LinkedIn ad formats
📖 3 min readUpdated 2026-04-19
LinkedIn offers a handful of ad formats. Picking the right one for your goal is half the battle. Here's when to use each.
Sponsored Content
Single image, carousel, or video in the feed. The workhorse format.
- Best for: thought leadership, lead gen, awareness
- Creative: professional image or video, headline, description
- CTR benchmark: 0.3-0.8%
Sponsored InMail / Message Ads
Direct message to someone's LinkedIn inbox. Must come from a real LinkedIn profile (usually a sender you authorize).
- Best for: high-consideration offers, event invites, personal outreach feel
- Conversion rate: higher than feed ads when done well
- Pricing: cost per send, not per click
Lead Gen Forms
Form-fill inside LinkedIn, pre-populated with the user's profile data. Very low friction.
- Best for: webinar signups, whitepaper downloads, demo requests
- Conversion advantage: 2-5x website form conversion
- Tradeoff: leads stay in LinkedIn until you sync to CRM
Carousel Ads
2-10 slides in one ad. User swipes through.
- Best for: case studies, multi-feature walkthroughs, step-by-step
Video Ads
Native video in feed. Autoplay with sound off.
- Best for: storytelling, product demos, testimonials
- First 3 seconds: hook matters since autoplay is silent
Dynamic Ads
Personalized using the viewer's profile info. "Hi [Name], see how [Role]s like you..."
- Best for: role-based positioning, job recruiting
- Caveat: can feel creepy if over-done
Text Ads
Tiny rail ads. Cheap but low-impact.
- Best for: mostly retargeting or awareness supplements
- Not recommended as primary format
The recommendation
- Start with Sponsored Content (single image or video)
- Add Lead Gen Forms for direct-response objectives
- Test Message Ads for high-ticket offers
- Carousel for nuanced messages