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LinkedIn has published new data on how to reach younger B2B audiences. In a study conducted by Censuswide among 18.050 working professionals and 6.196 B2B marketers, 89 percent of the marketers surveyed said that future growth depends on reaching Gen Z and Millennial decision-makers. Germany was one of twelve markets included in the study.
Short video and expert voices lead the way
When asked which formats are particularly effective at reaching younger buyers, marketers mainly named two approaches: 49 percent see short-form or immersive video as especially effective, and 42 percent see content from expert voices – such as employees, creators or industry experts – as especially effective.
This is less an argument for as much brand content as possible than for credible messengers. 73 percent of the marketers surveyed agree that brand credibility is becoming more important than mere visibility. 78 percent say brands need to be present on trusted professional networks to build that credibility.
Important: these figures reflect the assessment of the marketers surveyed. They are not a direct measurement of the actual purchasing behaviour of German Gen Z users.
Gen Z is connected – but often doesn't feel connected
The study also contains data from the group of working professionals. 72 percent of the Gen Z professionals surveyed say they feel disconnected from people who could help them professionally. 37 percent fear disturbing others by reaching out, and 37 percent fear being judged, while 34 percent worry about coming across as inauthentic.
More than half say they do not know exactly how to start professional networking or how a contact turns into a real relationship. At the same time, 27 percent of the Gen Z respondents say they have already found a next professional opportunity through professional online communities.
For brands, this gap matters: attention alone does not automatically lead to results. Content needs to be professionally useful and come from people whom the target audience actually considers competent.
Employee content and creators are becoming more interesting for B2B
Of course, LinkedIn also uses the study to position its own advertising products, such as Thought Leader Ads and the Creator Marketplace. The underlying trend is nevertheless broader: employees, leaders and external experts are increasingly treated in B2B marketing as a separate distribution and trust layer.
On LinkedIn this is especially visible. The platform is expanding its creator marketing stack, although the LinkedIn Creator Marketplace currently still has restrictions in Germany. At the same time, LinkedIn is trying to push back harder against fake engagement and generic AI slop, which is meant to further elevate genuine expert voices.
What German B2B teams can take away
The study is not a Germany-only benchmark. It covers twelve markets – including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the USA, India and Brazil – and should therefore be read more as a directional signal.
For content planning, there are still practical consequences. Brands should check which people in the company can actually make their expertise visible, which topics are useful to the target audience, and which formats can be published regularly without high production effort. Short-form video can work, but only if the content does not look like interchangeable brand advertising.
If you want to segment your audiences more cleanly on social media, you should also combine platform data with your own analytics and customer information. That is exactly what our guide to data-driven social media audience analysis covers.
The bigger point: B2B visibility is shifting away from the company page alone towards a network of employees, creators and expert voices. For brands, it therefore becomes important not only to measure reach, but also to consider who carries the message and whether that person is credible to the target audience.
Sources: LinkedIn – research from the 2 September 2026, Social Media Today