The visual comes from the 2025 Edelman–LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report. It says 95% of hidden decision-makers are more receptive to sales and marketing outreach when a company consistently produces high-quality thought leadership.
That is the useful part: trust is not just a brand metric. It can change how early outreach is received, even from people who are not formally in the sales process.
For founder-led growth, this is the practical case for a public point of view. A strong founder persona can become part of the company’s trust layer, which makes the first sales touch less cold.
Data source: 2025 Edelman–LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report
Related read: How to Grow a Founder Persona on X: A Practical Founder Growth System