Inside the Rise of Paid Thought Leadership—and What It Means for Agency Growth

People buy from people. And in professional services, that truth is only getting louder.

Most of us already agree that speaking at events and joining podcasts builds authority and opens doors. But many agencies still miss one of the biggest shifts happening right under their nose:

LinkedIn has become the place where B2B buyers go to discover experts, learn viewpoints, and decide who they trust. It’s not a job site anymore.

The data backs it up:

• 79% of B2B buyers engage with creator content at least monthly
• 82% say it influences them

Senior marketers are already using LinkedIn in this way.

In my CMO Journeys interview, Jess Alpert, CMO of EPM, put it plainly:

“I look at LinkedIn a lot. Agencies have the power to get out there. The ones I pay attention to are the creative directors and the people actually doing the work — showing their projects, showing the journey, and explaining what changed.”

The problem is that organic reach can only take you so far. Many executives are lurkers. They read, but they don’t engage. And many of your top prospects aren’t in your first-degree network, so they may never see your content at all.

That’s where LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads become a breakthrough.

Instead of hoping the algorithm picks up your best ideas, you can guarantee that your exact audience sees them. You can target the right titles, industries, or company lists and put your POV directly in their feed—even if you’ve never met.

Thought Leadership Ads drive a 252% higher CTR than standard single-image ads

You don’t need a huge budget. A few hundred dollars can get your strongest thinking in front of thousands of the right decision-makers. When you do this consistently, you consistently show up, building familiarity, trust, and authority.

In 2026, the firms that win will be the ones that combine real thought leadership with smart paid distribution.