Let me start with my hot take: video ads, especially linkedin video ads, are the most overallocated and underperforming format on LinkedIn. I know that’s a bold opener for a “best practices” post. But after analyzing 342 video ads across 7 B2B SaaS companies and running LinkedIn ABM campaigns for over two years, I can’t write about video ads without leading with the data:
Video receives 31.72% of total LinkedIn ad budget – the second largest allocation after single image ads. But it delivers the lowest CTR (0.24% median), the highest CPC ($15.61), and the worst efficiency score (1.5 out of 10) of any LinkedIn ad format 🤷♀️ So why do we marketers do that to ourselves? 😅 Is it the years of brainwashing that “video is the best format”? But hey – does that mean you should never use video on LinkedIn? No. It means you should use it strategically, in specific situations, with realistic expectations. This post covers when video actually works (based on my experience – evidence attached!) 
…how to make it work better, and where most advertisers go wrong.
When considering advertising options, it’s crucial to assess the effectiveness of linkedin video ads compared to other formats.
Before we get into best practices, let’s look at what the data actually says. These numbers are from ZenABM’s 2026 benchmark report – 2,828 ads analyzed, including 342 video ads:
| Metric | Video Ads | Single Image | TLAs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median CTR | 0.24% | 0.42% | 2.68% |
| Median CPC | $15.61 | $13.23 | $2.29 |
| Median CPM | $38.94 | $59.15 | $49.37 |
| Dwell Time | 3.91s | 3.64s | 6.63s |
| Budget Share | 31.72% | 61.87% | ~7-10% |
| Efficiency Score | 1.5 | 3.2 | 9.5 |
Let me translate that into dollars. For every $1,000 you spend:
Same budget. Dramatically different outcomes.
Here’s why so many advertisers over-invest in video: the CPM looks great. At $38.94, video’s CPM is 34% lower than single image ads ($59.15). You see more impressions for the same spend and think you’re getting better value. But – unless you’re producing your videos for broader brand awareness – impressions without clicks are vanity metrics. When you calculate cost per actual outcome – clicks, landing page visits, conversions – video consistently ranks last. The low CPM is a trap.
LinkedIn is not a video platform. Users are scrolling through a professional feed, not watching video content. Cinematic production values, long-form storytelling, and elaborate transitions don’t increase performance here. Be direct, be authentic, be brief.
LinkedIn is not a video platform. Users are scrolling through a professional feed, not watching video content. Cinematic production values, long-form storytelling, and elaborate transitions don’t increase performance here. Be direct, be authentic, be brief.
Here’s the other thing the data made clear:
Most people who see your video ad watch less than 6 seconds of it. If your key message doesn’t land in that window, it doesn’t land at all. And LinkedIn’s “view” metric? It counts 2+ seconds of playback with 50%+ of pixels in view. Since videos auto-play in the feed, someone scrolling past your ad slowly enough counts as a “view.” That means view counts are heavily inflated compared to meaningful engagement – and that’s why I URGE you to mostly use the website visits rather than engagement objective!
| Video Length | Avg. Completion Rate | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Under 15 seconds | 35-45% | Brand awareness, simple messages |
| 15-30 seconds | 25-35% | Product teasers, value propositions |
| 30-60 seconds | 15-25% | Testimonials, feature demos |
| 1-3 minutes | 8-15% | In-depth demos (retargeting only) |
| 3+ minutes | Under 8% | Not recommended for ads |
Keep this in mind as we go through best practices – the #1 rule of LinkedIn video is: keep it short. You can’t front load your product stuff – so you’ll need to have a good hook first.
Despite everything above, video does have legitimate use cases on LinkedIn. Here’s when it’s worth the investment:
This is where I found most success with video ads on LinkedIn. Short, funny videos that nail a shared pain point (“when your boss asks for the LinkedIn Ads ROI report and you only have CTR data”) stop the scroll and make people remember your brand. They don’t need to click. They need to think “oh, these people get it.”
Tapping into popular trends (e.g. TikTok “Come to work with me as XYZ”) and localizing them for a specific industry also works really work in my experience: e.g. this Linkedin video ad had a 1.1% CTR!
Keep them under 60 seconds (ideally ~45) make sure the humor lands without sound (text overlays are your friend), and don’t force a CTA at the end – the brand impression IS the conversion.
One of our bootcamp speakers put it well: a pure text TLA with 20 seconds of dwell time can beat a video for conveying a message, but for making someone feel something about your brand? That’s video’s territory.
This is the #1 use case for video. People who’ve already visited your website, engaged with your Thought Leader Ads, or are on your ABM target list already know who you are. Video gives them a deeper look at your product or team. Expected retargeting CTR: 0.5%+ (vs 0.24% cold).
If you want to show product has dynamic workflows or complex interactions that screenshots can’t capture – video of course makese sense. But only if:
Real customers speaking about specific results they achieved. The combination of seeing and hearing a real person with their name, title, and company on screen builds trust in a way that text testimonials can’t. Keep these to 30-45 seconds max.
CEO or founder speaking directly to camera about a contrarian insight or industry perspective. This works when the person IS the brand – consultants, advisors, agency founders. But there’s a catch… From the ABM Bootcamp Q&A on Thought Leader Ads: “We at first didn’t see anything very good with video ads on Thought Leader Ads. And then we had one founder who was just killing it with video. What that leads me to believe is it’s not… video is good, video is bad, it’s… does this person do a good video?” In other words: video in TLAs is person-dependent. If your founder or exec is a natural on camera – engaging, concise, authentic – video TLAs can work. If they’re stiff or scripted, a well-written text TLA will outperform every time.
Before creating a LinkedIn video ad, ask yourself:
If you answered “no” to all four, don’t use video. Seriously.
| Specification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| File Format | MP4 |
| File Size | 75 KB – 200 MB |
| Duration | 3 seconds – 30 minutes (recommended: under 30s) |
| Recommended Aspect Ratio | 1:1 (square) for mobile feed |
| Resolution (Square) | 1080 x 1080 (min 360 x 360) |
| Resolution (Landscape) | 1920 x 1080 (min 640 x 360) |
| Intro Text | Up to 600 characters (first 150 visible on mobile) |
| Headline | Up to 200 characters (recommend 70) |
| Captions | SRT upload supported – strongly recommended |
| Thumbnail | Auto-generated or custom upload (custom recommended) |
| Sound | OFF by default – users must tap to unmute |
Key technical note: LinkedIn auto-plays video in-feed on both desktop and mobile, muted by default – so you desperately need caption. A “view” counts as 2+ seconds of playback with 50%+ of pixels in view A “completion” is 97%+ watched.
If you’ve decided video is the right format for your goal (retargeting, demos, testimonials, or brand awareness), here’s how to maximize performance:
With a median watch time of 5.86 seconds, the first 3 seconds determine everything. Open with a bold statement, a surprising statistic, or a visually striking frame. No logo animations, no “welcome to” intros, no title cards. What works:
What doesn’t: 5-second logo fade-ins, “Hi, I’m [name] and today we’re going to talk about…” – by the time you’ve said that, most viewers are gone.
The majority of LinkedIn users browse with sound off. Your video needs to work completely without audio:
LinkedIn recommends under 30 seconds for demand generation, and the data backs this up. Completion rates drop dramatically after 15 seconds. Here’s a rough guide:
If your content genuinely needs 60+ seconds, ask yourself: would a single image ad or carousel communicate this more effectively?
Over 57% of LinkedIn traffic comes from mobile. Square videos take up 78% more screen real estate in the mobile feed compared to landscape (16:9). If you only produce one version, make it 1:1. Landscape videos look fine on desktop but appear small and easy to scroll past on phones – where the majority of your audience is browsing.
LinkedIn auto-generates a thumbnail from a random frame – and it’s almost always bad. A blurry mid-sentence face, an awkward transition, a blank slide. Think of your thumbnail as a single image ad that happens to play video when clicked. Include a compelling headline or text overlay, use high contrast, and make it clearly communicate what the video is about. The thumbnail is the single biggest factor in whether someone decides to watch.
Put the most important information in the first 10 seconds. Don’t build to a climax – start with the climax. Assume most viewers will only watch 5-7 seconds (the data says they will). Structure it as: Key message → Supporting evidence → CTA. Not: Setup → Build → Reveal.
The LinkedIn CTA button below the video is easy to miss. Reinforce your call-to-action within the video itself – both at the midpoint and in the final frames. Use an end card with clear next steps. Use action-oriented copy: “Get the free guide,” “See how it works,” “Book your demo.” Don’t just rely on the platform’s built-in CTA button.
The copy above your video matters more than most advertisers realize. The first 150 characters are visible before “see more” on mobile – that’s your hook.
This might be the most counterintuitive best practice: higher production value does NOT correlate with higher performance on LinkedIn. An authentic iPhone-quality talking head can outperform a $10,000 professional shoot. A simple screen recording with annotations can beat a polished animated explainer. A 2-minute GIF can beat a 2-day video production (we proved that one ourselves). LinkedIn is a professional browsing context, not a lean-back entertainment platform. Users are scrolling through a busy feed. Authentic, direct, and concise beats cinematic every time.
| Production Level | Cost | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone/webcam talking head | $0-50 | Often highest CTR (authenticity wins) |
| Screen recording with annotations | $0-100 | High for product demos |
| Canva/simple animation | $50-200 | Good for data stories |
| Professional shoot | $2,000-10,000+ | Variable (can feel “too polished”) |
| Full motion graphics | $3,000-15,000+ | Variable |
And if you’re worried about production effort, AI tools like Claude can now help you create motion graphic videos from prompts. As one of our bootcamp speakers shared: “I basically prompted the video into existence. So it’s not as expensive to build videos anyway.”
This is where video genuinely adds unique value. LinkedIn lets you create retargeting audiences based on how much of your video people watched:
If you run video without setting up these audiences, you’re missing the biggest advantage video has over other formats. Use video as a top-of-funnel filter: show the video, then retarget people who watched 50%+ with TLAs or single image ads that drive clicks. This is the video-to-retargeting funnel – and it’s the main reason to invest in video at all.
Not all video formats perform equally. Here’s what works, ranked by typical effectiveness:
Real customers speaking about specific, quantifiable results. Include name, title, company for credibility. Keep it to 30-45 seconds. Avoid scripted, over-produced testimonials – authenticity matters more than polish. Typical CTR: 0.25-0.45%.
Show the product solving a specific problem – one feature per video, not a full tour. Use cursor movements and highlights to guide the eye. Include before/after framing when possible. 15-30 seconds for cold, up to 60 seconds for retargeting. Typical CTR: 0.20-0.40%.
Animate key statistics or research findings. Numbers appearing with emphasis, chart builds, comparisons. Strong hook potential: “We analyzed 2,828 LinkedIn ads. Here’s what we found.” 10-20 seconds – deliver the insight fast. Typical CTR: 0.25-0.50%.
C-suite or subject matter expert speaking directly to camera about a contrarian opinion. Can outperform everything else if the person is compelling – or fall flat if they’re not. Keep to 15-30 seconds for cold audiences. Typical CTR: 0.15-0.35%.
Motion graphics explaining a concept or process. Works well when your product is abstract or hard to visualize. Keep simple – overly complex animations distract. 15-30 seconds. Typical CTR: 0.15-0.30%.
Short clips from webinars, podcasts, or conferences. Choose the single most impactful moment – not a highlight reel. Add context with text overlays. 15-30 seconds of the best insight. Typical CTR: 0.20-0.40%.
Don’t sleep on this one. A simple animated GIF showing your product in action can outperform a full video ad (we proved this ourselves). Extremely cheap to produce, loops naturally in the feed, and feels less like an “ad.” If your product has a compelling visual, test a GIF before investing in video.
If you’re running LinkedIn ABM campaigns, here’s where video fits at each stage:
| Stage | Video Goal | Content Type | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Introduce problem/brand | Industry insight, bold claim | 6-15 sec |
| Consideration | Educate on solution | Product demo, explainer | 15-30 sec |
| Decision | Build trust, prove value | Testimonial, case study | 30-45 sec |
| Expansion | Deepen relationship | Advanced features, tips | 30-60 sec |
Critical point for ABM: Video production doesn’t scale well for account-based campaigns. If you’re targeting 500 accounts split across 3 personas, you need persona-specific creative. Creating 3 versions of a video is 3x the cost. Creating 3 versions of a single image ad takes 30 minutes. For Tier 2-3 accounts, don’t invest in personalized video – use TLAs and single image ads instead.
Here’s what the data tells us about how much budget should go to video:
| Scenario | Video Budget Share | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Current industry average | 31.72% | Severely overallocated |
| Recommended (aggressive) | 5-8% | Retargeting warm audiences only |
| Recommended (balanced) | 12-15% | Brand awareness + retargeting |
| Product requires motion | 15-20% | Only if screenshots truly can’t work |
Within your ABM campaign structure, video should be a supporting format – not a core one. Our recommended mix includes 2-3 video ads per campaign, running alongside 5-6 single image ads, 5 TLAs, and 1-3 carousel ads. Video shouldn’t carry the campaign – it should complement it. The math is simple: reallocating just 20% of your video budget to TLAs can generate 3-4x more landing page clicks. If you’re spending $5,000/month on video, moving $1,000 to TLAs would yield roughly 327 additional landing page visits.
LinkedIn Campaign Manager shows you aggregate video metrics – total views, completion rates, average watch time. What it can’t tell you is which specific companies are watching and engaging. For ABM, this is critical. You need to know which accounts are consuming your video content, how far they’re watching, and whether video engagement is correlating with pipeline movement. Without account-level visibility, you’re optimizing blind. ZenABM connects your LinkedIn ad engagement data (including video views) to specific companies, so you can see which accounts in your target list are engaging with your video content and attribute it to pipeline and revenue.
Now that you know the best practices, here are the mistakes I see most often – several of which I’ve made myself:
The biggest one. Video gets 31.72% of budget but has the worst efficiency score. Before creating your next video ad, check your format allocation in Campaign Manager. If video is eating more than 15% of your budget, you’re likely leaving performance on the table. Read more in our LinkedIn ads mistakes guide.
LinkedIn videos play with sound off by default. A video without captions is essentially a silent movie that nobody chose to watch. Always upload SRT files or burn in captions during production.
With a median watch time of 5.86 seconds, every second of logo animation or “welcome to our channel” is wasted. Jump straight into the key message. The first frame should stop the scroll.
Over 57% of LinkedIn traffic is mobile. Landscape videos appear small in the mobile feed. Square (1:1) takes up 78% more screen space. Always produce at least a 1:1 version.
If your message can be communicated with one image and a headline, don’t make a video. Video production takes 10-50x longer than creating a single image ad. The ROI on production time is negative when the message is simple.
LinkedIn’s auto-generated thumbnails are almost always bad. Upload a custom thumbnail with a clear headline, high contrast, and a compelling visual. Think of it as the ad for your ad.
If you run video without creating 25%/50%/75%/97% viewer audiences, you’re missing video’s biggest unique advantage. Build these audiences immediately, then retarget with higher-intent formats.
Video creative fatigues faster than static images, especially for small ABM audiences. The same people seeing the same video 5+ times leads to rapid performance decay. Rotate every 4-6 weeks maximum.
LinkedIn’s 2-second view count is an auto-play metric – it’s not meaningful. A video with 50,000 “views” but 0.15% CTR is underperforming. Focus on completion rate, CTR, CPC, and ultimately pipeline influenced.
LinkedIn is not a video platform. Users are scrolling through a professional feed, not watching video content. Cinematic production values, long-form storytelling, and elaborate transitions don’t increase performance here. Be direct, be authentic, be brief.
