LinkedIn Ads formats: which ones B2B advertisers actually run
Single image, video, document, carousel, thought leader: what each format on LinkedIn Ads is for, and how often 432 B2B advertisers used each one in October 2026.
47.6%of active ads on LinkedIn Ads were single image ads in the week of October 5, 2026
Romain GuyonFounder of Overt
Published 7 min read
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In short
- LinkedIn Ads sorts its formats into four families: Sponsored Content in the feed, Sponsored Messaging in the inbox, Dynamic Ads, and Text Ads.
- Single image ads are still almost half of all active ads: 47.6% in the week of October 5, 2026, across 432 B2B advertisers.
- Video (17.8%), document (10.4%) and thought leader ads (11.1%) make up most of the rest. Carousels are rare: 1.8% of ads, run by one advertiser in ten.
- Advertisers mix formats: half of them ran three formats or more in the same week.
- Among the same advertisers, document ads went from 4.3% of their ads in January to 7.0% in October, and video from 15.3% to 18.3%.
The four families of LinkedIn Ads formats
LinkedIn groups its ad formats into four families, by where the ad appears.
| Family | Where it appears | Formats |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsored Content | The feed, on desktop and mobile | Single image, video, carousel, document, event, thought leader ads |
| Sponsored Messaging | Members’ LinkedIn inbox | Message ads, conversation ads |
| Dynamic Ads | The side of the page on desktop, personalized for each member | Follower, spotlight and jobs ads |
| Text Ads | The top and side of the page on desktop | Text ads |
Each format answers a different job: the feed formats tell a story, messaging starts a conversation, dynamic ads collect followers and applicants in the background. Which ones advertisers actually use is another question.
What B2B advertisers actually run
In the week of October 5, 2026, Overt counted 39,572 active ads on LinkedIn Ads from 432 B2B advertisers. Almost half of them were single image ads.
Share of active ads by format
LinkedIn Ads, week of October 5, 2026 · 39,572 active ads from 432 B2B advertisers
Source: Overt, active ads on LinkedIn Ads in the week of October 5, 2026, by format.
Counting advertisers rather than ads changes the order. Thought leader ads come before document ads, and follower ads are everywhere: most advertisers keep a few running in the background.
Share of advertisers running each format
At least one active ad in the format · LinkedIn Ads, week of October 5, 2026 · 432 B2B advertisers
Source: Overt, LinkedIn Ads, week of October 5, 2026.
Most advertisers mix formats. The median advertiser ran two formats that week and the average three; 211 of the 432, about half, ran three or more. Nearly one advertiser in three ran a single format.
How the mix changed in 2026
To compare two dates without mixing in new advertisers, the table follows the same 282 advertisers in the week of January 12 and the week of October 5, 2026. Their active ads grew by about 40% over the period, and not evenly across formats.
| Format | Jan 12 | Oct 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single image | 54.3% | 49.5% | −4.8 pts |
| Video | 15.3% | 18.3% | +3.0 pts |
| Thought leader, image or text | 10.4% | 8.9% | −1.5 pts |
| Document | 4.3% | 7.0% | +2.7 pts |
| Thought leader, video | 3.8% | 4.6% | +0.8 pts |
| Message | 4.0% | 3.0% | −1.0 pt |
| InMail | 2.0% | 3.2% | +1.2 pts |
| Carousel | 1.9% | 1.5% | −0.4 pts |
Share of the active ads of the same 282 advertisers on LinkedIn Ads, weeks of January 12 and October 5, 2026. Source: Overt.
Document ads gained the most ground: from 841 to 1,918 active ads among the same advertisers, more than twice as many. Single image ads still grew in number, from 10,560 to 13,543, but lost share to video and documents.
Format by format
Single image ads
One image, an introductory text, a headline and a call-to-action button, in the feed. It is the default format of LinkedIn Ads and the one almost every program starts with: 69% of advertisers ran at least one, and it made up 47.6% of active ads.
When it fits: testing messages quickly, with several images and texts side by side.
Video ads
A video in the feed, with the same text, headline and button as a single image ad. 42% of advertisers ran at least one video ad, for 17.8% of active ads, and the share of video rose from 15.3% to 18.3% among the same advertisers since January.
When it fits: showing a product at work, putting a face on a message, and building audiences of viewers to reach again.
Document ads
A PDF, DOCX or PPTX that members read in the feed, without leaving LinkedIn; LinkedIn accepts files up to 100 MB and 300 pages. The document can be shown in full, or in part, with the rest unlocked through a lead form.
Document ads were 10.4% of active ads and ran at 24% of advertisers. They are the format that grew fastest in 2026: 4.3% of the same advertisers’ ads in January, 7.0% in October.
When it fits: reports, guides, checklists: content that earns a lead without a landing page.
Thought leader ads
A post published by a person (a founder, an executive, an employee, or another member who agrees to it) and sponsored by the company. The ad shows the person’s name and photo rather than the company page.
Image or text and video together, thought leader ads were 11.1% of active ads, and 37% of advertisers ran at least one: more than ran document ads.
When it fits: when a person carries the message better than a logo: expertise, opinions, a launch announced by a founder.
Carousel ads
Two to ten image cards that members swipe through, each with its own link.
Carousels are rare among B2B advertisers: 1.8% of active ads, at 10% of advertisers, and their share slipped from 1.9% to 1.5% among the same advertisers since January.
When it fits: a sequence the reader should go through in order: steps, features, a story told card by card.
Message and conversation ads
Sponsored Messaging lands in members’ LinkedIn inbox. A message ad carries one call to action; a conversation ad offers several buttons, each leading to a different follow-up. In the LinkedIn Ad Library, they appear as “Message Ad” or “InMail Ad”. Together, they made 5.7% of active ads, and at least 12% of advertisers sent some.
When it fits: invitations and offers addressed to a precise audience: an event, a demo, a trial.
Dynamic ads and text ads
Dynamic ads personalize themselves for each member and show on desktop: follower ads invite members to follow a company page, spotlight ads promote an offer, jobs ads promote open roles. Text ads are small text-and-thumbnail ads, also on desktop.
Follower and jobs ads weigh little in ad counts, under 1% each, but run at many advertisers: 42% had follower ads and 27% jobs ads that week, usually a handful each. Spotlight ads (2.7% of ads) and text ads (1.4%) are concentrated at a few advertisers. Event and article ads were close to absent, under 0.5% of active ads.
How to see which formats a competitor runs
The LinkedIn Ad Library shows the format of each ad, one ad at a time; it doesn’t count them. Knowing how many video ads a competitor runs this week, or whether it just started testing documents, means counting by hand: the complete guide to the LinkedIn Ad Library shows how.
Overt counts them every week for each company you follow: active ads by format, with the new and the stopped ones, on LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads and Microsoft Ads.
Follow your competitors’ ads, every week.
Free for 5 companies. No card required.
Frequently asked questions
What are the ad formats on LinkedIn Ads?
LinkedIn Ads has four families of formats: Sponsored Content in the feed (single image, video, carousel, document, event and thought leader ads), Sponsored Messaging in the inbox (message and conversation ads), Dynamic Ads (follower, spotlight and jobs ads) and Text Ads.
Which LinkedIn ad format do B2B advertisers use most?
Single image ads: 47.6% of active ads and 69% of advertisers in the week of October 5, 2026, across 432 B2B advertisers. Video ads came second, with 17.8% of active ads.
Which LinkedIn ad format performs best?
No public data compares results across advertisers: the LinkedIn Ad Library publishes no clicks and no conversions. What can be measured is usage, and usage moved toward video and document ads in 2026.
What are LinkedIn thought leader ads?
Posts published by a person (a founder, an executive, an employee or another member who agrees to it) and sponsored by the company. They were 11.1% of active ads on LinkedIn Ads in October 2026, and 37% of B2B advertisers ran some.
Are LinkedIn carousel ads still used?
Rarely by B2B advertisers: 1.8% of active ads and 10% of advertisers in October 2026, slightly down since January.
How do you see which ad formats a competitor uses on LinkedIn Ads?
The LinkedIn Ad Library shows the format of each ad, one ad at a time. Overt counts a company’s active ads by format every week, with the new and stopped ones.
Terms used in this guide
- Sponsored Content
- The family of LinkedIn Ads formats that appear in the feed, on desktop and mobile: single image, video, carousel, document, event and thought leader ads.
- Dynamic Ads
- LinkedIn Ads formats that personalize themselves for each member, with their name and photo, on desktop: follower, spotlight and jobs ads.
Sources
- LinkedIn, Ads guide.
- LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, LinkedIn Ads.
- LinkedIn Help, Sponsored Content ads.
- Overt, active ads on LinkedIn Ads by format, weeks of January 12 and October 5, 2026.
Romain Guyon is the founder of Overt, and runs paid media for B2B software companies.