How to Run Seasonal LinkedIn Ad Campaigns
Leverage holidays, events, and seasons for better results
Seasonal campaigns can drive significant results if done right. Here's how to approach them.
Key business seasons:
Q4 budget season - companies finalizing annual budgets
January - new year, new initiatives, fresh budgets
Conference season - industry events in your space
Quarterly planning - companies setting new goals
Holiday season - varies by industry
Planning timeline:
60 days before: Develop campaign strategy and creative
30 days before: Create ads and landing pages
14 days before: Launch and optimize
During event: Push hard with urgency messaging
After event: Retarget engaged audiences
Seasonal campaign elements:
Time-sensitive offers - "Before December 31st" creates urgency
Event tie-ins - "See us at [Conference Name]"
New year messaging - "Start 2026 strong"
Quarter-end deals - "Before Q1 ends"
Industry moments - earnings season, tax season, etc.
What works seasonally:
Budget urgency ("Use your 2025 budget before it disappears")
New year goals ("Hit your Q1 targets")
Pre-event promotions ("Book meetings before the conference")
Year-end reviews ("Prepare your annual report")
Seasonal pain points ("Tax season headaches?")
What to avoid:
General holidays that don't relate to business
Over-promotion that feels desperate
Starting too late (everyone else already marketed)
Forgetting to turn off dated campaigns
Industry-specific seasons:
SaaS - conference season, fiscal year-ends
Finance - tax season, quarterly earnings
HR/Recruiting - spring hiring, back-to-school
Education - academic calendar, enrollment periods
Retail - Black Friday, holiday shopping
Evergreen vs. seasonal:
Run evergreen campaigns year-round for consistent pipeline
Layer in seasonal campaigns for spikes
Don't kill evergreen to fund seasonal
Plan budget for both
Post-season strategies:
Retarget people who engaged but didn't convert
Analyze what worked for next year
Pivot messaging back to evergreen
Calculate seasonal ROI vs. regular campaigns
Stirling makes it easy to create seasonal ad variations. Generate time-sensitive campaign copy quickly and test different seasonal angles without starting from scratch each time.
Seasonal campaigns work because they align with when your audience is thinking about solutions. Time them right and they significantly outperform evergreen campaigns.
