Having your LinkedIn ads rejected can be frustrating, especially when you put time and money into creating a campaign. However, rejections happen for a reason, and understanding the cause can help you adjust your strategy and get your ads approved.
Common Reasons for LinkedIn Ad Rejection
Here are some of the most common reasons LinkedIn may reject your ads:
1. Your adcopy or creative doesn’t comply with LinkedIn’s policies
LinkedIn has strict guidelines about what can and can’t be included in ads. Some key things to check:
- No excessive use of capital letters, exclamation points or other emphatic punctuation
- No inappropriate or offensive language
- No unsubstantiated claims or exaggerations
- Ad creative and imagery should be high-quality and professional
Carefully review the ad copy and creative elements to ensure full compliance with LinkedIn’s policies. Even minor issues like a swear word or a deceptive claim can trigger a rejection.
2. Your ad hasn’t been properly optimized for LinkedIn
LinkedIn favors ads that are tailored and relevant to the platform’s audience. Some optimization tips:
- Use messaging focused on career, business or industry topics
- Highlight professional development, networking or thought leadership themes
- Feature visuals like office settings, professionals, business attire
- Use a more formal tone aimed at a business readership
Avoid using casual language, lifestyle imagery or concepts outside the business context. LinkedIn wants ads to feel purposefully designed for working professionals.
3. Your landing page doesn’t meet requirements
LinkedIn reviews the landing page URL you submit to ensure it provides a user experience consistent with your ad claims. Here are some key landing page checks:
- Page is live and mobile-optimized, with working links/buttons
- Branding matches ad creative
- Page delivers what the ad promotes
- No pop-ups, intrusive ads or other disruptive elements
- Page has clear navigation options
Make sure your landing page looks professional, stays on-brand and delivers a user experience aligned with the promoted offer or content.
4. Your ad targets are too broad or narrow
LinkedIn wants your ad targets to be just right – not too wide and not too restrictive. Troublesome targeting includes:
- Targeting only a tiny niche audience
- Using just 1-2 broad targeting options
- Excluding large portions of your relevant audience
- Relying too much on demographic vs professional targeting
Aim for a well-rounded approach using location, company size, industry, job role and interests to reach the right professional profiles for your goals.
5. Your ads aren’t optimized for LinkedIn’s automated checks
LinkedIn uses automated tools to scan ads and landing pages for signals consistent with low-quality or fraudulent offers. To pass the bots, ensure:
- Ad copy and landing pages have unique, original content
- Messaging is clear and believable
- Pages aren’t stuffed with repetitive keywords
- There are no hidden or questionable links, buttons or redirects
Avoid anything that could trigger LinkedIn’s algorithms to flag your ads as spammy or misinforming.
How to Get Your LinkedIn Ads Approved
Now that you know the top reasons for LinkedIn ad rejection, here are some tips to help you create compliant, optimized ads that will pass review:
1. Study LinkedIn’s ad policies thoroughly
LinkedIn’s advertising guidelines provide extensive details and examples of what can and can’t be included in ads. Invest time studying every policy section relevant to your campaign – don’t just skim. Print key sections to reference as you create ads.
2. Use LinkedIn’s free ad review tool
Take advantage of LinkedIn’s self-service tool that lets you pre-screen ad copy and creative assets for compliance before submitting for review. Paste in your ad text and upload visuals to get instant feedback.
3. Follow all checklist items for landing pages
Don’t skip any elements from LinkedIn’s landing page requirements. Double check every item like mobile optimization, branding consistency, working buttons, navigation etc. The checklist helps ensure your page provides a seamless user experience.
4. Mirror LinkedIn’s own successful ad formats
Analyze top ads from influential brands and companies promoting content on LinkedIn. What messaging and creative approaches do they use? Model your own ads after proven examples tailored to LinkedIn’s audience.
5. Use robust targeting options
Develop a targeting strategy using multiple parameters – don’t rely solely on job titles or age ranges. Layer in company, industry, interests, location and other filters to reach relevant profiles. Test different options to improve performance.
6. Check ad copy for problems
Use online tools like Grammarly or Hemingway App to scan your ad text for issues with readability, grammar and punctuation. Ask others to proofread copy. This can help flag non-compliant ad language you may have missed.
7. Comply with any rejection feedback from LinkedIn
If your ad gets rejected, LinkedIn will provide information about why in an email notification. Carefully review the reasons cited, then update your ad and resubmit. Continuing to send the same non-compliant ads will lead to account restrictions.
8. Speak to a LinkedIn representative if needed
For personalized guidance, reach out to a LinkedIn ads specialist via live chat or their customer service line. They can clarify any policy confusion and provide tailored advice to help get your ads approved.
Why You Should Keep Trying
It can be frustrating to have your LinkedIn ads repeatedly rejected, but the best strategy is to persist and keep working to meet the platform’s requirements. Here are some key reasons it’s worth the effort:
1. Tap into LinkedIn’s massive B2B audience
With over 690 million members, LinkedIn provides unique access to the world’s largest professional network. Your compliant ads can reach a huge congregation of your target B2B leads and contacts.
2. Boost authority and thought leadership
LinkedIn ads let you promote your business, brand and executives as industry authorities. By advertising valuable content, research and insights, you can build credibility and trust.
3. Drive site traffic, leads and sales
Optimized LinkedIn ads can direct qualified professionals to your site to download gated assets, contact sales or purchase products or services. Results are trackable through lead and conversion tracking.
4. Retarget website visitors
Upload your site visitor lists to LinkedIn and serve ads to professionals who recently visited key pages like product or pricing. Retargeting boosts engagement.
5. Align with buyer journeys
Target your ads to professionals interested in products/services like yours that signal readiness to engage. For example, target people reading your competitors’ content.
In short, despite the learning curve of LinkedIn’s ad policies, the platform drives tremendous B2B results and is worth optimizing ads for. By studying guidelines, mirroring proven ad formats and seeking guidance when needed, your account will mature and your ads will get approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common reasons LinkedIn rejects ads?
The top reasons LinkedIn tends to reject ads are: noncompliant ad copy/creative, lack of optimization for LinkedIn, unsatisfactory landing page, overly broad or narrow targeting, and failure to pass automated vetting checks.
How can you ensure your landing page meets requirements?
To meet landing page requirements, ensure your page is live and mobile-friendly, matches branding in the ad creative, delivers on promoted claims, follows best practices and contains no disruptive or hidden elements.
What targeting approaches work best on LinkedIn?
Effective LinkedIn targeting uses multiple parameters like job title, company, industry, location, company size, interests, skills, etc. to reach a well-rounded professional audience aligned with your goals.
How can you optimize ad copy and creative for LinkedIn?
To optimize ad copy, use formal messaging focused on career, business or industry topics. Creative assets should feature office settings, professionals, business attire, etc. aimed at a B2B audience.
What should you do if your ad gets rejected?
Carefully review the specific rejection feedback LinkedIn provides, then update your ad to address the cited issues before resubmitting. You may also wish to use LinkedIn’s free ad review tool or consult a LinkedIn rep.
Conclusion
Having LinkedIn reject ads can be disheartening, but is usually fixable. Study LinkedIn’s detailed policies, mirror successful ad examples, work through their checklist items, utilize robust targeting and optimization, comply with rejection feedback, and use LinkedIn tools and representatives to get guidance. Persisting through the learning curve is well worth tapping into LinkedIn’s unparalleled B2B advertising capabilities.