When it comes to running ads on LinkedIn, choosing the right ad size and format is crucial for success. The platform offers a variety of options, from large horizontal banners to compact square ads. However, not all ad units perform equally. Some tend to have higher click-through and conversion rates. So which LinkedIn ad sizes typically see the best results?
Key Factors That Impact Ad Performance
There are a few key factors that influence how well an ad unit performs on LinkedIn:
- Placement – Where the ad appears on the page impacts visibility and engagement.
- Size – Larger ads tend to garner more attention than smaller units.
- Format – The overall shape and layout affects user response.
- Objective – Ad objectives like clicks vs conversions can dictate what works best.
With these factors in mind, let’s look at the top performing ad options on LinkedIn and what makes them so effective.
Single Image Ad
One of the simplest LinkedIn ad formats is the single image ad. This is a rectangular, landscape-oriented banner that features a bold visual and minimal text.
Here are key advantages of the single image ad:
- Large size stands out – At 1,040 x 546 pixels, it has significant real estate to capture attention.
- Visual emphasis – The image does most of the communicating, keeping the message simple.
- Flexible targeting – Works for branding and direct response goals.
Single image ads are typically placed in the main feed and perform well for objectives like brand awareness, consideration, and lower-funnel conversions.
When to Use Single Image Ads
- Brand awareness campaigns
- New product announcements
- Promoting content offers (whitepapers, ebooks etc)
- Driving traffic to your website
- Product launches and releases
Carousel Ad
Carousel ads allow advertisers to showcase multiple images in one ad unit. As the name suggests, the images rotate through the carousel one by one like a slideshow.
Here are the benefits of LinkedIn carousel ads:
- Tell a story – The ads allow you to use up to 10 images sequentially.
- More impactful – Research shows carousels boost engagement over single images.
- Flexible placement – Can be used in main feed or on the right rail.
Carousel ads work well when you have a complex product or story to tell. They also allow you to feature multiple offerings in one ad. Just like single image ads, they can drive brand awareness, consideration as well as direct conversions.
When to Use Carousel Ads
- Highlighting product/service features and benefits
- Displaying a collection or product line
- Showcasing customer testimonials or reviews
- Walking through a complicated product demo
- Promoting an event with various visuals
Sponsored Content Ad
Sponsored content ads are designed to mimic organic posts in the LinkedIn feed. They consist of a headline, descriptive text, large image and call-to-action button.
Here’s why sponsored content performs so well:
- Native appearance – Blends seamlessly into the feed, increasing visibility.
- Informative copy – Dedicated text helps provide context.
- Social proof – Includes number of likes, shares and comments.
- Turnkey option – Easy to create using existing content assets.
These native ads are versatile. They can raise brand awareness, credibility and thought leadership. But the long copy also makes them suitable for driving conversions.
When to Use Sponsored Content Ads
- Thought leadership content promotion
- Gated content offers like whitepapers or ebooks
- Promoting brand stories or campaigns
- Employee spotlights or company culture messaging
- Lead generation and list building
Message Ad
Message ads are text-only units displayed in the LinkedIn messaging section. They appear prominently at the top of the messages list.
Here are the upsides of message ads:
- Exclusive placement – No other ads in the messaging section.
- Personal feel – Users see them upon opening messages, so they feel individualized.
- Urgency – Shows number of days left to click, adding urgency.
- Targeting – Can target by job role, company, interests and more.
With their exclusive placement and sense of urgency, message ads are ideal for time-sensitive offers and driving conversions.
When to Use Message Ads
- Promotions and sales
- Events, conferences and webinars
- Free trials for software or services
- eCommerce products
- Lead generation offers and downloads
Text Ad
Text ads contain a headline, description and URL in a box placed on the right rail of the page. They resemble Google text ads in appearance.
Here are the advantages of LinkedIn text ads:
- Highly visible – Appear on the right on desktop and mobile.
- Low cost per click – Cost efficient way to drive traffic.
- Flexibility – Can be used to reinforce other campaigns.
- Easy creation – Simple setup using just text.
Because of their low cost and flexible placement, text ads are great for reinforcing awareness, consideration and conversions.
When to Use Text Ads
- Driving traffic to your site
- Promoting brand awareness
- Lead generation and inquiries
- Low-cost experimenting and testing
- Supporting other ad campaigns
Dynamic Ad
Dynamic ads pull content automatically from a company’s website or CMS to populate the ad. The copy and creatives dynamically update to serve fresh ads.
Here are the perks of LinkedIn dynamic ads:
- Evergreen source – Ads stay current and relevant.
- Labor saver – No ongoing manual updates needed.
- Personalization – Content can be tailored for each viewer.
- Flexibility – Works for awareness or direct response.
Dynamic ads are great when you need to scale ad efforts without added workload. The customizable content makes them suitable for any campaign objective.
When to Use Dynamic Ads
- Ongoing awareness and consideration campaigns
- Promoting regularly updated content (blogs, reports etc)
- eCommerce product catalogs and inventory
- Driving traffic, leads and conversions
- Automating account-based marketing
Follower Ad
Follower ads promote a company’s LinkedIn page to encourage profile views and new followers. They display page details alongside a prominent “Follow” button.
Here are the notable features of follower ads:
- Dedicated real estate – Appear exclusively in the LinkedIn sidebar.
- Social cues – Include follower count to spike interest.
- Clean layout – Profile photo and simple Follow call-to-action button.
- Flexible objectives – Can drive awareness, followers or traffic to your page.
In addition to follower growth, these ads are a good way to support goals ranging from brand awareness to lead generation.
When to Use Follower Ads
- Growing your company page community
- Raising brand visibility and credibility
- Promoting content published to your page
- Driving traffic to your LinkedIn page
- Complementing other awareness campaigns
Comparison of Top LinkedIn Ad Formats
To help summarize the benefits of each high-performing ad format, here is a quick comparison table:
Ad Format | Best Suited For | Key Benefits |
Single image ad | Brand awareness, consideration, traffic | Large size for visibility. Strong visuals. |
Carousel ad | Storytelling, products, collections | Engaging and informative. Storytelling capability. |
Sponsored content | Thought leadership, content offers | Native appearance. Detailed text. |
Message ad | Promotions, events, offers | Exclusive placement. Sense of urgency. |
Text ad | Traffic, awareness, leads | Low cost, flexible placement. |
Dynamic ad | Evergreen awareness, ecommerce | Automated fresh content. Scalability. |
Follower ad | Followers, engagement, traffic | Dedicated sidebar placement. Social proof. |
Picking the Right Ad Size for Your Goals
When selecting LinkedIn ad formats for your objectives, keep these best practices in mind:
- For top-of-funnel goals like awareness and consideration, bigger is often better. Large single image and carousel ads can make a strong impact.
- If storytelling is important, carousels and sponsored content are a good match to showcase detais over multiple visuals and copy.
- For conversions and lead generation, leverage urgent messaging and promotion-focused message and text ads.
- For always-on campaigns, the automated refreshing of dynamic ads makes them ideal for ongoing needs.
- Follower ads are great to grow your community, but also support general branding objectives.
Monitor the performance of each ad type to determine what works best for your particular brand and audience. Testing different formats will reveal their strengths and weaknesses in achieving your business goals.
Guidelines for LinkedIn Ad Dimensions
In addition to picking the right ad type, you also need to pay close attention to the physical dimensions for each format. Here are some key LinkedIn ad size guidelines:
- Single image ads – 1,040 x 546 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
- Carousel image size – 1,040 x 546 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
- Sponsored content image – 1,128 x 376 pixels (3:1 aspect ratio)
- Message ads – 150 x 50 pixels (3:1 aspect ratio)
- Text ads – Title: 25 characters. Description: 75 characters.
- Follower ads – Profile image: 400 x 400 pixels. Header: 25 characters. Body: 70 characters.
Keep in mind LinkedIn alignment requirements as well. Images and videos should not be stretched or distorted. Text and logos need ample padding within the layout.
Following these dimensions will ensure your ads render properly across platforms and devices. Formats are designed for optimal visibility on both desktop and mobile.
Tips to Optimize Ad Performance
To boost results for your LinkedIn ad campaigns, incorporate these optimization best practices:
- A/B test different ad variations – Test ad copy, images, offers and layouts.
- Adjust targeting – Narrow or expand your targeting to hone in on your audience.
- Monitor quality scores – Review keyword and ad relevance to maintain rank.
- Check placement performance – See which placements drive the best results.
- Improve underperformers – Identify poor performers and make changes to improve or pause them.
- Analyze conversions over time – Review conversion lag to see if changes improve long-term response.
- Review costs – Adjust bid strategies to achieve conversion goals cost-effectively.
With regular review of metrics and optimization, you can determine the top ad types, sizes and targeting that generates the best results on LinkedIn.
Conclusion
LinkedIn offers a robust set of highly effective ad formats. Each has unique advantages suited for different campaign objectives and use cases. Top options include single image ads for awareness and traffic, carousels for visual storytelling, and message ads for time-sensitive promotions.
However, providing the right dimensions and following best practices for optimization is key to maximizing the performance of any LinkedIn ad size. With regular testing and optimization, you can uncover the ideal ad types, placements and targeting to accomplish your business goals on LinkedIn.