Establishing Authority Through Strategic Thought Leadership
How Hot Tin Roof positioned College Development Network as Scotland's leading voice on further education.
As Scotland’s national agency for college sector development, CDN faced several distinct challenges. Despite being a pivotal force in supporting skills development and enhancing student success across colleges, the organisation struggled to articulate its multifaceted role to various stakeholders. The college sector itself was often overlooked as the ‘squeezed middle’ between schools and universities, leading to perception challenges.
With the loss of the Times Educational Supplement Scotland as a key media outlet for further education coverage, there was also a significant gap in reaching target audiences effectively. CDN needed to establish itself as a fresh, agile, and trustworthy voice for the college sector while carefully balancing its position alongside its policy focused sister organisation.
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Pieces of coverage
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Policy influencing articles
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Broadcast opportunities
HTR's Strategic Approach
Hot Tin Roof developed a thought leadership strategy that positioned CDN as the authoritative voice on college sector development. Rather than pursuing broad media coverage, we identified specific knowledge areas where CDN’s expertise could drive meaningful conversations.
Our approach centred on three pillars.
Strategic publication targeting: We mapped the publication landscape to identify platforms where CDN’s insights would reach key stakeholders. This included influential think tanks, specialist education publications, and emerging digital platforms with engaged professional audiences.
Issue-led content development: Working closely with CDN’s subject matter experts, we developed thought-provoking content that addressed Scotland’s most pressing social and economic challenges through the lens of college sector solutions. This approach positioned CDN not just as an education voice, but as a contributor to broader public discussions.
Multi-platform authority building: We created a cohesive thought leadership programme spanning traditional opinion pieces, digital platforms, and emerging media formats to establish CDN’s expertise across multiple touchpoints with target audiences.
Demonstrable Results
Hot Tin Roof’s thought leadership strategy delivered measurable impact by establishing CDN as a respected voice.
We secured CDN’s placement in Reform Scotland, one of Scotland’s most influential think tanks, with a forward-looking piece on artificial intelligence in education. This positioned CDN at the forefront of emerging education technology discussions and demonstrated the organisation’s capacity to engage with complex challenges.
Our cross-sector approach secured thought leadership opportunities that transcended traditional education boundaries. CDN’s piece in Open Access Government on trauma-informed practice in tackling student poverty showcased the organisation’s holistic understanding of student success factors, while an article placement in The Carer on colleges’ role in addressing social care skills gaps demonstrated CDN’s ability to contribute solutions to Scotland’s workforce challenges.
We secured CDN’s first guest contributor position on the Edufuturists education podcast, reaching over 2,200 education professionals with a nearly 50% engagement rate. This digital platform placement established CDN’s voice within the UK’s broader education thought leadership community.
Furthermore, the thought leadership programme created ongoing opportunities for CDN to contribute expert commentary on sector developments, establishing the organisation as journalists’ and stakeholders’ go-to source for college sector insights.
Strategic Impact
Through targeted positioning, Hot Tin Roof delivered a comms campaign that demonstrated how strategic content placement can elevate an organisation’s profile while advancing substantive discussions.
This illustrates Hot Tin Roof’s capability to identify and leverage clients’ unique expertise, translating technical knowledge into influential public discourse that drives both organisational reputation and sector advancement.
“Hot Tin Roof made a real difference in raising CDN’s profile. They secured valuable thought leadership pieces in Reform Scotland and Open Access Government, broadcast coverage on BBC and STV, and helped us reach new audiences through the Edufuturists podcast.
“The agency demonstrated a good understanding of the college sector and its challenges, skilfully positioning CDN as an authoritative voice on important issues like AI in education and trauma-informed practice. The social care campaign in particular highlighted the valuable role of colleges in responding to Scotland’s workforce challenges through practical solutions.
“Hot Tin Roof’s support helped us clearly articulate our role and value to stakeholders while elevating the entire college sector’s profile.”
Lauren Hendrick
Marketing and Communications Officer, College Development Network
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