There are a few common reasons why LinkedIn ads may be put on hold. Let’s explore the main causes and how to get your ads running again.
1. Pending Payment
The most common reason for paused ads is an outstanding balance on your LinkedIn advertising account. LinkedIn requires prepayment, so if your current balance is depleted, your ads will be paused until you add more funds.
To resolve this:
- Check your account balance in LinkedIn Campaign Manager
- Add funds via credit card to bring your balance out of the negative
- LinkedIn will automatically reactivate your campaigns within 24 hours once payment processes
This is the easiest problem to fix. Just top up your account and your ads will resume once the payment goes through.
2. Unapproved Ads or Targeting
LinkedIn automated review may flag your ads or targeting options as unapproved. Common reasons for this include:
- Using certain words LinkedIn considers inappropriate
- Targeting sensitive categories like race, ethnicity, or religion
- Making unsubstantiated claims in your ads
- Using poor image quality
To fix this:
- Check Campaign Manager for details on why your ads were disapproved
- Edit your ads and targeting to comply with LinkedIn’s policies
- Resubmit the ads for review
Be sure to closely follow LinkedIn’s advertising guidelines when making changes to get your ads approved.
3. Account Under Review
In some cases, LinkedIn may place your entire advertising account under review, pausing all campaigns. This usually happens if there are repeated policy violations.
Potential reasons your account could be under review include:
- Multiple disapproved ads
- High rate of clicked ads being reported by users
- Suspicious payment activity
- Prohibited targeting selections
- Violation of LinkedIn’s terms of service
To resolve an account review:
- Check your email and Campaign Manager for details on why you are under review
- Respond to LinkedIn addressing any compliance issues
- Make changes to comply with policies on current + future campaigns
- Request reactivation of your account
Account reviews may take a few days to a few weeks to complete depending on severity. Be patient and focus on coming into compliance.
4. Technical Issues
In rare cases, a technical glitch may cause campaigns to pause erroneously. This is not common, but can happen.
A few indicators that it may be a technical issue:
- Ads were running fine and abruptly stopped
- No notifications about policy violations or payment issues
- Other accounts you manage are not affected
- LinkedIn confirms no issues on their end
To address, you can try the following:
- Refresh your Campaign Manager page
- Double check account settings are correct
- Try editing + resaving campaign budgets and bids
- Contact LinkedIn’s advertising support
Technical problems are usually resolved within 1-2 business days. Stay in touch with LinkedIn support to get your campaigns running again swiftly.
5. Account Disabled
In severe cases of compliance violations, LinkedIn may outright disable your advertising account, suspending all campaigns indefinitely.
Reasons your account can be disabled include:
- Committing fraud with fake clicks, impressions, etc.
- Severely violating policies on unacceptable ads
- Abusing targeting capabilities for unethical purposes
- Violating FTC regulations on false advertising
If your account is outright disabled, the remedy will depend on severity:
- Minor first offense – account reactivation after compliance fixes
- Major violations – permanent termination, need to open a new account
- Illegal activities – account termination + civil/criminal charges
Getting reinstated after a disabling takes significant effort. You must:
- Determine root cause of disabling
- Make all necessary changes to achieve full compliance
- Submit a formal appeal/plan to LinkedIn
- Get formally approved for reactivation
This can potentially take weeks or months if violations were severe.
How to Prevent LinkedIn Ads from Being Paused
The best way to avoid having your LinkedIn ads paused is by staying in line with all policies:
- Maintain a positive account balance
- Follow ad content and targeting guidelines
- Avoid overly aggressive targeting or deceptive tactics
- Respond promptly to any reviews or inquiries
- Keep your account in good standing
Use Campaign Manager tools to stay on top of your account status:
- Set up payment threshold alerts
- Review ad rejection reasons after disapprovals
- Check account health indicators for issues
- Contact support if you receive concerning notifications
Being proactive and communicating with LinkedIn can help nip any problems in the bud before your account is restricted.
What to Do if Your Paused LinkedIn Ads Won’t Resume
If you’ve addressed the issues prompting your disabled ads but they still won’t resume running, a few options to explore:
- Confirm fixes processed – Allow 1-2 business days for reviews and payment to complete
- Follow up with support – Check if they see any outstanding issues on your account
- Try editing + resaving – Have changes fully saved by refreshing Campaign Manager
- Start new campaign – Test if you can create a brand new active campaign
- Request manual review – Ask for higher tier assistance if lower support cannot help
Rare stubborn cases may require starting over fresh with a new LinkedIn advertising account. But this is a last resort after exhausting all other options.
Conclusion
LinkedIn aims to keep ads relevant, safe, and compliant with regulations. While paused ads are frustrating, they are usually solvable with some adjustments. Monitor your account closely, follow policies, communicate with support, and address any issues promptly. With some due diligence, you can minimize disruptions and keep your LinkedIn ad campaigns running smoothly.