Which LinkedIn Campaign Type Should You Use?

LinkedIn offers several campaign types. Here's when to use each one.

Sponsored Content
These are posts in the news feed. Best for brand awareness and lead generation. They feel native to LinkedIn and get good engagement. Use for reaching cold audiences with valuable content.

Message Ads (formerly Sponsored InMail)
Direct messages to LinkedIn inboxes. Best for event invitations, high-value offers, or personal outreach at scale. Use sparingly - people don't like inbox spam.

Dynamic Ads
Personalized ads that use profile info. Best for recruiting or reaching specific job titles. These can feel creepy if not done carefully.

Text Ads
Small ads in the sidebar. Cheapest option but lowest performance. Best for very tight budgets or niche audiences.

Video Ads
Sponsored content in video format. Best for explaining complex products or showing results. Video gets attention but needs strong production.

Carousel Ads
Multiple images in one ad. Best for showing multiple products, features, or steps in a process. These get good engagement.

Lead Gen Forms
Forms pre-filled with LinkedIn data. Best for collecting leads without sending people to your website. Higher conversion rates but sometimes lower quality.

Conversation Ads
Choose-your-own-adventure style messages. Best for qualifying leads or guiding people to the right resource.

For most B2B companies, start with Sponsored Content and Lead Gen Forms. These deliver the best combination of reach and conversions.

Test other formats once you've mastered the basics. Different audiences respond to different formats.

Match format to your goal. Awareness? Sponsored content. Quick leads? Lead gen forms. Event registrations? Message ads.

Stirling helps you create content optimized for each campaign type. The AI understands what works for sponsored content vs. message ads and adjusts accordingly.

Don't spread budget across too many campaign types at once. Master one, then expand.