How long does it take LinkedIn to review ads?

When it comes to advertising on LinkedIn, one of the key factors marketers need to consider is the time it takes for ads to be reviewed and approved before going live. Unlike other platforms like Facebook or Google where ads can start running immediately, LinkedIn puts all ads through a review process first. This is done to maintain the professional nature of the site and ensure ads meet their policies and guidelines. But it also means there can be a delay from when you create your ad to when it actually starts being served to your target audience. So how long does this LinkedIn ad review process normally take? Here’s an overview of what to expect.

The LinkedIn ad review process

After creating a new ad campaign and adding your ads in LinkedIn Campaign Manager, there are a few steps your ads go through:

1. Submission – This is when you finish setting up your campaign and ads and hit submit or launch the campaign. Your ads are then sent to LinkedIn’s review queue.
2. Review – LinkedIn ad reviewers will assess your ads to check they comply with LinkedIn’s advertising policies. Things like images, ad copy, targeting, landing pages etc. will be evaluated.
3. Approval – If your ads meet the requirements, they will be approved and can start serving.
4. Disapproval – If there are any policy violations, issues or concerns, your ads will be rejected and you’ll need to make changes and resubmit.

It’s the review and approval part that takes time and causes the delay before your LinkedIn ads can go live.

How long does LinkedIn ad review take?

So what kind of delay can you expect for the LinkedIn ad review process? Here are some estimates:

• Standard review: 24-48 hours – This is the typical time frame for LinkedIn to review most new ads being submitted for the first time by established advertisers. The majority of ads should clear review within 1-2 business days.
• Expedited review: 4 hours or less – LinkedIn says ads can be reviewed in as little as 4 hours if you request and pay for expedited review. This gets your ads prioritized over others.
• Longer review: 3-5 days – More complex ads, large submissions, new advertisers or policy violations may require longer reviews taking 3-5 days.

So for most standard LinkedIn ads, plan for about 1-2 days of review time before your ads will be ready to serve to your target audience after you submit them. If speed is critical, expedited review can get approved in under 4 hours. But also be prepared for some ads to take longer if they need more scrutiny from LinkedIn’s team.

Factors that can delay LinkedIn ad review

While 1-2 days is typical, there are some factors that can result in it taking longer for LinkedIn to review and approve ads. Things that may cause slower review include:

• New advertisers – Ads from new advertisers without much history may undergo more rigorous review.
• Larger submissions – Submitting a high volume of ads at once may add time.
• Complex/dynamic ads – More complex ad formats like dynamic or video ads require more review.
• Policy issues – Anything violating LinkedIn’s ad policies will get rejected and need resubmission.
• Holiday periods – LinkedIn’s team may be more backlogged reviewing ads around major holidays.

Being aware of these factors can help you anticipate or minimize delays by working around them. For example, starting with smaller ad batches when you’re a new advertiser, allowing more time around holidays, or avoiding content that pushes the boundaries of LinkedIn’s policies.

How to check your LinkedIn ad review status

Within LinkedIn Campaign Manager, you can check the status of your ads going through review. Here’s how:

1. Go to the “Accounts and campaigns” section
2. Select your ad account
3. Choose your ad campaign
4. Under “Review status” you will see the current state of your ads

The possible status messages you may see include:

• In review – Your ads are still being assessed by LinkedIn.
• Changes requested – Your ads were rejected and need editing before resubmitting.
• Eligible – Your ads were approved and can now start serving.
• Serving – Your ads are live and being shown to your target audience.

Checking here periodically lets you monitor how far along LinkedIn’s review team is in assessing your ads and identify any issues that may come up.

Speeding up LinkedIn ad review times

If you want to speed up LinkedIn’s review and approval process for your ads, there are a few tactics you can try:

• Request expedited review – Paying for expedited review gets your ads prioritized faster (under 4 hours).
• Pre-approve assets – Getting images, videos, creatives pre-approved saves review time later.
• Start small – Don’t overwhelm LinkedIn’s team with a huge batch of new ads at once.
• Use existing assets – Basing new ads off already approved assets speeds the process.
• Watch your content – Avoid pushing boundaries too much, sexually suggestive, profanity, etc.
• Check policies – Review and comply fully with LinkedIn’s ad policies.

Planning ahead and staying compliant with LinkedIn’s requirements will help minimize delays in the review process. But ultimately to get your ads running sooner, expedited review is the best option if budget allows.

Does LinkedIn ad review time affect costs?

One downside of LinkedIn ads taking 1-2 days to get approved is that it delays when your ads actually start accruing costs and impressions. Those first 48 hours are spent in review, so you miss out on potential clicks and leads during that time. And for shorter campaigns in particular, having ads stuck in review for too long could significantly eat into the duration. Some options if review time is getting too costly:

• Launch campaigns a few days ahead – Gives a buffer for review before the actual start date.
• Use expedited review – Gets ads running quicker at higher priority.
• Extend campaign length – Ensures ads have enough time left post-review.
• Supplement with organic content – Posts can start engaging your audience right away.

Overall the LinkedIn ad review process aims to maintain ad quality and compliance on their platform. While the 1-2 day delay isn’t ideal, planning for it in your strategy and timeline can help minimize the impact.

Conclusion

In summary, the standard LinkedIn ad review process typically takes about 24-48 hours for established advertisers submitting compliant ads. Expedited reviews can get done in 4 hours or less. But plan for potential delays from larger submissions, new accounts, or non-compliant ads requiring 3-5 days. Check your ad’s status in Campaign Manager and leverage options like expedited review or pre-approving assets when possible to help speed up the process. While the wait for LinkedIn ad approval isn’t ideal, taking it into account in your planning and aligning expectations is key to success.