10 Jun, 2025

How to Create Thought Leadership Content Without Draining Your CEO’s Time

by Ryan James
founder of Rocket SaaS

Creating thought leadership content is a powerful way for SaaS businesses to build credibility, attract prospects, and establish themselves as experts in their field. However, the process can seem daunting, especially when the primary thought leaders in the company – like the CEO or founder – are already stretched thin. The key to making this work is developing an efficient strategy that extracts valuable insights from these experts without taking up too much of their time.

1. Get the CEO or Founder Onboard

The first step in creating thought leadership content is getting buy-in from your CEO or founder. It’s essential to explain the long-term value of consistent content creation and how it can impact lead generation. Start by presenting data or examples of competitors who are succeeding with this strategy. Share insights from companies in your space or even outside of it that are seeing a positive return from their content efforts. If you can demonstrate that content creation leads to more leads and better brand positioning, your CEO will likely be more willing to support the initiative.

Action Step: Gather case studies or examples from competitors who are excelling in thought leadership content creation. Share these with your CEO to make a compelling case.

2. Interview Thought Leaders in Small, Manageable Chunks

Once you have the CEO’s support, it’s time to start extracting their insights. However, you don’t want to overwhelm them with hours of content creation. Instead of asking them to write articles or create videos, schedule brief, focused interviews – around 30 minutes at a time. A weekly or bi-weekly interview can be a manageable commitment that doesn’t disrupt their schedule too much.

Action Step: Set up a recurring interview schedule with the CEO, ideally on a day they are less busy. Prepare specific questions in advance so the conversation stays on topic and efficient.

3. Repurpose the Content for Multiple Channels

One of the most effective ways to leverage these short interviews is by repurposing the content into multiple formats. For instance, a 30-minute conversation could yield several pieces of content, including blog posts, LinkedIn posts, podcast episodes, email newsletters, and more. By doing this, you maximise the value of your content without requiring the CEO’s time for each individual piece.

Action Step: Use a transcription tool or service to turn your interviews into written content. Then, break that content into smaller, digestible pieces for use on different channels.

4. Start Small with Low Commitment Content Types

If your CEO or founder is not comfortable with video content or doesn’t want to appear on podcasts, start with low-pressure content types. For example, written content such as blog posts or LinkedIn updates can be created based on interview transcripts. These can be done without requiring them to be on camera or in the spotlight.

Action Step: Focus on written content first, such as blog posts and LinkedIn posts. As your CEO becomes more comfortable, you can introduce other content formats like video or podcasts.

5. Create a System for Ongoing Content Creation

The key to sustainable thought leadership content is creating a system that can run smoothly with minimal involvement from the CEO. As the content creation process becomes more familiar and streamlined, you can bring in other team members to handle various tasks. For example, you can hire a content writer to refine the transcripts into polished articles, or you can have a marketing assistant schedule social media posts. Over time, you can build a repeatable process that keeps the content flowing without overburdening the CEO.

Action Step: Develop an internal workflow for turning CEO interviews into various forms of content. Assign tasks such as transcription, editing, and scheduling to different team members.

6. Measure and Scale the Effort Over Time

Once you have established a system for creating thought leadership content, the next step is to measure its success. Track metrics like website traffic, social media engagement, and lead generation to see how the content is impacting your business. As the strategy proves effective, you can increase the frequency of content production or expand into other channels.

Action Step: Set up KPIs for your thought leadership content, and review them monthly to track progress. As results improve, look for ways to scale your efforts, such as expanding to additional platforms.

Conclusion

Thought leadership content can have a significant impact on your SaaS business’s success, but it doesn’t have to be a time-consuming burden for your CEO or founder. By starting small, repurposing content, and creating a streamlined process, you can build an ongoing content strategy that positions your company as an authority in your industry while making the most of your CEO’s limited time.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to create thought leadership content that attracts leads, builds your brand, and establishes your company as a trusted expert in the SaaS space.