- What LinkedIn Campaign Manager does
- How Campaign Manager is organised
- How to create a LinkedIn Campaign Manager account
- The two settings you can't undo
- Users and access
- Recommendations in Campaign Manager
- What to check before you launch your first ad set
- Before you spend anything
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
LinkedIn Campaign Manager is LinkedIn's self-service tool for creating, launching and measuring LinkedIn ads. You start by creating an ad account linked to your LinkedIn Page, then build campaigns and ad sets inside it. Two choices are permanent: the account's currency and its LinkedIn Page can't be changed once the account exists.
Those two permanent settings are the reason I'd never rush the set-up. Get them wrong and the only fix is a brand new ad account.
Here's how Campaign Manager is organised, how to set it up and the features worth using, from LinkedIn's own business pages and Marketing Solutions Help, read in October 2026.
What LinkedIn Campaign Manager does
LinkedIn says Campaign Manager helps you create and manage campaigns to reach what it calls the world's largest professional audience, of over 1.2 billion professionals. Its pitch rests on three things: targeting by attributes like industry, seniority and job function, measuring return on your ads, and a Recommendations Hub with forecasted results to help you improve campaigns.
How Campaign Manager is organised
LinkedIn describes a structured hierarchy of entities. Learn it once and everything else in the tool falls into place.
| Level | What this level holds | What you set here |
|---|---|---|
| Ad account | The container for everything, tied to one LinkedIn Page and one currency | Users, billing, account settings |
| Campaign | A group of related ad sets | How you organise your work |
| Ad set | Where delivery is decided | Objective, audience, placement, budget, schedule, optional tracking |
| Ads | The creative people see | Format, copy, images or video |
LinkedIn says the first step in any ad set is choosing a marketing objective, because ad sets are optimised for delivery to the people most likely to take the action you pick. Each objective comes with its own ad formats and bidding strategies.
How to create a LinkedIn Campaign Manager account
- From your LinkedIn homepage, click For Business and select Advertise.
- If you use Business Manager, check the right account is selected in the top right. You must be a Business Manager admin to create an ad account there, and it'll be added to that Business Manager.
- On the welcome screen, check the suggested account name, Company Page and currency, and change any of them.
- Tick the box to agree to the LinkedIn Ads Agreement and Advertising Guidelines.
- Click Create account. LinkedIn takes you straight to the ad set creation page.
LinkedIn suggests the most recently updated Page you're an admin of, and a currency based on your profile. Don't accept either on autopilot.
The two settings you can't undo
LinkedIn is explicit: the currency and the LinkedIn Page can't be changed once the account is created. It also says the Page associated with an ad account can't be changed once saved, even if no campaigns or ad sets have run. To advertise for a different Page, you need a new ad account.
One more point from the same page: if you link a Company Page, that Page's data is included in reporting that anyone with access to the ad account can see. Bear that in mind before you give an agency access. If your Page needs another admin first, here's how to add an admin to a LinkedIn Page.
Users and access
When you create an account, you're automatically given account manager and billing admin access, and you can add colleagues or partners. LinkedIn says you can only add people who are your 1st, 2nd or 3rd-degree connections, and you have to give each one a user role. If your ad account has been claimed by Business Manager, user access is managed there instead. LinkedIn recommends Business Manager if you advertise across several ad accounts and Pages.
Recommendations in Campaign Manager
LinkedIn's Recommendations are suggestions generated from your campaign data, historical data and industry trends. They cover audience, bidding, budget and schedule, ads and assets, ad format, placement, conversion tracking and trending content. You'll find them on the Overview page, the Recommendations page, the Advertise page, ad set summary and edit pages, and in notifications if you switch them on.
Two things I like here. Ad set recommendations show the estimated results with and without the change, and for some of them you can click Run a Test to A/B test LinkedIn's suggestion against your current set-up on a smaller audience first. LinkedIn is also honest that forecasts are estimates, not guarantees. Test before you trust.
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What to check before you launch your first ad set
- Confirm the ad account's currency and LinkedIn Page are right. Neither can be changed later.
- Choose the objective first, because it decides the formats and bidding you'll see.
- Set the audience using attributes LinkedIn highlights, such as industry, seniority and job function.
- Set the budget and schedule, then add conversion tracking if you want to measure actions on your site.
- Give the right people access through user roles, not shared passwords.
A newer ad channel is explained in our guide to advertising on ChatGPT.
Before you spend anything
If you're new to the platform's ad formats, start with my overview of what LinkedIn advertising is so you choose the right objective first. Then build one campaign, one ad set and two ads, so the first thing you learn is which message works.
My verdict
LinkedIn Campaign Manager is powerful once you understand the ad account, campaign and ad set structure, and unforgiving if you rush the set-up. Choose your currency and LinkedIn Page carefully, because neither can be changed later. Add people through roles rather than shared logins, and use the Recommendations page with the Run a Test option so LinkedIn's suggestions earn their place before you roll them out.
Advertising elsewhere? our TikTok Ads Manager guide covers TikTok's version.
Frequently asked questions
Is LinkedIn Campaign Manager free?
LinkedIn describes Campaign Manager as its self-service ad management tool, and the pages I read list no separate fee for it. What you pay for is the ads you run.
Can I change the currency in LinkedIn Campaign Manager?
No. LinkedIn says the currency and LinkedIn Page can't be changed once the ad account is created. You'd need to create a new ad account.
What is an ad set in LinkedIn Campaign Manager?
An ad set is where you choose the objective, audience, placement, budget and schedule, plus optional tracking. Ad sets sit inside campaigns, and hold your ads.
Do I need a LinkedIn Page to use Campaign Manager?
Yes. LinkedIn says you must associate a LinkedIn Page with your ad account to create ads or use all features. You can create one during set-up if you don't have one.
Who can I add to my LinkedIn ad account?
LinkedIn says you can add 1st, 2nd or 3rd-degree connections and must assign each a user role. If the account belongs to Business Manager, access is managed there.
