We often treat thought leadership as a visibility tool, a way to fill the funnel with ‘leads’, show up in feeds, and stay “in the mix.”
But the latest research from FT Longitude and their recent FT Live event shows something far more powerful is at play within the c-suite.
- 85% of CEOs share thought leadership with their senior teams
- 84% say it helps explain complex decisions to their board
- 77% say it has supported major investment cases
This isn’t content for clicks. It’s content for conviction. The best thought leadership content isn’t being casually skimmed by CEOs it’s being shared in boardrooms, used to explain complex decisions, and influencing real investment.
However, in a world overloaded with crazy amounts of noise, CEOs are choosing the voices that create clarity.
- They want insight that helps them navigate uncertainty. Ideas they can carry into their next board meeting. Content that earns its place because it helps them think and act with more confidence.
- They value depth over trend-chasing
- They engage with human-led ideas, not AI summaries
- They prefer formats that invite real discussion, like roundtables and longer-form editorial
And most importantly, they want content from voices they trust.
So here’s two questions:
Is your firm’s latest thought piece worthy of being forwarded to a CEO’s leadership team?
Would it genuinely shape a boardroom conversation, or just sit in someone’s browser tab?
Because the best thought leadership doesn’t look like marketing.
It feels like foresight.
And the firms who get this right aren’t just seen, they’re trusted.