LinkedIn shares thought leader ad tips
Thought leader ads are LinkedIn’s hero ad format right now, and LinkedIn has shared its tips for getting more from them.
What are thought leader ads?
Someone publishes a post on LinkedIn, and your business puts ad spend behind it to reach an audience you choose. That person could work for you, or they could be an influencer or thought leader in your industry talking about your business. They’re relatively easy to set up once a few permissions are in place.
Why they work
- 71% of decision makers say thought leadership content is more effective than traditional ads
- B2B marketers report 1.6x higher engagement from thought leader ads than single image ads
- Thought leader ads deliver a 2x higher click-through rate globally than standard sponsored content
We’ve been testing them at Avocado Social for a couple of years. Every time we put a thought leader ad up against a brand ad, like a single image or carousel, the thought leader ad wins. The reason is simple: people trust people more than they trust brands. A post from your founder, a team member, a customer or an influencer reads as a genuine opinion, even when it’s sponsored.
Canva is a good example. It ran a short video from its AI Vision London event, and its CMO of B2B posted about the same event too. You can currently run thought leader ads as a single image or a video, and both work well.
LinkedIn’s tips
- Use video where you can. Video consistently outperforms static posts. Authenticity matters more than polish, so a phone-filmed clip from your founder is perfect.
- Keep it fresh. Refresh your thought leader ads every four to six weeks, and only sponsor posts that are less than 30 days old.
- Have a point of view. The best posts share a clear, distinctive opinion on an industry trend, best practice or piece of news.
That means getting comfortable on camera, or getting your colleagues media trained so they are too. We run training for teams on exactly this: feeling confident on camera, filming great content on your phone, and running LinkedIn ads, including thought leader ads. Get in touch if you’d like a workshop for your team or a one-to-one.