Course Recommendations for LinkedIn Ads

Jul 24, 2025

You've set up a LinkedIn Ads campaign to target key decision-makers in your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). But after spending thousands of dollars, you're staring at dismal conversion rates and thinking, "This feels like pissing money down the drain."

Sound familiar?

You're not alone. Many marketers express this exact frustration: "I've probably done a dozen experiments. Several thousand in ad spend and I can't get anything to convert to signing up for our platform or booking a product demo."

LinkedIn Ads are notoriously expensive, with many advertisers reporting sky-high CPCs that deliver little in return. One marketer lamented, "We blew through a $25 budget in a test campaign on 3 clicks and 250 impressions." Another noted, "The CTR is okay, but the CPC is higher than any other platform. I can't get any conversions."

This disconnect happens because LinkedIn is fundamentally different from other advertising platforms. While Google captures high-intent searches and Meta (Facebook's parent company) excels at interest-based targeting, LinkedIn is a low-intent professional network where users aren't actively looking to be sold to.

Success on LinkedIn requires specialized knowledge—not just throwing money at the platform and hoping for the best. You need a strategic approach that addresses each stage of the customer journey.

Stop wasting ad budget on LinkedIn

In this article, we'll cut through the noise and recommend quality courses that will transform your LinkedIn advertising from a budget drain to a B2B lead generation powerhouse.

The Foundation: Key LinkedIn Ad Concepts You Must Master

Before investing in any course, understand that successful LinkedIn advertising rests on these key pillars:

LinkedIn's Unique Power and Pitfalls

The Power: LinkedIn boasts over 1 billion members, with 4 out of 5 having the power to influence business decisions. This audience has twice the buying power of typical online audiences, making it a B2B gold mine.

The Pitfall: Unlike Google, LinkedIn is a "low-intent" channel. Users aren't actively searching for solutions, so your strategy must focus on education and relationship-building rather than immediate conversion.

The Funnel Approach Is Non-Negotiable

Any worthwhile LinkedIn Ads course will emphasize a structured funnel approach:

  • TOFU (Top of Funnel): Build awareness with broader targeting by industry or job function. Share educational content, not sales pitches.

  • MOFU (Middle of Funnel): Engage and nurture prospects who have shown interest. Retarget website visitors (using the LinkedIn Insight Tag) and previous ad engagers with case studies and more detailed content.

  • BOFU (Bottom of Funnel): Drive conversions from high-intent audiences with direct calls to action, like requesting Navattic interactive product demos or scheduling a sales call to generate sales qualified leads (SQLs).

Mastering Ad Targeting Without Strangling Your Campaign

One of the biggest mistakes marketers make is hyper-targeting their LinkedIn campaigns. While LinkedIn's targeting capabilities are powerful, over-narrowing your audience can kill your campaign before it starts.

For optimal performance:

  • Limit targeting to two options beyond location

  • Aim for an audience size between 50,000 and 300,000

  • Adjust your audience size goals by ad type:

    • Text ads: 60,000 to 400,000 users

    • Sponsored Content: 300,000+ users

    • Sponsored Messaging: 30,000 to 100,000 users

Top Course Recommendations for LinkedIn Ads

1. The Official Starting Point (Free & Foundational)

Course: LinkedIn Marketing Labs

This is LinkedIn's official, free training platform—perfect for marketers who want a certificate from a reputable source to "show on your LinkedIn page."

Key Features:

  • Completely free courses and certifications

  • Trusted by over 100,000+ learners

  • Provides official certifications you can add directly to your LinkedIn profile

Recommended Learning Path:

  1. Introduction to LinkedIn Ads

  2. Using LinkedIn's Ad Targeting

  3. Using LinkedIn for Lead Generation

  4. Reporting and Analytics for LinkedIn Ads

The courses cover everything from the basics of setting up campaigns to implementing conversion tracking with the LinkedIn Insight Tag. You'll learn the fundamentals of creating a campaign that aligns with your business goals and target audience.

2. The Expert-Led Deep Dive (For Maximizing ROI)

Course: Validate and Scale Your LinkedIn Ads by CXL

This course is ideal for marketers who understand the basics but struggle with low conversion rates and high ad spend. It addresses the exact pains expressed in our research, like feeling that LinkedIn Ads are "pissing money down the drain."

Key Features:

  • Instructor: AJ Wilcox, a leading LinkedIn Ads expert who has managed over $150M in ad spend

  • Duration: 4 hours 10 minutes of dense, strategic content

  • Objective: Equip you with a framework to create high-converting ads, drive quality B2B leads, and build a scalable sales pipeline

  • Curriculum Highlights:

    • Campaign validation without overspending

    • Advanced targeting tactics to find high-value prospects

    • Building effective 3-stage funnel campaigns

    • Cost management strategies to prevent budget waste

    • Performance tracking with UTM parameters for accurate conversion tracking

  • Certification: Provides a CXL LinkedIn Ads Course Certificate, recognized by employers globally

3. Broader Social Media Advertising Context

Course Provider: Hootsuite Academy

For marketers managing multiple platforms beyond LinkedIn, Hootsuite Academy provides valuable context on how LinkedIn fits into a broader social media strategy alongside platforms like those from Meta (Facebook's parent company).

Key Features:

  • Courses on social media advertising across multiple platforms

  • Context for how LinkedIn Ads strategy differs from other platforms

  • Useful for agencies or marketers managing diverse paid media channels

Your Action Plan: A Step-by-Step Campaign Checklist

Taking a course is just the first step. Here's how to apply that knowledge:

  1. Set Your Objective in Campaign Manager: Choose from Awareness, Consideration, or Conversion based on your target's position in the customer journey.

  2. Install the LinkedIn Insight Tag: This is essential for conversion tracking and building retargeting audiences from website visitors.

  3. Build Your Audience Strategically:

    • Define your funnel stage (TOFU, MOFU, or BOFU)

    • Select targeting parameters aligned with your ICP

    • Avoid hyper-targeting—stick to 2-3 parameters for an audience of 50k-300k

  4. Choose the Right Ad Format: Select formats that match your objective (e.g., Video Ads for awareness, Lead Gen Forms for conversions).

  5. Create Compelling Ad Copy:

    • Use benefit-driven headlines

    • Incorporate high-quality visuals or videos

    • Include explicit calls-to-action

  6. Launch and A/B Test: Create 2-4 variations to test different elements and optimize for better performance.

Conclusion: From Wasted Spend to Strategic Investment

The frustration with LinkedIn Ads is real, but so is the opportunity. Success doesn't come from a bigger budget, but from a smarter strategy. By investing in quality education—whether starting with free LinkedIn Marketing Labs certifications or mastering advanced frameworks with CXL's course—you can transform your LinkedIn advertising from a costly experiment into a predictable, high-ROI lead generation engine.

Apply the foundational principles of funnel-based marketing, strategic targeting, and continuous testing, and you'll be well on your way to generating valuable B2B leads instead of just burning through your marketing budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my LinkedIn Ads so expensive?

Your LinkedIn Ads are likely expensive because you are treating LinkedIn like a high-intent platform such as Google. LinkedIn is a professional network where users are not actively looking to buy. High costs often result from targeting a cold audience with hard-sell, bottom-of-funnel offers. Success requires a funnel-based approach that educates and nurtures prospects before asking for a conversion, which helps lower your cost-per-lead over time.

What is the most common mistake marketers make on LinkedIn Ads?

The most common mistake is hyper-targeting your campaigns with too many filters. While LinkedIn's targeting is powerful, narrowing your audience too much (e.g., below 50,000 users) can severely restrict reach and drive up costs. For optimal performance, limit your targeting to two or three key parameters beyond location to maintain a healthy audience size and allow the algorithm to work effectively.

How do I build an effective LinkedIn Ads funnel?

An effective LinkedIn Ads funnel involves three stages: Top of Funnel (TOFU), Middle of Funnel (MOFU), and Bottom of Funnel (BOFU). At the TOFU stage, focus on building awareness with broad targeting and educational content. For MOFU, retarget users who engaged with your TOFU ads or visited your website with more detailed content like case studies. Finally, at the BOFU stage, target this warm, high-intent audience with direct calls-to-action like demo requests or free trials.

How important is the LinkedIn Insight Tag?

The LinkedIn Insight Tag is absolutely essential for running successful ad campaigns. This piece of code allows you to track conversions from your ads, which is crucial for measuring ROI. More importantly, it enables you to build powerful retargeting audiences based on who has visited your website, allowing you to effectively move prospects through your MOFU and BOFU campaign stages.

What kind of content works best for LinkedIn Ads?

The best content aligns with the user's stage in the customer journey. For top-of-funnel (TOFU) audiences, use educational content like blog posts, industry reports, or short videos that address a pain point without a hard sell. For middle-of-funnel (MOFU), use case studies, webinars, or whitepapers. For bottom-of-funnel (BOFU), use direct offers like free trials, demo requests, or consultation bookings.

Should I start with a free or paid LinkedIn Ads course?

It depends on your current knowledge and goals. Free courses are great for fundamentals, while paid courses offer advanced, ROI-focused strategies. If you're new to the platform, LinkedIn's own free Marketing Labs courses are an excellent starting point to understand the basics. If you have some experience but are struggling with performance and want to maximize your ROI, an expert-led paid course like CXL's provides in-depth frameworks and advanced tactics to build a scalable lead generation engine.

On This Page