LinkedIn Ad Specs – Your Guide for 2022

Are you leveraging LinkedIn for your paid marketing strategy? You’re likely thinking about LinkedIn ad specs as you plan your campaign. 

 

Here is your guide on how to create LinkedIn Ads, including our expert tips.

  Firstly, there are seven types of LinkedIn Ads, and these are either Sponsored Content or Sponsored Messaging ads. 

 

Sponsored Content allows you to promote a post in the LinkedIn news feed using: Single Image Ads, Carousel Ads, Single Video Ads, Text Ads, and Dynamic Ads. They appear on both desktop and mobile.    Sponsored Messaging allows you to DM LinkedIn users via Message Ads or contact them via chatbot-style Conversation Ads.  

Here are the LinkedIn ad specs for each format: 

 

LinkedIn Single Image Ads

 

As sponsored content, Single Image Ads appear in news feeds and are one of the most-used LinkedIn Ad formats. They tie text and imagery together to create a cohesive message for your brand. 

 

Ad Specs for Single Image Ads

 

Character lengths: 

• Ad name (optional): 255 characters
• Intro text: 150 characters (600 max but 150 recommended to avoid truncation)
• Headline: up to 200 but 70 characters recommended to avoid truncation 
• Description: Use 100 characters to avoid truncation (300 character max)
• URLs: must have http:// or https:// and up to 2,000 characters
• Call to Action (CTA): 10 options from a dropdown menu. You can choose the most relevant (i.e., Subscribe / Demo), creating a button that links to your content. 

 

Images: 

• File type and size: JPG, PNG, non-animated GIFs, and 5MB max
• Pixels: 1200 x 627 px recommended, 7680 x 4320 px max
• Aspect Ratios:
  • Square images: 1:1 and can appear on desktop and mobile Minimum: 360 x 360 pixels, Maximum: 4320 x 4320 pixels 
  • Horizontal images: 1.91:1 and can appear on desktop and mobile Minimum: 640 x 360 pixels, Maximum: 7680 x 4320 pixels
  • Vertical images: 1:1.91 and only displayed on mobile Minimum: 360 x 640 pixels Maximum: 2340 x 4320 pixels 
• Images under 400 px will display as a thumbnail

Tip 1: Although the introduction text has a 600 character limit, 150 characters is the recommended length to avoid truncation. (Truncation is when LinkedIn uses an ellipsis (…) in the text above your ad, so you have to click to Read More.) When you exceed 150 characters, you pay every time someone clicks to expand the text, and LinkedIn has some of the highest costs per click (CPCs).

Single Image Ads appear on both desktop and mobile; however, vertical images are only on mobile. Did you know that LinkedIn traffic is 80% mobile? Something to consider!  

Tip 2: We recommend you uncheck the audience network option (only available for Single Image Ads and Single Video Ads). The Audience Network is where LinkedIn shows ads outside of the LinkedIn platform. You know, those Ads that pop up and consume the whole screen while using an app! Even though LinkedIn promises to extend reach by 25%, these ads are interruptive and often annoying.

LinkedIn Carousel Ads

  Carousel Image Ads add an interactive layer to your campaign using two or more images called ‘cards.’ Users can swipe through the cards with Call to Action buttons.  

Ad Specs for Carousel Ads

 

Character lengths: 

• Ad name: up to 255 characters
• Intro text: 150 characters (may truncate at 150 characters on some devices) 
• Headline: 45 character limit with a CTA to landing pages and 30 characters with a CTA to Lead Gen Forms 
• URLs: must have http:// or https:// and up to 2,000 characters
• Call to Action (CTA): 10 options from a dropdown menu 

 

Images: 

• Cards: 2 – 10 cards 
• File type and size: JPG, PNG, non-animated GIFs, and 10MB max (
• Rich Media formats supported)
• Pixels: 1080 x 1080 px recommended (max dimensions are 4320 x 4320 px) 
• Aspect Ratio: 1:1 
•  

 

Note: LinkedIn Carousel cards can link to different landing pages. However, when using a Lead Gen Form, every CTA links to that Form. 

LinkedIn Video ads

  Video Ads follow a similar process to building a Single Image Ads, the only difference being the use of a video. 

 

Ad Specs for Video Ads

 

Character lengths: 

• Ad name: 255 characters
• Intro text: 150 characters recommended
• Headline: 70 characters
• URLs: must have http:// or https:// and up to 2,000 characters
• Call to Action (CTA): 10 options from a dropdown menu 

 

Video: 

• File type and size: MP4 and between 75KB and 200MB
• Captions: You can add captions to your video (only SRT files are supported)
• Pixels: Horizontal videos at 1920 x 1080 px, Horizontal videos at 1200 x 675 px, Vertical video at 720 x 920 px
• Aspect Ratio: Video must be between 9:16 (upright mobile version) and 16:9 (wide landscape version) or 1:1 (square)
• Frames Per Second (FPS): Less than 30
• Audio format: AAC or MPEG4
• Audio size: Less than 64KH
• Pixels: width and height must be between 360 and 1920 px
• Duration: 3 seconds to 30 minutes (we recommend <15 seconds, grabbing attention within the first 3 seconds)
• Custom video thumbnail (optional): 200MB max

  Tip: Don’t forget to add captions! 85% of videos viewed are without sound. Increase the chance of getting users’ attention with captions. When choosing a video thumbnail, we recommend something eye-catching to grab attention while a user scrolls.