Meltwater finds LinkedIn is the second-most-cited source in AI answers, highlighting the value of expert-led B2B content.
LinkedIn has emerged as the second-most-cited source in AI-generated answers, according to new research from Meltwater.
The study analyzed 9.5 million citations across 16 B2B categories using Meltwater’s GenAI Lens. YouTube ranked first, while LinkedIn placed ahead of many company websites and review platforms.
The research found that third-party and user-generated sources accounted for 47.5% of citations, compared with 18.7% from company websites. Within LinkedIn, 75% of citations came from individual member profiles, while company pages accounted for the remaining 25%.
The findings suggest that expert commentary and clearly structured content are becoming more important as B2B buyers use AI tools during research and purchasing decisions.
Meltwater said posts and articles with headings, named entities, numerical data and clear formatting were more likely to appear in AI-generated answers. Audience size was not the only factor. More than half of cited LinkedIn content came from users with fewer than 10,000 followers.
LinkedIn performed particularly well in sectors including technology, SaaS, consulting, financial services, marketing and HR.
The study highlights a growing shift in B2B discovery. Brands are no longer competing only for search rankings or social reach. They are also competing to become trusted sources in the answers generated by AI platforms.