Show Resources:

LinkedIn Learning course about LinkedIn Ads by AJ Wilcox: LinkedIn Advertising Course

LI Recommended Audience Sizes

MS Quarterly Release

Ep 287 of LinkedInformed Podcast

Bidding Budgeting Episode

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Contact us at Podcast@B2Linked.com with ideas for what you’d like AJ to cover.

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Summary:

When it comes to LinkedIn Ads, audience size matters more than you think—but not in the way most people assume. Contrary to LinkedIn’s broad recommendation of 300,000+ members, running tightly segmented audiences between 20,000 and 80,000 yields significantly better insights and efficiency. This allows you to track how specific segments perform—like seniority levels or company sizes—without diluting results in a giant, generalized campaign. Instead of one vague group, break it down: CMOs in one campaign, marketing managers in another, all with the same ads. You’ll get actionable data on who clicks, who converts, and what content resonates—something you lose with bloated targeting.

That said, avoid segmenting just for the sake of it. Only divide audiences by criteria that actually help you learn something (like seniority, geography, or job function). And if a micro-audience is too small to spend much, group its data with similar segments to reveal trends across the board. This rolling analysis gives you control at scale—so you can increase budgets, improve offers, or cut underperformers with precision. Large audience sizes may seem easier, but they hide inefficiencies. If you’re serious about optimizing your LinkedIn Ads, micro-segmentation is the edge your competitors aren’t using.