LinkedIn Ads rolling out generative AI, new ad formats

LinkedIn is testing generative AI and will soon give advertisers in-stream video ads, Conversation Ads and Thought Leader Ads.

Why we care. LinkedIn continues to test and roll out new tools and ad formats that could help advertisers more efficiently reach their target audience on the platform, improve ROI and increase revenue.

Testing Generative AI. LinkedIn is starting to test what it calls AI Copy Suggestions. It suggests headlines and text copy for ads based on your LinkedIn Page. Advertisers can select from five options, make edits and then apply the copy to a campaign.

Here’s what it looks like:

Only a limited number of North American advertisers have access to AI Copy Suggestions in LinkedIn Campaign Manager. But the company indicated it plans to roll out the feature to more languages and regions in the coming months. 

LinkedIn joins Google Ads, Meta, Amazon and other platforms that now (or soon will) offer generative AI to advertisers.

In-Stream Video ads. LinkedIn is bringing pre- and mid-roll ads to its network of third-party publishers:

• “These ads, which will appear on mobile or desktop apps and sites, will play at the beginning (pre-roll) and middle (mid-roll) of long-form video content on trusted publisher sites across the LinkedIn Audience Network,” LinkedIn said.

Conversation Ads and Thought Leader Ads. These two new ad formats are not new, but they will become generally available starting in July.

• Conversation Ads let you set up multiple call-to-action buttons (for content or offers) and collect leads. Here’s an video showing how it works:

• Thought Leader Ads let you promote content from company executives and employees – who must be verified members. Advertisers must have Direct Sponsored Content Permissions. Here’s an example of a Thought Leader Ad:

The announcement. You can LinkedIn announcement here.