In the business world, you don’t have to look far to see that collaborating with business influencers and creators has transitioned from an experimental tactic to a fundamental pillar for modern B2B marketing.
According to our most recent TopRank B2B influencer marketing research, 43% of B2B marketers report outstanding results from influencer marketing programs with 82% of the most successful programs using an always-on strategy.
And that performance is attracting investment. 81% of B2B marketers now have a dedicated influencer marketing budget and 53% are increasing that budget. Research from Forrester predicts 75% of B2B brands will increase their investments in influencer relations in 2026.
As more B2B brands move beyond experimentation to implementing pilots, sequential campaigns, and always-on programs, there has been a significant increase in interest about how to expand and best engage with business influencers (and creators) in ways that drive measurable business impact.
As a B2B marketing agency providing enterprise B2B brands with influencer marketing solutions for well over 10 years, we’re uniquely qualified to help B2B marketers solve that problem. Here is an updated collection of B2B influencer campaigns and activation opportunities for 2026. Implementing just a few of these could help a company generate substantial influencer program activity, blending the tried-and-true with innovative tactics like AI-driven matching, performance-based commissions, and dark social community embedding.
Of course, just because you can, does not mean you should. As with all effective B2B marketing, it is important to match the campaign approach with the criteria for your customers and how they want to engage with influencer and brand content. Check out the list below, organized by strategic clusters, and hopefully, some good ideas will spark and ignite your go forward plans for working with B2B influencers and creators in 2026.
AI Search Visibility, GEO & LLM Citations for B2B Brands
As AI changes how B2B buyers search for information, optimizing for LLMs has become a top priority for many B2B brands. According to our B2B Influencer Marketing Report, 44% of B2B marketers believe the use of AI to expand and optimize influencer content is the most important emerging trend in the industry. At the same time, increased importance of EEAT signals for Google visibility means working with the most trusted voices in your industry can yield important SEO benefits.
1. Publish proprietary data drops and mini-reports – LLMs actively seek out and cite original data to answer user prompts. By publishing proprietary industry data, you create a “referenceable asset” that AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity can easily ingest and cite.
2. Embed executives in Reddit and industry forums – Research from Tinuiti found that Reddit accounted for 44% of all social media citations in Google AI Overviews. Having subject matter experts actively participate and answer questions in these communities ensures your brand’s perspective is scraped into LLM training data.
3. Sponsor independent industry newsletters and Substacks – Publications that are openly crawlable by LLMs heavily influence the narratives that AI models learn. Sponsoring or co-authoring content with independent analysts ensures your brand is mentioned in high-trust environments that LLMs index.
4. Create highly scannable “canonical definition” pages with influencers – When a brand becomes the primary source for defining a new industry concept, it is cited disproportionately by AI tools. Collaborate with experts to create clear, structured explainer pages that LLMs can easily extract and reference.
5. Publish full transcripts of influencer podcast interviews – A 40-minute podcast conversation contains thousands of indexable words. Publishing the full transcript turns audio insights into text that can be scraped, boosting long-tail search visibility and the likelihood of AI citations.
6. Develop an “AI Mention” outreach strategy for PR – Move beyond traditional link building by pitching journalists and creators with specific data comparisons or ready-made hooks that naturally include your brand. According to research from MuckRack staggering 95% of AI citations come from public relations and earned media content.
7. Launch an influencer-led “Troubleshooting” or FAQ series – Identify the exact questions your customers are asking ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews. Then, partner with influencers to create targeted website content answering those specific questions, establishing your brand as the authoritative answer source.
B2B Influencer Content Co-Creation & Thought Leadership
For B2B brands experiencing success in their marketing, influence is a force multiplier for thought leadership impact. Our 2026 B2B Thought Leadership research with Ascend2 found that 72% of marketers who frequently collaborate with influencers report their research-based content as very effective, vs. just 29% of others.
8. Conduct a series of video interviews with influencers – Pick a theme and topics you want your brand to be influential about, then interview the top experts. The great thing about video is that you can repurpose it as a podcast or even as text for social shares and quotes for related blog posts, presentations, reports, and newsletters. This is exactly what we do with the Beyond B2B Marketing podcast.
9. Add influencer reactions and expertise to a research report – When IT Service Management leader Cherwell Software released their research report, they engaged relevant influencers to share their expertise. More recently, Adobe’s “Analytics Champions” campaign partnered with prominent data experts to co-create an in-depth guide, which resulted in 150% more lead captures compared to their previous traditional marketing efforts.
10. Invite influencers to provide content for an interactive content experience – Interactive content formats are engaging for your audience and also for contributing influencers because it elevates their status and visibility. Typeform’s “Get Real” campaign replaced the traditional gated PDF report with an interactive landing page featuring 146 video responses from influencers and marketers, turning survey respondents into brand advocates.
11. Invite influencers to write a series of articles published on the brand site – Brands that answer buyer questions provide a valuable service. Inviting third-party experts to answer those questions through useful content is even more valuable. Keep in mind, in most cases, a commitment to writing on a regular basis is a paid engagement with the contributing influencers.
12. Create an ebook featuring brand thought leadership accentuated by relevant industry influencer insights – Oracle Dyn created the Cybersecurity Intelligence Report featuring a combination of respected influencers and practitioners as well as an Oracle executive, building credibility by association.
13. Engage influencers to contribute expertise to content that advances a key brand theme – It sounds pretty basic, but many B2B brands produce content without any third-party credibility. Adobe engaged multiple influencers to provide insights around customer experience management in an interactive infographic in support of the Adobe Summit conference.
14. Feature quotes from a group of influencers for a roundup blog post or landing page – Dell Outlet Small Business added commentary from multiple small business influencers about the value of refurbished computers on a dedicated landing page to drive awareness and engagement.
15. Curate quotes from influencer contributions and repurpose them as social shares throughout the year – Modular content means planning repurposing by using templates with influencer interviews and content capture. This makes it easier to create a library of influencer quotes organized by topic for social shares, use in contributed articles, newsletters, blog posts, and presentations.
B2B Creator Social-First & Digital Video Activations
Social media continues to be the dominant channel for B2B influencer activations. According to the TopRank Marketing 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Report, social media posts are cited by 56% of marketers as the most effective content type for B2B influencer programs, leading all other formats.
16. Leverage LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads – Promote individual posts from experts to bypass the “brand logo” trust barrier. Nextiva achieved a significant 5600% growth in influenced sales pipeline by sponsoring video content from internal subject matter experts on LinkedIn, clearly showing the power of humanizing enterprise brands.
17. Launch a short-form video series on TikTok or YouTube Shorts – For the launch of Copilot, Microsoft partnered with lifestyle creators like Alix Earle, whose content reached over 15 million views, effectively making AI tools a trending topic among younger professional audiences. IBM also executed a multi-platform blitz for its Granite AI platform, generating 43 million impressions.
18. Co-create LinkedIn newsletters with established creators – Partner with niche creators who already have a highly engaged subscriber base to tap into pre-built, high-intent communities rather than starting from scratch.
19. Create a “street-style” expert interview video series – Pinpoint created a viral LinkedIn video series called “Red Flag, Green Flag” at RecFest UK. Featuring talent leaders, the series used a “street interview” format to get instant expert reactions to hiring scenarios, humanizing the brand through unscripted insights.
20. Partner influencers with your customers to interview each other for a web video series – Customer trust in brands is not high, but trust in peers and experts is. Creating conversation opportunities between credible industry experts and your clients can inspire truly meaningful dialog that resonates with potential customers.
21. Engage an influencer to be an emcee or digital correspondent during a brand conference – A digital correspondent can cover a conference with interviews and commentary to really level up the brand. These emcee activations can go beyond a conference to a VIP dinner during a conference, a roadshow of roundtable discussions, or even a virtual event.
22. Have a tech influencer do an “unboxing video” or software walkthrough – Many B2C influencer tactics can be cleverly applied to B2B products. Go ahead and search for “server unboxing” on YouTube, or invite influencers to do software walkthroughs and post them to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
B2B Influencer Podcasts & Episodic Formats
Audio and episodic content offer a unique opportunity for deep, continued engagement with B2B audiences. Our B2B Influencer Marketing research found that podcasts are emerging as one of the most effective content types for their influencer programs. Vox Media and MAGNA found that 75% of weekly podcast listeners said podcast hosts are more influential than social media influencers.
23. Engage an influencer host on a brand podcast – Tamara McCleary did an amazing job for the SAP Tech Unknown podcast, interviewing other influencers and executives from SAP. This strategy achieved a 66% increase in downloads and generated over 52 million social media impressions.
24. Produce an episodic talk show format – Lenovo’s “Late Night I.T.” campaign serves as a benchmark, utilizing a tech talk show format that generated over 300 million impressions and 72 million video views, resulting in a 7-point lift in brand consideration among large enterprises.
25. Run a webinar or series of webinars featuring an influencer as host or guest – Featuring an industry expert in a webinar is a fairly common influencer activation because it works. Sprinklr’s “Across the Socialverse” masterclass series leveraged influencer expertise to drive over 5,000 registrations.
26. Co-create a series of organic or paid podcast episodes on the influencers’ channels -Emphasize content that is genuinely useful to the audience and include supporting content like original research, deep dive content or polls, and cross-channel amplification to maximize reach.
27. Create an ask-the-expert video series – Host this on your brand YouTube channel where influencers join a brand co-host to answer top questions from your community. There are few industries that wouldn’t benefit from an ongoing series of this type.
B2B Events, Experiences & Community
Even with the dominance of digital channels, face-to-face interactions are highly impactful and in this age of AI, maybe even more so. The 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Report from TopRank Marketing found that in-person events rank as the second most effective type of influencer content for B2B marketers at 39%, trailing only social media posts.
28. Host creator-led retreats and outposts – Zapier reimagined a B2B event by hosting a glamping retreat in Zion National Park for 20 creators, focusing on co-creation and authentic relationship building rather than traditional corporate presentations. This generated $136,000 in earned media value.
29. Invite influencers to an event at brand HQ – Provide tours, executive meet-and-greets, education, and social content creation opportunities. Adobe hosted 18 industry influencers in San Jose for a deep dive into topics like CDP and CXM, resulting in great documented experiences.
30. Enlist influencers as judges in a contest – Alcatel Lucent Enterprise did this with their IT Vanguard Awards. The program created great exposure for the winners, the judges, and for ALE, resulting in multiple six-figure leads.
31. Engage influencers to keynote or workshop at your brand’s user conference – These engagements can elevate the performance of an event when a talented performer with deep industry expertise inspires the audience. Influencers are often associated with discovery, engagement and decision, but retention is another powerful opportunity to bring trusted industry voices to further client relationships.
32. Invite influencers to an event to livestream and document their experience – A small number of influencers experiencing a brand event can have a big impact. At SAP’s annual conference, 15 influencers drove 25% of all social media impressions.
33. Invite influencers along with clients and prospects to VIP dinners – Connecting clients with top industry influencers creates an experience everyone remembers, and that top-of-mind effect is priceless.
34. Invite influencers to an executive meeting or retreat to discuss topics of mutual interest – The Digital Marketing Institute formed the Global Industry Advisory Council to share insights around the state of digital marketing, publishing summaries of the conversations along with industry research for the benefit of customers and prospective customers alike.
Performance, Data & Innovative Campaigns
According to our research, while 43% of B2B marketers report outstanding results from their influencer programs, that number jumps to 79% for those with mature, always-on programs New data from LinkedIn’s Global B2B Marketing Outlook reveals that 81% of UK B2B marketers say working with influencers or creators increases trust and credibility among decision-makers. .
35. Implement performance-based commission programs – Submagic generated over $1 million in revenue within 90 days by implementing a performance-based payout structure, where influencers earned a 30% commission on conversions rather than flat fees.
36. Utilize interactive funnel triggers – Kittl used interactive Instagram Reels to position itself as a credible alternative to established tools, using automated keyword triggers in comments to drive high-intent trial sign-ups.
37. Execute world record and stunt campaigns – Travelport launched the “7 Wonders Challenge,” where influencer Adventureman visited all seven world wonders in seven days using the Travelport+ platform. This generated 2.76 billion impressions and positioned the complex B2B booking tool as a seamless solution.
38. Create pop culture and nostalgia-based campaigns – AT&T Business’s “Sleep With Rain” campaign reunited the cast of The Office to address the sleep deprivation of small business owners. By leveraging nostalgia, AT&T achieved over 2.5 billion impressions.
39. Leverage AI-powered influencer matching and selection – IBM utilized the IBM Watson-powered Influential platform to analyze influencer personality traits, resulting in a 30% increase in engagement compared to non-sponsored posts.
40. Build influencer insight networks and advisory panels – Move from sponsored posts to long-term advisory panels that inform R&D and product strategy. Rubix Foods established the “NEXT Flavor Network,” a group of Gen Z foodie influencers who act as an insight generator for restaurant brands.
41. Embed in dark social and private communities – Slack’s social team actively participated in LinkedIn and private threads to build relationships rather than just likes. Their “Hype Machine” initiative surprised loyal users with high-value, personalized gifts, triggering significant organic viral engagement.
42. Formalize employee advocacy alongside external influencers – LinkedIn data found that employee networks are typically 12 times larger than the company’s own following. Campaigns like LinkedIn’s own #MyMarketingStory saw a 239% increase in reactions by encouraging employees and influencers to share authentic, lived experiences.
43. Publish a list of top influencers in each industry vertical – One of many ways to get on influencers’ radar is to publish a qualitative list of who is leading the field. Go beyond one-off lists and make it an annual event. Then follow up with the honorees and invite them to collaborate.
44. Create a series of blog posts featuring author influencers and their books – The team at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions has published a series of posts honoring top marketing authors that have been well received by their readers and inspiring for authors to share.
While there are a variety of solid and actionable ideas in this list, it is really important to lay the groundwork and strategy for an influencer marketing program in terms of understanding what kind of influencers and topics make the most sense for your brand and customers. F
Finding the right influencers has consistently been cited by B2B survey respondents as their top challenge and for good reason. Making sure influencers represent reach, relevance and resonance objectives is just the start. There’s also ensuring brand values alignment and performance. Negotiating with influencers, content licensing, creating briefs, managing deliverables and measurement are all specialty areas.
Influencers are not magic, but when you develop strong relationships with a relevant group of influencers, the impact on your marketing across the customer lifecycle can seem magical.
To go deeper on how working with B2B influencers and creators can elevate your brand visibility, trust and marketing performance,
