5 Things You Were Too Afraid To Ask About Advertising on LinkedIn
Plus TikTok's US deal is nearly finalised
If you’ve ever nodded and smiled politely while someone drops terms like “matched audiences” or “audience expansion” into a conversation, then you’re in good company. I get asked this stuff far more often than you might think.
LinkedIn ads can look and sound deceptively simple — until your CPC explodes, or your reach is dominated by audiences you didn’t mean to target. Or you start getting thousands of clicks from a country you didn’t even know existed.
Here are five common LinkedIn ad questions people hesitate to ask. (Spoiler: there’s no shame in asking.)
Which ad formats actually work?
All of them - when used deliberately and appropriately. Sponsored posts, carousels, lead-gen, video - each has a good place.
Right now, LinkedIn is nudging more toward video, which can outshine static content if done well (but fade fast if it’s not thought through properly). It sounds simple to say, but the best type of content is good content - a strong static will outperform a weak video.How do I avoid wasting budget on irrelevant targeting?
Don’t just pull together job titles and functions side-by-side. Instead, stack. Think of a wedding cake with multiple tiers - that’s what your targeting should look like, at least if you have a specific message or proposition.
Use function + seniority + industry. That’s how you whittle down to decision makers instead of blanket “managers everywhere.”Should I use LinkedIn’s Audience Network?
It’s cheap and offers you a much lower CPM, so if you want to reach people at scale it’s an interesting option. But, you lose a lot of placement control unless you’re willing to get properly stuck in, and by which time your CPM will probably increase. I go on the side of skipping it.Why am I getting a lot of impressions in weird markets?
9/10 the answer to this question involves broad geo targeting. “APAC,” “EMEA,” “The Americas” etc., are often broader than you assume. Always dig into the country-level breakdown and check the Professional Demographics tab to see who you’re truly reaching.What’s the ideal ad-copy length?
There’s no magic word count. Long or short can work - the only rule is whether it adds value and resonates. If it does, people will read it. If not, it doesn’t matter whether it’s 20 words or 200.
Bottom line: LinkedIn rewards the planners more than the spenders. If you have something to say in an engaging way, can nail the targeting tiers, and geography - then you’ll waste far less money. Creativity still wins. Bold, thoughtful copy always wins over safely dull copy, particularly at a time when the feed is stuffed full of the latter.
What’s going on elsewhere?
TikTok’s US Deal
It feels like a long time ago that I did special newsletters reporting that TikTok was on the verge of ceasing in the US.
A final deal is hovering on the horizon: Oracle + U.S. investors will take majority control, while ByteDance’s stake drops below 20%. The algorithm will now be “licensed” to the U.S. entity and retrained with U.S. user data.
This won’t upend your TikTok ad strategy tomorrow - but over time, shifts in data access, transparency, and algorithm continuity could have a domino effect.
Some critics see it as replacing one set of surveillance concerns with another.
Is Evergreen Content Obsolete in the Age of AI Search?
The growing presence of AI-generated summaries (e.g. Google’s AI Overviews) means many users may get the answer without ever clicking your link. Search Engine Journal pulled together a thought-provoking piece on what this means for evergreen content (as you may have guessed, the TL;dr is - it depends).
The smart move: write so your content is the snippet that AI surfaces, not just a link hoping for clicks.
Further reading: Five things you were too afraid to ask about zero-click search
Australia Eyes Under-16 Social Media Ban Extension
Having banned the use of multiple social platforms for under-16s, Australia’s government is reportedly considering expanding under-16 bans on social media platforms to include Reddit, Twitch, and even Roblox.
If you found this interesting, I would hugely appreciate it if you shared with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous and enjoyed this edition, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Otherwise, I’ll see you next week 🫶