The Creator Economy Is Coming to LinkedIn: What B2B Marketers Need to Know

The creator economy has quietly become one of the biggest shifts in how marketing budgets get spent. What started as individual video producers and newsletter writers monetising an audience has grown into a real industry — with agencies, production studios and investment funds now built around it. In the UK, 81% of brands plan to increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2026, and 84% expect to work with more creators next year (Source: Kolsquare). 

And B2B is now moving into the space with real intent; according to Ipsos, in 2025 55% of B2B marketers now work with creators.

Over recent months there have been clear signals: creators were one of the biggest talking points at Cannes Lions, and LinkedIn is building new tools to make creator partnerships a key feature of the platform. 

What is the creator economy?

The creator economy is the ecosystem of people who make content professionally and get paid for it – most often through brand partnerships and platform incentives. It is estimated that more than 200 million people worldwide now describe themselves as creators. 

The terms creator and influencer get used interchangeably, and in B2B you'll also hear thought leader thrown into the mix; but there is some nuance that’s important to understand.

A creator is defined by output: someone who produces original content — video, writing, audio, design — built around a subject or a skill, and whose value lies in the quality and credibility of that content. An influencer is defined by effect: someone who has built an audience's trust, and whose value lies in their ability to shape opinion or a purchase decision. A thought leader is defined by authority: typically, an executive or subject-matter expert whose value lies in their standing and expertise within an industry, rather than in content output or audience size. 

While the roles are beginning to merge, the distinction matters when you're briefing a partnership, because it changes what you're actually buying — expert-led content, or reach through a trusted voice — and that should shape the brief, the metrics and what "success" looks like. 

LinkedIn's research backs up why creators are working so well for B2B. In its 2026 Global B2B Marketing Outlook, 82% of B2B marketers said creators increase credibility with decision-makers, and 83% said credibility now matters more to buyers than traditional brand messaging. The same research shared that 56% of B2B buyers depend on creator input specifically at the final stage of the buying process - right when they're validating their decisions. 

Influencers still have an important role to play in reach and awareness - but on LinkedIn, it's the creator side that’s driving the biggest growth for conversions.

Why Cannes 2026 mattered

Cannes Lions has traditionally been about advertising — campaigns, agencies, big broadcast ideas. This year, that focus shifted noticeably toward creators.

Creator programming had a much bigger, more central presence at the festival than in previous years, with well over 250 creators taking part across official events — the most in Cannes Lions history. 

Kristen Sesto, co-founder of B2B influencer marketing agency Custom Influence said “The presence of creators at Cannes was undeniable, from the awards and panel stages to the parties. But it wasn’t only their growing role in producing the work that stood out. Their ability to create content at lightning speed gave audiences real-time access to the event on social. Our own team also took to the Croisette for some street-style interviews, asking attendees what they thought about B2B creators. Despite the 40-degree heat, we were pleasantly surprised at how eager people were to stop and talk, particularly about how creators are shaping conversations on LinkedIn. It was definitely a breakout year for the space.”

What's happening on LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn't just talking about creators — it's building the infrastructure to support them, from amplifying content to helping brands find and work with the right people.

Thought Leader Ads allow brands to amplify organic content created by employees, customers, industry experts and creators as paid media, putting trusted voices directly in front of decision-makers. Introduced by LinkedIn in 2023 and expanded in 2024 to include content from individuals beyond a company's own employees, the format has gained real momentum in 2026 as more B2B organisations invest in partnerships and employee advocacy to build credibility and reach.

Currently, LinkedIn is rolling out Collaborative Posts, an organic feature that enables a single post to be co-published by up to five personal profiles or Company Pages. Similar to Instagram's Collab feature, it makes it easier for brands, employees, partners and creators to amplify shared content and reach multiple audiences from a single post.

Creator Marketplace, announced on 10 June, sits inside Campaign Manager and brings creator discovery, insights and partnership tools into one place. You can search for vetted creators by topic and expertise, check their audience and performance, and get their contact details to start a conversation directly. Currently it’s at testing stage, rolling out to a limited number of brands and creators in the US and Canada.

Alongside Creator Marketplace, LinkedIn launched BrandWorks -  a dedicated team offering hands-on strategy and creative support, turning audience data into campaign strategy and producing content built for how B2B buyers actually engage. SAP and Webflow are among the early names LinkedIn has cited.

What to do next

Not yet considered working with influencers or creators?  Start by looking beyond traditional advertising and asking: who already has credibility with your target audience? Identify the experts, practitioners and creators already having meaningful conversations about your category on LinkedIn and other relevant platforms. Start following the conversations they are having, understand the topics your audience responds to, and consider where there might be opportunities to collaborate.

If you are already in this space, don't wait for LinkedIn’s Creator Marketplace to reach general availability before you get moving. Start identifying the credible voices already talking about your key topics on LinkedIn and open the relationship now.

And before that first brief goes out, get clear on the distinction we started with: are you commissioning expert-led content, or buying reach through a trusted voice? Getting that decision right will make the choice of partner, campaign objectives and success metrics much clearer.

If you want to learn more, join us in Shoreditch, London on 11th November for the SocialDay B2B Forum (www.socialdayb2b.co.uk). As part of the day, Kristen will be hosting the workshop, “Beyond Follower Count: Choosing B2B Influencers That Drive Results”, where attendees will learn how to evaluate potential partners, weighing factors such as engagement rate, reach rate, audience quality, comment sentiment, content fit and brand partnership experience.