28 Jul, 2026

104 The LinkedIn thought leader ad trick you’re probably missing

by Ryan James
Founder of Rocket SaaS

The SaaS Marketing Weekly Podcast

The SaaS Marketing Weekly Podcast

In this episode, Ryan shares one of his favourite LinkedIn tactics: using thought leader ads to boost posts from other people who say genuine, positive things about your brand. A testimonial posted from your own company page gets skipped over. The same praise coming from a real customer with a real voice is far more believable, but it usually dies in the feed because that person only has a few hundred followers. This tactic fixes that, letting you put real budget behind authentic advocacy and get it in front of exactly the right audience. Quick to listen to, easy to apply, and genuinely effective.

Takeaways:

  • Thought leader ads let you boost an individual’s post to a precisely targeted audience, not just their own followers
  • Praise from a real customer in their own words is far more credible than a testimonial posted by your brand
  • Build a list of happy customers, partners and advocates, then ask them to post (a small incentive like an Amazon voucher can help)
  • Let people write the post themselves so it sounds genuine, but offer to draft it if they are short on time
  • Always get a fact or a stat in there, and keep it snappy rather than a long essay
  • Check whether people are already tagging you with positive posts, because those are ready to boost right now


Get free ✨ SaaS marketing strategies and campaign ideas in your inbox every Thursday
photo of our beloved founder and CEO - Ryan

By Ryan James

Founder of Rocket SaaS

illustration of an astronaut
Free SaaS marketing strategies & campaign ideas in your inbox every Thursday

Receive actionable SaaS marketing ideas to implement in your business