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Few publishers command the authority and reach of The Washington Post. But even in the realm of B2B thought leadership, where credibility is paramount, traditional approaches are falling short.
Enter Postworthy, The Washington Post Creative Group’s new B2B creator marketing solution, designed to approach conventional thought leadership in a new way and put authenticity at the forefront.
Speaking ahead of his session at Branded Content Days 2025 Dennis Quinn, Creative Director, shares how The Washington Post and Postworthy are rewriting the rules of B2B content, changing the landscape of B2B marketing and why even business decision-makers crave human stories.
Rethinking B2B thought leadership
Late last year, WP Creative Group launched Postworthy as its answer to traditional B2B thought leadership.
"It’s become an obsession of mine—really, for all of us at WP Creative Group. So I’m excited to introduce it to a broader audience," says Quinn.
The Washington Post has a large C-suite and Business Decision Maker audience, meaning much of its branded content is B2B thought leadership. But Quinn acknowledges the term isn’t exactly thrilling to everyone.
“When done well, though, it really works for B2B audiences,” he emphasizes.
Why? Because at any given time, 95% of BDMs are not in the market for a B2B product or service.
“It’s not like companies are overhauling their digital infrastructure on a quarterly basis,” he explains. “But the one thing that can flip a BDM from ‘not interested’ to ‘oh, that’s interesting’ is thought leadership.”
Despite its potential, much of today’s thought leadership isn’t very good, according to a survey of C-Suites and BDMs by Edelman, “Those same C-suite executives and BDMs say the vast majority of thought leadership they come across falls flat.”
So what makes thought leadership good, according to actual B2B audiences? Two things: who creates it and how it’s conveyed.
“’Good’ thought leadership comes from a trusted expert, a real person—someone with actual authority in their field. And it has to look, feel, or sound different. It has to have its own unique voice or format,” Quinn explains. “That’s exactly what we set out to do with Postworthy.”
Co-creating thought leadership
Postworthy’s origins go back to The Washington Post’s newsroom success on TikTok six years ago. “We were one of the only publishers who figured out how to convey trusted, credible, serious information in a way that felt fun and native to TikTok,” Quinn recalls.
That success led to brand partnerships—including with B2B brands.
“For years, we’ve been creating TikToks for brands like United Airlines, Pfizer, Mozilla, and AT&T Business, where a TikTok creator acts as an ambassador for the brand. It’s worked incredibly well because watchable vertical video with a succinct brand message performs.”
One key takeaway from the TikTok success? TikTok-first videos can go anywhere—they perform well across different platforms. But the reverse isn’t true—video created for a website or another social platform doesn’t always translate to TikTok.
This realization sparked a bigger idea. “We thought: Wait a minute. If we’re making B2B content work on TikTok, why aren’t we doing this on LinkedIn?” Quinn says.
Why LinkedIn was the next logical step
Postworthy is a LinkedIn-first B2B Creator Marketing solution built on credibility and trust. Postworthy isn’t about influencers with massive reach—it’s about real-world expertise and peer-to-peer influence.
“Before Postworthy, we’d tap relevant SMEs to contribute their expertise to branded content. Now, we’re not just using their insights—we’re co-creating thought leadership with them,” Quinn explains. “Instead of writing white papers, they’re creating vertical videos and Top 10 lists on LinkedIn.”
The Postworthy formula is fairly straightforward:
- Find the Right Voices – “If the target audience is CTOs, we don’t look for a traditional influencer. We find a real CTO with years of experience.”
- Co-Create Thought Leadership Content – “We work closely with our Postworthy creators to craft content that is researched, vetted, and compelling.”
- Leverage The Washington Post’s Authority – “We distribute the content through The Washington Post’s trusted LinkedIn handle and across all of our channels.”
“With influencer marketing, influence is tied to reach,” Quinn explains. “With Postworthy, influence is tied to expertise.”
Quinn sees Postworthy as the logical convergence of different kinds of trust and authority.
“We start with the credibility, rigor, and integrity of The Washington Post. We vet and collaborate with B2B creators who are authorities in their fields. And we distribute content through their social channels and The Washington Post’s own LinkedIn channels to ensure reach and trustworthiness.”
Lessons learned and future outlook
Reflecting on early challenges, Quinn admits that Postworthy can sound complex to clients. “But the reality is, it’s incredibly simple: it’s compelling thought leadership from the perspective of your target audience, worthy of their newsfeed.”
The biggest success? Co-creating content with real experts.
“The best B2B content has a human face. Instead of just saying this is a human story, we’re showing the human telling their own story.”
For B2B content to feel native, it needs to reflect how audiences consume information. “Even the most sophisticated B2B thought leadership needs to be quicker, pithier, clearer, and more human,” Quinn says.
That’s exactly what Postworthy is designed to deliver.
With thought leaders like Dennis Quinn driving the conversation, Branded Content Days 2025 promises to be a must-attend event for anyone serious about the future of native advertising and B2B content.
Want to hear more? Join Dennis Quinn at Branded Content Days 2025 in New York City.
