Thought Leader Ads let a company sponsor posts published by individual LinkedIn members, so the ad appears with the person’s name and photo rather than the company logo. LinkedIn launched the format for employee posts and later allowed sponsoring posts from other members, such as customers or partners, with their approval. B2B marketers use it because personal posts often feel more credible than brand ads.
How it works
A post must exist organically first. An admin of the company page selects it in Campaign Manager, with the author’s permission, and runs it to a chosen audience. Engagement on the sponsored version accrues to the original post. Formats and permissions have changed since launch, so check LinkedIn’s current help pages.
What makes a good candidate
- Posts that already performed well organically with the right audience.
- A clear, specific point of view rather than an announcement.
- A topic the author can genuinely speak to, so comments can be answered.
- Content that stands on its own without requiring a click.
Measuring results
Many thought leader posts do not include a link, so success shows up as engagement from target accounts, follower growth, inbound messages and later brand searches. Combine LinkedIn’s company engagement reports with CRM data to see whether target accounts moved forward.
Example
Amplifying a founder’s post
Hypothetical company Nettlebrook’s CEO writes a post explaining why the company changed its pricing model. It gets good organic engagement from finance leaders, so marketing sponsors it to a list of target accounts for two weeks and tracks how many of those accounts engage.
Common mistakes
Sponsoring posts the author did not write
Ghostwritten posts that do not reflect the author’s view tend to fall flat in comments. Collaborate, do not impersonate.
Questions
Yes. LinkedIn requires the member’s permission before their post can be sponsored.
