How to Run LinkedIn Ads: LinkedIn Ads are paid advertisements that appear on the LinkedIn platform, targeting professionals based on job titles, industries, company size, and more. Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn focuses exclusively on business professionals, making it the most powerful advertising platform for B2B marketing, lead generation, and professional services.
If you’re a beginner marketer, startup founder, recruiter, or business owner looking to reach decision-makers and professionals, LinkedIn Ads offer unmatched targeting precision. While the platform has a reputation for higher costs compared to Facebook or Google Ads, the quality of leads and conversion value often justifies the investment.
Why Run LinkedIn Ads?
LinkedIn Ads provide access to over 900 million professionals worldwide. The platform’s targeting capabilities allow you to reach specific job titles, industries, and company sizes that matter most to your business. For B2B companies, LinkedIn delivers higher-quality leads compared to Facebook and Google because users are already in a professional mindset.
The LinkedIn advertising budget you’ll need may be higher than other platforms, but the return on investment typically compensates for the cost. LinkedIn users have higher purchasing power and decision-making authority, making them more valuable prospects for B2B products and services
Types of LinkedIn Ads
Understanding LinkedIn ads types is crucial before launching your first campaign. LinkedIn offers several LinkedIn content formats to match your marketing objectives.
Sponsored Content appears directly in the LinkedIn feed and includes single-image ads, video ads, and carousel ads. These ads blend naturally with organic content and generate high engagement rates. Single-image ads work well for straightforward messages, while video ads capture attention and explain complex concepts. Carousel ads allow you to showcase multiple products or tell a story across several cards.
Message Ads (formerly Sponsored InMail) deliver personalized messages directly to LinkedIn members’ inboxes. These ads work exceptionally well for event promotions, webinar registrations, and personalized outreach. The cost to advertise on LinkedIn using Message Ads tends to be higher, but they offer direct access to your target audience.
Text Ads appear in the right sidebar on desktop and are the most budget-friendly option. While they generate lower engagement than Sponsored Content, they’re perfect for beginners testing LinkedIn advertising with limited budgets.
Dynamic Ads use LinkedIn profile data to create personalized advertisements. These ads automatically populate with the viewer’s photo, company name, and job title, creating a highly personalized experience.
LinkedIn Ads Account Requirements
Before running your first campaign, ensure you have a complete LinkedIn personal profile and a LinkedIn Company Page. Access LinkedIn Campaign Manager through your account settings, which serves as the central hub for creating and managing all your campaigns.
You’ll need a business email address and a valid payment method. The tag linkedin (LinkedIn Insight Tag should be installed on your website for conversion tracking and retargeting capabilities.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Run LinkedIn Ads
Step 1: Open LinkedIn Campaign Manager
- Navigate to LinkedIn Campaign Manager by clicking on the “Advertise” option in your LinkedIn navigation menu or visiting business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions
- Create an ad account by selecting your Company Page and providing basic account information
Step 2: Choose Campaign Objective
- LinkedIn offers several campaign objectives: Awareness (brand awareness), Consideration (website visits, engagement, video views), and Conversions (lead generation, website conversions, job applicants)
- Beginners should start with “Website Visits” or “Lead Generation” for clear, measurable results
Step 3: Select Target Audience
- LinkedIn’s targeting options are where the platform truly shines
- Start with location targeting to focus on specific countries, regions, or cities
- Then layer on professional targeting including job titles, job functions, industries, company names, company size, and seniority levels
- For beginners, avoid making your audience too narrow
- LinkedIn recommends a minimum audience size of 50,000 members
- You can also create retargeting audiences using website visitors or email lists
Step 4: Choose Ad Format
- Select the LinkedIn content formats that align with your campaign objective
- Sponsored Content works well for most beginners because it appears naturally in the feed
- If you have a strong offer, Message Ads can generate high-quality leads despite higher costs
Step 5: Set Budget & Schedule
- Understanding LinkedIn ads cost is essential for campaign planning
- The LinkedIn ads minimum budget is ₹905 per day, but most campaigns need ₹4,520-9,040 daily to generate meaningful results
- You can choose between a daily budget (amount spent per day) or a lifetime budget (total amount for campaign duration)
- LinkedIn ads pricing operates on three LinkedIn bidding strategies: Cost Per Click (CPC), Cost Per Impression (CPM), and Cost Per Send (CPS for Message Ads)
- The LinkedIn cost per click typically ranges from ₹450-1,360, significantly higher than Facebook’s ₹45-271 CPC
- However, the quality of clicks justifies this premium for B2B marketers
- Start with automated bidding to let LinkedIn optimize your bids
- As you gain experience, switch to maximum cost bidding for more control over your LinkedIn advertising budget
Step 6: Create Ad Creative
- Write clear, professional ad copy that speaks directly to your target audience’s pain points
- Keep headlines under 150 characters and descriptions under 70 characters for Sponsored Content
- Use high-quality images (1200×627 pixels) or videos (square format works best for mobile)
- Select a strong call-to-action button like “Learn More,” “Download,” “Sign Up,” or “Register”
- Your CTA should match your campaign objective and landing page offer
Step 7: Review & Launch Campaign
- Before launching, review your targeting settings, budget allocation, and ad creative
- Enable conversion tracking using the LinkedIn Insight Tag installed on your website
- Double-check that your landing page loads quickly and matches your ad messaging
LinkedIn Ads Cost
The LinkedIn ads cost varies significantly based on targeting, competition, and bidding strategy. On average, expect to pay ₹450-1,360 per click (CPC) or ₹2,710-9,040 per 1,000 impressions (CPM). Message Ads typically cost ₹45-90 per send.
The LinkedIn ads minimum budget of ₹905 per day means you’ll need at least ₹27,125 monthly to run a continuous campaign. However, most successful campaigns invest ₹1,35,630-4,52,100 monthly to generate sufficient data and leads.
While LinkedIn ads pricing appears expensive compared to other platforms, remember that you’re reaching high-value professionals with purchasing authority. A single B2B customer acquired through LinkedIn Ads can generate thousands or millions in revenue, making the cost to advertise on LinkedIn worthwhile for the right businesses.
Best LinkedIn Ads Targeting Tips
- Avoid over-targeting – Creating too many targeting layers results in tiny audiences with limited reach and higher costs
- Start with 3-5 targeting criteria – Begin with a moderate number of targeting parameters, such as location, job title, and industry, to maintain audience size
- Expand only if performance is strong – Add additional targeting criteria only after your initial campaign shows positive results and stable performance
- Use audience expansion sparingly – LinkedIn’s audience expansion feature can dilute your targeting precision by reaching people outside your core criteria
- Create separate campaigns for different segments – Don’t combine multiple audience types in one campaign; split them into individual campaigns instead
- Compare performance across segments – Separate campaigns allow you to identify which audience segments perform best and generate the highest ROI
- Optimize budget allocation effectively – Redirect more of your LinkedIn advertising budget toward top-performing audience segments based on campaign data
- Implement retargeting campaigns – Set up specific campaigns targeting website visitors who viewed your content but didn’t convert
- Prioritize warm audiences – Website visitors already know your brand and typically convert at 2-3x higher rates than cold audiences
- Layer retargeting with exclusions – Exclude users who already converted to avoid wasting ad spend on existing customers
- Test audience sizes strategically – Maintain a minimum audience size of 50,000-300,000 members for optimal ad delivery and stable LinkedIn cost per click
LinkedIn Ads Best Practices (Proven Tips)
- Test multiple ad variations simultaneously – Run 3-5 different ad versions at the same time to identify which creative resonates best with your audience
- Change only one element at a time – Isolate variables by testing just the image, headline, or CTA in each variation to understand what drives performance
- Use A/B testing methodology – Keep all other elements constant while changing one variable to get clear, actionable insights
- Monitor your Click-Through Rate (CTR) closely – CTR is the primary indicator of ad relevance and creative effectiveness
- Benchmark against industry standards – A good CTR on LinkedIn is 0.4-0.8% for Sponsored Content campaigns
- Identify underperforming ads quickly – If your CTR falls below 0.3%, it’s time to refresh your creative or adjust targeting parameters
- Refresh creative regularly – Update ad images, headlines, and copy every 2-3 weeks to prevent ad fatigue
- Collect sufficient data before decisions – Wait until you have at least 100+ clicks before making major campaign adjustments
- Pause high-cost, low-conversion ads – Stop spending money on ads that generate clicks but don’t convert into leads or customers
- Reallocate your LinkedIn advertising budget strategically – Move budget from underperforming ads to top performers that deliver the best ROI
- Monitor cost per conversion – Track not just clicks, but the actual cost to acquire a lead or customer through each ad variation
- Scale winning ads gradually – Increase budget on top performers by 20-30% at a time to maintain performance stability
Common LinkedIn Ads Mistakes Beginners Make
The biggest mistake is targeting too broadly or too narrowly. Use LinkedIn’s audience size indicator to maintain optimal reach. Another common error is selecting the wrong campaign objective—always align your objective with your business goal.
Many beginners neglect landing page optimization. Your landing page should load in under 3 seconds, match your ad messaging, and have a clear conversion path. Running campaigns without conversion tracking makes optimization impossible.
LinkedIn Ads vs Facebook Ads vs Google Ads
Choose LinkedIn Ads when targeting specific job titles, industries, or B2B audiences. The platform excels at reaching decision-makers and professionals with high purchasing power.
Facebook Ads work better for B2C products, e-commerce, and broader demographic targeting with lower LinkedIn cost per click. Google Ads captures high-intent search traffic but lacks LinkedIn’s professional targeting precision.
For beginners with limited budgets, start with one platform that best matches your target audience. B2B companies almost always see better ROI from LinkedIn despite higher costs.
How to Track & Measure LinkedIn Ads Performance
Install the LinkedIn Insight Tag on your website before launching campaigns. This JavaScript code enables conversion tracking, retargeting, and audience insights.
Monitor these key metrics: Click-Through Rate (CTR), Cost Per Click, Cost Per Lead, and Conversion Rate. A successful B2B campaign typically generates leads at $50-150 each, though this varies by industry.
Create conversion events in Campaign Manager to track specific actions like form submissions, demo requests, or purchases. Review performance weekly and make data-driven optimization decisions.
Conclusion: Should Beginners Run LinkedIn Ads?
LinkedIn Ads offer unmatched access to professional audiences, making them essential for B2B marketing despite higher costs. Beginners should start with a test budget of $500-1,000 to validate targeting and creative approaches.
Understanding LinkedIn ads types, LinkedIn content formats, and LinkedIn bidding strategies takes time and testing. Start with Sponsored Content campaigns focused on website visits or lead generation, using automated bidding and moderate targeting.
The LinkedIn ads cost may seem intimidating, but even small businesses can succeed with careful audience targeting and compelling offers. Monitor your metrics closely, optimize continuously, and scale what works. With patience and data-driven decisions, LinkedIn Ads can become your most valuable B2B marketing channel.
