You want to reach potential customers with targeted online advertising without getting lost in the settings? Then you've come to the right place. This guide walks you through the entire process of creating a text ad in the LinkedIn Campaign Manager: from the campaign objective to the audience, budget and bids, through to the ad image, headline, description and link. A campaign for high-quality high heels serves as the example.
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Key Takeaways
- The campaign objective you choose determines which ad formats and options are available to you.
- A clearly defined audience based on location, gender and interests ensures that your ad reaches the right people.
- A daily budget and a maximum bid protect you from unexpected costs.
- An easily recognizable image and a short, concise headline largely determine whether someone clicks.
- Before launching, you can review all details once more in the summary.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Create a Campaign
You start with the "Create campaign" button, which you can find at the top right of the ad account. With this click, you set the framework for all further settings.
Step 2: Select the Campaign Objective
In the "Consideration" section, objectives such as engagement, website visits or video views are available. Since the ad is meant to direct interested people to your website, you choose "Website visits". Then click "Next" to move on to the next section.
Step 3: Define the Location
In the Audience section, you first enter the location. Enter Germany in the "Location" field. You can also exclude individual places. In the example, Berlin is excluded so that the budget isn't used up in a region that is not relevant to the offer.
Step 4: Narrow Down the Audience Using Demographic Data
Open the "Demographics" category and select the desired option under "Gender". In the example, the ad is aimed exclusively at women, since expensive shoes are meant to appeal to this target group. You should always align this decision with your offer.
Step 5: Review Interests and Traits
Using the "Interests and traits" category, you can refine the audience further, for example by education, work experience or interests. In the example, the instructor searches for suitable terms such as "Arts and entertainment" or "Fashion". However, these categories either don't fit the offer or restrict the audience so much that hardly any reach would be left. Therefore, he refrains from adding extra criteria in this case. You can define the audience more precisely at any time if your offer requires it.
Step 6: Assess the Estimated Reach and Costs
Before you continue, the overview shows you a forecast. In the example, the daily spend is around 22 to 30 euros. With this, you can expect to reach 1,800 to 8,000 people, with a click-through rate of 0.32 to 0.47 percent and 9 to 23 clicks per day. These values give you a good indication of whether your budget fits your goals.
Step 7: Choose the "Text Ad" Ad Format
In the next step, you select the "Text ad" format. This automatically removes the "LinkedIn Audience Network" option, since this format cannot be served there. Then scroll down to set the budget details.
Step 8: Set the Daily Budget and Duration
In the "Daily budget" field, enter the amount you want to spend per day. In the example, it is 10 euros. Below that, you set the time period. If you only want to run the campaign for a specific day or a short time window, you can set that here. This way you keep an eye on costs and can also see how the click-through rate and number of clicks develop.
Step 9: Set the Bid Type and Maximum Bid
Here you decide how the costs are calculated. With maximum CPC (Cost per Click), you only pay for actual clicks. With maximum CPM (Cost per Mille), on the other hand, you pay for every 1,000 impressions. In the example, the campaign is optimized for clicks, and the maximum bid is 2.95 euros per click. With this cap, you prevent a single click from becoming significantly more expensive than planned. Then save the campaign via "Save".
Step 10: Create an Ad Within the Campaign
After saving, you select "Create new ad". The area for your text ad opens on the right side. Here you define the image, headline, description, and link.
Step 11: Upload the Ad Image
In the example, the image is downloaded from the free platform Pixabay. Search there for "High Heels", choose a motif, and click "Free Download". Pay attention to the license terms of the respective image. Then you upload the file into the ad via "Upload image" and confirm with "Open".
Step 12: Check and Optimize the Image Selection
The instructor notices that the first motif is too dark and the shoes are barely recognizable. An ad image should be immediately understandable even on small screens. That is why he chooses a higher-contrast photo with good lighting. Delete the old image, upload the new one, and check in the preview whether the product is clearly recognizable.
Step 13: Write the Headline and Description
The headline should be short and to the point. In the example, it reads "All High Heels – 70% Off". Long texts are often cut off in the ad, so you should focus on the most important message. In the "Ad description" field, you add a short call to action, such as "Take advantage of this opportunity today!".
Step 14: Set the Destination Link
In the next field, you enter the address to which users are redirected after clicking. In the example, it is the offer page "xyz.com/angebot". Make sure the page matches the content of the ad. Otherwise, visitors quickly lose interest.
Step 15: Check the Preview and Create the Ad
After you enter everything, the preview shows you what the ad looks like on desktop. You can also switch between different formats, such as "Right column", "Banner", and "Large banner". Each format shows the ad in a different size and arrangement. If you like the display, click "Create".
Step 16: Review and Launch the Campaign
After creating it, you can review all the details once more. Only when you are satisfied with all the settings do you launch the campaign via "Launch campaign". Until then, it remains a draft, and you can make changes at any time.
Summary – Creating a Text Ad: Step-by-Step Guide for LinkedIn
You have seen how a text ad is created step by step in the LinkedIn Campaign Manager. You start with the campaign objective "Website visits", narrow down location, gender, and interests, and check the estimated reach. Then you set the daily budget, duration, and maximum bid. In the last section, you design the ad with a clear image, a short headline, a description, and a suitable link. Before launching, you check everything in the preview.
FAQ
Which campaign objective do I choose if users should be directed to my website?In the Consideration area, choose the objective "Website visits", as it is aimed precisely at the click to your page.
Why is the LinkedIn Audience Network deactivated for a text ad?The ad format "Text ad" cannot be served in the Audience Network, so this option is switched off automatically.
What does the maximum CPC bid mean?With the maximum CPC bid, you pay per click and set a maximum amount that you are willing to spend on a click.
How does CPM differ from CPC?CPM calculates the cost per 1,000 impressions, whereas CPC calculates it per actual click on your ad.
How long should my headline be?Keep the headline short and meaningful, as longer texts are often cut off in the ad.
Do I need to pay attention to the license for free images?Yes, always check the terms of use of the image before using it in an ad.
Why should the ad image be easily recognizable?A high-contrast image with a clearly visible product is understood even on small screens and increases the chance of a click.
Can I still make changes after creating the ad?Yes, you can review and adjust all the details at any time before the campaign starts.
