — increment pieces_generated for this cell.

Anti-Patterns

• NO product pitching: Thought leadership educates, it doesn't sell. If a sentence reads like ad copy, rewrite it as insight.
• NO generic AI content: Every claim must trace to a specific TIPS trend or portfolio expertise. Generic "digital transformation is important" sentences are banned.
• NO unattributed statistics: Every number needs a TIPS claim reference or explicit source.
• NO conclusion-first for blogs: Use narrative arc (hook → tension → insight → resolution), not BLUF. BLUF is for internal docs.