You know LinkedIn ads rock, now how much does it COST to hire the right expert for your ad account?
If you’re in the market, there are several different options that you have. First we’ll cover those options and some typical price ranges you might find. Plus, we’ll share how we do things here at Speedwork.
Your most common options are:
- Hire full-time ads manager
- Hire a freelancer
- Hire an agency
In this article, we’re going to deep dive on each of these.
How Much Does a LinkedIn Ads Agency Cost?
Agency pricing varies based on scope, level of support, and how much testing is involved.
Here’s what most B2B companies can expect:
- New campaign strategy, ad creation, and setup: $2,000 – $5,000, one time.
- Monthly management:
- Smaller ad budgets: $2,000 – $3,000 per month
- Larger ad budgets: $5,000 – $10,000 per month
- Ad budget:
- Recommended minimum ad spend: $5,000 per month
- Typical mid-sized company: $10,000-$50,000 per month
- Enterprise company: $100,000+ per month
Some agencies use different pricing models:
- Flat monthly fee
- 10-30% of ad spend
- Hybrid (base fee + % of spend)
The right range depends on how involved you want the agency to be and how complex your campaigns are.
What Affects Agency Pricing
Two companies can both run LinkedIn ads and have very different costs.
Here’s what typically drives pricing differences:
- Scope of work → just campaign management or also including ad creative, copywriting, and design.
- Creative output → how often ads are tested and refreshed
- Audience complexity → simple targeting vs layered ABM and retargeting
- Reporting depth → surface metrics vs pipeline tracking
- Strategy involvement → execution vs ongoing planning and iteration
More testing and iteration tends to increase cost, while also improving consistency over time.
Common Pricing Models
Flat Monthly Fee
A fixed monthly cost regardless of ad spend.
- Predictable pricing
- Easier to scale without increasing fees
- Typically tied to defined deliverables
Percentage of Ad Spend
The agency charges a percentage of your monthly budget.
- Common across paid media
- Costs increase as spend increases
- Requires clear expectations around performance and optimization
Hybrid Model
A base fee plus a smaller percentage of spend.
- Combines predictable costs with scalability
- Often used for larger or more complex programs
What’s Included in Agency Pricing
Agency pricing is often less about the platform and more about the level of support behind it.
Most agencies will include:
- Campaign setup and management
- Audience targeting
- Basic reporting
More complete programs typically include:
- Ongoing creative testing and iteration
- Multiple audience and persona testing
- Conversion tracking and funnel alignment
- Retargeting strategy
- Thought Leader Ads and executive-led campaigns
In many cases, pricing differences come down to how much testing and iteration is happening behind the scenes.
Agency vs In House vs Freelancer
There are a few ways to run LinkedIn ads, and each comes with tradeoffs.
In-House
- Full control over campaigns
- Requires time to build platform expertise
- Higher fixed cost when factoring in salary and tools
Freelancer
- Lower upfront cost
- Works for simpler campaign setups
- Limited capacity for ongoing testing and scaling
Agency
- Faster ramp with structured campaign frameworks
- Ongoing testing across audiences and creative
- Built for consistency and scalability
Most teams move toward an agency when they want more predictable performance and less internal lift.
How Much Do LinkedIn Ads Cost?
Separate from agency fees, you also have media spend.
Here’s what LinkedIn advertising typically looks like:
- Cost per website click (CPC): $7-$15, with premium audiences reaching $20+
- Cost per 1,000 impressions (CPM): $50-$200
- Cost per lead: $50-$300 for most B2B campaigns
- Recommended budget: $100/day or more for meaningful data
Costs vary based on targeting, competition, and how well your ads resonate.
Why Some Campaigns Cost More Than Others
Even with the same budget, performance can vary.
A few factors that impact efficiency:
- Audience competition
- Relevance of the offer
- Creative quality and engagement
- Campaign structure and testing
Programs that are consistently tested and refined tend to stabilize costs over time.
Additional Services to Ask About
Many companies know they want to run LinkedIn ads, but it’s also important to consider how LinkedIn ads fit into the bigger picture, and the additional services you might want to maximize your ROI.
- LinkedIn Thought Leadership Content Creation
- Other ads channels like Meta and Google
What to Look for in a LinkedIn Ads Agency
If you’re comparing options, a few things tend to stand out:
- Experience specifically with LinkedIn
- Clear reporting tied to leads and pipeline
- Consistent testing across audiences and creative
- Understanding of B2B buying cycles
These factors usually explain why pricing differs between agencies.
Why Speedwork for LinkedIn Ads Management
At Speedwork, LinkedIn ads aren’t just one service we offer. They’re what we’re known for.
- One of only 10 LinkedIn Certified professionals in North America
- Campaign structures, testing frameworks, and analytics dashboards refined across 1,000+ campaigns
- Enterprise-level targeting, testing, and measurement applied to startups and mid-market companies
- Transparent pricing with flat monthly fees instead of percentage-based pricing
We always include these in our services:
- Ad creative designed for LinkedIn, including expert copywriting, polished design, and video editing.
- AI-powered ads analysis that includes LinkedIn, CRM, and industry data.
- Human-owned reporting and communications.
- Slack Connect channels for frequent, instant communications.
- Regular meetings to deep dive on performance and updates.
- Quarterly Business Reviews, aka “QBRs” to plan out strategy.
Our LinkedIn ads services are built for VP and Directors of Marketing at mid-market and enterprise tech companies who need a qualified pipeline. At Speedwork, we’ve run LinkedIn ads for over 500 companies and managed over $100 million in ad spend. To learn more, schedule a free consult with us.
The Bottom Line
LinkedIn ads give you direct access to decision-makers, which is why costs tend to be higher than other platforms.
Understanding agency pricing helps set expectations early. From there, the focus shifts to how the program is structured, how often it’s tested, and how closely it connects to pipeline.