LinkedIn Ads in 2026: Your First Campaign, Step-by-Step

How to Get Started with LinkedIn Ads in 2026

Want to tap into the professional network of over 900 million members for your marketing campaigns? LinkedIn ads are a powerful tool for B2B marketing and reaching specific demographics. But where do you begin? This step-by-step guide will walk you through creating your first LinkedIn ad campaign, even if you’ve never run one before. Are you ready to unlock the potential of LinkedIn for your business?

Step 1: Access LinkedIn Campaign Manager

Navigating to Campaign Manager

To get started, you’ll need a LinkedIn account and a Company Page. If you don’t already have a Company Page, create one – it’s free and essential for running ads. Once you have both, go to your LinkedIn homepage and click the “Work” icon in the top right corner. Scroll down and select “Advertise.” This will take you to the Campaign Manager.

Creating a New Account (If Needed)

If this is your first time using LinkedIn Ads, you’ll be prompted to create a new Campaign Manager account. You’ll need to associate it with your Company Page and agree to LinkedIn’s Advertising Terms. Make sure the correct Company Page is selected. I had a client last year who accidentally linked their personal profile – a real headache to sort out!

Setting Up Billing Information

Before you can launch any campaigns, you’ll need to add your billing information. Click on the “Account settings” tab in the top right corner of Campaign Manager. Then, select “Billing information.” Enter your credit card details or connect a PayPal account. Make sure your billing address is accurate; otherwise, you might run into issues with ad approvals.

Step 2: Creating Your First Campaign

Choosing Your Campaign Objective

Now for the exciting part! Click the “Create campaign” button in the top right corner. You’ll be presented with a list of campaign objectives. These objectives align with your marketing goals. For example, if you want to generate leads, you’ll select the “Lead generation” objective. Other options include “Brand awareness,” “Website traffic,” “Engagement,” “Video views,” and “Conversions.” For this example, we’ll select “Lead generation.”

Pro Tip: Choosing the right objective is crucial. LinkedIn optimizes your campaign based on your selection, so choose the one that best reflects what you want to achieve.

Defining Your Target Audience

This is where LinkedIn Ads shines. You can target your audience based on a wide range of criteria, including:

• Location: Target by country, state, city, or even postal code. Let’s target the Atlanta, GA metro area.
• Company: Target by company name, industry, or company size.
• Demographics: Target by age, gender, or education level.
• Job Title: Target by specific job titles. Let’s target “Marketing Manager,” “Marketing Director,” and “Chief Marketing Officer.”
• Skills: Target by skills listed on LinkedIn profiles.
• Groups: Target members of specific LinkedIn Groups.

You’ll see a “Forecasted results” panel on the right side of the screen that updates as you refine your targeting. This panel estimates your potential audience size and daily results based on your chosen criteria. Keep an eye on this to ensure your audience isn’t too broad or too narrow.

Editorial Aside: Don’t fall into the trap of overly broad targeting. The more specific you are, the better your results will be.

Setting Your Budget and Schedule

Next, you’ll set your daily or lifetime budget. For our example, let’s set a daily budget of $50. You can also choose a start and end date for your campaign or run it continuously. For a first test, I recommend setting an end date, so you don’t accidentally overspend. LinkedIn offers two bidding options:

• Automated bidding: LinkedIn automatically optimizes your bids to get the most results within your budget.
• Manual bidding: You set your own bids for each click or impression.

For beginners, automated bidding is generally recommended. Let LinkedIn’s algorithm do the work for you.

Common Mistake: Forgetting to set an end date! I’ve seen campaigns run for months longer than intended, racking up unexpected costs.

Step 3: Creating Your Ad Creative

Choosing Your Ad Format

LinkedIn offers several ad formats, including:

• Single Image Ads: A single image with text.
• Carousel Ads: A series of images or videos that users can swipe through.
• Video Ads: Video ads that play in the LinkedIn feed.
• Text Ads: Small text-based ads that appear on the right side of the screen (desktop only).
• Spotlight Ads: Dynamic ads that personalize the ad experience for each user.
• Message Ads: Ads delivered directly to users’ LinkedIn inboxes.
• Conversation Ads: Interactive ads that guide users through a conversation flow.

For our first campaign, let’s stick with a Single Image Ad. They’re simple to create and effective.

Writing Compelling Ad Copy

Your ad copy should be clear, concise, and relevant to your target audience. Highlight the benefits of your product or service and include a strong call to action. Here are a few tips:

• Use strong verbs: “Download,” “Register,” “Learn More,” etc.
• Keep it short and sweet: People are scrolling quickly, so grab their attention fast.
• Highlight your unique selling proposition: What makes you different from the competition?
• A/B test your copy: Try different variations to see what performs best.

Example Ad Copy:

“Download our free guide to mastering LinkedIn Ads! Learn how to generate more leads and grow your business. Click here to download now!”

Selecting an Eye-Catching Image

Choose an image that is visually appealing and relevant to your ad copy. Use high-quality images that are properly sized for LinkedIn Ads. LinkedIn’s recommended image size for Single Image Ads is 1200 x 627 pixels.

Pro Tip: Use images with people in them. They tend to perform better than generic stock photos.

Adding a Destination URL

This is the URL where you want to send people who click on your ad. Make sure the landing page is relevant to your ad copy and provides a seamless user experience.

Step 4: Setting Up Lead Gen Forms

Creating a Lead Gen Form

Since we selected the “Lead generation” objective, we’ll need to create a Lead Gen Form. This form will appear when users click on your ad, allowing them to submit their information without leaving LinkedIn. To create a form, click the “Create lead gen form” button.

Customizing Your Form

You can customize your form to collect the information you need, such as:

• First name
• Last name
• Email address
• Company name
• Job title
• Phone number

LinkedIn automatically populates the form with information from users’ profiles, making it easy for them to submit. You can also add custom questions to gather more specific information.

Adding a Privacy Policy URL

You’ll need to include a link to your company’s privacy policy in your Lead Gen Form. This is required by LinkedIn and helps build trust with your audience.

Setting Up a Thank You Page

After users submit the form, they’ll be redirected to a thank you page. You can customize this page to thank them for their interest and provide additional information, such as a link to download a resource or schedule a consultation.

Step 5: Launching and Monitoring Your Campaign

Reviewing Your Campaign Settings

Before launching your campaign, take a moment to review all of your settings. Make sure your targeting is accurate, your budget is set correctly, and your ad creative is error-free.

Launching Your Campaign

Once you’re satisfied with your settings, click the “Launch campaign” button. Your campaign will now be submitted to LinkedIn for review. This process typically takes a few hours, but it can take longer in some cases.

Monitoring Your Campaign Performance

After your campaign is live, it’s important to monitor its performance regularly. LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager provides a wealth of data, including:

• Impressions: The number of times your ad has been shown.
• Clicks: The number of times people have clicked on your ad.
• Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of impressions that resulted in a click.
• Cost per click (CPC): The average cost you paid for each click.
• Leads: The number of leads generated from your campaign.
• Cost per lead (CPL): The average cost you paid for each lead.

Use this data to identify what’s working and what’s not. Make adjustments to your targeting, ad creative, or bidding strategy as needed. You may want to A/B test ads to achieve better results.

Step 6: Advanced Targeting with Matched Audiences

Retargeting Website Visitors

One of the most powerful features of LinkedIn Ads is the ability to retarget website visitors. To do this, you’ll need to install the LinkedIn Insight Tag on your website. This tag tracks website visitors and allows you to create audiences based on their behavior.

Once the Insight Tag is installed, you can create a “Website retargeting” audience in Campaign Manager. This audience will include anyone who has visited your website in the past. You can then target these users with ads that are specifically tailored to their interests. For further insights, check out this article on Meta retargeting to convert visitors.

Uploading Customer Lists

You can also upload customer lists to LinkedIn to create “Contact targeting” audiences. This allows you to target your existing customers with ads that promote new products or services, or to exclude them from campaigns that are targeted at new prospects.

To upload a customer list, you’ll need to format it as a CSV file and include email addresses or phone numbers. LinkedIn will then match these contacts to LinkedIn profiles. According to a Nielsen study [https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2023/advertising/](A Nielsen study), matched audience targeting can increase campaign ROI by up to 30%. This is especially useful if you want to implement audience segmentation.

Account Targeting

Want to reach decision-makers at specific companies? LinkedIn’s “Account targeting” lets you upload a list of target companies and serve ads directly to their employees. This is especially powerful for B2B marketing, allowing you to focus your efforts on the organizations most likely to become customers.

I had a client at my previous firm who used account targeting to land a major contract with a Fortune 500 company in Buckhead. The key was crafting highly personalized ad copy that spoke directly to the company’s pain points.

Getting started with LinkedIn ads can feel daunting, but by following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating successful campaigns that generate leads and drive business growth. Don’t be afraid to experiment and test different strategies to find what works best for your specific goals and target audience. Remember, consistency and continuous improvement are key to achieving long-term success with LinkedIn advertising. If you want to maximize your return, consider data-driven marketing.

Don’t just set it and forget it! Dedicate time each week to analyzing your LinkedIn Ads performance. Focus on refining your targeting and messaging based on real data, and you’ll see a significant improvement in your results. That’s the secret to turning LinkedIn Ads into a lead-generating machine.