Greentarget

Joe Eichner

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Crafting a unique, attention-worthy point of view for your professional services firm takes work. And, unfortunately, most thought leaders fall short. They jump into the fray without taking the time to develop well-considered positions of authority that resonate with their audience and direct a smarter conversation. 

Do you know how to find your firm’s unique point of view? 

What you want to say is only one piece of the puzzle. You also need to understand what’s already been said about a topic and what your audience wants or needs to hear. Only then can you figure out what you (and ideally only you!) can bring to the table.

Get started today by downloading our 4-step guide.

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Too many aspiring thought leaders are more concerned with simply being part of the conversation than adding to it in a meaningful way.

Some may feel an intense pressure to keep pace with competitors, even if they don’t have anything new to say. Others may have plenty to say, but hesitate to speak out for fear of offending stakeholders and losing current and/or future business.

Whatever the reason, this lack of confidence in what to say and when to say it presents a problem. In almost every case, it strips would-be thought leaders of a true point of view — a critical element in establishing and demonstrating authority.

What Are the Hallmarks of a Strong POV? 

At its core, a point of view (POV) is a statement or position that others might disagree with. It’s not merely a statement of fact.

Like a good piece of writing or a coveted dinner guest, a solid POV invites further conversation and sparks new ideas. And like those thesis statements we learned about in middle school, a good POV is evidence of an underlying argument that’s well-constructed and fully considered. One that persuades, excites, and pushes the conversation forward using supporting evidence, engaging storytelling principles, and illustrative examples.

By contrast, what too often passes for thought leadership actually closes conversation off by  repeating what’s already been said, stating the obvious, or saying something patently false or outrageous. 

There is a middle ground here. Just because someone might disagree with a point of view doesn’t mean their response is inherently controversial or combative. They might just be saying, “Hmm, you’d do it this way? Interesting. Here’s why I think you should do it this way instead…”

Alternatively, sometimes a compelling, subjective point of view shines through thanks to the voice and distinct personality of the writer — even if the opinion expressed isn’t intrinsically novel. For example, most movie critics agreed that Moonlight was an exceptional film (see as evidence its 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). But just because they all agreed doesn’t render each critic’s review moot. 

Good critics know how to express the same overarching opinion in a new and unique way — by drawing on their individual experiences, layering in interesting historical and industry context, and infusing their prose with a memorable style. These elements set each review apart and open up more space for conversation and debate.

Similarly, a consultant might agree with the majority of her peers that there needs to be more focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations at the board level. But she might have her own unique perspective on the best ways to go about it. Or she might offer salient, industry-specific advice on how ESG should be talked about and prioritized. She may even bring first-hand experience to the table (e.g., a stint serving as a consultant in South Africa during apartheid or advising directors who were early ESG adopters) that lets her speak to the issue in a completely different way from everyone else. 

Nobody needs to hear another clarion call about the need to adopt ESG practices at their organization (or read generic content about any other trending topic). But advisors who draw on their own experiences can make the case for ESG — or for the topic at hand — in a way that nobody else is making it.

Put simply, true authorities develop statements and positions that are made more compelling by virtue of their unique perspective.

[Ready to start honing your firm’s unique POV? Download our 4-Step Guide to learn how.]

It’s Time for Professional Services Firms to Develop True POVs

If you’re a marketer or aspiring thought leader at a professional services firm, you may be thinking that this is all well and good in theory, but that the consensus-driven partnership structure of your organization makes it difficult to put any kind of real stake in the ground.  

You’re not wrong. It’s rare to find a lawyer or consultant who wants to go out on a limb and risk offending their partners, clients, or potential clients.

But here’s the rub: Going out on a limb is often what makes the best points of view. (Just look at any newspaper’s most read op-ed pieces.) More to the point, weighing in on the conversations that matter most is exactly what your audience needs from you right now. 

The 2024 EdelmanTrust Barometer reveals that the public’s trust in government, media, and science continues to deteriorate. Conversely, people trust businesses more than they trust these traditional helms of authority. 

As a result, more and more of your stakeholders expect the leaders they trust to speak out and carve out positions of authority about things like: 

  • The increasingly polarized rhetoric around DEI and ESG
  • Geopolitical concerns and their effect on business decisions
  • Social issues that become heightened during election cycles
  • The promise and peril of emerging technologies like AI
  • Generational shifts in the workforce and their impact on recruitment and retention

In pivotal moments, your firm’s silence can speak louder than words. And your lack of response will be particularly noteworthy if your employees, clients, and community stakeholders look to you as a trusted authority and advisor. Abstaining from active, important, timely conversations might make your audience wonder what you stand for. 

By contrast, when you participate skillfully in the conversations that matter, you can reinforce your authority and strengthen your firm’s relationship with your audience.

Greentarget Can Help You Find the POV You’re Looking For

It can be challenging to uncover the positions of authority that will resonate most with your audience — especially if you’ve never taken time to think about thought leadership in this way before. The good news is there’s no need to figure it out alone. 

Greentarget can help you artfully combine your subject matter expertise with the factual rigor and narrative techniques of traditional journalism to produce POVs that align with your business goals — all while communicating what your audience needs to know. 
So when you’re ready to find your firm’s unique voice, let’s talk.

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Generative AI is already threatening to change our lives and take our jobs—now, it’s coming for search. The implications are scaring content creators, including marketers at professional services firms who worry their experts’ thought leadership will get lost in a sea of AI-generated noise.

They have cause for concern. In addition to AI clogging up Google with more garbage SEO clickbait, search engines’ own generative AI-powered answers could give users all the information they need without requiring a click at all.

It might be tempting to cower in fear; after all, it’s hard enough to break through as it is, and that was when you were just competing against other people. But, as we’ve written before, the emergence of generative AI is actually a significant opportunity for professional services firms. That’s because they specialize in the niche, insightful, and timely perspectives on complex topics that AI, which merely generates content based on what’s already been said, can’t mimic.

Remember, the audiences that professional services firms want to reach (i.e., executive decision-makers) aren’t going to base multimillion-dollar decisions on four bullets spat out by an AI-powered search engine. They want strategic counsel from trusted authorities whose content shows they know what they’re talking about. And as you’ll see below, that kind of high-quality content still rises to the top.

What’s Actually Happening to Search?

It’s important to first clear up some common misconceptions about the current state of search. Namely: generative AI—and/or the use of generative AI in developing an article—won’t cause a drop in search rankings on its own.

Google’s SEO rules still apply, however complicated or ever-changing they may be. In fact, just this week Google announced adjustments to its search algorithm aimed at surfacing high quality, helpfulcontent over spammy, recycled results—effectively taking aim at content produced for the sole purpose of ranking highly.  

Yet even as Google looks to limit low-quality content, existing SEO best practices—particularly those that help to balance readability and searchability—should still be applied. At their core, these include:

  • Make your site accessible, fast, and optimized for mobile.
  • Use multiple subheads that align with what people need to know and are searching for.
  • Strategically weave in relevant, “winnable” keywords (those that balance search volume and ranking difficulty), and use clear, simple prose when possible.
  • Demonstrate expertise, experience, authority, and trust (EEAT)—for instance, by citing links, firsthand examples, and drafting substantive bios for contributors.

In short, the quality of content being produced is still, and perhaps increasingly, a critical factor in SEO, whether you’re using generative AI to help you write it or competing with other AI-produced articles.

“We’ve given longstanding guidance to create content that’s first and foremost helpful, and we work very hard to ensure that our ranking systems reward content designed for people first. Many sites perform well on Search simply by creating this helpful content, without undertaking extensive SEO efforts,” Google spokesperson Jennifer Kutz told The Verge this January.

The real concern, then, is generative AI-powered tools offered by Google itself, which they’ve started to rollout through its “search generative experience” experiment, which summarizes results and presents it as the top answer. Worries follow: for instance, why go to a law firm’s article describing a new regulation when Google can answer the question itself?

On the other hand, as noted above, leading executives will make hiring decisions based on more than whether or not you can merely describe a new regulation. They’ll want to see that professional services firms can provide unique insights, points-of-view, or guidance in light of that regulation. Generative AI can’t replicate that.

The Opportunity for Professional Services Firms

So what will help your content rise in the search rankings?  

Making it helpful and relevant. Ensuring it showcases expertise and experience. Using keyword research to identify targeted, but relevant search terms. Deploying clear, concise, and easy-to-follow prose. And making sure you’re talking about something unique and complex enough that it can’t be simply (or merely) answered or summarized by a robot.

This is familiar to us at Greentarget. After all, our North Star for strong thought leadership content has long been this matrix, highlighting the importance of relevancy, urgency, uniqueness, and utility:

Each day, we work with professional services firms to do just this. Our research team helps uncover winnable search terms that fill white space, ensuring our clients are speaking on timely topics that aren’t saturated with existing content—AI generated or not.

Our content team distills complex insights into clear, engaging prose, drawing out what’s most useful to key audiences and highlighting experts’ firsthand experience and unique perspectives. And our digital team optimizes those pieces for search, be it beefing up contributor bios, identifying strong keywords or revising subheads and headlines.

This has led to a timely IPO readiness guide discussing tax and accounting challenges for prospective public companies, an award-winning research report on M&A disputes, and countless bespoke topics that our media relations team has leveraged to secure highly visible opportunities for our clients—all of which drive real referrals and website traffic.  

To sum up, here’s a quick primer:

  1. Showcase Expertise / Experience – Author bios with details on qualifications and well-researched content that demonstrates a deep and unique understanding of a topic.
  1. Manage / Build Authority – Ensure your existing online reputation is strong. With each article, try to increase the number of backlinks and sources citing the piece, and encourage sharing and engagement.
  1. Be Trustworthy – Be factual and accurate, cite trustworthy sources, make your content is accessible, and focus on quality content.

And remember the new golden rule: if generative AI can already say it, maybe you don’t need to say it at all. Quality content, that which is truly novel, distinctive and timely, still reigns supreme.

The Importance of Owned Content in the AI Era

Eventually, generative AI may cause organic search traffic to plummet on all but the most niche topics. Yet, as we’ve discussed above, this is an opportunity for professional services firms and thought leaders to stand out in a crowd: by creating unique and insightful content that only they can, based on their firsthand knowledge and experience.

But that’s not the only opportunity. In fact, as AI threatens already-struggling newsrooms, the importance of owned thought leadership content only grows. Fewer outlets and the declining viability of those outlets to rank high in search underscores the potential of owned content—be it a branded digital magazine, feature style articles and whitepapers, research reports, blogs, or LinkedIn posts.

These platforms put marketers back in the driver’s seat, empowering them to deploy targeted distribution strategies (e.g., email newsletters, paid social, even print) that are not (solely) at the whim of Google’s ever-fluctuating SEO rules. They can even complete the circle and provide fuel for earned media opportunities. Our IPO readiness guide, for instance, led to a byline opportunity for our client in TechCrunch.

To learn more, contact our team here.

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No matter what business you’re in, everyone’s talking about the promise—and peril—of artificial intelligence.

But as executives weigh the efficiency of AI against cybersecurity and other risks, they must remember one key fact: AI is also a communications challenge.

Meeting that challenge requires balancing the need for transparency and guidance with the agility and flexibility necessary to keep pace with a swiftly evolving technology. This is especially important for leaders at professional services firms, whose reputations can depend on providing authoritative counsel on emerging issues like generative AI—which, unlike traditional AI, uses unsupervised models to create new content and data.

In what follows, we’ll assess the current AI landscape for professional services firms and map out the communications obstacles (and opportunities) those organizations may encounter as the technology advances.

AI in Professional Services: New Opportunities, New Concerns

From legal to consulting and accounting firms, professional services providers are tapping into the power of AI to help speed workflows, improve efficiency, and generate data-driven insights.

Internally, our law firm clients have already been using AI and machine learning for functions like eDiscovery—and some are now testing out generative AI in content creation (e.g., job postings, social media posts, document production). Consultants and accountants are using it for everything from predictive analytics to automation of back-office functions and more. At the same time, these firms are also bringing AI into in client-facing offerings: consulting on legal and operational risks related to the technology, helping organizations adopt AI themselves, and/or deploying it to improve client processes and services.

For professional services organizations, it’s not only an efficiency play—it’s also a business imperative, one that clients are increasingly demanding as they look to lower outside spend and operational costs. As one GC told us, “Law firms should be figuring out how they’re going to use AI tools to help their clients rather than sticking their heads in the sand and saying it would be inappropriate for us to use them.”

It tracks, then, that in a recent survey by our client Womble Bond Dickinson, only 13% of executives (including those from professional services firms) said that they are not investing in AI or are unsure; over half are already making investments or plan to do so in the next year. Asked about key obstacles around the use of AI, respondents cited issues including ethical concerns, a lack of understanding about AI, legal risks, costs, and a lack of qualified personnel.

But these aren’t the only concerns for professional services firms. Some GCs want their outside counsel to use ChatGPT to lower billable costs, while firm leaders are worried about the impact of generative AI on training the next generation of talent. The evolving regulatory environment also poses potential issues, though as a new Littler survey notes, most employers have not changed their AI usage as a result.

Key Executive Positioning Challenges

As demonstrated by the above, professional services firms, like other businesses, are moving forward with AI despite widespread risk and uncertainty.

Communication from the top—be it internal policies and guidance or external stakeholder communications (e.g., with vendors, clients, investors, talent, etc.)—is therefore critical. Yet only 37% of the HR professionals and in-house counsel that Littler surveyed report providing policies or guidance to employees on the proper use of AI tools in the workplace. The majority are also underutilizing AI vendors or outside counsel to assess risk.

Clearly, there’s room for improvement. As we learned during the pandemic, moments of flux demand proactive, transparent, and authentic communication. Better to overcommunicate, even if you don’t have all the answers, than leave stakeholders guessing.

Here are a few questions executive communicators should be asking themselves when it comes to AI:

  • Cyber/privacy risk. Do you have a communications plan in place as part of a broader cyber incident response strategy? How are you communicating to external stakeholders about the steps you’re taking to safeguard their data and privacy with new AI tools? How are you delivering guidance to those using AI tools within your organization?
  • Policies. Do you have a usage policy for generative AI (and/or other AI tools)? Are you effectively communicating that to your employees in a way that balances brevity, support for employees, and risk mitigation? Is there a steady cadence of communications to ensure these policies are implemented?
  • Talent. As AI use stokes fears about job displacement—one Goldman Sachs study says generative AI could automate almost half of legal tasks—how are you communicating to current and prospective employees about how AI tools can help them in their work? How are you ensuring effective interpersonal communication between mentors and mentees as technologies like AI continue to throw up obstacles to in-person connections?
  • Operations. Given the range of different functions AI will impact across your business, are you convening the right group of people to make these communications decisions? Who should be involved, and when? Is there a process in place to communicate quickly and with flexibility?
  • Business goals. Perhaps most importantly, are you proactively articulating the value of AI to your employees, clients, and other stakeholders (e.g., how it might cut down on costs or free up bandwidth for more creative or substantive work)? How does it align with your overarching business objectives?

When it Comes to Communicating About AI, There’s No Time Like the Present

AI will change the nature of professional services work. But how your clients, employees, and other stakeholders react to these changes is up to you. Proactive, transparent, and authentic communications—utilizing clear, consistent, focus-group-tested messaging—can build trust in moments of flux and uncertainty.

Now is the time to get started. Learn more about how Greentarget can help by clicking here.

About the Executive Positioning Practice Exemplifying Greentarget’s commitment to being a trusted advisor to clients, Greentarget’s Executive Positioning team provides c-suite executives (managing partners, CEOs, executive committees, and boards) with insights to anticipate, understand and respond to important global and social developments, analyzing key issues that can impact reputation and compel leaders to communicate.

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How consultants can use an ESG communication strategy to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace  

As investors, regulators, and other stakeholders demand enhanced transparency—and progress—around environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, a new market has exploded to offer support: ESG and sustainability advisors. In fact, spending on these services is poised to hit $16 billion by 2027, up from $6 billion in 2021, according to research firm Verdantix. 

Professional services providers—consultancies, accounting firms, financial services companies, BigLaw, and boutique shops alike—are all jumping into the fray. Today’s leaders include members of the Big Four (PwC, EY) and global environmental consultants like ERM, while any number of fund administrators, shareholder advisory firms, and credit rating agencies are also vying for ESG-related business. That’s driving deal activity in the space: from 2019-2021, there were over 18 sustainability consulting acquisitions, while the past two years saw financial services firms spending more than $3.5 billion buying green-ratings companies and data providers.  

Yet demand breeds competition, and competition demands differentiation. Despite the diverse array of providers, most offer a similar set of services, including ESG reporting, screenings, training, risk assessments, and tax solutions. At the same time, the outlook around ESG is getting more complex amid political and investor pushback.  

How can these firms differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded and fast-evolving marketplace? At Greentarget, we’ve worked with professional services firms, financial institutions, and consultants advising clients on ESG-related issues to establish unique positions of authority that help them do just that.  

ESG Advisors Need Authority Positioning  

Professional services firms—be they management consultants, law firms, financial services companies, or ESG advisors–-tend to look a lot like their market competitors. They offer similar capabilities and target the same types of clients. Even the mission statement isn’t much of a place to stand out—unsurprisingly, advisors targeting ESG business all talk about their commitments to ESG and to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Differentiation, then, becomes a challenge. Unlike consumer brands, few professional services firms want to (at least overtly) compete on cost. Creative branding for these relationship-driven firms only goes so far: they’re not selling a product or an experience, but expertise. And expertise can be hard to convey—especially in this increasingly crowded era of so-called “thought leadership.”  

That’s where authority positioning comes in. Where thought leaders hold forth, authorities take a stand—they know. Thoughts are merely part of conversations. Authority directs them, makes them smarter, or, by raising unasked questions, starts entirely new ones. Thoughts are heard, authorities are heeded.  

We help our clients establish positions of authority in numerous ways. Our media relations team connects subject-matter experts with journalists to help them with their stories (and get ‘earned’ publicity when they’re quoted). Our content team crafts newsy, not salesy, content that provides relevant insights to target audiences in dynamic, readable, and narratively engaging ways. Our research team tracks what competitors are saying and finds out what audiences want to hear—all with the aim of finding white space for our clients to meaningfully direct important conversations.  

The four attributes of good authority positioning 

Our North Star is utility, which attracts C-suite executives to content more than any other attribute, according to Greentarget’s more than a decade of proprietary research. Utility disrupts the professional services sales cycle by answering the question “How do I navigate or address this issue today?” Ideally, it provides the answer before the audience has asked it. It empowers audiences to act.  

Case Study: Helping a Third-Party Fund Administrator Establish Authority in the ESG Environment 

JTC is a publicly listed professional services firm focused on fund and corporate administration, as well as private wealth services. A leading fund administrator with expertise in ESG-related funds like those established for Opportunity Zones, the firm now leverages its existing capabilities to provide ESG services like reporting, measurement, data collection, and training.  

Getting JTC’s foot in the ESG door, however, would be no simple task given the influx of competition to the space. In collaboration with Greentarget, the firm undertook a significant initiative to plant its flag: an annual research report about impact and ESG investing.  

This, too, was a crowded arena. So before the survey questions were even drafted, Greentarget conducted competitive analyses and messaging sessions to articulate JTC’s unique value proposition: namely, the firm’s innovative shared ownership model, understanding of both investors and fund managers, and strong track record of measuring the tangible impact (rather than merely ESG inputs or outputs) of that investing strategy.  

That last insight became a fundamental tenet of the report. As ESG ratings, frameworks and standards proliferate, so too will demands for reporting on specific, tangible outcomes to measure results and push back against accusations of “greenwashing.”  

The report, developed by Greentarget’s research team and written by our content and editorial team, provided the foundation for a widespread media relations and content campaign that raised JTC’s profile in this crowded space. Nine articles in publications ranging from Financial Planning to Regulatory Compliance Watch highlighted the report’s findings and JTC’s expertise—leading to nearly 800,000 total impressions and over $160,000 in projected advertising value. Several blog posts and event appearances were also spun out from the report, as well as two bylined articles by JTC executives, in Corporate Board Member and Chief Executive, which articulated what investors really thought about ESG.  

ESG Communications: Best Practices 

The above is just one example of how firms looking to cement their positions as ESG advisors can establish authority in today’s increasingly saturated marketplace. As the industry continues to develop, other communications needs will also rise to the fore—attracting and retaining talent, navigating conflict of interest issues, or combatting anti-ESG backlash.  

ESG-focused firms will face added pressure given the work they do. A few best practices they should consider as they move forward include:  

  • Focus on storytelling. Data points are crucial, but they aren’t enough, especially in today’s polarized climate. The best corporate ESG communicators, from Microsoft to Ben & Jerry’s, tell stories about the communities they help, the impacts they make, and how they do business. These stories illustrate not just the what but the how—a differentiator we helped a BigLaw firm communicate in their own ESG messaging. Stories and practical explanations of the ‘how’ engender emotional responses that help organizations stand out from the pack.   
  • Utility is key. In an increasingly crowded, politically charged, and fast-evolving space, offering insights that deliver utility to target audiences is vital. That may be as simple as providing clear updates on a new or impending regulation—there are already hundreds of ESG reporting standards globally—or clarifying the pros and cons of various measurement approaches. You may be surprised at what some people don’t know, as JTC discovered in their research showing that most U.S. fund managers and impact investors believe impact investing and ESG investing are the same thing.  
  • Prioritize clarity. Don’t add to your audiences’ confusion with jargon-filled insights, wordy web copy, or obtuse mission statements. Use clear language, specific details, and reliable formats (e.g., Axios style newsletters or FAQs) to illustrate who you are and what you can do.  
  • Conduct your own research. One way to differentiate yourself is by showcasing data that only you have, and that reveals your ESG expertise. The key is to make sure you’re not just adding to the noise. That’s where a narrower approach, perhaps homing in on a certain audience segment or emerging issue, can help.  

The ESG consultancy boom is still in early innings. As the space continues to evolve, only those who can establish themselves as true authorities will stand out from the crowd.  

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Source: CB Insights

Look familiar? As a PR pro who develops content for professional services firms, it certainly does to me.  

Yet the above didn’t take weeks of focus groups, client calls and multiple rounds of editing to produce. Instead – at the behest of CB Insights’ CEO – it was written in less than two seconds by ChatGPT, the new AI-powered chatbot that has made headlines since its public rollout last November. 

Those headlines might have you think that jobs like mine will go the way of the VCR. In my view, though, the real issue isn’t that AI can do my job. Sure, AI can help get things started, draft great SEO headlines, and effectively regurgitate basic information and summaries. But as numerous critics have shown, ChatGPT’s content is rife with inaccuracies and wooden prose – not to mention it’s really bad at jokes.  

Perhaps most importantly, however, it is unoriginal by design. In formulating a response based on its ingestion of existing content on the internet, ChatGPT is essentially just “giving you some text that statistically is likely to represent the consensus view on whatever topic you ask it to comment on.” It’s no surprise CNET articles written by AI have come under fire for plagiarism.

An increasingly AI-powered content marketplace poses particular risks to professional services firms, who, with their stiff, jargon-filled language, already tend to sound alike. And not having fresh content could have real consequences: as our 2022 State of Digital & Content Marketing Report shows, more than two-thirds of respondents (71% of in-house counsel; 69% of C-suite members) cited articles from thought leaders as a critical factor when it comes to researching firms for potential hire.

In other words, if your insights or messaging can be easily imitated by ChatGPT, then why should anyone choose you?

To establish yourself as a true authority, you’ve got to go above and beyond the consensus view to create content that is unique, relevant, newsworthy and, above all, useful. Here are a few writing best practices to help rise above the noise – and outdo anything produced by ChatGPT.

Go deep

In determining whether a certain text was written by a bot, a new app, ChatGPTZero, uses two indicators – one of which is “perplexity.” In a nutshell, the more complex a text, the more likely it was written by a human.

The temptation for professional services firms might be to make things more technical, complex, and jargon-ridden. That’s not the answer. While some more arcane language can be helpful – for example, to signal your expertise to certain target audience – remember that the broader goal is to make your content useful and engaging for busy readers.  

One way to split the difference: be specific. Focus on a particular angle of a particular topic geared at a particular audience. Then deploy specifics to tell a story that makes a complex issue come alive: Frame the piece through a particular news hook, case study, or example; quote experts, cite relevant research or historical documents; use hypotheticals to put the reader in your shoes.

That’s what Jennifer Hull, a client of ours at Berkeley Research Group, did with a recent piece on crypto. Instead of writing a broad take on a subject that has saturated the internet for months, she focused on accounting standards for crypto assets – an emerging, niche issue in the space – and outlined key challenges and unique guidance using specific, timely examples (without being overly technical or dull). After the piece appeared in BRG’s ThinkSet digital magazine, it caught the attention of Accounting Today, which subsequently published a slightly adapted version for their site.

Write with voice

AI-powered content doesn’t typically read as coming from the voice of an individual in all their complexities. That said, neither does a lot of professional services firm content.

Examples like the bland mission statement at the top of this post should serve as a wake-up call to write with voice and personality.

  • Ask yourself: Why should I be writing this vs., say, 100 other intellectual property attorneys –or a robot?   
  • What do I uniquely bring to this topic from my professional experience or personal history?
  • And finally: Can I write like I speak?

To do so, tell stories. Use specific references. Deploy humor, charm, emotion. Draw on your own experiences. Read your piece out loud and ask yourself if it sounds like a human (you!) wrote it.

Vary sentence length and rhythm, too. The other indicator ChatGTPZero tests for, after all, is “burstiness,” described in this recent NPR article as the human tendency to write “some longer or complex sentences alongside shorter ones. AI sentences tend to be more uniform.”

Consider the apology email written by Andrew Benin, the CEO of Graza, a startup that makes squeezable bottles of olive oil. When holiday orders arrived late and badly packaged, he dashed off an 835-word, profoundly human email with this kicker:

“I hope that you stick it out with us on this crazy ride, because damn is Graza tasty, loveable and fun to use…As a small gesture (and keep in mind this email is going out to 10s of thousands of people and we are an 11 month old 5 person business LOL), I’ve created a code wewillgetbetter for $4.43 off any future order (this is truly what we can afford!)”

Authentic, clear, raw, charming, and written in an inimitable voice, the email received a 78% open rate and a resoundingly positive response. Other executive communicators should take note.

Say something new

If ChatGPT’s responses are essentially Frankensteined mashups of existing content – that cuts off (for now) in 2021 – the simple solution is to create something new.

That reinforces our longstanding advice to thought leaders. Don’t just repeat the consensus or tell people what they already know; instead have a unique point-of-view that advances the conversation. To do so, follow these three steps:

1). Frame your topic as a “how” or “why” question. This helps push past a simplistic summary of the issue to a more meaty analysis of why there’s a problem and/or how to address it. It also invites a particular audience and naturally raises the stakes. For instance, to start writing this article I wouldn’t say: I want to write about ChatGPT’s influence on professional services firms. Instead, I’d try: How can professional services firms stand out in an increasingly AI-powered content landscape?

2). Evaluate what’s already been said about the topic. This is where you play ChatGPT – do the research and see what’s already out there. Has what you want to say already been written? If so, try refocusing your question: Is there a more particular audience you can address? A more niche issue that hasn’t gotten as much attention? A timely news hook that can help reframe the piece in a fresh way?

Alternatively, look to yourself: Do you have a unique response to existing solutions? Different solutions to the same problem? A new or more illuminating way to articulate it?

3). Discover what you can uniquely add to the conversation. The key word here is “add.” Don’t contribute to the noise. Engage with what’s already out there and make sure you’ve got a unique and timely contribution. That’s where the two points above come in: leverage your unique expertise, experiences, and voice – and keep the conversation moving forward, not backwards.

Above all, ask yourself: Is this relevant? Newsworthy? Novel? Useful?

That’s what another client of ours, JTC Americas, did in a piece last year about the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Despite a flurry of talk about new CRA reforms, the group noticed one element was missing from the conversation that also aligned with its objectives as a specialty fund administrator – namely, that the Opportunity Zones program could help community banks receive CRA credits. By drawing on their unique expertise, they were able to add to a timely conversation about CRA reform in a way that only they could.

The more things change, the more things stay the same

ChatGPT might help with some basic elements of writing. But it won’t change the fact that the most compelling thought leadership, messaging, executive communications, and web copy is generated by real people – thinking human beings with a unique voice, perspective, and expertise.

As The Atlantic’s Annie Lowery wrote in a recent column:

“As a rule, when companies can substitute machines for people, they will.… But even if ChatGPT can spit out a pretty good paragraph on AI, it can’t interview AI and labor experts, nor can it find historical documents, nor can it assess the quality of studies of technological change and employment. It creates content out of what is already out there, with no authority, no understanding, no ability to correct itself, no way to identify genuinely new or interesting ideas.”

Instead, writers could think of ChatGPT (in its current form, at least) as a tool that can free them up from more mundane content production to focus on complex, in-depth work. Thought leaders should do the same.

“In many ways, AI will help people use expertise better,” MIT economics professor David Autor told Lowery. “It means that we’ll specialize more.”

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