LinkedIn Ad Specs: The Ultimate Guide (with Examples)

Picture this. 

You're a balmy island in the Caribbean called the Dominican Republic, surrounded by beautiful beaches, warm people and colourful sights. 

You wonder how you landed such a good vacation out here. And then you remember all the long hours spent researching – browsing tourist and hotel websites, and even watching some of the Fast and Furious movies to get a taste of the island! 

The amount of information you gather before visiting the location is fascinating. Today, that’s what buying is about. 

‍

Modern buying habits have changed

The modern buyer spends more time on research than purchase. Today, on average, they could use as many as ten or more channels during their buyer journey. 

Just as tourists may consider Tripadvisor an important website for planning a vacation, product and service buyers take a special interest in social media. It's a popular medium not just for research but also to connect with sellers. 

Sellers understand this and are going the extra mile to reach buyers where they are. In the process, they use several platforms, of which LinkedIn should be a top choice. 

‍

Sadly, it's not. 

Only 19% of marketers consider LinkedIn as an essential social media platform. 

It's unfortunate to waste a platform's potential, especially when it excels in lead generation:

• LinkedIn placed third in the highest ROI from social media in 2022. 
• The cherry on top is that it also contributes the most leads (43%) for marketers than other platforms. 

‍

So, how can you do more with LinkedIn?

Let us be your tour guide and help you explore the platform. Starting with LinkedIn ad specs and formats.

LinkedIn ads specs for all formats

You can access multiple LinkedIn ad formats spread across four categories:

• Sponsored Content 
• Sponsored Messaging
• Dynamic Ads
• Text Ads

‍

We've listed these LinkedIn ad formats below for a quick overview.

‍

‍

Let's dive deeper into LinkedIn ad specs for each format.

A. Sponsored Content

Using Sponsored Content, you can reach and engage with the audience in the LinkedIn news feed. This category includes five ad formats – single image, video, document, carousel and event.

‍

1. Single image 

Single Image ads can summarise key information about your product or service at a glance.

Here are the LinkedIn image ad specs:

‍

• Ad name (optional): Up to 255 characters
• Headline: You can use up to 70 characters to avoid truncation (200 character maximum).
• Introductory text: 

You can use up to 150 characters to avoid truncation (600 character maximum).

This includes spaces, emojis, and punctuation. Use up to four emojis in a single image ad.

URLs over 23 characters will be converted to a short link.

• Description: 

Use 100 characters to avoid truncation (300 character maximum). 

A description is required only if you’re using LinkedIn Audience Network (LAN).

• Landing page URL: 

This is required with the prefix http:// or https://

You can use a maximum of 2,000 characters in the destination field URL.

• CTAs: Select from available ones. 
• File type: jpg, png, or gif 

Animated GIF images must be 400 frames or shorter.

• File size: up to 5 MB

‍

View the complete list of Linkedin image ad specs here.

‍

2. Video

Videos are an interactive way to present your products or services stories using storytelling narratives.

Here are the LinkedIn video ad specs:

• Ad name (optional): Up to 255 characters
• Headline: You can use up to 70 characters to avoid truncation (200 max characters).
• Introductory text: 

You can use up to 150 characters to avoid truncation (600 character maximum).

• Landing page URL: 

This is required with the prefix http:// or https://

You can use a maximum of 2,000 characters in the destination field URL.

• CTAs: Select from available ones.
• Video file type: MP4
• Video file size: Minimum 75 KB and maximum 200 MB. 
• Video duration: 

3 seconds to 30 minutes.

Most successful video ads are less than 15 seconds. 

‍

Note: You can only upload videos from a desktop device, not your mobile device.

View the complete list of Linkedin video ad specs here.

‍

3. Carousel

LinkedIn carousel ads tell an interactive story with a series of swipeable cards. You can customise the content and landing page URL for each card.

Here are the LinkedIn ad specs for Carousel format:

• Ad name (optional): Up to 255 characters
• Headline: 

Use up to 45 characters when directing to a landing page. 

And up to 30 characters for Lead Gen Form CTA.

Headline text for each image card is a maximum of two lines before being truncated.

• Introductory text: Up to 150 characters to avoid truncation (255 max characters).
• Landing page URL: 

This is required with the prefix http:// or https://

You can use a maximum of 2,000 characters in the destination field URL.

Carousel cards may be directed to different destination URLs, but if the Lead Gen Form option is selected, the CTA will link to the same Lead Gen Form for all carousel cards.

• CTAs: Select from available ones.
• File type: JPG or PNG
• File size: 10 MB
• Number of carousel cards: 2-10

‍

Note: Once your ad is saved, you cannot edit the carousel cards.

Visit here for the complete list of LinkedIn carousel ad specs. 

4. Document 

The Document ad format helps your prospects sign up for gated content (lead magnets) effortlessly. It also promotes ungated content where members can read and download content without leaving LinkedIn.

Here are the LinkedIn ad specs for sponsored Document content:

• Ad name (optional): Up to 255 characters
• Headline: 

Use up to 70 characters to avoid truncation (200 character maximum).

• Introductory text: Up to 150 characters to avoid truncation (600 characters maximum).
• Landing page URL: No URL requirements
• File type: PDF, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX
• File size: 100 MB
• Number of pages: under 10 pages (300 pages maximum or 1 MM words)
• PDFs: Various layouts are available. 

PDFs with multiple layers must be flattened or merged.

PDFs with multiple-sized pages must fit into the same page size.

‍

Note: Document ads don’t support videos and other animations. These will display as static images instead. 

Document ads with lead gen forms are available on both mobile and desktop. 

‍

Visit here for the complete list of Document ad specs. 

‍

5. Event

This one-of-a-kind LinkedIn ad format drives signups for your events. You can attract more attendees to webinars, trade shows, or meet-and-greet happenings.

‍

Here are the LinkedIn ad specs for sponsored Event content:

• Event name (optional): Up to 255 characters
• Introductory text: Up to 150 characters to avoid truncation (600 characters maximum).
• Landing page URL: This is required with the prefix http:// or https://

URLs for Live Events are not accepted.

• Image ratio: 4:1 (image will be pulled from the Event page)

‍

View the complete list of Event ad specs here.

‍

B. Sponsored Messaging

Sponsored Messaging lets you build a one-on-one relationship with your prospects. The category includes two types of ads – Message and Conversation.

‍

1. Message 

Message ads can spark immediate action from the intended audience. You can deliver a targeted message with a single CTA.

Here are the LinkedIn ad specs for sponsored Message ads:

• Ad name (optional): Up to 255 characters, including spaces
• Sender: Add a sender or select from available senders.
• Message subject: Up to 60 characters, including spaces and punctuation.
• Message text:

Up to 1,500 characters, including spaces and punctuation. 

You can use up to 10 emojis in a message ad.

Bullets, italics and bolding are available. 

• Custom footer and terms & conditions: Use up to 10,000 characters, including spaces and punctuation
• CTA: Up to 20 characters
• Landing page URL: This is required with the prefix http:// or https://

You can use a maximum of 1,024 characters in the destination field URL.

• Clickable links: Up to three links.
• Banner file type (optional): JPG, GIF (non-animated), or PNG (no flash)
• Banner image size (optional): 300 x 250 pixels
• Banner image file size (optional): 2 MB

‍

Visit here for the complete list of Message ad specs. 

‍

2. Conversation 

Conversation ads let you start quality conversations with your audience. You can use a choose-your-own path experience to understand your prospect's intentions.

Here are the LinkedIn ad specs for sponsored Conversation ads:

• Ad name (optional): Up to 255 characters, including spaces
• Sender: Add a sender or select from available senders.
• Message text:

Use up to 8,000 characters, including spaces, emojis, and punctuation. 

You can use up to 10 emojis in the Intro message field.

Bullets, italics and bolding are available. 

• Custom footer and terms & conditions: Use up to 10,000 characters, including spaces and punctuation.
• CTA: Up to 25 characters

You can use a maximum of five CTA buttons per message.

• Landing page URL: This is required with the prefix http:// or https://

You can use a maximum of 2,000 characters in the destination field URL.

• Banner file type (optional): JPG or PNG
• Banner image size (optional): 

Upload a 250 x 250 pixels (maximum) image for the desktop.

Mobile might render the image differently depending on the platform.

• Banner image file size (optional): 5 MB

‍

View the complete list of Conversation ad specs here.

‍

C. Dynamic ads

Dynamic ads are personalised for each member based on their LinkedIn profile data, profile photo, company name, or job title. The category has three ad types – Follower, Spotlight and Job.

1. Follower

As the name suggests, you can promote your LinkedIn page to get more followers.

Here are the LinkedIn ad specs for Dynamic Follower ads:

• Ad headline (below images): Up to 50 characters.  

You can select from one of the suggested options or write a custom headline.

Suggested options are automatically translated. However, custom text is not.

• Ad description (above images): Up to 70 characters. 

You can select one of the suggested options or write custom text. 

Suggested options are automatically translated, but custom text is not.

• Company Name: Up to 25 characters. 

Your organisation’s name is displayed when a member moves their cursor over the company logo.

• CTAs: Choose from the available CTAs.

Your selected CTA will dynamically appear in follower ads to members who follow your organisation.

Members who don't yet follow you will see the default Follow CTA.

You can also use the below: 

• Visit company
• Visit jobs 
• Visit life

• File type

JPG or PNG

Minimum image size: 100 x 100px 

• File Size: 2MB

‍

Visit here for the complete list of Follower ad specs. 

‍

2. Spotlight

Spotlight ads are personalised to each LinkedIn member based on their profile data, leading them to a website or landing page. These ads are optimised for desktops only.

Here are the LinkedIn ad specs for Dynamic Spotlight ads:

• Ad headline (below images): Up to 50 characters. 

Your text is not automatically translated.

• Ad description (above images): Up to 70 characters. 

Your text is not automatically translated.

• Company name: Use up to 25 characters. 

Your organisation’s name is displayed when a member moves their cursor over your logo.

• File type

JPG or PNG

Minimum image size: 100 x 100px

• CTA button text: Up to 18 characters.
• Custom background image (optional): The image must be 300 x 250px and 2MB or less

‍

Note: Members can click anywhere on the ad (background, text, CTA, etc.) and get redirected to the designated URL.

View the complete list of Spotlight ad specs here.

‍

3. Jobs

You can promote one or more job opportunities within your organisation to qualified LinkedIn members.

These ads are dynamically generated in three types:

1. Jobs you may be interested in – when a member fits 3 or more of your job listings
2. Picture yourself – when the member fits 1 to 2 jobs
3. Job page – if a talent doesn’t match any opening, the ad leads them to your company page.

Here are the LinkedIn ad specs for Dynamic Job ads:

• Company name: Up to 25 characters
• Company logo: Recommended minimum logo size is 100 x 100px
• Ad headline: Up to 70 characters.

Select one of the suggested options or write your own custom text.

• CTA button: Up to 44 characters. 

• Select one of the pre-set CTAs or use your own custom text. 
• The CTA is automated for "Picture Yourself" and "Jobs Page" ads.
• For the "Jobs of Interest" ad, you can customise the CTA.
• Pre-set options are automatically translated, but custom text is not.

‍

Visit here for the complete list of Job ad specs. 

D. Text ads

LinkedIn text ads include a headline, brief text, and an image. They appear at the top of the page or in the right column of the desktop view.

You can easily set up text ads to reach your target audience in minutes.

Here are the LinkedIn ad specs for Text ads:

• Headline: Up to 25 characters
• Description: Up to 75 characters
• Landing page URL: This is required with the prefix http:// or https://

You can use a maximum of 2,000 characters in the destination field URL.

• CTAs: Select from available ones. 
• Images (optional): 100 x 100px 
• File Type: JPG or PNG
• File Size: 2MB
• Text ad sizes: 

300 x 250

700 x 17

160 x 600

728 x 90

496 x 80

‍

Now that you're familiar with LinkedIn ad specs and formats, let's find out how you can run successful campaigns on the platform.

Extract the best ROI from LinkedIn ad campaigns with lead generation forms

LinkedIn lead gen forms can be incorporated within the ads and come prefilled with user information. They mainly appear in the newsfeed or inbox. Members can view the form after clicking on the CTA button. 

In most cases, you can expect a 50% reduction in Cost Per Lead with LinkedIn Lead Gen forms compared to other techniques.

In our previous guide, we've covered how to create a lead gen form on LinkedIn. You can read it here.

Now, let’s take a look at LinkedIn lead gen ad specs for forms below. 

LinkedIn ad specs for lead gen forms 

1. Text recommendations

• Form Name: Up to 256 characters
• Landing page URL: Up to 2,000 characters
• Offer Headline: Up to 60 characters
• Offer Detail (optional): Up to 160 characters
• Privacy Policy: Up to 2,000 characters
• Call-to-Action: Up to 20 characters
• Confirmation Message: Up to 300 characters
• Language: The form’s language should match your campaign’s chosen language 

‍

2. Form recommendations

• Form Fields: 

3-4 fields are recommended as best practice. 

You can use up to 12 fields. 

First name, Last name, and Email address are automatically selected. You can deselect them if required.

• Available profile information form fields:

• Contact

First name

Last name

Email address

City, and more.

• Work

Job title

Function, and more.

• Company

Company name & size

• Industry

Education Degree

University / School, and more.

• Demographic

Gender

• Custom questions (optional): 

You can use up to 3. Each question can contain up to 100 characters. 

Custom questions are included in the 12-question limit. 

You can select between single line text or multiple choice questions. 

Custom questions are required fields for responses. 

• Custom checkboxes (optional):

Custom checkboxes are not included in the 12-question limit. 

Each checkbox message can have up to 500 characters. 

Custom checkboxes can be required or optional fields for responses. 

• Confirmation message

Can use up to 300 characters 

Landing page URL must start with http:// or https://

Select a CTA from available options. 

‍

Note: LinkedIn discontinued location targeting in the European Union (EU) on all Sponsored Messaging campaigns starting January 10, 2022. 

This may limit your targeting accuracy for Sponsored Message ads. 

Make the most of LinkedIn ads with lead gen forms

Below are some of the key reasons why you should use lead gen forms in LinkedIn ads. 

1. High-quality leads

25% of marketers face challenges in reaching their target audience on social media. 

LinkedIn can solve the targeting problem two-fold. 

Firstly, it provides deep targeting options using data shared by the audience. Marketers have the chance to reach out to members using quality data.

Secondly, data privacy regulations restrict marketers' access to customer data, affecting campaign performance negatively. But LinkedIn's basket of zero and first-party data works in your favour. It helps segment audiences, deliver the right content to the right audiences and maximise your ROI from LinkedIn ads.

‍

2. Seamless user experience 

LinkedIn lead gen forms collect lead information easily by leveraging existing, pre-filled data.

This gives users a smooth experience because they don't have to spend time entering their information manually.

‍

3. Performance tracking

Monitoring individual platforms may become time-consuming for marketers. To solve the problem, LinkedIn lets you integrate with solutions that provide unified access to leads from all platforms.

Driftrock is a frontrunner in this niche. You can use the platform to drive new leads into the content marketing funnel for promotions and remarketing.

‍

4. Versatile uses

Lead gen forms are incredibly versatile. You can customise them with fields relevant to your product, service or campaign goals.

They can also be used with multiple ad formats, as seen below.

There's one last stop on the LinkedIn tour. Let's see how you can reach your destination (achieving quality leads and maximum ROI) using lead gen forms in LinkedIn ads.

‍

Use cases for LinkedIn lead gen forms in ads

Below are four use cases for lead gen forms on LinkedIn. 

‍

1. Share a lead magnet

Use lead gen forms on LinkedIn with lead magnets.

Offer valuable content such as eBooks, whitepapers, or case studies to attract leads and position your brand as a thought leader.

You can also present your product's benefits, features, and use cases to potential leads.

2. Qualify leads

Customise your lead gen form questions to qualify leads based on their interests, needs, or budget.

When it comes to the number of questions, follow a balanced approach. Fewer questions equal more leads, and vice versa. Choosing the correct number of questions to get enough leads while still qualifying them effectively.

Lead gen forms also help qualify interested leads before introducing them to your sales funnel.

‍

3. Promote sign ups & registrations 

Use a lead gen form to sign up or register leads for your webinar, event, newsletter, product, or service prelaunch.

You could hook these leads with special offers or entry into loyalty programs. 

Share exclusive details of your product, service, upcoming events or certification courses. With the 'get more info' CTA, prospects will be curious to know more.

‍

4. Sharpen targeting for future campaigns 

Use the information collected from lead gen form campaigns to segment your audience and target them with more personalised ads in the future.

You can create lookalike audiences to match the demographics and interests of your existing leads.

‍

In closing

As a marketer, LinkedIn is a rewarding social media platform for you. Lead gen forms, combined with the right LinkedIn ad specs and formats, can maximise your campaign ROI. 

Let us show you how to make the most of this platform for your business. Get started for free, or book a demo right away!

‍