Reference page
Eight sourced figures on how decision-makers assess expertise, trust ideas, and advocate for the firms behind them.
Last updated September 21, 2026. Sources are cited with every statistic.
The short version
Thought leadership is not a substitute for doing excellent work. It is the public evidence of how a firm sees the problem before a prospective client decides whether to begin a conversation.
This page gathers the most useful recent figures for founders, executives, writers, and marketers who are building a body of work people can recognize, cite, and carry into the room.
71%
Among hidden decision-makers, 71% say thought leadership is more effective than conventional marketing or sales material at demonstrating a vendor's potential value.
Source: 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 202564%
Nearly two-thirds of hidden decision-makers say thought leadership is a more trustworthy basis for assessing capabilities than marketing materials and product sheets.
Source: 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 202579%
Seventy-nine percent of hidden decision-makers say they are more likely to advocate for a proposal from a company that consistently produces high-quality thought leadership.
Source: 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 202595%
Ninety-five percent of hidden decision-makers say strong thought leadership makes them more receptive to sales and marketing outreach.
Source: 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 202591%
Ninety-one percent of hidden decision-makers say that helping them uncover an unrecognized challenge or need is a hallmark of quality thought leadership.
Source: 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 202560%
Sixty percent of hidden decision-makers associate a unique format or style with above-average or highest-quality thought leadership.
Source: 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 202581%
Eighty-one percent of B2B marketers say their teams use generative AI tools, raising the premium on writing that carries real judgment, experience, and a recognizable point of view.
Source: B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Outlook for 2025, October 202446%
Among B2B marketers familiar with their organization's content budget, 46% expected it to increase in 2025 compared with 2024.
Source: B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Outlook for 2025, October 2024Methodology and sources
Each figure is reproduced from the named research source and is presented with its original context. The Edelman-LinkedIn figures refer to U.S. hidden decision-makers unless otherwise noted. The Content Marketing Institute figures come from its 2025 B2B research.
Cite this page
Atelier Attaché. "B2B Thought Leadership Statistics." Updated September 21, 2026. https://atelierattache.com/thought-leadership-statistics
A body of work
For leaders who have something real to say, the work is to give it the form, evidence, and voice that helps it travel.
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