LinkedIn Ads for Affiliates: Your 2025 Playbook

Thinking about launching LinkedIn ads? Whether you’re an affiliate marketer looking for qualified leads or a media buyer scaling B2B offers, LinkedIn might just be your new favorite playground.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• What LinkedIn ads are (and how to make them work for you)
  
• How to use LinkedIn Ads Manager
  
• Where to place affiliate links (yes, it’s possible!)
  
• Relevant verticals for LinkedIn
  
• Specs, budgets, FAQs—and of course, some winning LinkedIn ad examples
  

Let’s build those high-intent campaigns, one connection at a time 👇

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What Are LinkedIn Ads?

These are paid promotions that appear across the LinkedIn platform—on feeds, sidebars, inboxes, and even videos. They’re used to:

• Promote services or products to professionals
  
• Generate B2B leads
  
• Build authority and brand recognition

For affiliate marketers, LinkedIn can drive traffic to whitehat offers, lead magnets, or content funnels that eventually monetize through affiliate links.

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How LinkedIn Ads Manager Works

To launch and manage your campaigns, you’ll use LinkedIn Ads Manager, a dashboard that lets you:

• Define your target audience (by job title, industry, seniority, etc.)
  
• Choose your ad format
  
• Set budgets, bids, and timelines
  
• Analyze performance in real time

Platform’s Manager is beginner-friendly and supports A/B testing, conversion tracking, and integrations with analytics tools.

As for the LinkedIn Ad Library, it’s a publicly available database that gives you information about ads that have run on LinkedIn. There, you can easily find numerous ads that are rolled in LinkedIn, including their format, preview, keyword, country, and more. Sounds like a competitors’ research tool? Yup, pretty much. 

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What’s LinkedIn Ads Library? 

The LinkedIn ads library and tools like the Creative Gallery (available via your Ads Manager or LinkedIn partners) are goldmines.

Use them to:

• Explore LinkedIn ad examples by industry
  
• Reverse-engineer what top brands are doing
  
• Spot patterns in formats, messaging, and CTAs
  

👉 Look for LinkedIn video ads that use storytelling and real professionals—those tend to crush it.

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🔗 Can You Use Affiliate Links on LinkedIn?

Yes—but proceed with strategy. You can include affiliate links in:

Your LinkedIn posts, as long as they’re valuable and relevant:

Articles and company page updates:

👉 Best practice: Use affiliate links in a “soft-sell” content format like case studies, tool lists, or how-to guides. Avoid direct-to-offer unless the network explicitly allows it and it aligns with LinkedIn’s ad policies.

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Building an Audience on LinkedIn

Before you launch LinkedIn video ads or lead gen forms, you’ll need to build a relevant audience. Here’s how:

• Optimize your profile for credibility
  
• Join and post in industry-specific groups
  
• Share content regularly (case studies, insights, guides)
  
• Engage with comments and message new connections

You can also build retargeting audiences in LinkedIn Ads Manager based on people who engaged with your previous ads or visited your site.

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Which Verticals Work Best for LinkedIn?

Not every affiliate vertical is a good fit. But the following are hot:

🏦 Finance

Think trading platforms, investment apps, or crypto tools. They speak directly to LinkedIn’s success-oriented users.

💻 Utilities & Software

Professional tools—CRMs, plugins, productivity boosters—are a perfect match for LinkedIn’s work-focused vibe.

🧘‍♂️ Lifestyle & Wellness

Yes, even lifestyle and wellness offers can perform. Why? Professionals are constantly seeking balance and personal growth. Think fitness apps, meal planners, or ergonomic gear.

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LinkedIn Specs You Should Know

Make sure your creatives follow LinkedIn ad specs to avoid rejection and ensure maximum reach.

Key Formats & Specs:

• Single Image Ads: 1200 x 627 px (JPG/PNG, <5MB)
  
• Carousel Ads: 1080 x 1080 px (10 cards max)
  
• Text Ads: Up to 25 characters for headline, 75 for description
  
• LinkedIn Video Ads:
  
  • Format: MP4
    
  • Length: 3 sec – 30 min
    
  • Size: <200MB
    
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9 or 1:1
    
  • Specs available in the official LinkedIn video ad specs guide

Always check the official LinkedIn ad specs page or LinkedIn ads library to see what’s trending (and working!).

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Budget: How Much to Start?

• Minimum daily budget: $10
  
• Minimum lifetime budget: $100
  
• Recommended starting point: $500–$1,000 for small-scale testing
  

⚠️ Heads-up: LinkedIn has higher CPMs than Facebook or TikTok—but the traffic quality is top-tier, especially for B2B.

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Pros & Cons of LinkedIn Ads

Pros:

• Highly refined targeting (job titles, seniority, company size)
  
• Ideal for B2B and professional niches
  
• Clean, detailed reporting via LinkedIn Ads Manager
  

Cons:

• Higher CPCs and CPMs compared to other platforms
  
• Affiliate links must be used carefully (preferably post-click, not in ads)
  
• Slower volume vs. Facebook/Google
  

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❓ FAQ

Q: Can I launch LinkedIn ads without a company page?
A: No, a company page is required to run ads on this platform.

Q: Where can I find LinkedIn ad examples?
A: Use the the platform’s ads library, check out competitor profiles, or explore campaign galleries from your dashboard.

Q: What are LinkedIn video ad specs?
A: Length: 3 sec–30 min; MP4 format; 16:9 or 1:1 aspect; <200MB file size.

Q: Is LinkedIn a good earning opportunity for affiliates?
A: Yes—especially for high-ticket or whitehat offers in finance, SaaS, or professional tools. The quality of leads is often worth the cost.

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Final Thoughts

If you’re targeting high-intent buyers or professional decision-makers, LinkedIn is one of the smartest channels you can test in 2025. With powerful tools like platform’s ad Manager, deep targeting, and a growing base of engaged users, this is your chance to get ahead of the affiliate pack.