Best Practices for Sponsored Content

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• Write ad headlines that are under 150 characters. Concise headlines lead to more engagement.

• Keep descriptive copy under 70 characters. Note that anything over 100 characters could be truncated on desktop.

• Embed larger images instead of standard thumbnails. An image size of 1200 x 627 pixels is recommended. Content with larger visuals tend to get up to 38% higher CTR (click-through rates).

• Feature a clear CTA (call to action), so your audience knows how to act on their interest.

• Use Sponsored Content ad specs for more detailed information to guide your ad creation.

• Be specific with ad targeting, but not so specific that you narrow your audience. Choose location and two other targeting criteria to start, and follow ad targeting best practices.

• Analyze industry news instead of just sharing it. Offering insights and key takeaways will keep your content from feeling generic, and help establish thought leadership in your field.

• Add content curation to your plan. Share information that is useful and relevant to your audience, without creating it all yourself. Always credit your source.

• Repurpose your own content. Remember to check your blog, website, and social media channels instead of creating new content every time.

• Use rich media (like video, audio, or other element) by incorporating YouTube, Vimeo, and SlideShare videos. They play right in the LinkedIn feed, so your audience can engage organically.

• Include human interest stories that connect to your brand, and you will help your audience establish an emotional connection.

• Enable Lead Gen Forms to collect even more qualified leads. This feature pulls LinkedIn profile data (like job title, company name, and contact details) into a form that members can submit with just a couple of clicks.

• Reach people similar to your target audience with Audience Expansion. You can increase brand awareness, engagement, and discover new LinkedIn audiences more easily.

• Use the LinkedIn Audience Network to expand your reach beyond LinkedIn and engage your audience wherever they're active online.

• Run A/B tests to compare multiple messages or versions of your ad creative. You’ll see which one resonates most with your target audience.

• Use A/B testing to optimize targeting, too. Create a campaign, duplicate it, and alter the targeting criteria slightly. Run both campaigns to learn which audiences are more receptive to your content.

• Include 2-4 ads in each campaign Campaigns with more ads usually reach more people in your target audience.

• Every 1-2 weeks, pause the ad with the lowest engagement and replace it with new ad creative. Over time, this will improve your ad relevance score (based on indicators that LinkedIn members find the ads interesting, such as clicks, comments, and shares), which will help you win more bids.

• Use Direct Sponsored Content to test different ad creatives and targeting combinations. This ad type is only shown to the campaign target audience, never on your LinkedIn Page.

• Install the LinkedIn Insight Tag on your website, so you can track conversions and enable demographic reporting on your website visitors.

• Define how to measure success for your business. Campaign Manager has robust reporting capabilities. Put them to good use by identifying your key metrics.

• Optimize for mobile. Make your landing pages an easy place to view, navigate, and submit information from a smartphone.

• Build your marketing strategy by following this two-week intensive course for Sponsored Content.