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When you first set up LinkedIn Ads, you’ll see bidding recommendations that LinkedIn provides. But here’s the truth: they’re often wildly inflated and not to be trusted. Following them usually means overpaying—sometimes by double.

Let’s break down why that happens, and what strategy we’ve found works best.

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Why LinkedIn’s bidding recommendations don’t make sense

LinkedIn’s default option, Max Delivery, consistently costs more than it should. Switching to manual CPC bidding gives you more control, but you’re then presented with ranges that can feel outrageous—sometimes showing $42–$94 per click.

Even if you apply the common advice of bidding “25% under,” you’re still left paying far more than necessary.

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What actually determines your cost per click

Your CPC isn’t dictated by how aggressive your bid is. It depends on three key factors:

1. Audience competition – some audiences are naturally more expensive.
   
2. Daily budget – larger budgets require more impressions to spend.
   
3. Ad performance – the biggest factor. High-performing ads (e.g., a 1% landing page CTR) can consistently drive costs below $8 per click, even in competitive audiences.
   
   

💡 Pro tip: Don’t let your LinkedIn rep scare you. Lower bids do not equal lower-quality leads—we’ve tested this with over $100,000 in spend.

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Our recommended bidding strategy

Instead of following LinkedIn’s inflated ranges, we recommend a much simpler approach:

• Start low. In North America, we begin at $7 CPC.
  
• Test spend. If the campaign doesn’t fully spend its daily budget, increase bids slowly every 2–3 business days.
  
• Rely on performance. A strong ad can outperform high bids every time.
  
  

LinkedIn might warn that low bids scrape “bottom-of-the-barrel” traffic, but real-world tests prove otherwise: bid aggressiveness has no impact on lead quality.

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Final takeaway

Don’t let LinkedIn’s suggested bids trick you into overspending. Start with a low baseline, let data guide your increases, and you’ll reach your target audience more efficiently—without draining your budget.

⬆️ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly strategies: https://youtube.com/@b2linked

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