LinkedIn Ads should be your gateway to reaching B2B decision makers who matter the most. With such precise targeting and a professional audience, it’s where B2B deals often begin.
There are loads of different LinkedIn ad formats and picking the right one can be tricky. Today we’re going to focus specifically on boosted and thought leader posts. These are a great way to get the right eyes on your content. Read on to find out how.
What Are LinkedIn Boosted Posts?
LinkedIn boosted posts are an easy way to turn your organic posts into paid ads. And with just a few clicks. They help extend the reach of your organic content way beyond your followers. And the niche targeting options in campaign manager mean you can get those posts in front of the people you really care about.
Pros of Boosting a LinkedIn Post
Is boosting a post right for your campaign objectives? Well like all things marketing, it really does depend. In terms of pros, there are plenty:
- Wider audience reach beyond just followers – making it a powerful way to increase visibility and connect with new prospects that organic posting can’t always achieve
- It builds trust and credibility – boosted posts often drive higher engagement, creating a sense of “social proof.” They help reinforce trust in your brand and position you as a credible voice in your industry.
- Retargeting – boosting posts can be a great way to stay top of mind with a warmer audience.
Best Practices for Boosting Posts on LinkedIn
Hitting the “boost” button is just the start. To get the most from boosted posts, follow these top tips:
Pick organic posts that have done well
Start by identifying organic posts that already resonate with your audience—ones with strong engagement, such as likes, comments, and shares. These posts have proven appeal, making them excellent candidates for boosting to extend their reach even further.
Use clear, concise CTAs
A strong CTA is key to turning visibility into results. Whether it’s “Learn More,” “Download Now,” or “Contact Us,” your CTA should move your audience closer to what you want them to do next.
Target the right audience
LinkedIn’s targeting options let you refine your audience and get super granular – filter by industry, job title, location, member skills, company size. Choose filters that help you hone your target audience as much as possible.
Set a realistic budget and duration
Boosting works best with a clear timeframe – long enough to build momentum but short enough to keep the content relevant. Make sure you check in with boosted posts to pause and switch out any that may have fatigued. And remember if you’re boosting time-bound content such as webinars and events, be sure to pause them once the date has passed.
Try different content formats
Experiment with different formats to see what engages your audience best – plain text, image and video ads. Remember, LinkedIn’s boosted post feature doesn’t support document posts just yet – a feature that is definitely on our wish list!
When to Use Boosted Posts vs. Other LinkedIn Ad Types
Boosted posts work really well for objectives like brand awareness or nurturing existing audiences through retargeting. Boosting is particularly great for giving organic posts that are doing well that extra push, without committing to a full campaign.
For more goal-oriented campaigns though, consider LinkedIn’s other ad types depending on objective.
- Lead gen ads if your primary goal is to collect leads directly within LinkedIn via the pre-filled forms.
- Document ads for telling a story or showing multiple offers in one ad.
- Message ads to send personalized messages directly to prospects’ inboxes, perfect for demos and free trials.
Combining Boosted Posts With Full-Funnel Campaigns
For maximum impact, combining boosted posts with full-funnel campaigns is key. Consider:
>> Boosting a high-performing post to drive initial interest and engagement.
>> Using the engagement data (likes, clicks, etc.) to create a retargeting audience for more strategic campaigns such as lead generation campaigns.
>> Incorporate boosted posts as part of an “always-on” strategy to keep your brand front-of-mind.
This approach means you reach a broader audience at the top of the funnel, while nurturing and converting prospects further down.
What Posts Can and Should You Boost?
Again it all comes down to your overall strategy but you can boost company posts and individual posts.
When boosting a company post, you’re amplifying your brand’s voice. This is great for building awareness of your brand and sharing updates like product launches or events. But we tend to see much higher rates of engagement when boosting individual posts. Why? Because people trust people. The posts feel much more personal and relatable when coming from an executive or team member rather than the company.
Remember too that LinkedIn allows you to boost posts not just from your employees but also from clients or partners – anyone you are working with. This is great because these type of posts can show your collaboration or highlight the impact of your work together – think case studies and quotes. It’s a great way to strengthen relationships and increase visibility for both parties.
No matter whose post you boost, the goal is to create authentic, engaging content that aligns with your audience and objectives.
How to Create a Great LinkedIn Thought Leader Ad Post to Boost
So how do you go about creating a LinkedIn Thought Leader post to boost that will perform? Here’s how to nail it:
- Create engaging, boost-worthy content
- Share valuable content like case studies, practical tips/tricks, educational insights or research. This type of content resonates well with LinkedIn’s professional audience.
- Link to my TL Ad funnel post
- Be careful of adding links
- Links are OK in boosted posts, but for maximum organic engagement, consider posting without the link initially. You can add it in after a couple of days, once the post has gained traction.
- Formatting your post well
- Structure your posts so it’s readable. No one likes long chunks of dense text. Break it into clear sections. Use bold text and numbered points to make key takeaways stand out.
- Use emojis sparingly
- Stick to a maximum of 3 emojis or the post will be disapproved.
- Test content organically first
- Post the content organically and monitor engagement for a day or two. If it performs well, it’s a great candidate for boosting through your Thought Leader Ad campaign.
- Learn from great examples
FAQs Section
What is a LinkedIn boosted post?
A LinkedIn boosted post is an organic post from either a company page or individual which is promoted to a broader audience using LinkedIn Campaign Manager. It’s a quick way to amplify reach and engagement amongst your target audience.
Is boosting posts on LinkedIn effective for B2B marketing?
Yes, boosting posts is great for increasing brand visibility, driving engagement and nurturing leads to conversion. It works especially well for building awareness and retargeting warm audiences.
What is the difference between boosting a post and running an ad on LinkedIn?
Boosting a post focuses on promoting existing organic content, while running an ad allows for more customization, messaging and the use of specific ad formats like lead gen forms or document ads.