The LinkedIn Playbook

The LinkedIn Paradox

LinkedIn is simultaneously the best and worst platform for B2B demand generation.

The best because:

• Unmatched professional targeting (title, company, industry, seniority)
• High-quality audience in professional mindset
• Decision-makers are present and reachable
• Intent signals through engagement

The worst because:

• CPMs are 5-10x higher than other platforms
• Platform defaults extract maximum spend
• Competition is intense and growing
• Creative fatigue is rapid in a professional context

The paradox resolves to a simple principle: LinkedIn works when economics are respected and extraction is defeated. It fails when companies apply consumer advertising playbooks or accept platform defaults.

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LinkedIn Economics

The Cost Reality

Metric	LinkedIn	Meta	Google Display
CPM	$30-100	$8-25	$5-15
CPC	$5-15	$1-4	$1-5
CPL	$75-250	$30-100	$40-120

LinkedIn costs 3-5x more per impression, click, and lead than alternatives.

This premium is justified only when:

• Targeting precision produces higher conversion rates
• Lead quality produces higher opportunity rates
• ACV supports the implied CAC

The Viability Calculation

LinkedIn CAC Math:

Input	Conservative	Moderate	Aggressive
CPL	$200	$150	$100
Lead-to-Opp	8%	12%	18%
Cost per Opp	$2,500	$1,250	$556
Opp-to-Close	25%	30%	35%
CAC	$10,000	$4,167	$1,587

Viability threshold: LinkedIn is viable when implied CAC < 1/3 of ACV.

• $15k ACV → LinkedIn viable if CAC < $5k → Moderate to Aggressive execution required
• $30k ACV → LinkedIn viable if CAC < $10k → Conservative execution acceptable
• $50k+ ACV → LinkedIn viable across execution ranges

If your ACV is below $15k, LinkedIn is unlikely to be economically viable as a primary channel.

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Defeating LinkedIn Extraction

LinkedIn's platform defaults are designed to maximize their revenue. Defeating extraction requires manual override of virtually every default.

Extraction Point 1: Audience Expansion

Default behavior: Enabled on most campaign types. Expands targeting beyond your specified criteria.

Impact: 20-40% of impressions delivered to non-ICP audiences. Higher reach, lower relevance, lower conversion.

Defense: Disable Audience Expansion on every campaign. Check after every edit (LinkedIn sometimes re-enables).

Extraction Point 2: LinkedIn Audience Network

Default behavior: Enabled. Extends ads to third-party apps and websites.

Impact: 10-20% of spend on low-quality inventory. Clicks from irrelevant contexts.

Defense: Disable LinkedIn Audience Network entirely.

Extraction Point 3: Automated Bidding

Default behavior: "Maximum delivery" optimizes for cheapest results, not best results.

Impact: Algorithm finds cheapest leads, which are often lowest quality.

Defense: Use manual CPC bidding or "Cost cap" bidding with defined thresholds.

Extraction Point 4: Lookalike Audiences Without Seed Quality

Default behavior: LinkedIn recommends lookalike audiences to "expand reach."

Impact: Lookalikes based on small or low-quality seed audiences produce poor results.

Defense: Only use lookalikes with high-quality seed (500+ converting leads, not just any leads). Verify lookalike criteria match ICP.

Extraction Point 5: Broad Targeting Recommendations

Default behavior: LinkedIn warns when audiences are "too narrow" and recommends broadening.

Impact: Following recommendations dilutes targeting precision, increasing reach but decreasing quality.

Defense: Ignore narrow audience warnings. Precise targeting with smaller audiences outperforms broad targeting with large audiences.

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LinkedIn Campaign Architecture

Campaign Structure

One objective per campaign. Do not mix awareness and conversion goals.

Audience isolation. Separate campaigns for different audience segments to track performance accurately.

Creative testing structure. Run 3-5 creative variants per campaign. Ensure sufficient budget per variant for statistical significance.

Recommended Objectives by Goal

Goal	LinkedIn Objective	Notes
Lead generation	Lead Gen Forms	Best for volume; use sparingly
Website traffic	Website Visits	For retargeting building
High-intent leads	Website Conversions	Requires conversion tracking
Brand/Awareness	Brand Awareness	Use for remarketing and brand building

Lead Gen Forms caution: Easy for users to submit, which means lower-intent leads. Use when you have strong nurture to qualify downstream.

Budget Allocation

Minimum viable spend: $10,000-15,000/month for meaningful data.

Budget per campaign: Minimum $3,000/month per campaign to generate sufficient data.

Testing budget: 20-30% of budget for creative and audience testing.

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LinkedIn Creative Strategy

Format Performance Hierarchy

Based on typical B2B performance (varies by audience and offer):

1. Document Ads (Carousel): Highest engagement for thought leadership
2. Single Image Ads: Workhorse format; reliable performance
3. Video Ads: High engagement when well-produced
4. Text Ads: Lowest cost, lowest engagement; useful for retargeting
5. Message Ads: High open rates but spam concerns; use carefully

Creative Best Practices

Image Creative:

• Dimensions: 1200x627 (landscape) or 1080x1080 (square)
• Text on image: Keep minimal; LinkedIn penalizes text-heavy images
• Faces: Authentic faces (not stock) increase engagement
• Colors: Stand out from LinkedIn blue/white; use contrasting colors
• Avoid: Generic stock photos, cluttered designs, tiny logos

Copy Structure:

• Introductory text: 150 characters max visible before "see more" on mobile
• Lead with pain or provocative question
• Include clear CTA in copy, not just button

The Relevance Score Hack

LinkedIn's Relevance Score determines ad delivery efficiency. Higher relevance = lower costs = better placements.

Improving Relevance Score:

1. Tighter targeting: Better ICP match = higher engagement
2. Pain-focused creative: Resonance drives clicks
3. Strong CTAs: Clear action improves conversion
4. Fresh creative: Regular refresh prevents fatigue decay
5. Negative targeting: Exclude non-responders from audiences

The virtuous cycle: Better relevance → lower costs → more budget efficiency → more testing → better creative → better relevance.

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LinkedIn Retargeting Architecture

Retargeting is where LinkedIn economics improve dramatically.

Retargeting Audiences

Website Retargeting:

• Visitors to specific pages (pricing, demo pages = high intent)
• Visitors by recency (7-day vs. 30-day vs. 90-day)
• Video viewers (25%, 50%, 75% completion)

Engagement Retargeting:

• Ad engagers (clicked but did not convert)
• Company Page visitors
• Event registrants
• Lead Gen Form openers (opened but did not submit)

Retargeting Strategy

Stage	Audience	Creative	Offer
Top	Site visitors, ad engagers	Educational	Content, webinar
Middle	Content consumers, return visitors	Solution-focused	Demo, assessment
Bottom	Pricing page, demo page visitors	Urgency/proof	Consultation, trial

Frequency management: Cap retargeting frequency to avoid fatigue. 3-5 impressions per week maximum.

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Case Study: LinkedIn Optimization

A Remotir client (Series B SaaS, $25M ARR, $40k ACV) was spending $25,000/month on LinkedIn with declining results.

Initial State:

Metric	Value
Monthly spend	$25,000
CPL	$220
Leads	114
Lead-to-Opportunity	6%
Opportunities	7
Cost per Opportunity	$3,571

The Diagnosis:

• Audience Expansion: Enabled (30% non-ICP delivery)
• Audience Network: Enabled (15% of spend)
• Bidding: Maximum delivery (optimizing for cheap leads)
• Creative: 2 variants, 6 months old
• Retargeting: Not implemented

The Intervention:

1. Disabled Audience Expansion and Audience Network
2. Switched to manual CPC bidding
3. Built retargeting architecture (website visitors, engagers)
4. Launched 6 new creative variants
5. Implemented weekly optimization cadence

Results (3 months later):

Metric	Before	After
Monthly spend	$25,000	$22,000
CPL	$220	$155
Leads	114	142
Lead-to-Opportunity	6%	14%
Opportunities	7	20
Cost per Opportunity	$3,571	$1,100

The insight: Defeating platform extraction and implementing retargeting produced 3x more opportunities at 1/3 the cost per opportunity.

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Conclusion: Precision Justifies Premium

LinkedIn's premium pricing is justified only when precision is maximized.

Broad targeting on LinkedIn produces expensive, low-quality leads. Precise targeting with strong creative and defeated extraction produces efficient, high-quality leads at premium reach.

The LinkedIn equation:

Premium Cost + Precision Targeting + Strong Creative + Extraction Defense = Efficient Customer Acquisition

Remove any element and the equation breaks. LinkedIn becomes a budget furnace rather than a demand engine.

LinkedIn is not for every company. ACV must support the economics. Stage must support the minimum spend. ICP must be targetable on professional attributes.

When the conditions are right and execution is disciplined, LinkedIn is the most efficient B2B demand channel available. When conditions are wrong or execution is weak, it is the fastest way to burn budget.

Know your economics. Defeat extraction. Execute with precision.