LinkedIn Ads Show

AJ Wilcox
LinkedIn Ads Show

The LinkedIn Ads Show is your source for news, how-tos, and insights about the LinkedIn Ads platform. Hosted by LinkedIn Ads expert and partner, AJ Wilcox, you'll get up-to-date, actionable advice, as well as occasional interviews with LinkedIn's product that will make you a LinkedIn advertising rockstar.

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    Create a LinkedIn Ads Funnel - Ep 154

    Show Resources: Here were the resources we covered in the episode: Evergreen LinkedIn Ads Account Benefits Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert Follow AJ on LinkedIn B2Linked's YouTube Channel LinkedIn Learning Course Contact us at Podcast@B2Linked.com with any questions, suggestions, corrections! A great no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review! In this episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox dives into strategies for nurturing cold audiences on LinkedIn to prepare them for meaningful engagement and high-conversion offers. If you've struggled with converting cold traffic into sales-ready leads, this episode walks you through how to build a multi-stage funnel using LinkedIn Ads retargeting features. Key Discussion Points: Why Cold Audiences Need Nurturing: Most cold audiences (95%) aren’t ready to engage with sales reps or bottom-of-funnel offers. Nurturing involves multiple retargeting stages to move prospects down the funnel, warming them up to higher-friction calls to action. Building a Multi-Stage Funnel: Stage 1 (Cold Traffic): Use LinkedIn’s native audience targeting to reach cold audiences who align with your ideal customer profile. Stage 2 (First Retargeting): Retarget website visitors, company page visitors, and ad engagers from Stage 1. Apply targeting "guardrails" like seniority, job function, or industry to refine the audience. Stage 3 (Hot Traffic): Retarget prospects from Stage 2 who have engaged meaningfully. These are primed for bottom-of-funnel offers like demos or sales calls. Best Practices for Funnel Organization: Use a campaign naming convention like S01, S02, S03 to clearly identify funnel stages in your account and ensure they’re sorted alphabetically. Exclude retargeting audiences from the previous stage to avoid overlap and ensure prospects graduate down the funnel. Retargeting Audience Management: Create retargeting audiences based on specific engagements (e.g., video views, document interactions). Combine smaller audiences (e.g., website visitors + company page visitors) to ensure they hit the 300-member minimum for ads to serve. Budget Considerations: A multi-stage funnel works best with a monthly budget of $5,000 or more, though smaller budgets are possible with longer ramp-up times. Testing and Optimization: Run bottom-of-funnel offers in earlier stages as a test to gauge audience readiness. If Stage 3 doesn’t yield high conversion rates, adjust ad messaging to clearly communicate value and reduce friction. Recent LinkedIn Updates: LinkedIn Wire Beta: Advertise as pre-roll videos on high-trust publisher content like Bloomberg and Forbes. Holiday Ad Tips: Lower competition during the holidays results in reduced CPCs and CPLs, making it an opportune time to run campaigns. Pro Tips: Take advantage of seasonal or holiday-themed campaigns for better engagement. Use organic posts from company representatives to complement paid ads, especially during events. Call to Action: Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community for access to expert insights, courses, and weekly group calls with AJ. Subscribe to the podcast for weekly LinkedIn Ads tips, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help other marketers discover the show. Review and Connect: AJ welcomes listener questions, suggestions, and feedback via LinkedIn or email at podcast@B2Linked.com. Submit a voice recording to be featured in a future episode. Show Transcript: For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 154

    19 min
  2. NOV 21

    How Reputation Affects Your LinkedIn Ads - Ep 153

    Show Resources: Here were the resources we covered in the episode: DJ Sprague on LinkedIn Download your Free Copy of Reputation King Subscribe to DJ's Podcast Shopper Approved Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert Follow AJ on LinkedIn B2Linked's YouTube Channel LinkedIn Learning Course Contact us at Podcast@B2Linked.com with any questions, suggestions, corrections! A great no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review! Show Description: This episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show is packed with actionable insights on how your company's reputation and social proof directly influence the success of your LinkedIn Ads. AJ Wilcox is joined by special guest DJ Sprague, co-author of Reputation King, to explore how reputation management strategies can supercharge your LinkedIn campaigns. Key Discussion Points: What is Reputation Management? DJ explains how reputation management builds trust and credibility, key factors in driving conversions and long-term customer relationships. The Role of Social Proof in Ads Learn how to incorporate trust signals like reviews, ratings, years in business, and client milestones into your LinkedIn Ads to boost engagement and click-through rates. Best Practices for Trust Signals on Landing Pages Discover why consistent messaging, social proof, and trust signals on your landing pages are critical for converting LinkedIn Ad traffic. How to Build & Display Reviews DJ shares practical tips for collecting reviews, leveraging them in ads, and ensuring they show up prominently in organic and paid search results. Strategies for B2B Advertisers Gain insights into how reputation management affects B2B campaigns, including ways to use testimonials, awards, and case studies to establish trust. Pro Tips for Requesting Reviews Timing is everything! DJ reveals when and how to ask customers for reviews to maximize response rates and authenticity. Actionable Ideas for Smaller Businesses Don’t have years of experience or thousands of reviews? DJ discusses alternative ways to build trust, including leveraging community memberships, case studies, and testimonials. The Impact of Reputation on the Entire Marketing Funnel Reputation affects every stage of the buyer's journey, from traffic generation to sales. AJ and DJ explain why ignoring it can cost you conversions you never realized you lost. Real-Life Case Study DJ shares how implementing reputation management and Q&A strategies increased one client's web traffic by 8,000% and conversions by 400%. Show Transcript: For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 153

    38 min
  3. NOV 1

    LinkedIn Ads Low Delivery - Ep 152

    Show Resources: Here were the resources we covered in the episode: LinkedIn Ads Sponsored Messaging update for the EU Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert Follow AJ on LinkedIn B2Linked's YouTube Channel LinkedIn Learning Course Contact us at Podcast@B2Linked.com with any questions, suggestions, corrections! A great no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review! Show Notes: Episode Summary: In this episode, AJ Wilcox dives deep into one of the most frustrating issues for LinkedIn advertisers: campaigns that just won’t deliver or spend as expected. AJ walks listeners through his tried-and-true troubleshooting steps, offering actionable insights to get LinkedIn Ads campaigns back on track. Key Discussion Points: Why Campaigns May Not Deliver: AJ explains potential causes, from inactive campaigns to low bidding issues, that might be limiting ad visibility and spend. Detailed Troubleshooting Steps: He provides a step-by-step guide for advertisers to diagnose issues, covering everything from campaign and ad activity to billing checks, small or inactive audiences, and relevancy score. Bidding Strategies: Insights into how manual bidding and maximum delivery bidding can impact campaign delivery, plus tips on knowing when to increase bids. Glitches and Quick Fixes: AJ discusses how occasional LinkedIn platform glitches can hinder ad delivery and how duplicating campaigns can often resolve these issues. Audience Size and Activity: Why small or infrequent audiences on LinkedIn may result in slow ad delivery and how to set realistic expectations. LinkedIn Ads Support: When to reach out to LinkedIn support if troubleshooting steps fail, and tips for contacting them effectively. AJ shares practical solutions to optimize LinkedIn ad delivery, save on costs, and ensure that their campaigns spend efficiently. Show Transcript: For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 152

    14 min
  4. OCT 17

    LinkedIn Ads 2024-2025 Roadmap - Ep 151

    Show Resources: Here were the resources we covered in the episode: Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert Follow AJ on LinkedIn B2Linked's YouTube Channel LinkedIn Learning Course Contact us at Podcast@B2Linked.com with any questions, suggestions, corrections! A great no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review! Show Notes: Episode Summary: In this episode of the LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox dives into LinkedIn's product roadmap, detailing new and upcoming features advertisers should get excited about. If you're looking to stay ahead of the curve and leverage the latest tools in LinkedIn Ads, this episode gives you everything you need to know. AJ shares personal insights, community feedback, and predictions for how these features could impact your campaigns. Key Topics Covered: Pro Tip for Lead Generation Ads: Keep ad copy between 100-160 characters to avoid the “See More” link, saving costs on unnecessary clicks that don't trigger lead forms. Dynamic Sponsored Content in Alpha: Salesforce is testing dynamic variables (like industry or company name) in sponsored content. Expect more personalization options coming soon. Reserved Ads & Primetime Ads (2025): Reserved Ads: Secure the first ad slot in the feed for maximum visibility. Primetime Ads: Achieve 100% audience reach within a 24-hour period—ideal for major campaigns. Live Event Ads Rolling Out: Promote live events dynamically before, during, and after the event, with advanced retargeting options based on attendee engagement. Connected TV (CTV) in Public Beta: Use LinkedIn targeting to deliver non-skippable video ads on streaming services like Roku, Hulu, and Peacock. Buyer Group Targeting (Q2 2025): Automatically target the entire buyer’s committee with roles and titles relevant to a specific prospect. Conversion API Now Available: Report conversions with high accuracy without relying on cookies. Partners include HubSpot, Zapier, and Google Tag Manager. Dynamic UTM Parameters Launched: Apply dynamic UTM tracking at the campaign or account level to streamline campaign setup and reporting. Business Manager Enhancements: Block/Allow Lists can now be applied at the Business Manager level, simplifying brand safety management across multiple accounts. Coming Soon: Publisher Reporting & Share of Voice Insights: Get performance breakdowns by publisher for LAN and CTV ads, and measure how much visibility your brand captures compared to competitors. Objective-Aware Creative Rotation (Q1 2025): AI-powered ad rotation tailored to campaign objectives for better performance. Predictive Companies Beta: Expands on predictive audiences by identifying entire companies showing interest, offering more precise B2B targeting. If you want to stay ahead with these new LinkedIn Ads features, we've got AJ’s expert breakdowns and actionable tips! Don't miss this opportunity to prepare for the future of LinkedIn Ads. Get insights into what’s working, how to optimize campaigns with the latest tools, and how to use new features to boost your results. Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community to discuss strategies, learn from experts, and upgrade your advertising game! Show Transcript: For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 151

    26 min
  5. OCT 4

    LinkedIn Audience Network Lists - Ep 150

    Show Resources: Here were the resources we covered in the episode: FouAnalytics provides the best intelligence I've found on spam/bot traffic Dr Fou's LinkedIn where he publishes awesome deep-dives into traffic quality B2Linked LAN Whitelist B2Linked LAN Blacklist Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert Follow AJ on LinkedIn B2Linked's YouTube Channel LinkedIn Learning Course Contact us at Podcast@B2Linked.com with any questions, suggestions, corrections! A great no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review! Show Notes: Episode Summary: In this episode of the LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox dives into a topic that many advertisers have been frustrated with: the quality of LinkedIn Audience Network (LAN) traffic. While LAN traffic has a reputation for being poor quality, AJ shares the breakthrough strategies he used to significantly improve traffic quality and get results worth paying for. If you’ve been avoiding LAN due to low-quality clicks and bot traffic, this episode is a must-listen! Key Discussion Points: What is the LinkedIn Audience Network (LAN) and Why Does It Matter? AJ explains the role of LAN in reaching LinkedIn’s high-quality audience beyond the platform itself, and the common issues marketers face with traffic quality from this network. Understanding Bot Traffic and Its Impact: Discover the prevalence of bot traffic on LAN and why it can skew your results. AJ shares insights from working with Dr. Augustine Fou, a renowned expert in ad fraud and analytics, and how tools like FooAnalytics can help diagnose and understand traffic quality issues. Before and After Case Study: Learn about a real-life case study where AJ implemented a strict allow list on a client’s campaigns and saw significant improvements in traffic quality. Before applying the allow list, 63% of the traffic was identified as bot or problematic. After implementing the allow list, the ratio of good to bad traffic improved to over 100%. How to Implement Allow and Block Lists for Better Traffic: AJ details the process of creating and using allow and block lists to improve traffic quality. He provides his own curated lists, which include high-quality publishers like Forbes, The New York Times, and Business Insider, and explains why allow lists are generally more effective than block lists. Breaking Down the Results: While traffic costs increased after applying the allow list, the quality of traffic improved significantly. AJ explains why this happened and what it means for optimizing LinkedIn Audience Network campaigns. Why Bots Click on LinkedIn Ads and What You Can Do About It: AJ reveals the reasons behind bot clicks, including creative validators and low-quality apps that simulate clicks. Understanding these factors can help you make better decisions about your LAN strategy. Step-by-Step Guide to Applying Allow and Block Lists: A detailed walkthrough on how to upload and apply allow or block lists in your LinkedIn Ads Campaign Manager to immediately improve traffic quality. Resources and Tools to Measure Traffic Quality: AJ shares links to FouAnalytics and his curated allow and block lists so you can implement these strategies in your own campaigns. This episode provides in-depth, actionable strategies to turn LinkedIn Audience Network traffic into a valuable resource. Learn how to optimize your campaigns and start seeing the high-quality traffic results you’ve been hoping for! Show Transcript: For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 150

    16 min
  6. SEP 27

    LinkedIn Ads Audience Penetration - Ep 149

    Show Resources: Here were the resources we covered in the episode: Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert Follow AJ on LinkedIn B2Linked's YouTube Channel LinkedIn Learning Course Contact us at Podcast@B2Linked.com with any questions, suggestions, corrections! A great no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review! Show Notes: Episode Summary: In this episode of the LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox explores the newly introduced Audience Penetration Metric in LinkedIn Ads. He shares insightful hacks on how to use this metric to better understand campaign reach, calculate audience sizes, and even estimate audience overlap—helping you optimize your LinkedIn Ads strategy and drive greater impact. Key Discussion Points: What is the Audience Penetration Metric? AJ introduces the Audience Penetration metric, explaining how it measures the percentage of your target audience that has been exposed to your ads. This provides a clearer view of how well your ads are reaching the intended audience. Hack #1: Calculating Total Audience Size: Learn how to reverse-engineer LinkedIn’s estimated audience size using the audience penetration metric and reach data. This allows you to get a more precise measurement of your audience size beyond LinkedIn’s rough estimates. Hack #2: Understanding Bid Effects on Audience Reach: Discover how to test the effect of your bid on audience reach by adjusting your bid over time. This helps you determine if increasing your bid results in a proportional increase in audience reach or if it leads to diminishing returns. Hack #3: Measuring Audience Overlap: AJ shares how the Audience Penetration metric can be used to measure overlap between different audiences, giving you a new way to analyze targeting strategies and ensure you're reaching unique audience segments. Use Cases for Audience Penetration: Find out how to leverage this new metric to optimize your budget allocation, improve targeting accuracy, and better understand the engagement of your target audience on LinkedIn. Potential Limitations: AJ highlights some nuances of the Audience Penetration metric, such as differences in calculated and estimated audience sizes, and shares his thoughts on why these discrepancies occur. Additional Updates: Predictive Audiences Expansion: LinkedIn is expanding its predictive audience capabilities to include retargeting lists, conversions, and lead gen form interactions, allowing advertisers to create more sophisticated lookalike audiences. Inbound Conference Recap: AJ gives a brief recap of his experience at the Inbound Conference, sharing key highlights and announcements about the next year’s event location. This episode is packed with practical tips and advanced strategies for using the Audience Penetration metric to its fullest potential. This episode will definitely elevate your LinkedIn Ads campaigns with data-driven insights!   Show Transcript: For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 149

    14 min
  7. SEP 20

    LinkedIn Ads Website Actions - Ep 148

    Show Resources: Here were the resources we covered in the episode: LinkedIn's help article about Website Actions Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert Follow AJ on LinkedIn B2Linked's YouTube Channel LinkedIn Learning Course Contact us at Podcast@B2Linked.com with any questions, suggestions, corrections! A great no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review! Show Notes: Episode Summary: In this week’s episode of the LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox introduces LinkedIn's groundbreaking new feature—Website Actions—which simplifies conversion tracking and retargeting. Unlike Google or Meta, LinkedIn makes setting up conversions incredibly easy without the need for coding. AJ breaks down how this feature works, its benefits for marketers, and some challenges to be aware of. Key Discussion Points: Website Actions Overview: Learn how LinkedIn's new feature helps track conversions by monitoring button clicks and page visits on your website, all without needing any coding skills. Why Website Actions is Groundbreaking: Unlike other platforms where you need developer assistance or complex setups, LinkedIn allows you to track button presses directly within Campaign Manager, making conversion tracking straightforward and marketer-friendly. Setting Up Website Actions for Conversions: AJ walks through the step-by-step process of setting up Website Actions to track conversions and create retargeting audiences, as well as tips for optimizing these features. Limitations and Workarounds: While Website Actions is powerful, AJ also highlights some of the bugs and limitations, such as delayed updates on page changes and reliance on cookies for retargeting. Retargeting with Website Actions: Discover how to create retargeting audiences based on specific button clicks or page visits, and learn why this feature could be a game changer for LinkedIn Ads. Wishlist for Improvements: AJ discusses potential future enhancements that could make Website Actions even more useful, like the ability to manually refresh updates or view pages as LinkedIn sees them. Additional Updates: Axiom Audiences: AJ shares exciting news about LinkedIn making Axiom audiences more accessible, allowing advertisers to use advanced targeting criteria such as household income or property value. Speaking at Inbound Conference: AJ gives a brief update about his recent speaking engagement at the Inbound Conference. Listener Review Spotlight: AJ shares a 5-star review from a listener in Italy who credits the podcast with helping them achieve significant results in LinkedIn Ads. This episode is packed with actionable insights, and is beneficial to any B2B marketer looking to enhance their LinkedIn Ads performance with the latest tools and techniques.   Show Transcript: For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 148

    18 min
  8. SEP 6

    LinkedIn Ads Free Brand Lift Studies - Ep 147

    Show Resources: Here were the resources we covered in the episode: Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert Follow AJ on LinkedIn B2Linked's YouTube Channel LinkedIn Learning Course Contact us at Podcast@B2Linked.com with any questions, suggestions, corrections! A great no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review! Show Notes: Episode Summary: In this episode of the LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox dives deep into LinkedIn's free market research tool: Brand Lift Studies. Many advertisers are unaware of this powerful feature, and AJ explains how you can leverage it to measure the impact of your LinkedIn Ads campaigns on brand awareness, product consideration, and more. Key Discussion Points: Introduction to Brand Lift Studies: Learn what these studies are, how they work, and the requirements needed to access them. Budget Requirements: Understand the budget thresholds necessary to qualify for free Brand Lift Studies and how many questions you can ask based on your spend. Survey Setup and Options: AJ walks through the different types of questions you can ask, ranging from brand awareness to product consideration and even employer favorability. How It Works: Discover how LinkedIn segments your audience into test and control groups, collects responses, and measures the lift (or drag) in brand metrics. Interpreting Results: AJ shares insights on how to interpret the data from these studies, including statistical strength, relative brand lift, absolute brand lift, and estimated total lift. Case Study Example: AJ shares a recent experience where a client saw both significant lift and an unexpected drag in product consideration, offering valuable lessons for advertisers. Is It Worth It? AJ provides his take on whether the time investment in setting up these studies is justified based on the potential insights gained. Additional Updates: LinkedIn News: Updates on LinkedIn’s policies around political advertising, invoicing through Business Manager, and the introduction of newsletter ads. Community Involvement: AJ invites listeners to join the LinkedIn Ads fanatics community, offering access to exclusive content, courses, and weekly group calls. This episode is a must-listen for B2B marketers looking to enhance their LinkedIn Ads strategy with data-driven insights. Whether you're spending big or just curious about LinkedIn's tools, AJ's breakdown of Brand Lift Studies will equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions about your campaigns.   Show Transcript: For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 147

    14 min
4.9
out of 5
88 Ratings

About

The LinkedIn Ads Show is your source for news, how-tos, and insights about the LinkedIn Ads platform. Hosted by LinkedIn Ads expert and partner, AJ Wilcox, you'll get up-to-date, actionable advice, as well as occasional interviews with LinkedIn's product that will make you a LinkedIn advertising rockstar.

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