The short answer
- The median LinkedIn single image ad gets a 0.42% CTR at a $13.23 CPC and $59.15 CPM, per ZenABM’s 2026 benchmarks of 161,256 ads from 211 B2B companies.
- Thought Leader Ads lead every format: 2.68% CTR and $2.29 CPC. Video has the lowest CTR at 0.24%.
- LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms convert around 10% on average, 15% or more when well targeted, at 20-30% lower CPL than landing pages.
- US campaigns average 0.52% CTR, $8.99 CPC and $62.67 CPM. LinkedIn’s minimum is $10 a day per campaign.
LinkedIn ads benchmarks by format
ZenABM’s 2026 LinkedIn ABM Performance Benchmarks cover 161,256 ads and $5.5M in spend across 211 B2B companies. These are medians, so half of advertisers do better and half worse.
| Ad format | Median CTR | Median CPC | Median CPM | Share of budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thought Leader Ads | 2.68% | $2.29 | $49.37 | 7-10% |
| Single image | 0.42% | $13.23 | $59.15 | 61.87% |
| Carousel | 0.32% | $13.30 | $45.28 | under 1% |
| Video | 0.24% | $15.61 | $38.94 | 31.72% |
| Document | 0.43% | not published | not published | under 1% |
| Event | 0.55% | not published | not published | under 1% |
| Text | 0.02% | not published | about $2 | under 1% |
Source: ZenABM, 2026 LinkedIn ABM Performance Benchmarks.
The standout is the gap between where budgets go and where clicks are cheap. Single image ads take about 62% of spend at $13.23 a click. Thought Leader Ads, which promote a post from a real person rather than the company page, take 7-10% at $2.29 a click. At those medians, $1,000 buys about 76 single image clicks or about 437 Thought Leader Ad clicks.
LinkedIn costs by country
| Country | CTR | CPC | CPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 0.52% | $8.99 | $62.67 |
| United Kingdom | 0.55% | $9.16 | $56.62 |
| Netherlands | 0.72% | $6.40 | $50.08 |
Source: ZenABM, 2026. US audiences cost the most per impression because more advertisers compete for the same decision-makers. These figures sit inside the typical US ranges in LinkedIn ads cost: $5-$15 per click and $30-$90 per thousand impressions.
Lead gen form and conversion benchmarks
| Offer | Typical conversion rate |
|---|---|
| Demo or meeting request | 2-5% |
| Content download, webinar, template | 10-15% |
| LinkedIn Lead Gen Form, average | about 10% |
| LinkedIn Lead Gen Form, high performing | 15% or more |
Source: ZenABM, 2026.
Lead Gen Forms win because LinkedIn pre-fills the member’s details, which removes typing, the biggest source of friction. ZenABM finds they cut cost per lead by 20-30% compared with external landing pages. The trade-off is that you lose the website visit, so the visitor never enters your site retargeting pool. Typical cost per lead runs $200-$250 in North America and $120-$150 in Europe in the same report; how that compares with Google and Meta is in average cost per lead by industry.
Budget and pipeline benchmarks
| Metric | Median company | Top performers |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly LinkedIn ad spend | $2,693 | $6,576 |
| Pipeline per dollar spent | $5.21 | $15.20 |
| ROAS (influenced pipeline) | 1.62x | 2.79x |
| Monthly influenced pipeline | $13,819 | not published |
Source: ZenABM, 2026.
Top performers spend 144% more and get nearly three times the pipeline per dollar. ZenABM also finds CTR has a slight negative correlation with pipeline: a tight account list with a modest CTR can produce more pipeline than a broad audience that clicks a lot. Judge LinkedIn on pipeline and deal size, and use the break-even maths in what is a good ROAS for the revenue side.
LinkedIn’s own budget guidance
LinkedIn publishes its minimums on its Marketing Solutions site.
| Setting | LinkedIn’s guidance |
|---|---|
| Minimum daily budget | $10 per campaign, any ad format |
| Minimum lifetime budget, new campaign | $100 |
| Suggested daily budget, new advertisers | $25 |
| Suggested daily budget, existing advertisers | $50-$100 |
| Pricing | Objective-based: you pay for the activity your objective optimizes, through an auction |
Worked example: $3,000 a month on single image ads
A B2B software company targets US operations leaders with single image ads and a Lead Gen Form.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Impressions | $3,000 / $62.67 x 1,000 | about 47,900 |
| Clicks | 47,900 x 0.52% | about 249 |
| Cost per click | $3,000 / 249 | about $12 |
| Leads | 249 x 10% form conversion | about 25 |
| Cost per lead | $3,000 / 25 | about $120 |
That lands below the $200-$250 North American range because it assumes an average form conversion on a content offer. A demo offer converting at 3% would yield about seven leads at roughly $400 each. Check your own figures with the CTR calculator, CPC calculator and CPM calculator.
Search benchmarks for the same buyers are in Google Ads benchmarks.
LinkedIn vs Meta and Google on the same metrics
LinkedIn looks expensive next to other channels on every click metric. LocaliQ’s 2026 benchmarks put the average Meta traffic campaign at a 1.93% CTR and $0.60 CPC, Meta lead campaigns at a 2.70% CTR and $1.80 a click, and Google search at a 6.64% CTR and $5.42 CPC. A median LinkedIn single image ad clicks at 0.42% for $13.23.
| Channel (2026) | CTR | CPC | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn single image | 0.42% | $13.23 | ZenABM |
| Google search, all industries | 6.64% | $5.42 | LocaliQ |
| Meta lead campaigns | 2.70% | $1.80 | LocaliQ |
| Meta traffic campaigns | 1.93% | $0.60 | LocaliQ |
The studies measure different advertisers, so read the table as orders of magnitude, not a contest. What the higher price buys is targeting by job title, seniority and company that no other channel sells. For Meta creative patterns, format mix and how long ads run, see the Meta ad benchmarks.
How to beat the LinkedIn benchmarks
- Benchmark against your format. A 0.35% CTR is poor for a Thought Leader Ad and fine for a carousel.
- Test Thought Leader Ads. At the medians they buy clicks at about a sixth of the single image price.
- Use Lead Gen Forms for content offers. Keep landing pages where you need the site visit for retargeting.
- Do not over-narrow. Stacked title, seniority and company filters shrink audiences until CPMs climb.
- Track pipeline, not clicks. Connect conversions and CRM outcomes so bidding and budget follow revenue.
Where Sprites fits
Sprites’ LinkedIn agent works inside Campaign Manager: it builds campaign groups, campaigns and ads, creates custom and predictive audiences, sets up conversions, Lead Gen Forms and message ads, and changes budgets and status, with every change staged for your approval. LinkedIn is part of the Grow plan; see pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good CTR for LinkedIn ads?
It depends on the format. ZenABM's 2026 benchmarks put the median at 0.42% for single image ads, so above 0.50% is better than average. Thought Leader Ads have a 2.68% median and video ads 0.24%, so always compare against the format you run.
What is the average CPC on LinkedIn ads?
ZenABM's 2026 benchmarks, from 161,256 ads, put the median CPC at $13.23 for single image ads, $13.30 for carousel, $15.61 for video and $2.29 for Thought Leader Ads. US-targeted campaigns averaged $8.99 per click across formats.
What is the average CPM on LinkedIn?
The 2026 medians are $59.15 for single image ads, $49.37 for Thought Leader Ads, $45.28 for carousel and $38.94 for video, per ZenABM. Text ads cost about $2 per thousand impressions. US audiences averaged $62.67.
What is the LinkedIn lead gen form conversion rate?
ZenABM's 2026 benchmarks put LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms at around 10% on average, with 15% or more for well-targeted offers. The same report finds they deliver 20-30% lower cost per lead than sending clicks to an external landing page.
How much should I spend on LinkedIn ads?
LinkedIn requires at least $10 a day per campaign and suggests $25 a day for new advertisers. In ZenABM's 2026 data the median B2B company spends $2,693 a month, and top performers spend $6,576 and generate nearly three times the pipeline per dollar.
Which LinkedIn ad format performs best?
On cost per click, Thought Leader Ads by a wide margin: a 2.68% median CTR and $2.29 median CPC in ZenABM's 2026 benchmarks, against 0.42% and $13.23 for single image ads. Single image ads still take about 62% of budgets in the same data.