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 are 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).
Copy Length
Keep copy under 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).
Retargeting
Retarget engaged visitors (viewed microsite, 30s+) with a meeting CTA.
Budgets & pacing (starting point)
Tier Allocation
A: 60% | B: 30% | C: 10% of LinkedIn 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.
Naming Convention
LI_[Tier][Obj][Format]_[Hook]_v1
Ops checklist (before you launch)
Pre-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)
Watch Out For
High CTR, low microsite engagement → fix landing message speed; headline mismatch; slow load.
Fatigue (CPM up, CTR down) → 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." CTA: 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
The Loop
That is the loop: targeted list → relevant ads → microsite engagement → manual follow-up → meeting.