The news: LinkedIn is scaling its BrandLink program with new creator-led shows and marquee publisher partnerships aimed at B2B engagement. AT&T Business, IBM, SAP, and ServiceNow will anchor the launch of Shows by LinkedIn, joined by publishers including BBC Studios, TED, The Economist, and Vox Media.
Zooming out: Since rebranding from the Wire Program in May, BrandLink has grown quickly.
- LinkedIn told Reuters revenues from the program surged nearly 200% in Q2 versus the prior quarter, while publisher and creator payouts more than tripled YoY.
- Subscription software led ad spend growth (up 20%), followed by healthcare and professional services (14% each). The US, UK, and Germany are top BrandLink ad markets, with Brazil and India among the fastest-growing.
Why it matters:
- Influencer scale vs. authenticity gap: Trust in people over brands is reshaping enterprise marketing. HubSpot data shows 43% of influencer marketers worldwide saw the most B2B success with micro-influencers (10,000–99,999 followers), compared with just 6% for mega influencers. BrandLink today is anchored by marquee creators and publishers, but that leaves headroom for LinkedIn to expand “down-market” into smaller voices. Doing so could marry BrandLink’s enterprise polish with the authenticity that drives real B2B purchase influence.
- Video as the dominant medium: LinkedIn’s bet on creator-driven shows aligns with broader content performance trends. According to TopRank Marketing, 56% of US B2B marketers cite social media posts as the most effective influencer content type, well ahead of in-person events (39%) or webinars (34%). Video came in fourth, at 29%.
- AI pressures boost demand for authenticity: About one-third (32.7%) of US enterprise marketers expect greater use of AI and automation for media allocation this year, while 34.5% face pressure to prove ROI in real time. That makes trusted, human-driven content a hedge against algorithmic fatigue. In an EMARKETER interview, LinkedIn CMO Jessica Jensen said B2B audiences now “crave” unscripted content, with video outperforming text. LinkedIn is responding by building shows around trusted creators.