The Influencer Marketing Factory recently published its Ultimate LinkedIn Influencer Guide , one of the first creator economy reports of its kind featuring exclusive data on top B2B LinkedIn influencers, LinkedIn influencer marketing performance, and overall sentiment towards LinkedIn influencer marketing. The Influencer Marketing Factory analyzed over 64,000 U.S.-based LinkedIn influencers to identify key trends and best practices for both creators and businesses. Plus, The Influencer Marketing Factory invited over 25 LinkedIn Top Voices, B2B influencers, and leaders in the creator economy to share their exclusive insights on the developing field of LinkedIn influencer marketing.
1. How do LinkedIn Influencers Differ from Other Creators?
Unlike B2C creators, B2B LinkedIn influencers uplift brands with their “halo of credibility” thanks to their authentic approach to thought leadership, professional storytelling, and value-driven content. LinkedIn influencers also stand out from standard Instagram or TikTok influencers since LinkedIn has its own unique algorithm. LinkedIn’s algorithm recommends content on the condition that one of your connections or viewers engages with it via reactions, commenting, or reposting, while popular social platforms typically recommend content based on someone's sole interests and past engagement. Once someone engages with a creator’s post, that content will be shared in the individual’s followers’ and connections’ feeds, and so on, as the post continues to reach new users. With this in mind, LinkedIn creators must curate engaging, shareable content to reach diverse user networks since LinkedIn’s algorithm doesn’t recommend content simply based on past behaviors or interests.
2. Big Picture LinkedIn Trends
The Influencer Marketing Factory analyzed LinkedIn creator data from Favikon across diverse sample sizes to better capture large-scale trends on the platform.
- The Influencer Marketing Factory’s analysis of 9,500 U.S.-based LinkedIn creators with over 3,000 followers revealed 12 key content niches dominating LinkedIn. Among these niches, Business & Entrepreneurship (15.6%) was the top content category among LinkedIn influencers. Other top niches include Tech & Innovation (6.2%) and Sales & Marketing (4.1%).
- 19% of LinkedIn creators have between 5,000 and 10,000 followers, while only 16% have 10,000 to 30,000 followers, according to The Influencer Marketing Factory’s analysis of 64,000 U.S.-based LinkedIn creators with over 1,000 followers—Favikon’s follower threshold to be considered a LinkedIn creator.
- A majority of LinkedIn influencers (71.36%) have an average engagement rate of 0-1%, as per The Influencer Marketing Factory’s analysis of 5,500 U.S.-based LinkedIn creators with over 3,000 followers.
3. Content Trends From LinkedIn’s Top 100 B2B Creators
The following are some of The Influencer Marketing Factory’s top insights from its analysis of LinkedIn’s Top 100 B2B Creators, as categorized by Favikon.
- Images are the most common content category among B2B LinkedIn influencers at 43.7%. Videos are secondary to Images (27.7%), followed by Text posts (20.3%).
- Male creators make up the majority (72.9%) of LinkedIn’s Top 100 B2B accounts, while women only make up 27.1% of the pool, signaling an opportunity for more diversity and female voices in the B2B content space.
- The Influencer Marketing Factory revealed that the overwhelming majority (67.7%) of LinkedIn’s Top 100 B2B Creators are based in the United States, with 11.5% from the UK and 6.3% from India.
4. LinkedIn Influencer Marketing Trends
The Influencer Marketing Factory analyzed a sample of 195 LinkedIn influencer marketing posts utilizing Favikon creator to better understand how often creators share promotional content on the platform, as well as which content performs best.
- The Influencer Marketing Factory’s analysis of 195 LinkedIn influencer marketing posts across various niches revealed that Images are the most common content category among creators at 42.3%.
- Approximately 4.52% of an influencer's LinkedIn posts are considered sponsored or paid promotions, according to The Influencer Marketing Factory’s analysis of 195 LinkedIn influencer marketing posts from 74 unique influencers.
- Influencer marketing sentiment on LinkedIn is overwhelmingly positive, with 73.2% of comments categorized as “Very Positive” and 11.1% as “Positive Leaning.”
5. Key Quotes & Takeaways from Industry Experts
Interested in learning more about how to improve your LinkedIn content strategy as a brand or creator? The following are some of The Influencer Marketing Factory’s top insights on LinkedIn growth and how to share engaging content from leaders in the creator economy.
- LinkedIn’s Growing Influence: “LinkedIn is the platform to share unique knowledge and perspectives, allowing anyone to carve a niche for themselves and become associated as a subject matter expert…94% of audiences trust content on LinkedIn more than other platforms.” — Daniel Markovits, Creator & Community Manager at LinkedIn
- Lead With Stories, Connect With Purpose: “Think of LinkedIn as your personal newsroom. Position yourself as a thought leader by curating a mix of content: original insights, industry news with your commentary, and behind-the-scenes moments that showcase your journey.” — Raffaele Pieroni, Influencer Marketing Manager at Ogilvy
- Why Your Experience Belongs on LinkedIn: “Most people don't think they have enough knowledge or expertise to share on LinkedIn. But everybody has something worth sharing! Even if you are a few years into your career, you can share advice for somebody looking to be in your position. And seasoned professionals are always looking to see what the younger generation is doing.” — Vin Matano, Founder of Creatorbuzz
- Understanding the LinkedIn Algorithm: “I've interviewed the people who build LinkedIn's algorithm, and they tell me that the algo is looking for a few things: It rewards posts that contain knowledge and advice, that are written from a unique perspective, that build upon your area of expertise, and that drive meaningful comments. So write your posts with that in mind!” — Jason Feifer, Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine
- What Do I Post on LinkedIn?: “If you’re thinking about growing on LinkedIn right now, there are two content formats doing the heavy lifting when it comes to reach and engagement: vertical video and newsletters. And it's not just about the algorithm favoring these formats (though it does)—it’s about how people are showing up on LinkedIn today.” — Lia Haberman, Creator Economy Expert
For more exclusive insights on LinkedIn influencer marketing and B2B content strategy, download The Influencer Marketing Factory’s Ultimate LinkedIn Influencer Guide with over 70 pages of free data and tips here.
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