An Interview With Dina Aletras
Don’t Overthink it– We’ve all seen some of the things that have gone insanely viral. I have firsthand had some of the most insanely mundane videos get millions of views. You really never know what people are going to react to, so just post something. Just contribute to an article. Just get started and you’d be genuinely surprised by some of the things that can happen.
As part of our series about how to become known as a thought leader in your industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Aaron Fowler.
Aaron Fowler is a game-changing Senior Client Success Manager at Qnary, renowned for his problem-solving skills, ability to simplify the complex, and outside-of-the-box methods. With a background that spans managing client relationships, boosting executives’ personal brands, and online reputation management, Aaron excels in fostering positive experiences that drive impactful solutions. His diverse experience, from growing & monetizing TikTok pages with over a million followers to building thriving communities with startup apps, highlights his innovative approach and dedication to continuous growth and neverending curiosity.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us! Our readers are eager to learn more about you. Could you provide some background information about yourself?
Absolutely!
To start off, my name is Aaron Fowler & I’m a Senior Client Success Manager at Qnary, a company that specializes in executive branding through social media and an executive’s more encompassing digital presence. I was born & raised in the DC area and moved to Nashville for college and just fell in love with the city (and the South).
I grew up as a singing prodigy, spending many formative years on stage. This led me to move to Nashville and study music business to understand the industry better after encountering some questionable contracts. I fell in love with two aspects of it; contract law & artist promotion.
When COVID hit and TikTok’s popularity surged, my friends and I, as social media enthusiasts, began going viral overnight with our videos, accumulating hundreds of thousands of views. The TikTok thing kept growing even as we graduated and when you’re the first people in an area to go viral, it becomes really easy to monetize. I was getting really nice gigs reviewing restaurants and promoting bars, which led me to a gig with this startup app NewZip. It was basically an app that connected locals to tourists to ask questions and give recommendations. I was super involved in the Nashville scene and was able to foster a great community of creators and users on the app.
2020 startups do as they do, and then I ended up at Qnary! It’s been a great time working with executives across almost every industry you can think of to help them establish themselves as “thought leaders” in their respective fields.
What establishes you as an authority on thought leadership? Could you briefly share your expertise with our readers?
The majority of my job is to help people who understand the value and have the desire to be a “thought leader” develop their digital presence to help them achieve this goal. I’ve worked with a lot of great clients turned friends and had some fantastic results with leaders of household-named companies & independent consultants alike and just love to share knowledge around the subject and how really anyone can position themselves right and effectively become a “thought leader.” 😁
Can you recall a funny mistake you made when you were first starting out? What lesson did you learn from it?
While there are obviously a bunch of these, the one that jumps out the most is asking a question that I could easily Google. Specifically acronyms & industry-specific corporate jargon/software — it’s far less humiliating to Google an acronym before asking your boss “What does OOO mean?”
What are the most significant disruptions you foresee in your industry over the next five years, and how can businesses adapt to these changes?
The biggest disruption, in my opinion, isn’t AI itself; but the attitudes that surround it. A bunch of people just know AI can make social media posts or help them with getting a promotion, but have no clue the level of training you’d have to do with ChatGPT to even make part of that possible, and then there’s far more layers on top of that.
I think businesses are going to eventually adapt one of two ways. We’re probably going to see an appeal to the anti-AI crowd and put “NO AI-GENERATED CONTENT” and then an alternative where there are (granted, likely significantly cheaper) fully AI-generated companies that use Open AI & publishing tools to do everything.
As with most things, the best version of reality sits right in the middle — but that’s way easier said than done.
Can you explain the benefits of becoming a thought leader? Why is it valuable to invest time and resources into this?
Yeah — but they’re pretty self-explanatory when you think about who you’d consider a thought leader. Most content creators and influencers are thought leaders in their niche industries. Similarly, many podcasters are thought leaders who share their insights and have the resources to produce high-quality content. Elected officials are thought leaders. Keynote Speakers are thought leaders (who get paid really well).
For people who are interested in doing similar things or want a level of public interest, becoming a thought leader is the natural first step.
Can you share an example of a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you leveraged innovative thinking to overcome it?
The biggest challenge, specifically in helping executives become thought leaders in their respective industries, is helping people feel more comfortable while putting themselves out there publically. Public speaking is the #1 fear in the world, so naturally a good chunk of some of the most intelligent people I’ve spoken to have their reservations about putting themselves and their opinions up to the discretion of the internet, especially in a professional environment. I just think ahead and prepare to meet people where they’re at. It makes a huge difference when you can adjust your approach to meet people where they’re at and effectively & intentionally address any concerns they may have.
Now that we have covered that, we’d love to hear your advice on becoming a thought leader. Can you share five strategies that someone should follow to gain recognition as a thought leader in their industry? Please include examples or stories from your own experience for each strategy.
1. Be Consistent — Posting pretty consistently across social media helps get your message/ideas/persona out there (and does wonders when someone Googles your name). The majority of social media is throwing things at a wall and seeing what sticks. They’re not all going to be winners but once you find what your audience responds to, lean into that.
2. Be Authentic– This sounds like the most obvious advice, but the world lacks so much authenticity now, showing off things that make you unique is the way to get the best response. Worst-case scenario, you’ll get hate comments, which also do wonders for engagement, reach, and visibility. Be ready to defend your “authenticity” and don’t do anything really stupid that will get you fired or your company sued, but as long as you’re reasonably authentic, it’s always great to show off your differentiating factor.
3. Don’t Overthink it– We’ve all seen some of the things that have gone insanely viral. I have firsthand had some of the most insanely mundane videos get millions of views. You really never know what people are going to react to, so just post something. Just contribute to an article. Just get started and you’d be genuinely surprised by some of the things that can happen.
4. Remember that you’re playing a long game– Becoming a thought leader takes a LOT of building your personal brand and determining how you want to portray yourself. If you’re just good at what you do and have no idea what kind of messaging you want, there is going to be a very long road full of trial and error ahead with a lot of frustration hitching a ride. Thought leaders are considered distinguished and looked up to because they are articulate and consistent with their thoughts. Their thoughts led (more than likely) a ghostwriter to execute a consistent posting schedule. Once you get the thoughts out there, just let it marinate and watch what gets the best reactions, then continue to develop your strategy around what’s performing well.
5. Bring something to the table– General advice I’d give to almost anyone is to not ask for things without having something to offer. You’re asking for something (likes/support/followers) so bring something to the table. This can be anything from original thoughts, really cool news, good advice, or even just starting a conversation within your network. Bringing something to the table can also be liking some of your colleagues’ posts, commenting on some really good posts you see, and just engaging with others in general. Remember, this is networking, just digitally. The appeal of being a thought leader is that people know you and look to you for input. The more people who know you, the more of a thought leader you can become (as long as you’re bringing something to the table).
How do you foster a culture of innovation within your organization, and what practices have you found most effective in encouraging creative thinking among your team?
This is all about playing to people’s strengths. When you know who you’re working with, just find out what they are good at and let them shine. If I could do everything perfectly myself, I would. I love (and encourage) people I work with to get creative and take risks, because the worst that’s going to happen is that someone isn’t going to like it.
It’s important to normalize the idea of not becoming too attached to a single idea. Using negative feedback as an opportunity for adjustment rather than assigning blame can significantly improve the process.
Who do you think is an outstanding example of a thought leader? What specific qualities impress you about this person?
Daniel Murray, the guy who runs “The Marketing Millennials” is insane. The most impressive quality is the way he is everywhere — which is the most important part. His newsletters are great roundups and his overall presence goes hand in hand with his brand. And talk about consistency? He’s GOT IT (which makes sense, and builds his credibility as a great marketing thought leader all at the same time).
I would also like to give a nod to @DigitalChadvertising on Instagram, they’re not a thought leader per se, but they count in my heart and their turnaround time on making memes of breaking news is unheard of.
How do you stay informed about the latest trends and developments in your field, and how do you incorporate this knowledge into your strategic planning?
This is going to sound so stupid but trust in the TikTok algorithm because I have ALWAYS gotten some of the most up-to-date information from there with multiple perspectives. For someone who hates social media — newsletters are fantastic for a nice compiled list of news stories, but I will also always sing Google Alerts praise.
Some people feel that the term “thought leader” is overused and has lost its impact. What are your thoughts on this?
Just like anything else that gets overused on the internet, things do tend to lose their impact when anyone can claim to be anything. The term thought leader is overused and has lost its impact, but the concept of a thought leader never will. Realistically anybody can be a leader of thought by just sharing their own. The key difference is if anyone is listening or not, which is a whole separate battle. People can aspire to be thought leaders, but most actual thought leaders aren’t running around calling themselves that.
How do you balance short-term business goals with long-term strategic vision, especially in a rapidly changing market?
I thought we were all just kinda rolling with the punches out here.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? How has it been relevant in your life?
Growing up as a child performer, my dad always taught me “everything is subjective.” Just because you get one “no” doesn’t mean you’re not good enough for a “yes”.It just means that that person, who has an equally complex life, at that moment, wasn’t interested.
It’s been super relevant because learning from an early age that “you can’t win them all but that isn’t a reflection of you” makes it easy to remain confident and not place your worth in someone elses opinion. Like everything else, there are obviously boundaries to this because there are a lot of situations where you should listen to others because they’re really just trying to help you not embarrass yourself.
Many influential figures in business and entertainment follow this column. Is there someone you’d love to have lunch or breakfast with? They might notice if we tag them.
Honestly, to any influential figure reading this, I would be more than happy to have lunch or breakfast with you.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Check me out on LinkedIn!
Thank you so much for your insights. This was very insightful and meaningful.
About the Interviewer: Dina Aletras boasts over 20 years of expertise in the corporate media industry. She possesses an in-depth understanding of growth, strategy, and leadership, having held significant roles at some of the UK’s largest media organizations. At Reach PLC, the UK’s largest tabloid publisher, she served in various director capacities. Additionally, she held leadership roles at The Independent Magazine Group and DMGT. Her extensive knowledge spans editorial, digital, revenue, sales, and advertising.
Upon relocating to Switzerland, Dina took on the responsibility of managing and promoting the international section of Corriere del Ticino — CdT.ch pioneering the English page “onthespot.” She also was the Co-Editor of Southern Switzerland’s first official Italian and English bilingual magazine.
Aaron Fowler of Qnary: 5 Things You Should Do To Become a Thought Leader In Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.