How to Set Up LinkedIn Ads: A step-by-step Campaign Manager Guide

LinkedIn Ads can be set up in under an hour. The Campaign Manager interface is more straightforward than it looks. This step-by-step guide walks you through launching your first campaign from scratch.

1. Access linkedin campaign manager

   Go to linkedin.com/campaignmanager or click the Advertise button at the top of LinkedIn. If you have not advertised before, you will be prompted to create an ad account. Enter your company name, currency, and billing country. Link your company page when prompted.

2. Create a Campaign Group

   Campaign groups organize related campaigns. Click Create Campaign Group, name it (for example: Q3 lead generation), set the start and end dates, and optionally set a budget at the group level. Campaign groups help you compare performance across different campaign strategies targeting similar goals.

3. Select Your Campaign Objective

   Choose the objective that matches your goal: Brand Awareness (maximize impressions), Website Visits (drive traffic), Engagement (likes, comments, shares), Video Views, Lead Generation (Lead Gen Forms), Talent Leads (for hiring), Website Conversions (purchases or sign-ups tracked by Insight Tag), or Job Applicants. Your objective determines which ad formats are available and how LinkedIn optimizes delivery.

4. Build Your Target Audience

   Start with Location (required), then layer on professional targeting: Job Title, Job Function, Seniority Level, Company Name, Company Size, Industry, or Skills. For most B2B campaigns, use 2-3 targeting dimensions to avoid over-constraining your audience. Aim for an audience size between 50,000 and 500,000. Save your audience as a template for future campaigns.

5. Choose Your Ad Format

   Select the ad format for this campaign: single image Ad (most common), Carousel (multiple images with individual links), Video Ad, Text Ad (desktop sidebar), Spotlight Ad (personalized), Message Ad (direct inbox), or Conversation Ad (multi-step message tree). Lead Gen Forms can be attached to Sponsored Content formats. Each format has specific dimension and copy requirements.

6. Set Your Budget and Schedule

   Set a daily budget (minimum , recommended -100 for testing) or a total lifetime budget. Choose your bidding strategy: Maximum Delivery (LinkedIn automatically optimizes), Cost Cap (you set a maximum cost per result), or Manual Bidding (you set a specific bid). For new campaigns, Maximum Delivery is recommended to gather initial data before optimizing bids.

7. Create Your Ad Creative

   Click Create New Ad and build your ad: upload your image or video, write your introductory text (150 characters recommended), add your headline (70 characters max), write a description (100 characters), enter your destination URL, and select a call-to-action button. For Lead Gen Form campaigns, create or select a Lead Gen Form to attach. Review the ad preview on both desktop and mobile.

8. Add Billing and Launch

   Add a credit card or set up invoice billing (invoicing requires minimum spend thresholds). Review your campaign settings in the summary page. Click Launch Campaign. LinkedIn will review your ad creative, typically within 24 hours. Once approved, your campaign will begin delivering. Check Campaign Manager daily for the first week to monitor performance and adjust as needed.