# LinkedIn Ads next to outreach: 12 formats, audiences and example plays > Every LinkedIn ad format as the person sees it, the audiences you can point them at, and three example plays that combine paid placements with invitations, messages and likes. Page: https://re-vault.io/linkedin-ads/ ## LinkedIn Ads, run next to outreach Twelve ad formats as the person on the other side sees them, the audiences you can point them at, and three example plays that mix paid placements with invitations, messages and likes. The plays are illustrative sequences, and every name in the mockups is made up. ## Three places an ad shows up Feed **Between the posts people scroll** Promoted posts, images, PDFs, carousels, video and events. Mobile and desktop. Inbox **In the LinkedIn messages tab** A sponsored message from a named person, with buttons. LinkedIn delivers these outside the EU. Right rail **The column beside the feed** Small text units and personalised banners. Desktop only. ### In the feed Six formats. Two of them do most of the work around outreach: the Thought Leader Ad warms the list before the invitation, and the Document Ad turns interest into a contact. **Thought Leader Ad**A personal post, promoted Start here DO **Dmitry Ostrovtsev** Fractional CRO · Re:Vault Promoted Read 300 replies to cold LinkedIn notes last week. The ones that worked all named something the person did this month. ...more Like Comment Repost What it isA post from a person's own profile, shown to an audience you choose. It reads like a post, and likes and comments stay on the original. Where it fitsWarm-up. The people on this week's invitation list see the sender's posts for a few days before the invitation arrives. **Document Ad**A PDF readable in the feed Start here R *:* **Re:Vault** Company page Promoted The signal-based outbound playbook, page by page. PLAYBOOK · 8 PAGES **Signal-based outbound** Page 1 of 8 What it isA document people page through inside the feed. The first pages are open, the rest unlock with a lead form. Where it fitsThe bait for a contact. Whoever unlocks it lands in the same pipeline as a reply to outreach. **Single Image Ad**Text, image, button Later R *:* **Re:Vault** Company page Promoted An SDR costs $80-150K a year and takes 3-6 months to ramp. This system starts in days. Operated outreach Meetings from cold LinkedIn *,* set up in days **re-vault.io** Outreach, operated What it isThe classic company ad with a link to a page. Where it fitsWider, colder audiences built on job title, industry and company size, once the list-based plays are running. **Carousel Ad**2 to 10 swipeable cards Later R *:* **Re:Vault** Company page Promoted From a signal to a booked call, in four cards. 1 / 4 They just hired a head of sales The signal 2 / 4 One fact *,* one question The first touch 3 / 4 Replies handled within 48 hours The reply 4 / 4 A call on the calendar The meeting What it isCards that swipe sideways, each with its own link. Where it fitsExplaining a process step by step to people who have yet to hear of you. **Video Ad**Plays muted, with captions Later DO **Dmitry Ostrovtsev** Fractional CRO · Re:Vault Promoted 45 seconds on what happens before a single message goes out. Every message starts with one fact about you. 0:45 What it isVideo in the feed, from a company page or a person. Where it fitsPeople who watch past the halfway mark become an audience of their own, and the outreach goes to them first. **Event Ad**Registration in one tap When you host R *:* **Re:Vault** Company page Promoted Live session Three outbound campaigns *,* reply by reply **Fri, Oct 30 · 17:00 CET** Online event What it isA promoted LinkedIn event page. Where it fitsWebinars and live teardowns. The registrant list becomes the next outreach list. ### In the inbox, and the form behind both Sponsored messages arrive from a named person and reach people who have yet to accept an invitation. LinkedIn delivers them to members outside the EU and caps how often one member receives them. The lead form opens from inbox and feed ads alike. **Message Ad**One message, one button US, UK, outside EU DO **Dmitry Ostrovtsev** Fractional CRO · Re:Vault Sponsored Hi Alex, saw Northwind just opened two SDR roles. We run LinkedIn outreach for B2B teams: signals, research and replies, live within a week. Want to see the first ten messages it would send for you? What it isA message in the LinkedIn inbox, paid per delivery, outside the invitation limits. Where it fitsA second door to people who left the invitation pending. **Conversation Ad**A message with reply buttons US, UK, outside EU DO **Dmitry Ostrovtsev** Fractional CRO · Re:Vault Sponsored Hi Alex, quick one. Who books first meetings on your team today? SDRs do it Founders do it Still figuring it out Founders do it Then the biggest win is hours back. Want to see the ten messages it would send for you this week? Show me Book 15 minutes What it isA message with up to five buttons, each opening its own branch, a few steps deep. Where it fitsQualifying before a call. The button someone presses lands in the pipeline as a reply. **Lead Gen Form**Attaches to feed and inbox ads Start here R *:* **See the first ten messages** Re:Vault First name Alex Work email alex@northwind.example Company Northwind Logistics Job title VP Sales Filled from the profile What it isA form that opens inside LinkedIn with name, work email, company and title already filled in. One tap sends it. Where it fitsEvery submission flows straight into the pipeline, and the follow-up goes out within the hour. ### On the right rail Desktop only, beside the feed. Cheap per view and quieter than the feed. **Spotlight Ad**Uses the viewer's own photo Later ** ** Promoted AM R *:* Alex, see the ten messages we would send for Northwind What it isLinkedIn drops in the viewer's photo and first name next to your logo. Where it fitsAn extra touch on the warm-up list, once feed ads are running. **Text Ad**Headline up to 25 characters Optional ** ** Promoted R *:* **Outreach in days** LinkedIn outreach for B2B, operated. What it isA small square image, a short headline and a line of text. Where it fitsCheap reach to a large cold audience. Clicks are rare. **Follower Ad**Grows a company page Optional ** ** Promoted AM R *:* Alex, stay up to date with Re:Vault What it isA one-tap follow for your company page. Where it fitsBuilding the page audience that later sees every organic post. ## Who sees them Any format above can point at any of these audiences. The first three come from the outreach itself, which is why ads and messages work better as one plan. | Audience | How it is built | Use it for | | --- | --- | --- | | **This week's outreach list** | Names and companies from the invitation queue, uploaded as a matched audience. LinkedIn needs 300 matched members to serve it. | Warm-up before the invitation | | **Website visitors** | The LinkedIn Insight Tag on your site collects visitors from the last 30, 60, 90 or 180 days. | Following up on interest | | **Opened a form or a document** | People who opened a lead form or read part of a document ad. | The warmest retargeting there is | | **Video viewers** | People who watched 25, 50, 75 or 97% of a video. | Ranking who gets a message first | | **Company page visitors** | Members who visited your LinkedIn page. | A second look at the offer | | **Job title, industry, company size** | LinkedIn's own targeting by profile fields. | Reach beyond the outreach list | ## Example plays Three sequences that mix the channels. Each step names the channel it runs on and what triggers the next one. Outreach invitations and messages from a person Paid LinkedIn Ads Engage likes and comments on their posts ### Warm the list before the invitation about 2 weeks The person sees the sender's name three or four times before the invitation arrives, so the invitation comes from someone familiar. 1. 5 days before Paid This week's invitation list goes up as a matched audience. A **Thought Leader Ad** runs the sender's best recent post to it. 2. 3 days before Engage The sender likes or comments on the person's latest post. 3. Day 0 Outreach The invitation goes out. 4. Accepted Outreach First message with one fact about their company and one question. 5. Pending after 7 days Paid **Message Ad** in the US and UK, a **Document Ad** with the playbook in Europe. 6. Reply or form Outreach The reply is handled the same day and closes to a call. ### Message sent, no reply yet 10 to 45 days They accepted and read the message, then went quiet. Paid placements keep the name in front of them while the thread rests. 1. Day 0 Outreach Message sent and seen. No answer. 2. Days 1 to 9 Paid They join a retargeting audience: a **Document Ad** in the feed and a **Spotlight Ad** on the rail. 3. Day 4 Engage A like on their next post. 4. Day 10 Outreach One short line: would later in the quarter be a better time? 5. Opened the document Paid A **Conversation Ad** with two buttons: see the ten messages, or book 15 minutes. 6. Day 45 Outreach A second short check-in on timing. ### Work a conference list 3 weeks before to 1 week after Speakers, sponsors and people posting about the event make a list with a shared reason to talk and a date on it. 1. 3 weeks before Paid The list of speakers, sponsors and attendees goes up as a matched audience. 2. 2 weeks before Paid A **Thought Leader Ad**: the sessions the sender plans to see at the event. 3. 10 days before Outreach Invitation, then a message: are you at the show, 15 minutes on day two? 4. Event week Engage Likes and comments on their event posts while the show is running. 5. Still pending Paid A **Conversation Ad** in the US and UK with three buttons: day one, day two, after the show. 6. Week after Paid A **Document Ad** with the recap and a lead form, shown to everyone on the list. 7. Week after Outreach A follow-up to the people who opened the recap. ## What it takes to start 1. **An ad account in Campaign Manager** with a card on it, owned by your company. 2. **The LinkedIn Insight Tag** on your website, so visitors become an audience. 3. **A budget.** LinkedIn sets the minimum at $10 a day per campaign. 4. **One list for both channels.** The outreach queue feeds the ad audiences, and the replies from both land in one pipeline. ## Questions ### Which LinkedIn ad format works best next to outreach? A Thought Leader Ad aimed at the same list you are about to invite. It promotes a real post from the sender's profile, so the invitation that follows comes from a name the person has already seen. ### Can I send LinkedIn Message Ads to people in Europe? LinkedIn delivers Message Ads and Conversation Ads to members outside the EU. For EU audiences the same role goes to a Document Ad or a Thought Leader Ad in the feed. ### How big does a LinkedIn matched audience need to be? LinkedIn serves a matched audience once 300 members match. Upload companies as well as people when a single week's invitation list is smaller than that. ### What is the minimum budget for LinkedIn Ads? LinkedIn sets a minimum of $10 a day per campaign. Spend scales with the size of the audience and how often you want each person to see the ad. ## Read next **LinkedIn invitation limits in 2026** What the platform refuses, measured on 1,636 invitation attempts, and the pacing that keeps a profile safe. [Read it](https://re-vault.io/linkedin-limits/) **Cold LinkedIn benchmarks 2026** Accept and reply rates with the count behind each one. [Read it](https://re-vault.io/benchmarks/) **How operated outreach works** Week by week, from the first list to the first meeting. [Read it](https://re-vault.io/how-it-works/) ### Want ads and outreach working one list? Enter your work email. Your workspace opens with your first buyers and messages ready in a few minutes. --- Re:Vault runs LinkedIn outreach end to end for B2B companies: finds the buyers, writes in the client's voice, handles replies, books meetings. $2,000/month, month to month. - Book a 30-minute call: https://cal.com/dmitry.o/re-vault-gtm - Email: dmitry@re-vault.io - Index of every page for agents: https://re-vault.io/llms.txt