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How to Build a LinkedIn Ads Funnel
Pick a play for your offer, use LinkedIn-native creative, match the landing page to the ad, follow up fast and retarget by engagement tier. Kronos generates the system below with labelled platform benchmarks.
The funnel architectures that convert on LinkedIn
Document Ad to LGF to nurture
Document Ad (gated preview) -> Lead Gen Form -> CRM nurture -> webinar/demo
Fits: The lead-gen standout format for B2B content assets · Document Ads CPL $142 in Metadata 2025 (CLAIMED, Metadata via Scalix compilation); CPL $94 and LGF CVR 14.7% in First Page Sage (CLAIMED)
Thought Leader to LGF webinar registration
Thought Leader Ad (person's post) -> Lead Gen Form as the webinar registration
Fits: Webinar registrations from senior B2B audiences · Thought Leader Ads CPL $87, LGF CVR 13.1%, CTR 1.08% (CLAIMED, First Page Sage format dataset)
Thought Leader to landing (retargeting build)
Thought Leader Ad -> landing page -> website retargeting pool -> LGF offer
Fits: Building a high-value retargeting pool from practitioner content · Thought Leader landing-page CVR 3.7% vs LGF CVR 13.1% — the structural gap the retargeting rung exists to close (CLAIMED, First Page Sage)
ABM list to Conversation Ad to booking
ABM company/contact list -> Conversation/Message Ad -> booking
Fits: Named-account B2B outreach at ACV that survives LinkedIn CPLs · All-format CPL $144 and LGF CVR 11.9% are the planning anchors (CLAIMED, First Page Sage); funnels need ACV of roughly $5K-$25K+ to survive $90-$200 CPLs (report §6)
LGF-opener retargeting ladder
LGF openers-not-submitters -> retargeting sequence -> LGF or booking
Fits: Recovering the highest-intent non-converters on LinkedIn · Lead Gen Forms convert roughly 4x landing pages because profile data is pre-filled (CLAIMED, both Metadata and First Page Sage datasets agree on direction, report §6)
Video-view to LGF closer
Sponsored video -> video-view audiences -> LGF offer -> booking
Fits: Closing warmed B2B video audiences with a native form · Video CPL $186, LGF CVR 9.6%, CTR 0.39% — the most expensive format in the table, so the closer rung must be selective (CLAIMED, First Page Sage)
Creative structures
Thought Leader post structure
First-person observation or story → The framework or lesson, in the post body → Link late (registration, asset or page) → Lead Gen Form attached where the play calls for it
First-person practitioner voice is the Thought Leader pattern (CLAIMED, format-level datasets, report §6).
Document Ad structure
Cover page that earns the preview → Preview pages that deliver real substance → Lead Gen Form gate → Full document delivery plus nurture entry
Document Ads lead with a genuinely useful framework/report whose preview earns the form submit (CLAIMED, report §6).
The numbers to plan against
| Subject | Metric | Value | Label | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsored Content — B2B dataset | CTR | 0.67% | CLAIMED | Metadata 2025 B2B dataset via Scalix compilation |
| Sponsored Content — B2B dataset | CPC | $9.39 | CLAIMED | Metadata 2025 B2B dataset via Scalix compilation |
| Sponsored Content — B2B dataset | CPM | $63.19 | CLAIMED | Metadata 2025 B2B dataset via Scalix compilation |
| Sponsored Content — B2B dataset | CPL | $202 | CLAIMED | Metadata 2025 B2B dataset via Scalix compilation |
| Document Ads — B2B dataset | CPL | $142 (lowest of any format in that dataset) | CLAIMED | Metadata 2025 B2B dataset via Scalix compilation |
| Document Ads — format dataset | Lead Gen Form CVR / CTR / CPL | LGF CVR 14.7%; CTR 0.71%; CPL $94 | CLAIMED | First Page Sage format dataset (Jan 2025–Aug 2026, agency-compiled) |
| Thought Leader Ads — format dataset | Lead Gen Form CVR / landing-page CVR / CTR / CPL | LGF CVR 13.1%; landing-page CVR 3.7%; CTR 1.08%; CPL $87 | CLAIMED | First Page Sage format dataset |
| Single Image — format dataset | Lead Gen Form CVR / landing-page CVR / CTR / CPL | LGF CVR 11.9%; landing-page CVR 3.2%; CTR 0.53%; CPL $141 | CLAIMED | First Page Sage format dataset |