Decision-makers trust thought leadership content 3x more than your marketing materials.
73% say it’s more trustworthy than product sheets for assessing capabilities. Yet only 15% rate what they read as “very good.”
That gap between what we create and what actually influences decisions? It’s a competitive advantage hiding in plain sight.
And honestly, it makes me excited about the massive opportunity sitting right in front of us.
The hidden influence nobody talks about
The promise of “you’ll be able to measure everything” that we got at the start of digital marketing did a number on all of us. We’re obsessing over attribution windows and lead scoring while missing the real game.
Edelman’s Thought Leadership Impact Report shows that quality thought leadership doesn’t just build awareness—it fundamentally reshapes buying decisions:
- 75% of decision-makers discovered solutions they weren’t even considering thanks to valuable content from businesses;
- 70% of C-suite executives questioned their current vendors after reading compelling pieces;
- 54% realized other suppliers understood their challenges better than the ones they were working with.
This isn’t about getting downloads or likes. It’s about getting into consideration sets before buyers even know they’re buying. And the way to get there is with content.
Why most thought leadership falls flat
But here’s the rub: while quality content is a shortcut to decision-makers’ hearts and minds, we’re not doing a very good job at producing said quality content.
48% of Edelman’s respondents say the thought leadership they read is merely “good.” Not great. Not memorable. Just… good enough.
What sets great content apart from “good enough” are three core components:
- Content being grounded in strong research and data, instantly increasing its credibility and showing the latest trends.
- Content that’s focused on real business challenges, making audiences feel seen and understood.
- Content that brings concrete guidance or case studies, helping readers find the way forward in challenging situations.
I’d add a fourth element that’s quite important, too: a distinctive brand voice. According to The State of (Dis)Content, just 40% of content marketers are somewhat confident that people would recognize their content based on its tone. And this is almost as important as the substance of the content itself.
Getting executives to actually care
This is where it can get a bit frustrating, though.
You may already see these opportunities. You probably understand the impact. But you’re stuck in organizations that demand “immediate pipeline impact” from every initiative. That’s a main reason for 48% of marketers to be denied brand building budgets, according to data from Wynter.
So how do we secure buy-in with leadership believes only what can be measured in the short-term? We build our business case with the available proof.
Here’s your ammunition:
Start with stats from research like Edelman‘s. Here’s another one: 9 in 10 decision-makers are more receptive to sales outreach from companies that consistently produce quality thought leadership. That’s not brand fluff—that’s pipeline impact and an immediate efficiency boost for other lead gen and demand gen plays.
Then build your case with qualitative data including quotes from customer interviews and feedback from your sales teams about what content pieces come up in discovery calls with prospects. This will provide tangible proof.
The competitive reality
Here’s what excites me most about this:
Your competitors are stuck in the same hamster wheel. They’re churning out “good enough” content, fighting for scraps of performance marketing budgets, measuring success in 30-day windows.
While they’re playing checkers, you can play chess.
Don’t try to game algorithms or hit arbitrary MQL targets. Instead, build intellectual capital that sales can’t wait to share, that customers actually save, and that prospects remember months later.
This way, you’re earning a spot in consideration sets before RFPs even exist by becoming the most trusted advisor of target decision-makers.
***
We have all the data proving thought leadership works. We have decision-makers literally telling us they want better content. We have the expertise sitting inside our organizations.
What we need is the courage to stop playing small.
Thought leadership matters,
📋 How did I do? There’s no way for me to judge the value these pieces have for you based on open or click rates. So, please, help me out. What did you think about the editorial letter today?
🤩 It was valuable, made me think • ☺️ It was OK, but not enough • 🫤 It wasn’t worth my time
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