LinkedIn’s newest ad format, Thought Leader Ads, is quickly gaining traction. Instead of promoting a company page post, brands can now boost content published by their employees or recognised voices within their organisation. The result is a more personal, authentic message appearing in a user’s feed and early adopters in both B2B and B2C spaces are seeing promising results.
Why Thought Leader Ads stand out
LinkedIn users are often sceptical of overly polished brand messaging, especially in competitive feeds filled with recruitment pitches, industry insights and sponsored content. Thought Leader Ads bypass that resistance by amplifying posts from real people. When audiences see a CMO or engineer sharing a genuine perspective rather than a corporate update, engagement feels more organic.
For brands, it is a way to humanise campaigns without losing reach. It also creates a bridge between employee advocacy and paid media, giving marketers new creative options.
What early campaigns look like
Salesforce’s recruitment drive
Salesforce launched a global recruitment campaign at the start of the summer, focusing on engineering and sales talent. Instead of simply running ads from the corporate careers page, they boosted posts written by senior employees who shared their personal stories about working at Salesforce. These ranged from reflections on career growth to insights into company culture. By using Thought Leader Ads, those posts reached targeted audiences in specific regions, resulting in a noticeable lift in job application traffic and positive comments from prospective hires.
A consumer brand example: Nike’s sustainability leads
Although LinkedIn is often considered a B2B platform, Nike experimented with Thought Leader Ads to promote its sustainability initiatives to retail buyers and partners. Instead of publishing a corporate press release, Nike amplified posts from its Head of Sustainable Innovation, who shared behind‑the‑scenes views of recent projects. The campaign generated strong engagement from both industry peers and end consumers interested in the brand’s direction, proving that Thought Leader Ads can work in B2C contexts as well.
Professional services and thought leadership
Several consulting firms have also tested this format to amplify insights from partners and directors. Instead of generic white paper promos, they boosted posts where individuals summarised key findings or offered their own commentary. These posts sparked conversations with potential clients and positioned the firm as approachable and expert at the same time.
Key lessons from early adopters
1. Authenticity matters
The posts that perform best feel genuine. Polished corporate language can undermine the format’s power. Brands are briefing employees to write in their own voice rather than rely on marketing copy.
2. Choose the right voices
It is not about amplifying the most senior title. Instead, it is about finding employees with credibility on a topic whether that is an engineer, a sustainability manager or a team lead.
3. Provide support without losing personality
Marketing teams can help with structure, hashtags and timing, but the tone and story should remain that of the individual posting.
4. Combine with other formats
Many brands are pairing Thought Leader Ads with traditional sponsored content to test performance and cover different stages of the funnel. Thought Leader Ads tend to excel in awareness and engagement, while more traditional formats drive direct conversions.
What this means for marketers
LinkedIn’s move towards amplifying individual voices aligns with a wider industry shift: people trust people more than they trust brands. This format gives marketers a way to tap into that trust at scale, blending authenticity with paid reach.
For B2B brands, it is an opportunity to showcase expertise through employees rather than faceless logos. For B2C players, it offers a fresh way to tell stories about culture, values or initiatives that matter to audiences beyond immediate buyers.
As more companies test this format, expect to see an increase in posts from employees that are both personal and strategically aligned with brand objectives. Marketers who invest in training and encouraging their teams to share their own experiences will be well placed to take advantage of LinkedIn’s latest innovation and connect with audiences in a way that feels far more human.
