12 B2B LinkedIn Ads to Generate More Leads (+ 10 Plug & Play Templates)

LinkedIn serves as a B2B lead generation powerhouse. We've meticulously analysed more than 1,000 high-performing LinkedIn campaigns across every industry to identify the strategies that consistently deliver exceptional results.

We've handpicked 12 outstanding performers from our collection of 100+ top-performing LinkedIn ads, and we're breaking down exactly why they delivered such impressive results. Plus, we've created 10 ready-to-customise templates based on these proven winners, saving you hours of design time and helping you generate more qualified leads without wasting your ad budget.

[In a rush? Skip the details and grab our complete swipefile with 100+ high-performing LinkedIn ads plus our ready-to-use templates here.]

What makes a high-converting LinkedIn ad?

A high-converting LinkedIn ad goes far beyond standard corporate messaging. It creates an immediate connection with your professional audience while addressing specific pain points relevant to their role or industry. Unlike other social platforms, LinkedIn ads must balance professional credibility with enough creativity to stand out in a feed full of business content.

The most successful LinkedIn ads leverage the platform's unique targeting capabilities to deliver highly relevant messages to specific professional segments. They use social proof from recognisable companies, present clear value propositions tailored to business challenges, and create urgency without appearing desperate. These ads maintain a professional tone while avoiding corporate jargon, making complex offerings accessible and compelling for busy professionals who are constantly evaluating business solutions.

Benefits of strategic LinkedIn advertising

Investing in well-crafted LinkedIn ads delivers substantial advantages compared to other B2B marketing channels. They significantly improve your lead quality by targeting professionals based on specific job titles, industries, company sizes, and even skills or group memberships - reaching decision-makers with remarkable precision.

Strategic LinkedIn ads dramatically reduce your cost per qualified lead by focusing your budget exclusively on the most relevant audiences, eliminating wasted spend on unqualified prospects. They help you build credibility through association with the premier professional platform, generating leads who are already in a business mindset. LinkedIn's professional context creates higher intent than other social platforms, driving better conversion rates and shorter sales cycles. When executed properly, LinkedIn campaigns deliver measurable ROI by connecting your marketing efforts directly to pipeline generation and revenue impact.

What makes a LinkedIn ad truly effective?

Before we look at the examples, let's quickly cover what your LinkedIn ad needs to achieve:

• Clear, benefit-focused headline that speaks directly to your target audience

• Professional yet conversational copy that avoids corporate jargon

• Strategic use of social proof from recognisable clients or results

• Strong, action-oriented call-to-action that creates clear next steps

• Visually appealing design that stands out without appearing unprofessional

• Proper format selection based on your specific campaign objectives

• Alignment with your audience's professional identity and aspirations

• Demonstration of genuine understanding of industry challenges

• Concise, scannable content optimised for busy professionals

• Targeting parameters that reach the right decision-makers

Now, let's examine how successful B2B companies have implemented these principles to create LinkedIn ads that consistently outperform the competition.

Writing LinkedIn ad copy that converts

The copy in your LinkedIn ad needs to strike a delicate balance between professional authority and conversational engagement. Focus on creating headlines that address specific business challenges rather than generic statements about your offering. Frame your copy around outcomes rather than features - "Reduce customer acquisition costs by 40%" resonates more strongly than "Our platform has multiple acquisition tools."

Incorporate industry-specific terminology that signals insider knowledge without resorting to jargon that requires translation. Use sentence case rather than title case for more conversational tone, and keep paragraphs to 1-2 lines for optimal mobile readability. Numbers and statistics significantly increase credibility and click-through rates, so include specific results where possible. The most effective LinkedIn copy takes complex B2B offerings and presents them as clear solutions to pressing professional challenges.

Designing LinkedIn visuals that capture attention

The visual elements of your LinkedIn ad play a critical role in stopping the scroll in a predominantly text-based feed. While maintaining professional standards, aim for visuals that create pattern interruptions - colours, compositions, or concepts that stand out from typical corporate imagery. Data visualisations consistently outperform stock photography, especially when they illustrate specific results or comparisons.

Custom illustrations can create distinctive brand recognition while simplifying complex concepts. When using photography, authentic team or customer images outperform generic stock photos. Text overlays should be minimal and highly readable on mobile devices, focusing on a single key message rather than multiple points. Video content should lead with a strong visual hook in the first 3 seconds, as most viewers decide whether to continue watching almost immediately. Remember that visual elements must work harmoniously with your copy rather than competing for attention.

12 LinkedIn ad examples to learn from

We've carefully selected these 12 standout examples from our collection of 100+ high-performing LinkedIn ads. Each demonstrates different strategies for cutting through the professional noise, with approaches that consistently delivered exceptional results. Let's examine what makes each of these successful campaigns so effective.

1. Salesforce (CRM Platform)

Salesforce's LinkedIn ad combines visual storytelling with practical business outcomes. The turquoise and light blue colour palette creates brand recognition while the "Build recurring revenue with subscriptions in 6 steps" headline delivers an immediate, tangible promise.

What makes this ad convert exceptionally well is how it provides a complete visual preview of the content offer, showing both the interface and illustrated character that adds personality without sacrificing professionalism. They offer a specific, actionable framework in "6 steps" that feels both comprehensive and achievable. The clean design with ample whitespace makes the content feel accessible rather than overwhelming.

2. MarketerHire (Talent Platform)

MarketerHire's LinkedIn ad leverages visual metaphor to capture a universal pain point among marketing leaders. The "Hiring the wrong marketer can feel like:" headline creates immediate curiosity, while the image of a businessman with a cloud obscuring his head visualises the confusion of poor hiring decisions.

What makes this ad convert so effectively is its focus on a specific business problem rather than generic service promotion. The soft grey background creates a premium feel while ensuring the cloud visual stands out. By addressing a pain point, they position themselves as understanding the deeper implications of marketing talent decisions. The minimalist approach with limited text allows the powerful visual metaphor to create an immediate emotional connection.

3. Canva (Design Platform)

Canva's LinkedIn ad demonstrates harmony between visual identity and messaging focus. The stark black background with bold white typography creates immediate stopping power, while the "Discover how AI is supercharging work & creativity" headline taps into current professional interests around AI.

What makes this ad effective is its clear "READ THE REPORT" call-to-action, creating an immediate, low-friction conversion path. The vibrant, abstract design elements introduce colour without distracting from the primary message. By positioning their offering within the larger business conversation about AI productivity, they've created relevance beyond their core design functionality, elevating their relevance for decision-makers.

4. Walnut (Demo Platform)

Walnut's LinkedIn ad demonstrates the power of bold, direct statements that address industry pain points. The deep purple background with large white typography creates unmissable contrast, while the straightforward "GENERIC DEMOS SUCK." headline resonates with sales and marketing professionals frustrated with ineffective demonstration tools.

What makes this ad convert so well is its disarmingly direct approach, followed immediately by the solution: "We can help with that." The soft mint text creates perfect contrast while maintaining readability. The bright pink call-to-action button stands out vividly against the purple background. By naming the pain point so bluntly, they signal insider understanding that builds immediate credibility with their target audience.

5. Tines (Automation Platform)

Tines' LinkedIn ad demonstrates the power of leading with a specific, impressive statistic. The vibrant purple background ensures immediate visibility in the feed, while the oversized "91.4%" number creates an unmissable focal point that demands attention.

What makes this ad convert so effectively is its focus on a specific, quantifiable outcome - "reduction in manual alert correlation" - that speaks directly to security teams' pain points. The clean, minimalist design with ample whitespace emphasises the statistic while the small product illustration adds context without distraction. This ad succeeds by leading with results rather than features, helping security professionals immediately understand the potential time savings and efficiency gains.

6. Saleo (Sales Enablement Platform)

Saleo's ad demonstrates the conversion power of authentic customer testimonials in a clean, credible format. The deep blue background creates professional context while white testimonial cards with five-star ratings immediately establish credibility.

What makes this ad convert exceptionally well is featuring actual customer names, titles, and companies, creating verification that generic testimonials cannot achieve. The testimonials specifically address common sales enablement challenges around live data and demo environments. The contrasting brand logos demonstrate versatility across different customer environments, harnessing the persuasive power of peer recommendation.

7. Employment Hero (HR Platform)

Employment Hero's LinkedIn ad showcases the power of visual simplification for complex HR solutions. The soft lavender background creates a friendly feel while the "From all over the place. To one place." headline communicates the core value proposition of consolidation and simplification.

What makes this ad convert effectively is how it visually demonstrates the transformation from complexity to simplicity through interface elements and scheduling cards. The smiling model creates emotional connection and helps prospects envision themselves experiencing the same satisfaction. The three capability cards efficiently communicate breadth of functionality without overwhelming detail, connecting their HR solution to the personal experience of HR professionals struggling with fragmented systems.

8. T-Mobile & Figma (Partnership)

This T-Mobile and Figma partnership ad demonstrates how specific, quantified outcomes drive B2B conversions. The stark black background with bright accents creates technical credibility while the headline "HP uses Dev Mode to save developers & designers an average of 98 minutes per week" delivers an immediate, specific business value.

What makes this ad convert so well is its precision - not "saves time" but specifically "98 minutes per week" - creating concrete ROI that decision-makers can calculate against their team size. The intriguing question "Could T-Mobile be saving more time?" creates curiosity. The "Meet with us" call-to-action offers a clear next step. This ad succeeds by quantifying productivity gains in exact terms, giving prospects a specific benchmark to evaluate potential value.

9. Klaviyo (Email Marketing Platform)

Klaviyo's ad demonstrates the power of showing practical application rather than abstract capabilities. The vibrant coral-to-pink gradient background creates visual interest while the "DRIVE REVENUE WITH SMARTER EMAIL & SMS" headline delivers a clear, outcome-focused value proposition.

What makes this ad convert exceptionally well is showing actual email and SMS examples with specific promotional content rather than generic mockups. The ad visually demonstrates both channels working together, helping marketers envision implementation. By featuring a real campaign example, they help prospects envision creating similar results for their own promotions.

10. Shopify (E-commerce Platform)

Shopify's LinkedIn ad exemplifies sophisticated simplicity in B2B messaging. The deep green gradient background establishes brand recognition while the "In-person. Online. Everywhere in between." headline succinctly communicates their omnichannel capabilities without excessive explanation.

What makes this ad particularly effective is showing the actual point-of-sale interface with a real product and price, creating immediate practical understanding. The location pin icon with "Available near you" text creates geographical relevance and urgency. The large, distinctive "Let's talk" call-to-action button in brand green stands out while maintaining design harmony. This ad demonstrates how showing actual functionality in context can create more understanding than extensive feature descriptions. By highlighting the physical-digital connection specifically, they differentiate from purely online commerce solutions while maintaining their digital-first brand identity.

11. Payhawk (Finance Platform)

Payhawk's LinkedIn ad showcases the power of clear, benefit-focused headlines for complex financial solutions. The deep green background creates financial credibility while the headline "Cards, purchase orders, account payables & more. All in one tool." immediately communicates comprehensive functionality and consolidation benefits.

What makes this ad convert so well is showing the actual platform interfaces across multiple devices, demonstrating both comprehensive desktop functionality and mobile convenience. The bright green accent colour for "All in one tool" and the CTA button creates perfect emphasis on the core value proposition. By showing the actual card, mobile interface, and dashboard together, they create a complete ecosystem visualisation that helps financial decision-makers envision implementation. This ad succeeds by focusing on consolidation benefits rather than individual features, addressing the common pain point of fragmented financial tools that creates reconciliation headaches for finance teams.

12. Sigma & Common Room (Integration Partnership)

This Sigma and Common Room integration ad demonstrates the sophisticated visualisation of complex data workflows. The subtle gradient background creates a professional canvas while the connected workflow visual clearly shows how activity turns into actionable customer insights.

What makes this ad convert exceptionally well is how it visually traces the journey from specific user actions (viewed pricing pages, changed jobs, liked posts) to segmented audience groups and ultimately to revenue impact. By showing actual interface elements with realistic data, they help analytics professionals envision implementation in their own environment. The "Turn buying signals into pipeline and revenue" headline creates clear business outcome focus rather than technical capability. This ad succeeds by visualizing the entire workflow rather than isolated features, helping professionals understand how the integration creates an end-to-end solution rather than just another tool to manage.

Technical requirements and dimensions

When creating your LinkedIn ads, keep these specifications in mind:

• Single Image Ad: 1200 × 627 pixels (desktop landscape)

• Carousel Ad: 1080 × 1080 pixels (square)

• Video Ad: 1920 × 1080 pixels with 1:1 or 16:9 ratio

• Document Ad: 1:1 or 16:9 ratio

• File size: 5MB maximum for images

• File formats: JPG or PNG for images, MP4 for videos

• Maximum video length: 30 minutes (though 15-90 seconds recommended)

Always preview your ads on both desktop and mobile devices to ensure proper display across all viewing contexts.

Common LinkedIn ad mistakes to avoid

Before you start designing, watch out for these common pitfalls:

• Corporate jargon that reduces authenticity and connection

• Targeting too broadly and wasting budget on irrelevant audiences

• Weak calls-to-action that fail to create clear next steps

• Focusing on features rather than business outcomes

• Using generic stock photos that lack distinctiveness

• Including too much text that overwhelms busy professionals

• Creating ads that blend into organic content rather than standing out

• Neglecting to test different formats for your specific objectives

• Failing to provide social proof for credibility building

• Ignoring the mobile experience where most LinkedIn browsing occurs

Creating your own high-converting LinkedIn ads

Ready to design LinkedIn ads that generate better results? You've got three main options:

• Use our templates: We've created 10 ready-to-customise templates based on high-performing LinkedIn campaigns (download link here)

• DIY design: Use tools like Canva or Figma with our technical specifications as guidance

• Professional help: Work with a design team (like DesignGuru) to create something unique

Free LinkedIn ad templates

We're not just giving you average templates - we're sharing designs based on ads that delivered exceptional lead generation results during real-world campaigns. Each template has been reverse-engineered from campaigns that achieved outstanding performance and refined for maximum impact.

Each template includes:

• Strategic layouts designed specifically for LinkedIn's professional context

• Attention-grabbing visual frameworks that maintain professional credibility

• Copy structures that address common B2B pain points and motivations

• Multiple format options optimised for different campaign objectives

• Variations for different targeting focuses (decision-makers vs. implementers)

• Design elements that work harmoniously with LinkedIn's interface

• Flexible components that adapt to various B2B industries and offerings

[Download your free templates here]

Need something more custom?

We've walked through 12 high-performing LinkedIn ad examples that consistently generate qualified leads through strategic design choices, powerful messaging, and clear calls-to-action. Despite having these examples and templates, many marketers still struggle to find the perfect balance between professional credibility and scroll-stopping creativity, often ending up with LinkedIn ads that look polished but perform poorly.

For those who need more tailored solutions, book a call with our DesignGuru founders, Will and James, who specialise in crafting LinkedIn campaigns that not only maintain your professional brand standards but are strategically designed to convert.