LinkedIn Builds a Search Engine for B2B Creators as 63% of Buyers Lean on Them Early

LinkedIn is testing a Creator Discovery feature inside its Creator Marketplace, Social Media Today reported on September 28, 2026. It gives B2B marketers new ways to find and vet creators for campaigns. LinkedIn's rationale is a single number: 63% of B2B buyers now rely on creators for research and insights early in the buying process.

The beta adds search filters for content type, creator industry and job function, audience demographics, and Top Voices status. LinkedIn expects general availability in early 2027.

LinkedIn paired the launch with performance figures for its creator-led ad formats. Thought Leader Ads drive a 252% higher click-through rate than conventional single-image ads aimed at B2B buyers. Advertisers running them saw 45% higher CTR at the awareness stage and 48% higher at the conversion stage. BrandLink, which runs pre-roll ads on approved creator and publisher content, averages a 130% higher video completion rate than in-feed ads.

LinkedIn's framing is that buyers want validation from credible practitioners with real experience, not product pitches, and that this shift has made creator marketing essential for B2B.

Consider the source

Every figure here comes from LinkedIn, which sells the formats it's measuring. The 63% figure is also about reliance on creators, not about creators driving purchase decisions. Treat these numbers as directional.

Why it matters

If a large share of early research happens in creators' feeds, then much of the earliest buyer activity happens on someone else's posts, not your company page. A VP who comments on a respected practitioner's post about your category is showing interest weeks before visiting your site.

That's why B2B teams are partnering with LinkedIn creators and boosting employee content through Thought Leader Ads. It also changes what's worth tracking. Impressions on a sponsored creator post tell you reach. The people who engage with it, and match your ICP, are the engagement signals that tell you who to talk to.

traxy detects which buyers engage with your LinkedIn content, qualifies them against your ICP automatically, and delivers them to Slack or your CRM while the attention is still warm. Start free with 200 credits a month.

Sources: Social Media Today, "LinkedIn tests advanced creator discovery to power brand campaigns" (September 28, 2026); LinkedIn Marketing Blog, "How B2B creator marketing builds buyer trust on LinkedIn."