Before launching your first LinkedIn Ads campaign, its important to first understand the Pros and Cons of LinkedIn Ads. With over 900 million professionals on the platform, LinkedIn remains one of the most powerful advertising channels for B2B firms wanting to reach decision-makers at high-value accounts. In the same breath, LinkedIn Ads is also notorious for being an incredibly expensive platform to use….
So the million-dollar question remains: is it worth running LinkedIn Ads in 2026?
After years of running campaigns for clients across several industries, I've developed a nuanced view of what LinkedIn advertising can and can't do.
Here's my honest take on the pros and cons of LinkedIn ads in 2026 and how to decide if it's right for your business.
The single most attractive feature of the platform is its precise targeting. The platforms' targeting capabilities simply don't exist elsewhere.
I personally have run campaigns that targeted only a handful of individuals I chose by name. For other platforms, this is simply not possible.
LinkedIn has first-party data on individuals' seniority level, job title, interests, skills, education, and the organizations they work for. In a matter of minutes, you can create an audience of Chief Operating Officers at a medical institution in Minneapolis who attended Bethel University (random example, but you get the point).
For B2B marketers who need to reach specific buying committees, this level of accuracy is extremely valuable.
LinkedIn gives advertisers solid control over their campaigns. You can adjust bidding by click, impression, cost-per-lead, and cost-per-conversion. The platform also supports A/B testing across ad variations, helping improve creative over time.
Lead Gen Forms deserve special mention here. These native forms auto-populate with a user's LinkedIn data, dramatically lowering barriers and boosting conversion rates. I've seen Lead Gen Forms outperform landing pages by two to three times in certain campaigns.
Your ability to generate an outsized ROI from LinkedIn Ads is directly related to how well you can capitalize on its targeting by reducing wasted ad spend on bad-fit prospects and by targeting accounts that would contribute an above-average deal size.
LinkedIn leads tend to be higher quality than those from other social platforms. For businesses selling high-ticket products or services, that quality premium makes all the difference.
LinkedIn is expensive. Average CPCs typically range from $10 to $20 in the US (for the website's visits objective). If you are used to paying a few dollars for clicks on Meta or Google, this can be a bit of a sticker shock.
LinkedIn is a relatively new advertising platform. As a result, its AI targeting is considerably less advanced than Meta's. This requires more expertise in campaign setup than most advertising platforms.
To make things worse, the recommendations that LinkedIn natively provides for who to target, how to bid, and which settings to turn on are extremely poor and, if followed, will result in significant wasted budget.
A word of caution: do not listen to any advice your LinkedIn rep provides. They have virtually no experience managing real campaigns on the platform and are incentivized to help you spend more on LinkedIn.
For most campaigns, you should use an audience size of around 50k members. With a modest budget of $3,000/month, your best-performing ad could fatigue in as little as 45 days. To sustain performance, continual investment in ad creative and content is required, which contributes to the platform's total cost of use.
The most effective LinkedIn campaigns move beyond one-and-done outreach and instead guide prospects through a structured journey from awareness to conversion. Rather than sending cold audiences straight to a demo request or form, a multi-stage approach builds familiarity and trust over time, lowering cost per conversion and increasing overall ROI.
Start by exposing your target audience to helpful founder-led thought leadership. This stage should focus on introducing your brand to relevant decision-makers and peers, not on asking for commitment. Thought leadership ads from your founder or CEO are especially impactful here because they generate engagement at a lower cost and position your company as a reliable expert.
Once someone engages with your awareness content, move them into a retargeting pool. In this stage, your ads should focus on deeper educational content that demonstrates experience and outcomes—such as case studies, client success stories, and industry-specific understandings that reinforce why your solutions matter. Ensure these engaged users are excluded from your top-of-funnel ads so they progress naturally through the funnel.
By the time prospects reach this stage, they’ve seen your content multiple times and are familiar with your brand. Now you can present conversion-oriented offers that feel relevant, such as free assessments or consultation invitations. Use LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms or direct landing pages to capture contact details and hand off warm leads to sales.
This multi-level strategy treats LinkedIn as a component within a wider funnel, using sponsored content for awareness, retargeting to nurture interest, and Lead Gen Forms to capture high-intent prospects who are ready to engage.
If you're selling enterprise software or professional services with monthly recurring revenue in the thousands, LinkedIn's higher costs become justifiable. One converted lead can pay for months of ad spend.
Even consumer brands can succeed on LinkedIn when customer lifetime value is substantial—think luxury goods, financial services, or premium professional subscriptions.
MBA programs, executive education, and professional certifications find a natural audience on LinkedIn. The platform's users are already thinking about career advancement.
LinkedIn advertising isn't for everyone, but for the right business with the right budget and strategy, it remains one of the most effective ways to reach professional audiences. My advice? Start small, test rigorously, and let the analytics direct your investment.