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There’s a hidden setting in LinkedIn Ads that can drain your budget faster than setting fire to a pile of cash: the LinkedIn Audience Network (LAN).

What is the LinkedIn Audience Network?

The Audience Network is LinkedIn’s network of partner sites and apps where your ads can appear outside of LinkedIn.

On paper, it sounds like a dream—your ideal B2B audience is targeted across the web, even when they’re not scrolling LinkedIn. That means more touchpoints, more impressions, and more chances to stay top of mind.

But here’s the catch:

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The Major Problems with LAN

1. Click Fraud Risks

By default, LAN serves ads in apps, and unfortunately, some shady developers simulate clicks to cash in on ad revenue. In one case, we saw 60% of a client’s budget eaten by a single app.

2. No Pacing Control

Unlike LinkedIn’s main platform, LAN doesn’t have pacing safeguards. Your entire daily budget could be spent in 20 minutes—with little to show for it.

3. Misleading Metrics

At first glance, LAN looks incredible. Landing page CTRs of 5% or higher and CPCs under $2? Amazing, right? Not so fast. The traffic rarely converts. Metrics look inflated, but the results don’t back it up.

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The Upside of LAN

To be fair, it’s not all bad news. LAN does come with a few advantages:

• More frequent access to your target audience across the web.
  
• Bot filtering—LinkedIn claims to only charge for human clicks.
  
• Block list support—a crucial feature to weed out bad actors.
  
  

At B2Linked, we even provide a free block list that cuts out the low-quality sites and apps while leaving premium placements like The Wall Street Journal and Business Insider.

Should You Use It?

Here’s our rule of thumb:

• Turn LAN off by default.
  
• If you decide to test it, never run without a strong block list.
  
  

It’s the only way to protect your budget while still getting value from LAN’s extended reach.

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