Private Equity Thought Leadership: A Strategy to Stand Out
When Stephen Schwarzman speaks, investors — and markets — pay attention. Schwarzman is co-founder, chair and CEO of Blackstone, an investment firm whose almost $1.2 trillion in assets span private equity, real estate and hedge funds.
Among the secrets to his success: thought leadership. The billionaire is a prominent thought leader who comments on topics ranging from tariffs to inflation to entrepreneurship. He’s leveraged his personal platform — across social media, traditional media and more — to drive industry trends and set his investments apart.
You don’t need to be Stephen Schwarzman to make your mark as a private equity thought leader. With the right strategy and content, any executive from a private equity firm or portfolio company can raise their profile with investors and other stakeholders.
Keep reading to find out why thought leadership matters in private equity, how to build an effective strategy and what kinds of content make the biggest impact. Plus, you’ll meet several private equity thought leaders who stand out in a crowded field.
For private equity firms and their portfolio companies, one of the key purposes of thought leadership is to advance business goals.
What is thought leadership in private equity?
Essentially, thought leadership is sharing insights, advice and expertise to position you and your organization as an industry authority. Besides engaging their audience with consistently compelling content, thought leaders can boost brand awareness and build trust.
For private equity firms and their portfolio companies, one of the key purposes of thought leadership is to advance business goals. Those goals could include growth, acquisitions and profitable exits, whether that means selling a company or taking it public.
Thought leadership also enables private equity leaders to tell a convincing growth story, which highlights a company’s progress and potential for expansion. Credit: Getty Images/Unsplash+
Why is thought leadership important for private equity firms?
In private equity, as in any other industry, creating an effective thought leadership strategy is well worth the time and money.
For example, three-quarters of decision-makers say that an organization’s thought leadership content is a more trustworthy basis for assessing its capabilities and competencies than its marketing materials and product sheets. And seven out of 10 say they’re very likely to think more positively about organizations that consistently produce high-quality thought leadership.
Done right, thought leadership pays off financially, too. Successful campaigns can deliver a 14x return on investment, one study found. That’s well above the 3x multiple on invested capital (MOIC) considered a high return in private equity.
For private equity executives and the leaders of companies they invest in, the benefits of thought leadership include differentiating your business from the competition.
Given the sheer level of competition in the marketplace, sharing that narrative is increasingly important for raising capital and catching the eye of prospective buyers for portfolio companies.
With roughly 17,000 private equity firms in the US, executives who set themselves apart by cultivating an audience will have an advantage. Credit: Getty Images/Unsplash+
With any thought leadership strategy, it’s critical to know what’s working and what needs improvement. That calls for measuring impact so you can adjust as needed.
Developing a thought leadership strategy
Want to take the plunge into thought leadership? It all starts with creating a solid strategy that covers goals, audience, content and measuring results.
Decide on your goals
For any private equity executive or portfolio company leader who wants to develop a thought leadership strategy, the first step is settling on strategic goals. Do you want to grow your personal brand? Attract new investors? Pursue more acquisitions? Or maybe all three?
No matter what you want to achieve, the most important thing is to define your goals upfront. That way, they become a North Star for developing content that supports them.
Identify your audience and themes
To ensure that your thought leadership efforts land, you need to know whom you’re addressing. In private equity, that target audience could be prospective investors in a fund or potential buyers of a company. Once you’ve identified your audience, get to know their needs and interests — and decide on a few key themes that matter to you and them.
Develop and publish content
For a thought leader, everything hinges on creating and sharing quality content. Using your key themes as a framework, develop long-form articles, social media posts, blogs and other content that highlight your expertise and insights. Then publish it strategically, with a focus on where your audience spends the most time online.
Engage and build your audience
Ultimately, thought leadership is about building relationships. That means content is a two-way street. When you post something, respond to key comments and encourage engagement. By interacting with your audience, you can build trust and expand your influence.
Measure results … and adjust
With any thought leadership strategy, it’s critical to know what’s working and what needs improvement. That calls for measuring impact so you can adjust as needed.
While quantitative metrics like impressions, engagement and community growth are easy to capture, qualitative metrics such as trust, influence and reputation are equally important but harder to assess. Fortunately, there are ways to track those indicators, as well as the link between thought leadership content and business outcomes.
Executives can produce bylines by working with a thought leadership agency that specializes in helping them craft and place op-eds.
Types of thought leadership content for private equity
When it comes to content, private equity executives and the leaders of portfolio companies have plenty of options for speaking to their audience.
LinkedIn and other social media
Getting active on LinkedIn and other social platforms is a powerful way to share news, ideas and insights. After posting on LinkedIn, CEOs can expect an almost 40% spike in followers. For 59% of chief executives of Inc. 5000 companies, LinkedIn is the most important social media platform for their business, followed by Facebook (18%) and Instagram (12%).
Blogs and newsletters
Private equity and portfolio company execs can also deliver their message via corporate and personal blogs and newsletters. Through those vehicles, they can expand on topics that deserve more attention than a quick LinkedIn post. Vista’s Insights for Edge, the LinkedIn newsletter published by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, features in-depth conversations with investment industry leaders.
Bylines and media coverage
Bylines — both paid and earned — and media coverage are two other thought leadership staples. Executives can produce bylines by working with a thought leadership agency that specializes in helping them craft and place op-eds.
Podcasts
For private equity execs who want to expand their influence, podcasts offer yet another way to reach decision-makers. Branded podcasts can boost brand awareness by nearly 90%. One example from the private equity world is Behind the Deal, produced by tech-focused PE firm Thoma Bravo.
Private equity thought leader examples
At private equity firms and their portfolio companies, certain executives are exceptional thought leaders. Here are a few standouts.
Stephen Schwarzman
The Blackstone CEO makes frequent media appearances and regularly speaks at events like the World Economic Forum. He’s also the author of What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence, and he’s an influential voice on LinkedIn, where he has some 350,000 followers. Such efforts have paid off by helping his firm become the first private equity player to reach $1 trillion in assets. As for Schwarzman, he’s often dubbed the most powerful man on Wall Street.
Stephen Schwarzman, co-founder and CEO of private equity titan Blackstone, is one of the most influential people in finance. Credit: Copyright World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org), swiss-image.ch/Photo by Remy Steinegger
Marty Bonick
Bonick is CEO of hospital and clinic operator Ardent Health, whose majority owner is a branch of PE firm Equity Group Investments. In addition to doing media interviews and podcast appearances, Bonick pens op-eds on subjects such as gun violence and Walmart’s exit from healthcare. Since Ardent went public last year, he’s shared its plans to keep growing via acquisitions. All of this translates to authority and influence. In 2024, Bonick was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.
Robert F. Smith
Founder, chair and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, Smith is a sought-after speaker on topics such as finance, entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership. In his blog, Smith posts about everything from AI to networking to Black history. He also interviews other prominent business leaders for Vista’s newsletter. Smith, named one of Time’s Most 100 Influential People of 2020 for his philanthropic work, recently appeared on Tony Robbins’ new investing podcast. Under his leadership, Vista has grown to more than $100 billion in assets under management and a portfolio of some 90 enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses.
Robert F. Smith, founder, chair and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, is a sought-after public speaker.
Libby Wadle
Wadle is CEO of clothing retailer J.Crew Group, owned by private equity firms Anchorage Capital Group and Leonard Green & Partners. The retail industry veteran led a turnaround at J.Crew, which was emerging from bankruptcy when she took the helm in 2020. Active on LinkedIn, Wadle does media interviews and speaks about subjects like leadership and company culture. Last year, she said J.Crew’s sales were approaching a record $3 billion.
J.Crew CEO Libby Wadle speaks on topics such as leadership and company culture.
Orlando Bravo
The co-founder and managing partner of private equity giant Thoma Bravo, which specializes in acquiring enterprise software companies, has a strong thought leadership presence. Bravo is a Top Voice on LinkedIn, where he showcases appearances on his $184-billion firm’s podcast. He also shares his investment and software industry knowledge with media outlets like CNBC and Bloomberg. Bravo has been called Wall Street’s best dealmaker, and in 2022, MarketWatch named him one of the 10 most influential investors.
Orlando Bravo, co-founder and managing partner of private equity firm Thoma Bravo, makes frequent media appearances.
Curious About Developing a Thought Leadership Strategy for Private Equity?
Whether you’re a private equity executive or the leader of a portfolio company, you and your business can benefit from thought leadership. Besides expanding your authority and influence, an effective thought leadership strategy tells a powerful growth story that helps attract investors or makes a company more appealing to would-be buyers.
But it’s tough for leaders to go it alone with thought leadership, given their many responsibilities. That’s where an agency like ours comes in. We specialize in helping executives put their best foot forward — by working with them to develop and execute a thought leadership strategy with real impact. Reach out here to book a consultation.
