20 B2B Influencers to Follow in 2026: Marketing, SaaS, Sales & AI Experts

B2B influencer marketing is no longer just about industry celebrities sharing their opinions on LinkedIn. Today, the right creator can help a brand explain a complex product, build credibility with decision-makers, and reach professionals who are actively looking for better ways to work.

From B2B marketing and SaaS growth to sales enablement and artificial intelligence, industry experts are shaping how businesses discover products and make purchasing decisions.

But who are the B2B influencers worth following in 2026? And which ones make sense for your next influencer marketing campaign?

In this guide, we highlight 20 influential voices across marketing, sales, product management, AI, and enterprise technology. We also explain what each creator is known for and how brands can evaluate potential partnerships.

If you're building a B2B influencer marketing strategy, this list is a starting point for discovering relevant industry voices—not a ranking of guaranteed campaign performance.

What Is a B2B Influencer?

A B2B influencer is an industry professional, thought leader, educator, or content creator who influences how businesses evaluate products, adopt technology, and make professional decisions.

Unlike traditional consumer influencers, who often focus on lifestyle, entertainment, or personal purchases, B2B influencers typically build their audiences around specialized knowledge and professional experience.

They may discuss topics such as software selection, marketing strategy, sales operations, product development, or AI adoption. Their audiences can include founders, executives, marketers, sales leaders, engineers, and other professionals involved in business purchasing decisions.

B2B influencers create value in several ways:

• Build trust: Share industry knowledge that helps audiences understand a product category.

• Educate potential buyers: Explain complex solutions through tutorials, case studies, and expert discussions.

• Increase brand visibility: Introduce a company to relevant professional communities.

• Support lead generation: Encourage qualified prospects to explore a product, attend a webinar, or request a demo.

For B2B companies, the goal isn't simply to reach more people. It's to reach the right people with information that helps them make better decisions.

20 B2B Influencers to Follow in 2026

The following creators cover different professional disciplines, from marketing and sales to AI and HR technology. Their inclusion reflects their subject-matter relevance and public industry presence, rather than verified sponsorship availability or guaranteed marketing results.

1. Dave Gerhardt — B2B Marketing and Brand Building

Dave Gerhardt is known for his work in B2B marketing, brand strategy, and marketing leadership. Through his content and the Exit Five community, he shares practical perspectives on building marketing teams, developing brand awareness, and creating content that resonates with business audiences.

Why follow him: His work is especially relevant to B2B marketers who want to build a recognizable brand rather than rely entirely on paid acquisition.

Potential brand fit: B2B marketing software, content platforms, SaaS companies, and marketing service providers.

2. April Dunford — B2B Positioning and Messaging

April Dunford is a recognized expert in product positioning and competitive differentiation. Her work helps businesses explain what their products do, who they serve, and why customers should choose them over alternatives.

Her books, including Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch, offer practical frameworks for improving product messaging.

Why follow her: Strong positioning is essential for B2B products that solve complex problems or operate in crowded markets.

Potential brand fit: SaaS platforms, product marketing tools, enterprise software, and technology consultancies.

3. Peep Laja — Conversion Optimization and Buyer Research

Peep Laja is known for his work in conversion optimization, customer research, and competitive strategy. Through ventures including CXL and Wynter, he has helped bring a research-oriented approach to marketing and messaging.

His content encourages businesses to challenge assumptions and understand what buyers actually value.

Why follow him: His approach is useful for companies that want to improve landing pages, refine messaging, and understand why potential customers choose one solution over another.

Potential brand fit: Conversion optimization tools, customer research platforms, analytics software, and B2B marketing agencies.

4. Ross Simmonds — B2B Content Marketing and Distribution

Ross Simmonds focuses on content marketing, content distribution, and helping businesses get more value from the material they create.

His work emphasizes an important principle: publishing a great article is only the beginning. Businesses also need a distribution strategy that helps the right audience discover it.

Why follow him: He offers useful ideas for turning research, blog posts, and thought leadership into content that reaches multiple professional communities.

Potential brand fit: Content marketing platforms, SEO tools, social media management software, and B2B content agencies.

5. Jake Ward — SEO and AI Search Visibility

Jake Ward is associated with B2B SEO and AI search visibility. His public content explores how businesses can improve their presence in search engines and adapt their content strategies as AI-powered search experiences evolve.

Why follow him: B2B companies increasingly need to consider how prospects discover products through traditional search, comparison content, and AI-generated answers.

Potential brand fit: SEO platforms, marketing automation software, AI search tools, and content technology companies.

6. Ann Handley — Writing and Content Marketing

Ann Handley is a leading voice in digital writing and content marketing. Through her books, speaking engagements, and Total Annarchy newsletter, she shares advice on creating clearer, more engaging content.

Her work emphasizes that effective business writing should be useful and human—not simply packed with keywords or product claims.

Why follow her: B2B companies often struggle to make technical products understandable. Better storytelling can help them communicate value more effectively.

Potential brand fit: Email marketing platforms, content tools, writing software, and marketing education businesses.

7. Devin Reed — B2B Content Strategy

Devin Reed focuses on B2B content strategy, executive publishing, and helping technology companies build more consistent editorial programs.

His work is particularly relevant to businesses that want to turn scattered marketing activities into a recognizable voice and a sustainable content strategy.

Why follow him: His approach helps B2B teams create content that supports long-term brand building instead of chasing short-lived engagement.

Potential brand fit: Enterprise SaaS, content marketing platforms, sales enablement tools, and B2B technology companies.

8. Katelyn Bourgoin — Buyer Psychology and Customer Research

Katelyn Bourgoin explores the psychology behind purchasing decisions. Through her Why We Buy work, she explains how customer motivations, pain points, and behavioral triggers influence marketing effectiveness.

Why follow her: Understanding buyer psychology helps businesses develop messaging that reflects real customer problems instead of focusing exclusively on product features.

Potential brand fit: Customer research tools, marketing education platforms, CRM software, and conversion optimization services.

9. Amanda Natividad — Audience Research and Zero-Click Marketing

Amanda Natividad is known for her work on audience research and zero-click marketing, including her role at SparkToro.

Zero-click marketing focuses on delivering value directly where audiences consume content, even when they don't immediately click through to a website.

Why follow her: Her ideas are relevant to brands that want to build visibility and credibility on social platforms where users increasingly consume information without leaving the feed.

Potential brand fit: Audience intelligence platforms, social media tools, content marketing services, and B2B SaaS companies.

10. Morgan J. Ingram — Social Selling and Sales Development

Morgan J. Ingram focuses on sales development, social selling, and helping sales professionals build more effective prospecting strategies.

His content addresses how sales teams can use professional networks to create meaningful conversations instead of relying exclusively on high-volume outreach.

Why follow him: B2B brands selling to sales teams can learn how to connect product education with real sales workflows.

Potential brand fit: Sales engagement software, CRM platforms, sales training providers, and revenue operations tools.

11. Jason Bay — B2B Prospecting and Outbound Sales

Jason Bay is known for practical sales training, particularly around prospecting, cold outreach, and improving sales conversations.

His work focuses on helping sales professionals communicate more effectively and make outreach more relevant to the people they contact.

Why follow him: Companies selling to sales organizations can use his educational approach to demonstrate how their products solve real operational challenges.

Potential brand fit: Sales enablement software, prospecting tools, CRM platforms, and sales training services.

12. Jade Tambini — B2B Marketing Strategy

Jade Tambini shares insights on B2B marketing strategy, team development, and helping marketers turn plans into practical execution.

Her work is relevant to in-house marketing professionals who need to prioritize activities, coordinate stakeholders, and demonstrate the value of their work.

Why follow her: B2B marketers often need both strategic direction and practical guidance for implementing campaigns within their organizations.

Potential brand fit: Marketing education, B2B consulting, marketing technology, and professional development platforms.

13. Jason Lemkin — SaaS Growth and Entrepreneurship

Jason Lemkin is a prominent figure in the SaaS ecosystem and the founder of SaaStr, a community and content platform for software entrepreneurs and executives.

His public content addresses SaaS growth, fundraising, hiring, sales, and the challenges of building software businesses.

Why follow him: His work offers useful context for founders and operators navigating the competitive SaaS market.

Potential brand fit: B2B software, cloud services, startup platforms, and tools targeting SaaS founders or revenue leaders.

14. Lenny Rachitsky — Product Management and Growth

Lenny Rachitsky is known for Lenny's Newsletter and podcast, which explore product management, growth, user research, and career development.

His content features practical discussions with professionals who build and scale products.

Why follow him: Companies selling to product managers and growth teams can learn how educational content and expert conversations help explain complex product challenges.

Potential brand fit: Product analytics tools, experimentation platforms, customer feedback software, and product management solutions.

15. Allie K. Miller — AI Adoption and Business Technology

Allie K. Miller is known for her work on artificial intelligence, business transformation, and AI adoption. Her content helps business audiences understand how emerging technologies can be applied to practical organizational challenges.

Why follow her: As businesses evaluate AI solutions, decision-makers need guidance that connects technical capabilities with business outcomes.

Potential brand fit: Enterprise AI platforms, automation software, productivity tools, and AI consulting services.

16. Ethan Mollick — Generative AI and the Future of Work

Ethan Mollick is a professor at the Wharton School and the author of the One Useful Thing newsletter. His work explores generative AI, education, experimentation, and how AI changes professional work.

Why follow him: His research-informed perspective helps audiences examine AI capabilities, limitations, and practical applications rather than relying only on hype.

Potential brand fit: Workplace AI platforms, productivity software, business education, and enterprise technology providers.

17. Cassie Kozyrkov — Decision Intelligence and AI

Cassie Kozyrkov is known for her work in decision intelligence, data-driven decision-making, and AI education. Her background includes serving as Google's first Chief Decision Scientist.

Her content connects data and technology with the decisions that leaders need to make.

Why follow her: Businesses adopting AI and analytics need to understand not only what a technology can do, but also how it should inform decisions.

Potential brand fit: Data analytics platforms, enterprise AI, decision intelligence software, and technology consulting.

18. Bernard Marr — Enterprise AI and Data Strategy

Bernard Marr writes and speaks about artificial intelligence, data, digital transformation, and business technology.

His work helps business leaders understand the potential implications of emerging technologies and how they may affect organizational strategy.

Why follow him: His broad business-technology perspective is useful for companies that need to communicate complex technical concepts to senior decision-makers.

Potential brand fit: Enterprise software, data analytics, AI solutions, and digital transformation services.

19. April Dunnam — Microsoft Copilot and Business Automation

April Dunnam creates educational content focused on Microsoft's technology ecosystem, including Power Platform, Copilot, and AI agents.

Her work emphasizes practical demonstrations and workflows rather than abstract discussion about technology.

Why follow her: For technical products, a clear tutorial can help prospective users understand how a solution fits into their existing processes.

Potential brand fit: Microsoft ecosystem tools, workflow automation, enterprise productivity software, and technical training providers.

20. Josh Bersin — HR Technology and Workforce Strategy

Josh Bersin is a recognized industry analyst and thought leader focused on human resources, workplace learning, talent management, and HR technology.

His research and commentary explore how organizations develop their workforces and use technology to support people-related business decisions.

Why follow him: HR technology is a specialized B2B category in which credibility and domain knowledge are particularly important.

Potential brand fit: HR software, learning management systems, employee experience platforms, and workforce analytics solutions.

How to Choose the Right B2B Influencer for Your Brand

A list of well-known creators is useful for research, but it doesn't automatically tell you who will deliver the best results for your business.

Before investing in a partnership, evaluate the following factors.

1. Look Beyond Follower Count

A large audience doesn't necessarily mean a creator can reach your ideal customers.

For example, a creator with a broad audience of aspiring entrepreneurs may generate significant engagement but offer limited access to enterprise procurement teams. A smaller creator who regularly discusses a specific software category may be more relevant to your campaign.

Evaluate audience characteristics, including job roles, seniority, industry, company size, and geographic location where that information is available.

2. Match the Creator to Your Buying Audience

B2B purchasing decisions often involve multiple stakeholders. A product manager may research a solution, a department head may evaluate it, and a finance team may approve the budget.

Your influencer strategy should reflect the people you need to reach.

For example, an AI software company may work with a technical educator to demonstrate product capabilities and a business strategist to explain the broader business case. Different creators can support different stages of the buying journey.

3. Evaluate Expertise and Content Quality

Review a creator's recent content before reaching out. Look for original insights, useful examples, thoughtful discussions, and a consistent connection to your product category.

Pay attention to the quality of the audience's responses, too. Relevant questions and professional discussions may provide more useful context than a high volume of generic comments.

4. Choose the Right Collaboration Format

B2B influencer partnerships don't have to be limited to sponsored social posts.

Depending on the creator and campaign objective, possible formats include:

• Expert interviews and podcast appearances

• LinkedIn thought leadership and sponsored posts

• Product walkthroughs and tutorials

• Industry reports and co-created research

• Webinars, virtual events, and panel discussions

• Newsletter placements and educational content

The format should match the information your target audience needs. A complex enterprise product may benefit more from a detailed demonstration than a short promotional post.

5. Check Commercial Fit and Partnership Terms

Not every expert accepts paid partnerships, and a public profile doesn't establish availability.

Before committing budget, clarify the deliverables, fees, publication schedule, content approval process, exclusivity requirements, usage rights, and whether the brand can repurpose the content in other channels.

You should also check for competing commercial relationships and ensure any product claims can be supported.

6. Measure Business Outcomes, Not Just Engagement

B2B influencer marketing can support awareness, education, lead generation, and sales. These objectives require different measurements.

Consider tracking:

• Reach and engagement among relevant professional audiences

• Referral traffic and visits to campaign landing pages

• Webinar registrations and content downloads

• Qualified leads and demo requests

• Opportunities influenced by the campaign

• Conversion rates and revenue where attribution is available

Not every influencer partnership will generate immediate conversions. Establish the primary objective before launch and evaluate results against that objective.

How SocialBook Helps Brands Discover B2B Influencers

Finding a creator who looks influential is easy. Finding one whose audience, content, and professional niche align with your business is much harder.

SocialBook helps brands approach influencer discovery more systematically through its influencer search capabilities.

With SocialBook's influencer search tool, brands can explore creators and narrow their research based on campaign needs, rather than relying only on popularity or a manually assembled list.

For B2B campaigns, start by defining the audience you want to reach. This might include SaaS founders, marketing professionals, sales leaders, AI practitioners, or technology decision-makers. Then evaluate potential creators based on their content, audience relevance, platform, and suitability for the campaign.

A practical workflow looks like this:

Step 1: Define your target audience. Identify the industries, job functions, regions, and business challenges most relevant to your product.

Step 2: Discover relevant creators. Use influencer search to explore potential candidates whose content aligns with your industry and campaign goals.

Step 3: Evaluate potential partners. Review their recent content, audience information, engagement patterns, and professional relevance. Confirm the data and partnership terms directly before making a commitment.

Step 4: Build a focused shortlist. Compare creators based on audience fit, content quality, estimated costs, and the type of collaboration you want to pursue.

Step 5: Track campaign performance. Measure the results against your original objectives, from brand awareness and audience engagement to qualified leads and sales opportunities.

The aim is not to find the most famous B2B influencer. It's to find the right voices for the people your business needs to reach.

Final Thoughts

B2B influencer marketing is most effective when expertise, audience relevance, and campaign objectives work together.

Creators like Dave Gerhardt and Ross Simmonds offer perspectives on B2B marketing and content distribution. Morgan J. Ingram and Jason Bay focus on sales. Allie K. Miller, Ethan Mollick, and Cassie Kozyrkov explore different dimensions of AI and decision-making.

Each serves a different professional audience, which is why the best choice depends on your product, target buyers, and marketing goals.

Use this list as a starting point, validate each creator's current audience and partnership availability, and build your shortlist around relevance rather than follower count alone.

Ready to find creators for your next B2B campaign? Explore SocialBook's influencer search to start discovering potential partners for your brand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between B2B and B2C influencers?

B2B influencers primarily influence professional decisions, such as choosing software, improving business operations, or adopting new technology. B2C influencers more commonly influence individual consumer purchases, lifestyle choices, and personal interests. Some creators serve both audiences.

Which platform is best for B2B influencer marketing?

LinkedIn is a natural starting point for many B2B campaigns because of its professional audience. However, YouTube, podcasts, newsletters, and other social platforms can also be effective, depending on the industry and target buyer.

How do you find B2B influencers?

Start with your target buyer and industry, then identify creators who consistently publish relevant professional content. Review audience fit, subject expertise, content quality, engagement, and commercial suitability before reaching out. Influencer discovery tools such as SocialBook can help organize the search and shortlist-building process.

How much does B2B influencer marketing cost?

Pricing varies according to the creator's audience, niche, reputation, deliverables, production requirements, usage rights, and exclusivity terms. Specialized experts may also charge for speaking, consulting, or research-based collaborations. Request a quote for the specific deliverables rather than assuming a standard rate.

How can B2B brands measure influencer marketing ROI?

Start by defining the campaign objective. Track awareness metrics for visibility campaigns, qualified leads and demo requests for demand-generation campaigns, and attributed or influenced revenue where reliable measurement is available. Separate direct conversions from broader brand impact when evaluating performance.