Getting your company’s smartest people to create content is like pulling teeth. You know they have brilliant insights, but between meetings, deadlines, and putting out fires, writing a blog post feels impossible for them (and pestering them about it feels awkward for you).

But what if you could get executives and technical experts excited about creating content? What if they actually came to you with ideas instead of you chasing them down?

Emily Ann Epstein, who runs content and social at Sigma, has cracked that code. As she shared on our Best Story Wins podcast, she’s built a system where busy executives and technical experts not only contribute regularly but genuinely want to create content because they see the impact it has. 

If this has been an ongoing pain point for you (as it has been for many of our clients), Emily’s insights can help you reimagine your content ecosystem and uplevel your content output with less stress than you think. 

4 Keys to Build a Thought Leadership Machine 

No matter how busy your team is, you can get them creating content by building the right infrastructure, getting the right buy-in, and sharing results that make people want to contribute. 

1) Use data to build trust (not just track performance).

Most content marketers think data is just for measuring results. But Emily uses it to build buy-in from the start. “I am very lucky that I work at a data company,” Emily says. “So as a content marketer, I have a rich amount of data showing the impact of content marketing.”

But here’s her secret: She doesn’t just show data to her boss. She shows it to every person who contributes content. When executives see concrete proof that their thought leadership drives results, they stop seeing content creation as a favor and start seeing it as a strategic investment.

Emily also tracks specific engagement metrics that matter to contributors. Using Sprout Social’s employee advocacy tool, she measures share-to-click ratios. “If one share equals two clicks, then we’ve put out a compelling piece of content,” she says. When a piece by Sigma CTO Rob Woolen garnered one share to eight clicks, that was the perfect proof that his expertise was resonating with the market.

Even better, this data becomes a feedback loop. “Rob also gets that reinforcement that his work is making a difference and is beating benchmarks for thought leadership content,” Emily says.

Tip: Start tracking engagement metrics to share back with contributors. Show them not just views or clicks, but meaningful engagement like time on page, social shares, and lead generation. When people see their ideas driving real business results, they’ll be more motivated to contribute again.

2) Make it about enabling, not extracting.

Emily’s philosophy completely reframes the content marketer’s role. “I really just think of my role as enabling them to tell the story of what they’re working on with the rest of the world,” Emily says.

Instead of asking them to write a blog post for her, she positions herself as an amplifier of their expertise. And it isn’t just semantics; it changes the entire dynamic. When you’re extracting content, you’re asking for a favor. When you’re enabling, you’re providing a service.

Emily views it as a partnership that centers around a core trust. Essentially, if they have a compelling idea that is relevant to the industry and zeitgeist, they can trust her to help bring it into the world, find its audience, and shine a light back on them.

This approach creates a symbiotic relationship where contributing content becomes valuable for the contributor, not just the marketing team. And that makes the work feel more exciting and less like a chore. 

Tip: Reframe your conversations with internal experts. Instead of saying, “I need content from you,” ask them how you can help amplify their expertise to the right audience. Focus on what they’ll gain (e.g., industry recognition, thought leadership positioning, expanded network) rather than what you need from them.

3) Create systems that scale collaboration.

Emily doesn’t just hope for great content. She’s built systems that make it easier for people to contribute consistently. She describes having “war rooms” every single week where her team looks at performance and analyzes what’s working and what isn’t.

But the systems aren’t just about measurement. Emily has created processes that make collaboration smoother, too. She knows which contributors are available, what their expertise areas are, and how to match ideas with the right voices. 

This systematic approach means she’s not constantly scrambling to find contributors or hoping someone will volunteer. She’s created a content machine that runs on clear processes and mutual benefit.

Tip: Build a contributor database with three key fields: expertise areas, availability windows, and preferred content formats (some love writing, others prefer being interviewed). Then create a monthly planning process where you match upcoming topics with the right people in advance, rather than making last-minute asks when deadlines hit.

4) Keep the human voice (even when polishing).

Here’s where Emily’s approach gets really interesting. Instead of trying to make content more professional, she tries to cultivate authentic, human voices that stand out. In fact, when she gets something very polished, she’ll always ask the writer how they can make things a little more punk rock.

This isn’t about being edgy for the sake of it. It’s about maintaining the authentic voice that makes thought leadership compelling. “Our competitors’ content is very boring,” Emily says. “One of the ways that we get through the noise is by embodying that maverick personality.”

The way people write and the way they speak are often different, so breaking that wall down and making things more personable is key. 

Tip: When editing content, try to make things feel less buttoned-up by asking the expert how they’d explain their point to a colleague over coffee. More casual phrases or simple metaphors go a long way to add color and personality to any piece.  

How to Build Your Own Thought Leadership System

Ultimately, Emily’s success comes from treating thought leadership as a system, not a series of one-off requests. It may take time to build that system up, but it is the most important work you can do to create unique, interesting content, especially at a time when everyone else is publishing the same AI-written fluff. 

But if you haven’t tapped these internal resources (or have hit too many internal blocks), now is the time to reassess and rebuild that infrastructure to get the right people’s ideas out into the world. 

• Start by identifying who your experts are. Your team has more untapped experts than you realize. Follow our tips to find them and turn them into content creators. 
• Use tools to support content creation. Making experts sit down and face a blank page is usually not the best way to get them generating content. Q&As, podcasts, voice notes, and AI tools are all helpful ways to get ideas on paper, so it’s important to have conversations about the methods they prefer. 
• Make brainstorming easier. Sometimes people are too busy or too self-conscious to surface their best ideas. Try our tips to brainstorm better content ideas to get their creative wheels turning. 

Remember: The companies that consistently produce compelling thought leadership aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the most content marketers. They’re the ones who have figured out how to make content creation valuable for everyone involved. When you can do that effectively, you’ll never have to beg for content again.

For more of Emily’s insights on building scalable thought leadership programs, listen to our full conversation on the Best Story Wins podcast.