The Grist research was based on more than 200 interviews of FTSE 350 executives, which included CEOs and senior legal, finance, risk, marketing and sales, human resources and tech personnel. 

The study also found that senior executives only read an average of 31 per cent of all thought leadership that reaches their desk. Favoured formats were either 800 word articles or 300 – 500 word blog posts, which were regarded as preferable to longer content. The most popular time to search out thought leadership content is on a Monday, and noon to 2pm is the single most popular time for reading, the Grist report also found.