The vast majority of B2B tech companies fail at thought leadership. Here’s how they can fix this.
Everyone in B2B tech claims to be doing "thought leadership".
But I’ll be brutally honest: in all my time auditing and reviewing B2B tech content, I’ve only ever seen a minority of companies publish original, authoritative content that actually leads industry conversations.
This is confirmed by LinkedIn and Edelman survey data, which shows only 15% of B2B buyers rate the overall quality of thought leadership as very good. Which should make for sobering reading for B2B marketers.
So why are so many B2B tech companies falling short? And what can they do about it, assuming they don’t have giant marketing budgets?
Based on my experience with creating content that builds real trust and credibility for B2B tech, here’s my advice.
Why most "thought leadership" is so mediocre
Misunderstanding what thought leadership actually is
Most companies mistakenly see thought leadership as a type of content rather than what it really is: an ambitious objective to be seen as a trusted authority in your industry, building brand awareness and credibility.
Companies say they want to "do some thought leadership content" without allocating the resources or forming the strategy needed to actually become thought leaders.
You can't just quickly whip together some thought leadership. It's not a box to be ticked off — it takes significant effort and a solid content strategy to achieve thought leader status.
This failure to understand what thought leadership really means, in my view, is a big part of the problem.
Content is too generic
With stretched resources and pressure to publish high volumes of content, many marketing teams fall into the trap of churning out content that doesn't build trust or achieve any commercial objective.
This quantity-over-quality approach doesn't engage or win over decision-makers, who expect higher-quality information from vendors selling premium, enterprise-level solutions.
The most common manifestation is pulling together a few generic articles, slapping the CEO's name on them, and calling it "thought leadership." This approach is doomed to fail because:
It lacks original insights or perspectives that can't be found elsewhere
It doesn't demonstrate deep expertise in solving customer problems
It fails to connect with readers on a human level through storytelling
Most are lacking strategic direction
Even when companies invest in creating substantive content, they often lack the strategic foundation needed for it to build meaningful authority. This manifests as:
Random, disconnected pieces without a coherent narrative
Content that isn't targeted to the specific audience's needs and challenges
Insufficient distribution that leaves valuable insights unread
No measurement framework to guide improvement
Without strategy, execution is aimless. I've seen far too many B2B tech companies randomly creating content with no clear strategy. Or they do have a content strategy, but it solely focuses on SEO or demand generation, not thought leadership.
The AI content explosion makes all of this worse
The rise of AI has made this problem even more acute. Now companies can generate endless streams of seemingly coherent but ultimately shallow content at nearly zero cost. Content primarily generated with AI:
Rehashes existing information rather than adding new insights
Lacks the authentic voice that comes from real experience
Often contains the same recognisable patterns and phrasing
Cannot provide the original thinking that true thought leadership requires
In this environment, generic content isn't just ineffective — it's actually counterproductive, training your audience to ignore your company and perceive your brand as low-quality.
Instead, we should be using AI to create better content, not just quicker content. AI tools can be very useful for deep research, summarising complex information, and bouncing ideas off - but should never replace expert thinking and human creativity.
A proven process for building real thought leadership
So what's the solution? I've developed a systematic approach to help B2B tech companies create thought leadership that actually builds authority and trust with decision-makers. Here's my step-by-step process:
Stage 1: Developing your thought leadership strategy
Understand wider business goals: Before diving into content planning, I look to understand the company’s broader go-to-market objectives. I can then ensure the thought leadership strategy aligns with overall objectives (e.g., entering a new market, consolidating position in existing market, etc.).
Analyse competitors' content: I analyse what messaging and content angles competitors are going for. I can then spot opportunities where your unique expertise and a different angle can add something valuable to the conversation and resonate more with your audience than competitors’ content.
Do a comprehensive content audit: By cataloguing and analysing existing content, I identify how strong existing content is in terms of original insights, storytelling, and performance metrics. This allows me to spot strategies that will build thought leadership more effectively.
Map out internal expertise: Through structured conversations with key subject-matter experts, I uncover where the company has genuine expertise that isn't reflected in current content - often revealing opportunities for entirely new content pillars.
Set editorial strategy and calendar: I work with my client to identify 3-4 core content pillars that connect with key customer pain points and where the company can consistently provide valuable insights. We also establish clear editorial standards, and create a sustainable publishing calendar that respects available resources.
Establish distribution and promotion strategy: Many thought leadership programmes fail not because of content quality but poor distribution. I ensure content reaches the right audience by going beyond blog publishing and distributing content wherever your audience spends time. This means adapting content to multiple channels: email newsletters, LinkedIn, online communities, you name it.
Stage 2: Executing with excellence
Having a great strategy means nothing without proper execution. This phase focuses on:
Gathering insights through expert interviews: I use journalistic interviewing techniques to extract high-value insights from subject matter experts, making the process efficient while capturing their unique knowledge.
Producing well-written, substantive content: I apply clear writing principles to translate complex expertise into engaging, accessible content without sacrificing depth or authority.
Implementing rigorous editorial processes: I help you establish the right content review workflows, allowing us to achieve a high level of quality without getting stuck in endless editing cycles that drain time and resources.
For more detail, you can read my full thought leadership framework, as well as how I helped Graswald AI build authority in the crowded AI space.
The results of real thought leadership
Research shows that strong thought leadership drives more value than traditional marketing approaches, with 73% of decision-makers trusting it over product marketing materials. When done right, the results are transformative:
Prospects seek you out rather than the other way around
Sales cycles shorten as trust is established earlier in the buying process
Competitors find themselves responding to your narrative rather than setting their own
Lead quality increases as you attract the right audience with substantive content
The vast majority of B2B tech companies get thought leadership wrong because they treat it as just another content marketing task, instead of a strategic investment requiring genuine expertise and original thinking.
But for those willing to invest in doing it properly, the opportunity is enormous. In a sea of generic content, companies that share valuable insights that truly add to the conversation can stand out dramatically.
Want to build a thought leadership programme that actually delivers real business value? Let's talk about how my process could transform your B2B tech company’s content.