LinkedIn Ads Targeting: Best Practices & Pro Tips (2025)
Stop wasting your budget on the wrong audience. This is your strategist-grade, field-tested guide to LinkedIn Ads targeting, with frameworks, examples, and pro tips for elite results.
Real-World Targeting Recipes 🔥
Recipe 1: UK SaaS Decision-Makers
- Account List: Top 200 SaaS companies in the UK (upload CSV)
- Job Title: "Head of IT," "CTO," "IT Director"
- Seniority: Director+
- Exclusions: Students, job seekers, competitors
- Result: 8,000–15,000 audience, high intent
Recipe 2: Logistics Fleet Managers (ABM + Function)
- Account List: UK logistics companies (CRM export)
- Job Title: "Fleet Manager," "Operations Director"
- Function: Operations, Logistics
- Seniority: Manager+
- Exclusions: Interns, students, competitors
- Result: 5,000–10,000 audience, pipeline-ready
Recipe 3: B2B Retargeting (Website Visitors)
- Audience: Website visitors in last 90 days (Insight Tag)
- Layer: Job title + company size
- Exclusions: Existing customers, competitors
- Result: 2,000–5,000 audience, high conversion
Common Targeting Mistakes (and How to Dodge Them) 🛑
- Spray-and-pray: Targeting everyone = targeting no one. Always start with ICP and account list.
- Relying only on interests/skills: Too vague for B2B. Always layer with job title/function.
- Forgetting exclusions: Wastes budget on junk leads. Exclude aggressively.
- Not saving audiences: Forces you to rebuild every time. Save and remix.
Advanced Segmentation & Layering 🧩
- Combine filters: Job title + function + seniority + geography for laser focus.
- Use Boolean logic: "AND/OR" to expand or contract audience size.
- Test lookalike audiences: For scale, but always monitor quality.
- Segment by funnel stage: Cold (ABM + job title), Warm (website visitors), Hot (engaged leads).
- Pro Tip: Use LinkedIn's "Audience Insights" to analyze and refine.
Targeting Teardown: Real Campaign Example 🛠️
- Before:
- Targeting: "Marketing" + "UK" (audience: 500,000+)
- Result: High spend, low quality, junk leads
- After:
- Targeting: Account list (200 companies) + "Head of Marketing" + "Director+" + exclude students/competitors (audience: 8,500)
- Result: 3x higher CTR, 2x lower CPL, pipeline leads
📈 FAQ
Q: What's the best way to target decision-makers?
A: Upload an account list, layer with job title/function/seniority, and exclude junk roles. Use Boolean logic for precision.
Q: Should I use lookalike audiences?
A: Yes, but always layer with job title/function and monitor quality. Never use lookalikes alone for B2B.
Q: How do I exclude competitors?
A: Add competitor company names to the exclusion list in Campaign Manager. Update regularly.
Q: How big should my audience be?
A: 5,000–50,000 is ideal for B2B. Under 5,000 = slow learning. Over 100,000 = too broad.
🔗 See More
- How to Set Up LinkedIn Ads: The Ultimate B2B Launch Playbook
- B2B Ad Creative Testing Matrix & Templates
- How to Optimize LinkedIn Ads for Lower CPL
- LinkedIn Ads Benchmarks 2025
- LinkedIn Ads Metrics Glossary
- The Ultimate B2B Offer Engineering Playbook
- Pricing
- Chat
💥 Ready for Laser-Targeted Campaigns?
B2B Ads Assistant automates targeting, exclusions, and audience remixing—so you get pipeline, not wasted spend.