Configure LinkedIn Ads Audience Targeting

Prerequisites

• LinkedIn Campaign Manager account with Marketing API access
• Defined ICP with firmographic and demographic criteria

Steps

1. Define targeting criteria via API. Use the LinkedIn Marketing API to configure campaign targeting:

   POST /v2/adCampaigns
   {
     "targeting": {
       "include": {
         "and": [
           {"or": {"industry": ["SOFTWARE", "INTERNET"]}},
           {"or": {"companySize": ["SIZE_11_50", "SIZE_51_200"]}},
           {"or": {"jobFunction": ["ENGINEERING", "PRODUCT_MANAGEMENT"]}},
           {"or": {"seniority": ["VP", "DIRECTOR"]}}
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

2. Company targeting. Filter by industry, company size, and optionally specific company names. For ABM, use matched audiences (see linkedin-ads-abm-sync).

3. Person targeting. Layer job function, seniority level, and specific job titles. Use boolean-style targeting for precision: target "VP of Engineering" OR "Head of Platform" with Director+ seniority.

4. Exclude audiences. Exclude competitors' employees, your own company, and current customers via the API exclusion parameters to avoid wasting spend.

5. Check audience size via API. Query the audience count endpoint. LinkedIn recommends 50,000-500,000 for Sponsored Content. If too small, broaden criteria; if too large, add more filters.

6. Create audience variations. Build and save multiple audience configurations: "ICP - Engineering Leaders", "ICP - Marketing Leaders", "ICP - C-Suite". Test each in separate campaigns to identify which converts best.