Guide 6 of 9 in Level 4: Run it as an ad

How to create a LinkedIn ad campaign

To create a LinkedIn ad campaign with Blackbox (blackbox.plus), connect a LinkedIn Ads account to your brand, click + in the Inbox and choose New Campaign. Under Or skip the plans, pick a goal such as Get leads, and check that LinkedIn Ads is on under Where it runs. Under Who should see it, add the places, then fill in the LinkedIn only block: copy one of your campaigns' targeting exactly, or target people by job title, or by function and seniority, narrow by industry and company size, add your LinkedIn audiences, and leave out people who should never see the ads. Choose how LinkedIn bids and whether the ads reach further. The estimated audience is LinkedIn's own count and changes as you edit; under 300 members LinkedIn won't run it. Then add the ad from a Studio post, set one budget and the dates, and run the checks. Draft the campaign: nothing is created until you approve it, and nothing spends until you start it.

You'll need
Time
About 10 minutes 17 steps Updated
You'll end with
A LinkedIn campaign aimed at the right jobs and companies, drafted as a proposal in your brand’s thread
Do it in Blackbox Open the Inbox, after you sign in
Example
A LinkedIn audience built by job, company and your own lists, then drafted

How to create a LinkedIn ad campaign in Blackbox

  1. Step 1:Open New Campaign

    In the Inbox, click the + button, then New Campaign.

    You'll see: What is this campaign for?, with goals to start from under it.

    Open this in Blackbox

  2. Step 2:Pick a goal

    Under Or skip the plans, click Get leads.

    You'll see: Preset, with Get leads under Gets you in the Summary.

  3. Step 3:Check LinkedIn is on

    Under Where it runs, check that LinkedIn Ads is on with your ad account, then click Continue.

    You'll see: Who should see it, with Places and a LinkedIn only block.

  4. Step 4:Choose the places

    Under Places, search for a city or region and click it.

    You'll see: The place as a chip, and under Who in the Summary.

  5. Step 5:Or copy a campaign

    To target exactly who one of your LinkedIn campaigns targets, pick it under Use one of your campaigns’ targeting. To build it here, leave Build it here instead.

    You'll see: The fields below, or Uses “…” exactly with Stop using it.

  6. Step 6:Target by job

    Under Their job, keep Job titles and add each title from the search.

    You'll see: Each job title as a chip, and how many under Who in the Summary.

  7. Step 7:Narrow by company

    Under Their company, click the company sizes to reach, and add an industry if you want.

    You'll see: The sizes you picked highlighted; none picked means any size.

  8. Step 8:Add your LinkedIn audiences

    Under Your LinkedIn audiences, tick any list you want the ads to reach.

    You'll see: A tick beside each audience you picked, with how many members it has.

  9. Step 9:Leave people out

    Under Leave out, click the audiences and seniority that should never see the ads.

    You'll see: What you picked highlighted, and leaves out under Who in the Summary.

  10. Step 10:Choose how LinkedIn bids

    Under Bidding, keep Maximum delivery, or pick Cost cap or Manual bid and enter the amount.

    You'll see: A line under the choice saying how LinkedIn will bid.

  11. Step 11:Choose where it shows

    Switch on Audience Expansion if you want people like your audience too.

    You'll see: Each switch with a line on what it does.

  12. Step 12:Check the audience size

    Read Estimated audience at the bottom of the block.

    You'll see: LinkedIn’s count, like About 7,400 members.

  13. Step 13:Add a Studio post

    Click Next: creatives, then New and From a Studio post.

    You'll see: Your finished posts, each with Use this post.

  14. Step 14:Check the words

    Click Use this post, check the Main text, Headline and Landing page, then click Save.

    You'll see: The creative in the list, marked Ready and switched In campaign.

  15. Step 15:Set the budget

    Click Next: budget, pick Lifetime or Daily, and enter the amount.

    You'll see: What it spends a day on average, under the amount.

  16. Step 16:Run the checks

    Click Next: review, and fix anything marked Block.

    You'll see: Ready to draft, and What the draft creates, marked All paused.

  17. Step 17:Draft it

    Click Draft the campaign.

    You'll see: Your brand’s thread, open on the Campaign proposal.

Good to know

  • On LinkedIn the goals are Sell on the website, Get leads, Get website visits and Get followers. The others say Not on LinkedIn.
  • LinkedIn reaches people by their job. For sales or website visits, expect a higher cost per result than on Meta; New Campaign says so under the Summary.
  • Only LinkedIn reads the LinkedIn only block. The places above it are shared with any other channel you switch on.
  • Copying a campaign uses its places, job targeting, audiences and exclusions exactly as LinkedIn has them. Click Stop using it to build the audience here instead.
  • Job titles, or Function and seniority: LinkedIn can’t mix them, so it’s one or the other.
  • Your LinkedIn audiences are your contact and company lists, website visitors and partner or predictive audiences, made in Campaign Manager under Plan → Audiences. Picked ones narrow the job and company targeting: people must be in both.
  • Maximum delivery is LinkedIn’s own default. Cost cap keeps the average cost per result under your amount, and isn’t offered for Sell on the website. Manual bid pays up to your amount per click; leave it empty for LinkedIn’s suggested bid.
  • LinkedIn Audience Network shows the ads in LinkedIn’s partner apps and sites too. It stays off for Get leads, because LinkedIn doesn’t run lead form ads there. Both switches start off.
  • Get leads sends people to your website. To collect sign-ups in LinkedIn’s own form instead, open What it should get you and pick Native form under Lead destination.
  • Write the ad in any language LinkedIn runs, Arabic included. Each language becomes its own LinkedIn campaign.
  • LinkedIn ads run from the ad account’s Company Page, shown under Where it runs.
  • Drafting creates nothing on LinkedIn. Approving the proposal creates the campaign group, campaign and ads paused, and only Start spends — see Approve a campaign proposal and start it.

Official docs

If something doesn't work

LinkedIn Ads isn’t under Where it runs

The brand has no LinkedIn ad account yet. Connect one under the brand on the Data page, then open New Campaign again.

A goal says Not on LinkedIn

LinkedIn can’t run that goal from Blackbox yet. Pick Sell on the website, Get leads, Get website visits or Get followers, or run that goal on another channel.

The LinkedIn Audience Network switch is greyed out

The goal is Get leads. LinkedIn doesn’t run lead form ads on its Audience Network, so the ads show on LinkedIn only.

Estimated audience says Fewer than 300 members

LinkedIn won’t run an audience that small. Remove a job title, a company size or an audience, or add a place, until it shows a number again.

I can’t tick one of my LinkedIn audiences

LinkedIn hasn’t finished building it; the line under it says so. It can be picked once Campaign Manager shows it ready.

I’m worried drafting spends money

It doesn’t. Draft makes a proposal. Approving it creates everything paused, and nothing spends until you click Start ads.

Stuck at any step? Send us a message and we'll do it with you on a call. All of Level 4: Run it as an ad