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Revolut’s communications manager Muara Makarim on how startup founders can become thought leaders

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COVID-19 and the allied stress may not let one think of anything else. As uncertainty and fear of a slowing economy dominate our WFH schedules, at e27 we think it is important to look beyond and keep moving towards the greater goal.

Muara Makarim

As a startup founder or a budding entrepreneur; one is juggling meetings, investor presentations, team pep talks, training, etc. But while you are at it, it is important to define the trends and be seen as an expert within the ecosystem –by becoming a thought leader.

On April 23, we hosted a webinar with startup PR and communications specialist, Muara Makarim, Sr Communications Manager at Revolut, to learn more about how to use this time to become a thought leader.

Often seen as just another marketing strategy, thought leadership enhances brand reputation, builds decision-makers’ trust, opens the conversation, and helps close business deals too.

Anyone can become a thought leader and benefit from the added visibility. All you need are passion, expertise, and honesty, says Makarim, who has helped startups such as Shopee and Circles.Life at their game.

Key takeaways

  • Founders are the face of the company and should work on enhancing their PR and marketing skills. They should share their views about the industry and what’s happening at their startup freely. Once the startup grows, the founder takes a backseat, but they cannot stop doing this. For example, Revolut founder in the UK is very active as a thought leader.
  • Thought leadership distinguishes you and your brand from others. Events, podcasts, and blogs can help you build leads, future investors, and even increase consumer base.
  • Bear in mind that its a slow process and yields no instant returns.
  • Investors are looking for founders with expertise. This is a great way to build and showcase that, especially when you are looking to get their attention.
  • While thought leadership begins at the founder, it does not stop there. Slowly, a startup can involve its’ technologist, sales and market leaders, or even HR executives to share their company practices, product know-how, etc.
  • As your startup grows, it’s important to know who participates in where. Divide and plan all your thought leadership efforts.
  • LinkedIn is a great tool and the best way for brands to put company updates out there.
  • Start a company blog if you can. But let it not just talk about your products, but also about what’s happening at your company, how you make decisions, etc. This will help engage all your stakeholders
  • Contributor posts at media such as e27. Contributed posts are a good break from story pitch and press release and an easy way to earn bylines for key members of your company.
  • Tech companies can use their data and share it with media companies to do collaborative articles. Connect your data specialists to journalists and see the magic happen.
  • Be honest at all times. As long as you can back it with data.
  • If you are passionate about what you are saying, people will listen.

Notable resources

Food for thought

  • Where should the founder publish the article first? Should it be on the company blog, or personal LinkedIn, or submit to the media first?
  • Are there ways to monetise thought-leadership content or engagement?
  • How is thought leadership different from personal branding?
  • Feel free to share your thoughts on the above via the e27 Contribution Programme

Next steps

If you are struggling with challenges like how to get your founder to understand the importance of thoughts leadership  or how to enhance speaking engagements, watch the full recording here:

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Image credit:Product School on Unsplash

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