LinkedIn Ads Benchmarks: CTR and CPL by Industry
Published LinkedIn benchmarks disagree with each other because they measure different advertisers in different ways. Here are the main datasets side by side, with what each one is good for.
What is a good CTR on LinkedIn Ads?
A good LinkedIn Ads click-through rate for B2B single image ads is roughly 0.5% to 0.7%. Metadata’s 2025 data shows 0.67% spend-weighted across 138 B2B advertisers, and industry tables put most sectors between 0.4% and 0.8%. Thought Leader Ads run much higher, and video much lower, because people use them differently.
Treat any rate below about 0.35% on image ads as a sign that the audience or the message is off. Treat CTR as a check on relevance, not as the goal.
What are LinkedIn CTR and cost per lead by industry?
By industry, published click-through rates for LinkedIn ads range from about 0.4% for software and internet companies to about 0.8% for retail, and cost per lead from about $60 to $150. Software advertisers see lower CTRs, partly because so many compete for the same technical audiences.
| Industry | CTR | Cost per lead | CTR, relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software and internet | 0.39% | $125 | |
| Hardware and networking | 0.40% | $150 | |
| Education | 0.42% | $64 | |
| Media and communications | 0.42% | $65 | |
| Public administration | 0.46% | $85 | |
| Financial services and insurance | 0.49% | $100 | |
| Manufacturing | 0.49% | $100 | |
| Corporate services | 0.50% | $60 | |
| Healthcare | 0.58% | $125 | |
| Consumer goods | 0.60% | $89 | |
| Transportation and logistics | 0.67% | $130 | |
| Retail | 0.80% | $80 |
For B2B technology specifically, Metadata’s larger dataset reports higher costs. Use the industry table for relative differences between sectors, and Metadata’s figures for the level to budget against.
Which LinkedIn ad format has the highest CTR?
Thought Leader Ads have by far the highest click-through rate in published data, about 2.7% in one 2026 dataset, because they are posts from a person rather than a company. Among company ads, event, document and single image ads sit around 0.4% to 0.6%, carousels a little lower, and video lowest.
| Format | CTR (ZenABM, 2026) | CTR (The B2B House, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Thought Leader Ads | 2.68% | – |
| Event Ads | 0.55% | 0.55% |
| Document Ads | 0.43% | 0.43% |
| Single image | 0.42% | 0.56% |
| Carousel | 0.32% | 0.40% |
| Video | 0.24% | 0.44% |
| Message Ads (open-to-click) | – | 3.0% |
| Text Ads | 0.02% | – |
The formats themselves, with mock-ups, are on LinkedIn ad formats.
What conversion rates should you expect?
Expect roughly 6% to 12% of clicks to become leads on LinkedIn, depending on the offer. Metadata measured 5.9% click-to-lead overall and 11.9% for Document Ads; another 2026 dataset reports about 10% for Lead Gen Forms, 10% to 15% for content and webinar offers, and 2% to 5% for demo requests.
| Offer | Conversion rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| All LinkedIn traffic | 5.9% | Metadata, 2025 |
| Document Ads | 11.9% | Metadata, 2025 |
| Lead Gen Forms | ~10% | ZenABM, 2026 |
| Content or webinar offer | 10–15% | ZenABM, 2026 |
| Demo request | 2–5% | ZenABM, 2026 |
Beat your own last month, not the average.
Benchmarks mix industries, budgets and offers. Your own trend by format and audience is the only comparison that tells you what to change.
How should you use LinkedIn benchmarks?
Use benchmarks to spot problems, not to set targets. If your CTR is half the range for your format, fix the audience or creative. If your cost per lead is twice the median, check the offer and destination. Then build your own baseline from four to six weeks of results and judge everything against it.
- Spend-weighted averages (Metadata) are pulled toward the biggest advertisers; the median tells you what a typical account pays.
- Per-company medians (ZenABM) describe a typical account, often smaller ones.
- Agency tables (The B2B House) mix LinkedIn forecast data with client results and suit comparisons between industries.
If your numbers are far from these ranges, work through the high cost per lead diagnosis.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good CTR for LinkedIn Ads?
Roughly 0.5% to 0.7% for B2B single image ads. Thought Leader Ads run far higher and video lower.
What is the average LinkedIn CTR for software companies?
About 0.39% in The B2B House’s December 2025 industry table, one of the lowest of any sector.
What is a good Lead Gen Form conversion rate?
About 10% of people who open the form, with strong offers reaching 15% or more, according to ZenABM’s 2026 data.
Why do LinkedIn benchmark sources disagree?
They measure different advertisers and use different methods: spend-weighted averages, per-company medians or forecast-tool estimates.
Does LinkedIn publish official benchmarks?
Campaign Manager shows benchmark comparisons for your own campaigns, but LinkedIn doesn’t publish a public industry table.
How often do LinkedIn benchmarks change?
Every year. Recheck them at least every six months, and rely on your own baseline.
Sources & further reading
Specs, minimums and tracking details come from LinkedIn. Benchmarks come from the third-party datasets named under each table.