LinkedIn Ads Formats: Which Type is Right for Your Business?

With over 1 billion members in more than 200 countries, LinkedIn Ads are well-known for delivering strong results, but only when it makes sense to include the platform in your marketing strategy. And just like on other social networks, LinkedIn offers a variety of ad formats to suit different goals.

Despite its potential, many businesses struggle with one crucial step: choosing the right ad format. ach ad type on LinkedIn is built for specific goals, audiences, and funnel stages. Picking the wrong format can mean wasted budget and missed opportunities.

In this article, we’ll break down all the available LinkedIn Ad formats, explain how they work, and help you decide which type best aligns with your business objectives.

The Different Ads Types on LinkedIn

LinkedIn offers a comprehensive suite of advertising formats designed to meet various marketing objectives and audience preferences. These ad formats can be organized into four main categories:

Sponsored Content - Native ads that appear directly in the LinkedIn feed, including single image ads, video ads, carousel ads, event ads, document ads, thought leader ads, click-to-message ads, connected TV ads, and article/newsletter ads.

Sponsored Messaging - Direct, personalized messages delivered to LinkedIn members' inboxes, including conversation ads and message ads.

Text and Dynamic Ads - Simple, cost-effective ads that appear on the right side or top of LinkedIn pages, including text ads, spotlight ads, and follower ads.

Lead Generation Forms - Integrated forms that capture leads directly within LinkedIn, streamlining the conversion process by pre-filling user information.

Each category serves distinct purposes and offers unique advantages depending on your campaign goals, target audience, and budget considerations.

1. Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content represents LinkedIn's most versatile and popular advertising format, appearing natively within users' feeds alongside organic content. These ads blend seamlessly with regular LinkedIn posts, making them less intrusive while maintaining high engagement potential.

Single Image Ads

Single Image Ads are LinkedIn's most straightforward sponsored content format, featuring a compelling image, headline, and description that drives users to take action.

How they work: These ads appear in the LinkedIn feed with a single static image, accompanied by ad copy and a clear call-to-action button. They're designed to look and feel like regular LinkedIn posts while promoting your business message.

Specifications:

• Image size: 1200 x 627 pixels (recommended)
• Aspect ratio: 1.91:1
• File format: JPG or PNG
• Maximum file size: 5MB

Best use for: Brand awareness campaigns, driving website traffic, promoting blog content, showcasing products or services, and general marketing messages that require visual impact without complexity.

Video Ads

Video Ads leverage the power of motion and storytelling to capture audience attention and deliver compelling brand messages through engaging video content.

How they work: These ads feature video content that auto-plays in users' feeds (without sound initially), encouraging viewers to engage with the full video experience and take desired actions.

Specifications:

• Video length: 3 seconds to 30 minutes
• Recommended length: 15 seconds or less for optimal performance
• File format: MP4, MOV, or WMV
• Maximum file size: 200MB
• Video resolution: Minimum 720p
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 1:1, 9:16, or 2.4:1
• Frame rate: Maximum 30fps

Best use for: Product demonstrations, company culture showcasing, customer testimonials, educational content, brand storytelling, and campaigns requiring emotional connection or detailed explanations.

Carousel Ads

Carousel Ads allow businesses to showcase multiple images or videos within a single ad unit, enabling storytelling through sequential visual content.

How they work: Users can swipe through multiple cards (images or videos) within the same ad, with each card having its own headline, description, and call-to-action, allowing for diverse messaging within one campaign.

Specifications:

• Cards: 2-10 cards per carousel
• Recommended Image size: 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 1:1
• File format: JPG or PNG
• Maximum file size: 10MB per card

Best use for: Showcasing product catalogs, highlighting different service offerings, telling brand stories across multiple scenes, featuring team members, or displaying various use cases for a single product.

With MeetEdgar, you can easily add LinkedIn Carousel Ads to your LinkedIn Ads account and streamline content planning. Upload your images, add your captions, and manage your carousel content alongside your regular social media posts, all from one dashboard.

Not a MeetEdgar user yet? Sign up and try it free for 30 days!

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Event Ads

Event Ads are specifically designed to promote LinkedIn Events, driving registrations and attendance for virtual or in-person gatherings.

How they work: These ads automatically pull information from your LinkedIn Event page, including event details, timing, and registration options, making it easy for users to discover and join your events.

Specifications:

• Requires  existing LinkedIn Event page information
• Image size: 1920 x 1080 pixels (event cover image)
• Automatic integration with LinkedIn Events
• Includes event details and a registration CTA

Best use for: Webinar promotion, conference marketing, workshop announcements, networking event promotion, product launch events, and any situation requiring event registration and attendance.

Document Ads

Document Ads transform static documents into engaging, interactive ad experiences that users can browse directly within the LinkedIn feed.

How they work: Users can flip through document pages without leaving LinkedIn, making it easy to consume detailed content like whitepapers, case studies, or presentations while maintaining engagement with your brand.

Specifications:

• File format: PDF only
• Maximum file size: 100MB
• Maximum pages: 300 pages
• Document title: Up to 70 characters
• Document description: Up to 140 characters

Best use for: Sharing whitepapers, case studies, research reports, product catalogs, company presentations, educational resources, and any detailed content that benefits from multi-page format.

Thought Leader Ads

Thought Leader Ads amplify content from your company's executives and key personnel, leveraging personal brand authority to enhance corporate messaging.

How they work: These ads promote posts from individual LinkedIn profiles of company leaders, appearing in feeds with enhanced reach while maintaining the personal touch and credibility of executive-level content.

Specifications:

• Works like single image or text post ads
• Uses existing organic posts from employee profiles
• Must be posted by company employees with complete LinkedIn profiles

Best use for: Building executive thought leadership, enhancing company credibility, promoting industry insights from leadership, increasing trust through personal brand association, and amplifying high-quality content from company experts.

Click-to-Message Ads

Click-to-Message Ads bridge the gap between advertising and direct communication, enabling immediate conversations between prospects and your business.

How they work: When users click the ad, they're taken directly to a LinkedIn messaging conversation with your company, pre-populated with a custom message that initiates meaningful dialogue.

Specifications:

• Image size: 1200 x 627 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 1.91:1
• File format: JPG or PNG
• Maximum file size: 5MB
• Headline: Up to 150 characters
• Message text pre-population available
• Direct integration with LinkedIn messaging

Best use for: Lead generation requiring personal touch, customer service initiatives, sales prospecting, consultation bookings, and any campaign where immediate communication is more valuable than website visits.

Connected TV Ads

Connected TV Ads extend your LinkedIn campaigns to streaming television platforms, reaching professional audiences in their home entertainment environments.

How they work: These video ads appear on streaming services and connected TV platforms, targeting LinkedIn's professional audience data while they consume entertainment content, creating brand awareness in a relaxed, receptive environment.

Specifications:

• Video length: 15, 30, or 60 seconds
• File format: MP4
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9
• Frame rate: 29.97fps or 30fps
• Audio: Required with clear, professional quality

Best use for: Brand awareness campaigns, reaching decision-makers outside work hours, premium brand positioning, large-scale audience reach, and campaigns targeting high-level executives who may be difficult to reach through traditional digital channels.

Article and Newsletter Ads

Article and Newsletter Ads promote long-form content and recurring publications, driving subscriptions and readership for thought leadership content.

How they work: These ads specifically promote LinkedIn articles and newsletters, encouraging users to read, engage with, and subscribe to ongoing content series that establish your company as an industry authority.

Specifications:

• Uses existing LinkedIn article or newsletter content
• Automatic integration with LinkedIn publishing platform
• Subscription tracking for newsletters
• Article preview capabilities
• Enhanced reach beyond organic content performance

Best use for: Building thought leadership, growing newsletter subscriber base, promoting educational content, establishing industry authority, driving long-term audience engagement, and nurturing prospects through valuable content.

2. Sponsored Messaging

Sponsored Messaging delivers personalized, direct communication to LinkedIn members' inboxes, creating intimate touchpoints that feel more like personal outreach than traditional advertising.

Conversation Ads

Conversation Ads create interactive, choose-your-own-adventure style messaging experiences that guide prospects through personalized conversation flows.

How they work: These ads appear as direct messages with multiple-choice responses, allowing recipients to engage in guided conversations that adapt based on their selections, creating personalized experiences at scale.

Specifications:

• Message length: Up to 500 characters for main message
• Call-to-action buttons: Up to 5 options per message
• Button text: Up to 25 characters per button
• Conversation depth: Up to 5 levels deep
• Personalization tokens available
• Mobile-optimized interface

Best use for: Lead qualification, product discovery, event registration with multiple options, customer service automation, interactive product demos, and any scenario requiring personalized guidance through multiple options.

Message Ads

Message Ads deliver direct, personal messages to targeted LinkedIn members, creating one-on-one communication opportunities that feel authentic and personalized.

How they work: These ads appear as direct messages in recipients' LinkedIn inboxes, allowing for personalized communication that includes custom calls-to-action and can drive various business objectives.

Specifications:

• Subject line: Up to 60 characters
• Message body: Up to 500 characters
• Call-to-action button: Customizable text and destination
• Personalization tokens available
• Delivery timing controls
• Mobile and desktop optimization

Best use for: Direct sales outreach, event invitations, exclusive offer promotion, personalized content sharing, consultation booking, and high-value prospect engagement requiring personal touch.

3. Text and Dynamic Ads

Text and Dynamic Ads provide cost-effective advertising solutions that appear in prominent positions on LinkedIn pages, offering simple yet effective ways to drive awareness and engagement.

Text Ads

Text Ads are LinkedIn's most straightforward advertising format, featuring simple text-based messages with small images that appear on the right side of LinkedIn pages.

How they work: These ads consist of a headline, brief description, and small image that appear in designated ad spaces, providing a budget-friendly way to maintain consistent presence on LinkedIn.

Specifications:

• Headline: Up to 50 characters
• Description: Up to 75 characters
• Image size: 50 x 50 pixels
• File format: JPG, PNG, or GIF
• Maximum file size: 2MB
• Square aspect ratio required

Best use for: Budget-conscious brand awareness, driving website traffic, promoting content with limited budgets, maintaining consistent presence, and testing audiences before investing in premium formats.

Spotlight Ads

Spotlight Ads personalize the advertising experience by dynamically incorporating the viewer's LinkedIn profile information, creating customized ad experiences that feel personally relevant.

How they work: These ads automatically include the viewer's name, profile photo, or company information within the ad creative, making each impression feel personally crafted for the individual viewer.

Specifications:

• Background image: 300 x 250 pixels
• Company logo: 100 x 100 pixels
• File format: JPG, PNG, or GIF
• Maximum file size: 2MB per image
• Headline: Up to 50 characters
• Description: Up to 70 characters
• Automatic personalization integration

Best use for: Personalized recruiting campaigns, exclusive membership offers, personalized product recommendations, increasing ad relevance and click-through rates, and creating premium, tailored experiences.

Follower Ads

Follower Ads specifically focus on growing your company's LinkedIn presence by encouraging users to follow your company page and engage with your ongoing content.

How they work: These ads prominently feature your company information and a clear call-to-action to follow your page, helping build your organic reach and create ongoing relationships with your target audience.

Specifications:

• Company logo: 100 x 100 pixels
• Background image: 300 x 250 pixels
• File format: JPG, PNG, or GIF
• Maximum file size: 2MB per image
• Headline: Up to 50 characters
• Automatic company information integration
• Built-in follow button functionality

Best use for: Building company page followers, increasing organic content reach, creating ongoing audience relationships, supporting long-term brand building, and establishing consistent LinkedIn presence.

4. Lead Generation Forms

Lead Generation Forms can be integrated with most LinkedIn ad formats, creating seamless lead capture experiences that pre-fill user information and reduce abandonment rates.

How they work: When users click on ads with Lead Gen Forms, a form appears with their LinkedIn profile information already populated, requiring minimal effort to submit while providing high-quality lead data to businesses.

Specifications:

• Form fields: Up to 12 custom fields available
• Pre-filled fields: Name, email, company, job title, and more
• Privacy policy integration required
• Thank you page customization available
• CRM integration capabilities
• Mobile-optimized experience

Best use for: High-volume lead generation, reducing form abandonment, capturing qualified prospects, streamlining sales processes, building email lists, and any campaign where lead quality and quantity are primary objectives.

Choosing the right LinkedIn Ads format

The variety of LinkedIn ad formats ensures that every business can find the perfect match for their specific goals, audience, and budget. But choosing the appropriate format is crucial to maximize ROI and achieve desired outcomes.

By understanding each format's unique strengths and optimal use cases, you can create more effective campaigns that resonate with your target audience and drive meaningful business results. For example:

• Brand Awareness? Try Video Ads, Single Image Ads, or Follower Ads.
• Lead Generation? Use Lead Gen Forms, Message Ads, or Document Ads.
• Product Promotion? Explore Carousel, Spotlight, or Text Ads.
• Event Registration? Leverage Event Ads and Conversation Ads.

By understanding how each format works and what it’s best suited for, you can craft more strategic, impactful LinkedIn ad campaigns that meet your goals and deliver results.