LinkedIn Ads -Suggestions & Tips

TL;DR

Win on LinkedIn by keeping offers ultra-relevant, aligning ads to your outbound narrative, and sending people to a frictionless microsite with a single next step. Use Matched Audiences (and/or 1:1), cap frequency, rotate creatives every 10–14 days, and measure success by microsite engagement + assisted meetings, not vanity CTR.

Quick wins (copy these first)

-Use Thought Leader Ads from an AE/Founder + a Document Ad (1-pager) pointing to a microsite. -Headline = "For [ROLE] at [INDUSTRY/ACCOUNT]"; keep one job per ad (book, view, or learn). -UTM by tier (utm_audience=tier_a|b|c) and by creative (utm_creative=doc_v2). -Exclude employees, converters, and low-intent geos; keep audience expansion off. -Cap at 3–4 impressions/person/week; rotate creatives every 10–14 days. -Mirror your outbound subject/hook to boost recognition and lift CTR 15–30%.

Core principles

Relevance > reach -Speak directly to the role/account tier you're after.

Feed-native -Design for silent consumption; headline + hero must tell the story without sound.

One CTA -Book meeting or view microsite or learn more. Never combine.

Frictionless landing -Microsite loads fast, skimmable, clear CTA. No gates.

Narrative continuity -Outbound → Ad → Microsite says the same thing three ways.

Targeting hygiene (even when using 1:1)

Keep tiers split (A/B/C) for budget control and clean reporting.

Always exclude: employees, existing opportunities/customers, recent converters.

Use Matched Lists from Apollo/CRM/Lead Scoring; refresh weekly.

Turn audience expansion OFF for ABM; use small tests for discovery only.

Creative & offer tips

Pattern interrupt: "We mapped your [process] and cut [metric] by [X%]."

Social proof > features: include 1 metric + 1 recognizable peer logo when possible.

Thought Leader Ads: founder/AE POV + link to "We made you a page."

Document Ads (1–3 pages):

-Page 1 = promise, Page 2 = proof, Page 3 = CTA (link + QR to microsite).

Single Image/Carousel: Problem → Outcome → CTA (microsite).

Keep copy ≤125 chars above the fold; put the strongest phrase first.

Sequencing that works

Week 1: Problem/solution (pattern interrupt).

Week 2: Proof (case metric).

Week 3: CTA (microsite/book).

Retarget engaged visitors (viewed microsite, ≥30s) with a meeting CTA.

Budgets & pacing (starting point)

Allocate by tier: A: 60%, B: 30%, C: 10% of LI budget.

Optimize for Landing Page Views if you lack conversion volume; switch to conversions once you have data.

Keep 2–3 ads live per ad set; let the algo find the winner, then replace the loser weekly.

Measurement that actually matters

Primary: Microsite sessions, scroll depth, CTA clicks (by UTM).

Secondary: CTR, CPC, cost per microsite view, view-through assists.

Business: Assisted meetings/opps influenced by ad UTMs within 30–60 days.

Create a simple naming convention: LI_[Tier]_[Obj]_[Format]_[Hook]_v1.

Ops checklist (before you launch)

-LinkedIn Insight Tag firing on all pages + custom events (LP view, CTA click). -UTM template + pixel QA done (use Tag Assistant). -Audience lists versioned and date-stamped; exclusions applied. -Creative files named with hook/variant; alt text filled. -Frequency caps and schedule set (avoid nights/weekends if your ICP is B2B).

Common pitfalls (and fixes)

High CTR, low microsite engagement → fix landing message speed; headline mismatch; slow load.

Fatigue (CPM ↑, CTR ↓) → rotate visuals weekly, change lead line, swap to doc/thought-leader format.

Low delivery on small lists → simplify targeting, widen job titles, increase budget pacing for that ad set.

No downstream lift → ensure outbound mirrors the ad hook; route engaged visits to SDR for same-day follow-up.

Reusable templates (steal-and-fill)

Founder POV (Thought Leader Ad)

"Ops leaders in [INDUSTRY] keep telling us the same thing about [PAIN].

We built a 90-sec page for [ACCOUNT/ROLE] that shows the exact fix."

View your page →

Document Ad

P1: "Cut [metric] by [X%] in [Y weeks] -playbook for [ROLE]."

P2: Before/after + 1 proof stat.

P3: "See your tailored version → microsite link/QR."

How this plugs into everything else

Use Lead Scoring to tier lists → feed Matched Audiences.

Run ads in parallel with outbound; same hook creates recognition.

Route engaged ad traffic to SDR + microsite follow-up (email/DM/call) the same day.

That's the loop: targeted list → relevant ads → microsite engagement → manual follow-up → meeting.