Edelman-LinkedIn study: 89 percent share B2B expertise privately

89 percent of B2B decision-makers who pass on expert content also share it through private channels – such as email, direct messages or internal chats. This is a key finding of the new Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report 2026. A post can be decisive for a purchase without collecting many public likes.

For this, the companies surveyed more than 1.100 executives across seven countries. The results show how expert posts make their way into B2B buying processes – and why engagement dashboards only capture the visible surface.

Sharing often happens out of sight

Among respondents who had shared thought leadership content, 89 percent used private routes, while 67 percent also used public channels. The two groups overlap. 73 percent named useful data, research or evidence as the reason for sharing.

A technical expert post can therefore be discussed in an internal purchasing meeting even though the platform shows few comments. Edelman recommends complementing public interactions with feedback from sales, qualitative customer conversations and brand impact research.

If you only produce for visible engagement, you miss a large part of the impact. How early companies prepare their provider selection is also shown in our report on 124 days of B2B research before the CRM deal.

AI turns expertise into conversation material

84 percent of respondents used AI to have thought leadership content summarised while evaluating providers. At the same time, 82 percent say high-quality expert perspectives become more valuable as AI use grows. Proprietary research, experience and traceable arguments therefore matter more than interchangeable generalities.

This fits with the AI-supported feed recommendation LinkedIn describes: professional relevance can also reach people outside one's own network. How AI is changing the demand side is explained in our article on the B2B buying process before the sales contact.

Expert content shapes the shortlist

In Edelman's original analysis, 76 percent report that expert content discussed within their buying group helped them judge a provider's problem-solving capability. 52 percent say such content helped in provider selection. Among final decision-makers, 59 percent cite weak or missing expert posts as a factor that contributed to excluding a provider.

The practical rule for B2B marketing is simple: Write material that someone wants to forward to their own buying team. This includes comparisons, solid data, clear problem definitions and answers to typical objections. LinkedIn's growing creator advertising formats can help spread such expertise. Whether the content helps in the next internal meeting, however, determines its business value.