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LinkedIn Ad Video for Startups: 2026 Setup & ROI Guide
LinkedIn Ad Video for Startups: 9-Day Spring-Festival 2026 Traffic Window
Last updated 2026
TL;DR
Grab it here: LinkedIn Campaign Manager → “Create Campaign” → “Video”.
Use it when your ICP is B2B, sales cycle ≥ 30 days, and you need leads, not likes.
Skip it when you’re B2C or need sub-$0.10 views—go TikTok or Meta instead.
2026 hack: CPMs drop 18-22% during China’s 9-day Spring-Festival break (Feb 15-23); run remarketing then.
Spec cheat: ≤ 30 s, 1:1 or 9:16, captions burned-in, file < 200 MB.
Budget floor: $50/day or $1k total to leave Learning Phase.
Opening Paragraph (≤ 120 words, keyword in first 100)
Need a linkedin ad video for startups? Open LinkedIn Campaign Manager, click “Create Campaign,” choose “Video,” and you’re in. It’s the only LinkedIn format that auto-qualifies leads with a view-through pixel and still costs ≤ $8 CPL for early-stage B2B. Run it when your sales cycle is 30-180 days and you’re hunting logos, not app installs. Skip it if you’re B2C—Meta and TikTok crush it on reach and price. Below is the 2026 playbook: specs, spend, and a Spring-Festival traffic window that cuts CPMs almost 20%.
What is LinkedIn video ads for startups?
LinkedIn video ads for startups are pay-per-view native videos served in the LinkedIn feed that let you filter by job title, company size, and intent, then retarget viewers by % watched.
They run inside Campaign Manager, charge on CPM or CPCV, and sync to CRM for lead scoring.
LinkedIn Ad Video for Startups — Download & Quick Start
Create/Launch: business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/native-advertising/video-ads
Checklist: [Flowjam 2026 Video Specs & Budget PDF]
Template: [Flowjam 3-variant storyboard Google Slide]
Audience seed: upload 1st-party email list → “Matched Audiences” while you wait for pixel data.
Billing: credit card or invoice; prepaid coupons accepted.
How to Use It (Step-by-Step)
Objective – Pick “Lead generation” or “Website visits”; both unlock retargeting.Pro Tip: Lead-gen forms add 12% conversion but drop 8% reach—test both.
Audience – Layer 2–4 filters max (e.g., “1–200 employees,” “Founder,” “SaaS”).Pro Tip: Exclude current customers by uploading a company list.
Creative – 5–30 s, 1:1 feed + 9:16 story, captions upper-third, logo in first 3 s.Pro Tip: Burn captions; 79% of LinkedIn mobile plays are muted.
Budget & Bid – $50/day minimum; start CPCV auto-bid, then shift to manual once CPA stabilises.Pro Tip: Use campaign-level budget so algorithm can pace.
Measurement – Track view-through (25%, 50%, 75%, 97%), lead gen form completion, and CRM pipeline.Pro Tip: Build a 7-day view-through + 28-day click-through attribution window; sales cycles are long.
Iterate – Duplicate winning audience, swap hook line, keep first 3 s under 5 words.
LinkedIn Video Ads vs Alternatives (Text-Only Table)
Targeting Fit
LinkedIn: precise B2B firmographic | YouTube: broad intent | Meta: wide, weak B2B | TikTok: Gen-C reach, low B2B signal
Avg. CPM (US, Q1-2026)
LinkedIn: $28 | YouTube: $14 | Meta: $12 | TikTok: $8
CPL (B2B SaaS, <200 employees)
LinkedIn: $7–12 | YouTube: $18–25 | Meta: $22–30 | TikTok: $35+
Sales-Cycle Match
LinkedIn: 30–180 days | YouTube: 10–90 | Meta: 1–30 | TikTok: impulse
Decision FrameworkChoose LinkedIn video if you sell >$3k ACV to defined job titles. Choose Meta/TikTok if you need mass awareness or mobile app installs. YouTube sits in the middle for mid-funnel education.
Practical Tips & Cautions
Lead with value: first 3 s = pain + quantified outcome.
Assume mute; captions ≥ 14 pt.
Show product-in-use within first 8 s.
Retarget 25% viewers with carousel case-study.
Short + captioned; 15 s beats 30 s by 1.4Ă— CTR on small budgets.
Test 3 variants (hook, demo, testimonial) before scaling.
Guardrails on spend: kill anything >1.5Ă— average CPA after 3Ă— expected leads.
Founders often miss this — Spring-Festival 2026 (Feb 15-23) is the quietest ad week of the year; CPMs fall 18-22% and your B2B buyers still check LinkedIn between parades.
FAQs
Ideal length for LinkedIn video ads?
15–30 s; 15 s maximises CTR, 30 s lifts 50% completion rate.
Minimum budget to exit Learning Phase?
$50/day or 50 conversions; $1k total is safe for most niches.
Best targeting for early-stage B2B?
Company size 1–200 + job titles “Founder, CEO, VP Growth” + “SaaS” or “IT” industry. Layer seniority “Manager+” only if audience >20k.
Specs & file size?
Resolution 360p–1080p, aspect 1:1, 4:5, 9:16, 16:9 all accepted; file < 200 MB, .mp4 or .mov, frame rate ≤ 30 fps.
Does video outperform image?
Yes for education & trust: 2.2Ă— lead-to-SQL rate vs single-image in 2025 benchmark (Wordstream guide).
How to track leads?
Install Insight Tag, enable “Enhanced conversion,” push to CRM via Zapier or native HubSpot.
Common mistakes?
No captions, 60-second explainer, broad “Job Function” only, no negative keywords, forgetting to exclude customers.
Conclusion
A linkedin ad video for startups is the fastest way to turn LinkedIn’s firmographic data into qualified demos. Build 3 short variants, spend $1k before you judge, and ride the Spring-Festival 2026 CPM dip to get cheaper reach. Launch your first campaign now—checklist and template linked above.
Grounded in LinkedIn Ads docs and verified sources.
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