By Jessica Forres, Executive Vice President of Top of Mind Public Relations
In B2B sales, deals often don’t fall apart because your product isn’t strong enough. They stall because someone you’ve never met – a “hidden buyer” – says no.
According to the 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, more than 40% of B2B deals stall due to internal misalignment within buying groups. The surprising culprit? These hidden buyers – influential internal stakeholders who rarely interact with sales teams but hold the power to sway decisions.
They may work in finance, operations, compliance, or procurement. They might never join your product demo. But their voice can carry as much or more weight than your primary target buyer.
So how do you influence someone you’ll never meet in person? High-quality, consistent thought leadership is your most effective tool.
Who Are Hidden Buyers and Why They Matter
Hidden buyers are decision-makers who influence purchasing decisions without being the technical experts or primary end users of your product. They think beyond features, focusing on risk, ROI, and strategic fit.
Target buyers, on the other hand, are the direct experts and users who know the technical requirements inside and out.
Hidden buyers are often overlooked by traditional sales and marketing strategies; yet, they have as much decision-making power as target buyers. Winning them over can mean the difference between closing a deal and losing it.
What the Data Says: Hidden Buyers and Thought Leadership
Edelman’s research reveals why thought leadership content is the fastest route to winning over hidden buyers:
- They actively consume it. 63% of hidden buyers spend more than an hour a week reading thought leadership (nearly the same as target buyers at 64%).
- They use it to vet vendors. 55% factor thought leadership into their evaluation process.
- They trust it more than marketing. 64% prefer thought leadership over product sheets when assessing a supplier’s capabilities.
- It opens doors. 95% say strong thought leadership makes them more receptive to sales outreach.
- It turns them into advocates. 79% are more likely to champion proposals from companies that consistently produce high-quality thought leadership.
The takeaway? Traditional marketing rarely reaches hidden buyers. Thought leadership does.
How Thought Leadership Wins Deals You Can’t See
Hidden buyers are less likely to take sales calls (71% have little to no direct interaction with sales teams). But they’ll happily engage with credible, insightful, and even challenging ideas.
When your thought leadership challenges assumptions, offers fresh perspectives, and educates your audience, it positions your brand as a trusted authority, even for those you’ve never met.
Bold, perspective-shifting content can:
- Reframe how hidden buyers see a problem.
- Build trust without a sales pitch.
- Inspire them to advocate for you during the decision-making process.
8 Strategies to Win Over Hidden Buyers Through Thought Leadership
Here’s how to create thought leadership content that earns hidden buyers’ trust and turns them into deal champions:
- Treat Hidden Buyers as a Core Audience
Don’t just aim your content at target buyers. Tailor insights for the finance lead, compliance officer, or operations head who has a seat at the decision table.
- Identify Internal Roadblocks
Pinpoint potential objections inside the buying group, from budget concerns to implementation risks, and address them head-on in your content.
- Lead with Bold, Useful Ideas
Safe content gets ignored. Share data-driven insights, industry forecasts, and new ways of thinking that make hidden buyers pause and rethink assumptions.
- Equip Them to Advocate Internally
Provide charts, one-pagers, or quotable stats that make it easy for them to argue your case in internal meetings.
- Make It Human and Accessible
Avoid jargon overload. Use clear language, relatable examples, and formats like short videos or LinkedIn carousels to hold attention.
- Be Where They Are
Focus on professional channels like LinkedIn, trade publications, and respected industry newsletters, places hidden buyers already turn to for credible insights.
- Build Trust Through Substance
Skip the heavy self-promotion. Let the strength of your ideas, supported by credible data, carry your message.
- Stay Consistent
Repetition builds recognition. Keep reinforcing 2–3 key themes until your brand becomes synonymous with them.
Actionable Thought Leadership Tactics
Here’s a blueprint to turn these strategies into results:
- Shape Your Narrative: Identify 2–3 themes you can own, develop repeatable talking points, and mine past content for repurposing.
- Newsjacking: Monitor industry headlines and be the first to offer expert commentary, backed by pre-approved bios and soundbites.
- Strategic Media Placements: Pitch op-eds and bylines to outlets your buyers read, anchoring them with proprietary research.
- Speaking Engagements: Apply for panels with fresh, specific angles, mix major conferences with niche events.
- Owned Content That Feels Earned: Publish LinkedIn posts, short videos, and insight-driven newsletters.
- Partnerships: Collaborate with think tanks, universities, and industry peers for co-branded research and events.
- Awards: Build a 12–18 month awards calendar and leverage wins as credibility builders.
- Media Kits: Keep bios, headshots, topic lists, and a “quote bank” ready for quick journalist access.
The Bottom Line
Your most influential buyers may never meet your sales team. But they will read your thought leadership.
High-quality, consistent, insight-rich content isn’t just brand building … it’s revenue building. It’s your best shot at turning unseen skeptics into vocal advocates, leveling the playing field against bigger competitors, and closing deals that might otherwise slip away.
In a world where hidden buyers hold the keys to B2B growth, thought leadership isn’t optional — it’s your competitive edge.
About the Author
Jessica Forres is Executive Vice President of Top of Mind Public Relations, where she leads the Law and Advocacy Practices and oversees the agency’s Traditional Media team. With a decade at the firm, she brings deep expertise in strategic media relations, thought leadership positioning, and issue-driven advocacy campaigns.
Jessica has guided communications strategies for national nonprofits, international coalitions, and leading law firms, securing high-impact coverage across top outlets while shaping narratives on complex policy, legal, and social issues. Known for her ability to bridge traditional journalism instincts with modern PR strategies, she helps clients elevate their voices, influence public discourse, and build lasting visibility in an evolving media landscape.
