LinkedIn Ads Executive Thought Leadership Strategies

February 17, 2026 · 47 min · Episode 167

About this episode

AJ Wilcox and Ruby James discuss the rise of executive thought leadership and its impact on B2B marketing on LinkedIn.

Notes Connect with Ruby on LinkedIn Download the reports filled with executive thought leadership gold! Tune in to the LinkedIn Live event with Ruby and her cutting-edge thought leaders Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert. Just hit 100 members so a shoutout to our awesome LI Ads fanatics for making it such an awesome community! Rate/Review Contact us with any questions, suggestions, or corrections! Summary In this powerhouse episode of the The LinkedIn Ad Show , host AJ Wilcox sits down with Ruby James to unpack the explosive rise of executive thought leadership — and why it's now one of the most powerful drivers of B2B pipeline on LinkedIn. Backed by brand-new data from LinkedIn's latest Founder-Led Sales & Marketing playbook, Ruby reveals that startups with founders who post just 10 times per year generate 33% more leads — and that deals influenced by executive engagement can see up to a 120% increase in deal size. Together, they dive deep into practical strategies for mobilizing busy executives, creating authentic content that builds trust (not just noise), and amplifying it all with Thought Leader Ads for…

People in this episode

Host: AJ Wilcox

Guest: Ruby James

Topics covered

executive thought leadership
B2B marketing
lead generation
content strategy
LinkedIn advertising

Keywords

executive engagement
lead generation
B2B pipeline
Thought Leader Ads
ROI

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LinkedIn, LinkedIn Ads Fanatics, LinkedIn's latest Founder-Led Sales & Marketing playbook