Marketing has never had more advice and less wisdom. Every feed is full of hacks, recycled frameworks and AI-written threads. The people worth following are different. You can name their idea in one sentence. They are building, testing and writing right now, not living off a reputation from twenty years ago. And they come from everywhere: London, Toronto, Sydney, Bengaluru, as well as San Francisco and New York.
This is a personal list, not an industry ranking. A famous title or a big agency isn't enough to get on it. Each person had to pass three tests:
A sharp point of view that changes how you think, not just what you do this week.
Active today. They post, write, podcast or publish regularly in 2026.
Proof of work. A book, a widely read newsletter, original research or a company they built.
The first 30 are the voices I'd follow first. The next 20 are worth exploring once you've found your favourites.
30 Marketing Thought Leaders to Follow
1. Seth Godin
Marketing as generosity, not interruption. Find the smallest viable audience, make something remarkable for them, and earn permission. He has written a blog post every day for more than two decades. Read: This Is Marketing, This Is Strategy, Purple Cow Follow: seths.blog
2. Rory Sutherland
The vice chairman of Ogilvy UK argues that humans aren't logical, so the most valuable marketing changes perception, not the product. A better waiting experience can beat a faster train. Read: Alchemy, Transport for Humans (with Pete Dyson) Follow: Rory Sutherland on X
3. Sean Ellis
The person who coined "growth hacking" and created the product-market fit survey ("How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?"). He turns growth into a disciplined system of experiments, and he's still one of the clearest thinkers on why startups stall. Read: Hacking Growth (with Morgan Brown) Follow: Sean Ellis on X
4. April Dunford
The leading voice on B2B positioning. Most products don't fail because they're bad, but because buyers can't tell what they're for or why they're better. Read: Obviously Awesome, Sales Pitch Follow: aprildunford.com
5. Richard Shotton
Shotton makes behavioural science practical. Each chapter of his books takes one bias, shows the experiment behind it and explains how to use it in a brief, an ad or a price list. Read: The Choice Factory, The Illusion of Choice Follow: Richard Shotton
6. Kunal Shah
The founder of CRED is one of the most original thinkers on consumer behaviour in Asia. His "delta 4" idea, that people switch only when something is dramatically better and they can't go back, is a useful test for any product or campaign. Read: His posts and long-form interviews Follow: Kunal Shah on X
7. Katelyn Bourgoin
Buyer psychology made fun and practical. Each issue breaks down one bias or buying behaviour with real brand examples you can use in copy, pricing and landing pages. Read: Why We Buy Follow: learnwhywebuy.com
8. Jonah Berger
The Wharton professor who studies why things catch on: word of mouth, social influence, and how the words you choose change behaviour. Read: Contagious, The Catalyst, Magic Words Follow: jonahberger.com
9. Steven Bartlett
He built Social Chain in his twenties, then built The Diary of a CEO into one of the world's biggest podcasts. He writes and speaks about attention, brand and storytelling from the creator's side. Read: The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life Follow: stevenbartlett.com
10. Jenni Romaniuk
The Ehrenberg-Bass research professor behind the science of distinctive brand assets: why consistent colours, shapes and characters make brands easier to notice and buy. Read: Building Distinctive Brand Assets, Better Brand Health Follow: Ehrenberg-Bass Institute
11. Lenny Rachitsky
The former Airbnb product lead runs one of tech's biggest newsletters and podcasts. His interviews are a free masterclass in how fast-growing companies find growth and build products people want. Read: Lenny's Newsletter Follow: lennysnewsletter.com
12. Harry Dry
Copywriting taught through real examples: headlines, landing pages and ads, each with a short, sharp explanation of why it works. Read: Marketing Examples Follow: marketingexamples.com
13. Kevin Indig
One of the clearest analysts of how search is changing, from classic SEO to AI search and LLM visibility. Essential if organic growth matters to you. Read: Growth Memo Follow: growth-memo.com
14. Amanda Natividad
She popularised "zero-click content": posts that deliver full value inside the platform instead of begging for a click. A must-follow if your social strategy still depends on link posts. Read: Her SparkToro essays Follow: SparkToro blog
15. Ross Simmonds
The Canadian founder of Foundation Marketing believes most companies create too much content and distribute too little. Read: Create Once, Distribute Forever Follow: foundationinc.co
16. Mark Ritson
The sharpest critic of marketing fads. Ritson insists on the basics: research before strategy, strategy before tactics, and a clear split between brand building and short-term activation. Blunt, funny and usually right. Read: His Marketing Week columns Follow: Mini MBA
17. Wes Kao
The co-founder of Maven coined the idea of a "spiky point of view": an opinion smart people could disagree with. Her writing on clear communication, persuasion and influence at work is some of the most useful online. Read: Her newsletter Follow: weskao.com
18. Orlando Wood
The System1 researcher argues that advertising has become flat, literal and forgettable. His evidence shows that ads with characters, stories and a sense of place work better. Read: Lemon, Look Out Follow: System1
19. Rand Fishkin
The founder of SparkToro is one of the most honest voices in marketing. Platforms increasingly stop people clicking away, so marketers must build audiences, not chase traffic. Read: Lost and Founder Follow: sparktoro.com
20. Daniel Priestley
A UK entrepreneur who writes about demand from the founder's side: create more demand than supply, build a personal brand and turn expertise into assets. Read: Oversubscribed, Key Person of Influence, 24 Assets Follow: Daniel Priestley
21. Tom Roach
A UK strategist and Marketing Week columnist who translates effectiveness research into plain advice. A brilliant follow on brand versus performance, and on why consistency beats novelty. Read: His Marketing Week columns Follow: Tom Roach on Marketing Week
22. Grace Kite
An economist who measures what marketing actually returns. Kite makes econometrics understandable and shows marketers how to prove the long-term value of brand. Read: Her Marketing Week columns Follow: Grace Kite on Marketing Week
23. Dave Gerhardt
The founder of Exit Five makes B2B marketing human. In B2B, people buy from people, so founders and marketers need a voice, not just a funnel. Read: Founder Brand Follow: exitfive.com
24. Emily Kramer
The co-founder of MKT1 turns B2B startup marketing into clear frameworks for team design, budgets, positioning and demand. Read: The MKT1 newsletter Follow: newsletter.mkt1.co
25. Kyle Poyar
The go-to analyst on product-led growth and B2B pricing. He backs every opinion with benchmarks and survey data.
Read: Growth Unhinged Follow: growthunhinged.com
26. Alex Hormozi
Hormozi reframes marketing around the offer: make something so valuable that people feel stupid saying no. Written for small business owners, but full of ideas any marketer can use. Read: $100M Offers, $100M Leads Follow: acquisition.com
27. Tom Goodwin
A London-born strategist who argues that most companies bolt digital onto old models instead of rethinking them. Provocative, contrarian and great for challenging lazy thinking about technology. Read: Digital Darwinism Follow: Tom Goodwin
28. Ann Handley
Everyone who writes at work is a marketer, and clear, human writing is a competitive advantage. In the age of AI, that's more true than ever. Read: Everybody Writes Follow: annhandley.com
29. Scott Galloway
The NYU Stern professor explains how the biggest companies really win in business, culture and attention, with humour and uncomfortable honesty. Read: The Four, Adrift, Notes on Being a Man Follow: profgalloway.com
30. Shaan Puri
The co-host of My First Million is one of the best storytellers in business media. His threads on storytelling, hooks and writing are a masterclass in getting attention honestly. Read: His threads and My First Million Follow: Shaan Puri on X
20 More Voices to Explore
Chris Walker. A loud, contrarian voice on B2B demand creation, attribution and "dark social".
Byron Sharp. How Brands Grow overturned decades of marketing folklore about loyalty and targeting.
Ethan Mollick. The Wharton professor writing the clearest guide to working alongside AI. Read Co-Intelligence.
Nikita Bier. The creator of viral apps tbh and Gas, and one of the sharpest minds on consumer growth.
Justin Welsh. How to build an audience and a one-person business on LinkedIn.
Sahil Bloom. A master of the social thread and short-form storytelling. Author of The 5 Types of Wealth.
Nathan Barry. The founder of Kit (formerly ConvertKit) on the creator economy and owning your audience.
Eddie Shleyner. Short, beautiful lessons on copywriting and persuasion from VeryGoodCopy.
Daniel Murray. The Marketing Millennials newsletter and podcast, on B2B brand and LinkedIn.
Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan. Marketing Against the Grain, a weekly look at marketing strategy and AI.
Allan Peters. The logo designer behind Peters Design Company, whose breakdowns of how simple, iconic marks are made have a huge following. Author of Logos That Last.
Raj Shamani. India's Figuring Out podcast and author of Build, Don't Talk.
Adam Morgan. The definitive thinker on challenger brands. Read Eating the Big Fish.
Marty Neumeier. Branding explained simply. The Brand Gap takes an afternoon to read.
Bernadette Jiwa. An Australian voice on brand storytelling and customer empathy.
Ryan Holiday. Growth Hacker Marketing and Perennial Seller, on making work that keeps selling.
Gary Vaynerchuk. Saw the attention shift to social years before most brands. Give value first, ask later.
Donald Miller. The StoryBrand framework: your customer is the hero, your brand is the guide.
Mark Schaefer. On community, belonging and staying human as AI takes over routine marketing.
Rohit Bhargava. The Non-Obvious series, on spotting trends before everyone else.
Bonus: Designers Who Think Like Marketers
Some of the best lessons in branding today come from designers who teach in public. Like Allan Peters, these people show their process, explain why a mark or identity works, and make brand thinking visible.
George Bokhua. A Georgia-born logo designer known for minimal, geometric marks, and author of Principles of Logo Design.
Aaron Draplin. The founder of Draplin Design Co. and one of design's most entertaining teachers, on making simple, honest, hard-working logos. Author of Pretty Much Everything.
Chris Do. The founder of The Futur teaches designers and creatives how to think about brand strategy, pricing and personal brand.
Jessica Walsh. The founder of &Walsh, known for bold, emotional brand identities and for sharing her creative process openly.
Debbie Millman. The host of the Design Matters podcast, with nearly two decades of conversations about how creative people think. Author of Brand Thinking and Why Design Matters.
Emily Heyward. The co-founder of Red Antler, the studio behind many of the best-known direct-to-consumer brands. Author of Obsessed: Building a Brand People Love from Day One.
Conclusion: Follow Thinkers, Not Noise
The people on this list don't agree with each other, and that's the point. Godin says find your smallest viable audience. Hormozi says build an offer people can't refuse. Sutherland says be illogical. Ritson says do the research first. Good marketing isn't a set of rules. It's a set of strong, tested points of view you choose between, depending on your market and your customer.
In an age of AI-generated advice, follow the people whose ideas you couldn't get from a prompt. Pick five from this list who disagree with each other. Read their work properly. Then make up your own mind.
Last updated: November 2026.
We'll keep this list fresh as new voices emerge. Sign up for the Social Listener newsletter, and we'll update you when it changes.
Chandan Mishra is VP Marketing at SCIKIQ. Who did he miss? Tell him on LinkedIn.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the best marketing thought leaders to follow in 2026? Seth Godin, Rory Sutherland and Sean Ellis are a strong place to start. For B2B, add April Dunford and Emily Kramer. For buyer psychology, Richard Shotton and Katelyn Bourgoin.
Who are the best marketing voices outside the US? Rory Sutherland, Richard Shotton, Mark Ritson, Harry Dry and Steven Bartlett in the UK, April Dunford and Ross Simmonds in Canada, Jenni Romaniuk in Australia and Kunal Shah in India.
Which marketing newsletters are worth subscribing to? Lenny's Newsletter, Growth Unhinged (Kyle Poyar), Growth Memo (Kevin Indig), Why We Buy (Katelyn Bourgoin) and Marketing Examples (Harry Dry).
What are the best marketing books to read now? This Is Marketing (Seth Godin), Alchemy (Rory Sutherland), Obviously Awesome (April Dunford), The Choice Factory (Richard Shotton) and Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis).
