LinkedIn is expanding its Thought Leader Ads capabilities, enabling brands to amplify a diverse range of influential, trusted, and expert voices and member posts on the platform.

Available to APAC members from the end of March, the new feature allows advertisers to sponsor content from any member, going beyond employees to reach new audiences on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Head of Enterprise Solutions, APAC, Matt Tindale, said: "B2B influence has taken off in the past year as brands recognise that it is critical to building audience trust. People are at the heart of thought leadership, and when trusted voices - employees, executives, and experts - authentically promote a company's insights - it is a powerful way for brands to reach new audiences, build credibility, and support community-building. With this expanded capability, brands can promote member posts that align with their purpose and collaborate with trusted expert voices to build larger influencer marketing campaigns and reach new audiences. We're excited to see how companies creatively leverage this ad format as part of their marketing mix in the coming months."

The format has been trialed by Mastercard, with senior VP communications, Asia-Pacific, Barkha Patel, highlighting results that saw one executive wake up to more than 500 notifications on the first day.

"We view LinkedIn as a strategic marketing partner, especially when it comes to engaging our wide range of stakeholders across the Asia Pacific region. When presented with the opportunity to trial Thought Leadership Ads, we immediately agreed, and are glad we did as the impact was clear. It reaffirms what we all know: that people enjoy hearing from people," said Patel.