Podcast Summary: The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast

Episode: Why Your LinkedIn Ads Aren't Working

Host: John Jantsch
Guest: Anthony Blattner, Founder of Speedworks Social
Date: October 1, 2025

Overview

This episode dives deep into the world of LinkedIn advertising, specifically addressing why many B2B marketers struggle to see results and how to correct common mistakes. John Jantsch interviews Anthony Blattner, a LinkedIn ads expert, who shares actionable insights on audience targeting, campaign structures that work, budgeting, and creative strategies. The conversation is packed with practical advice and data-backed recommendations to make LinkedIn ads a more powerful tool for B2B lead generation and growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Makes LinkedIn Ads Uniquely Valuable (01:11–02:20)

• Professional Audience:

  • LinkedIn attracts a uniquely professional and up-to-date user base, with users often updating their profiles as they progress in their careers.
  • The platform’s targeting capabilities (by job title, company, industry, company size) are unrivaled for B2B marketers.
    Notable Quote:
  • "Those options like don't exist on almost any other platform. So it's a great way to be able to target those types of professionals." — Anthony (01:57)

• Best Performing Industries:

  • Tech, software/SaaS, marketing, and recruiting/HR see the most engagement and success.
  • Niches can also perform well if the audience is active on LinkedIn.

2. Why LinkedIn Ads Feel Expensive & How to Structure Campaigns (03:20–06:30)

• Higher Costs, Higher Stakes:

  • CPMs on LinkedIn are much higher than on Facebook or Google.
  • Default campaign settings are not optimized for SMBs; they favor enterprise budgets and broad targeting, often wasting ad spend.
    Notable Quote:
  • "A lot of those default settings aren't serving, you know, the small to medium sized business." — Anthony (04:32)

• Winning Campaign Structures:

  • Lead Magnet Campaigns: Offer value up front—guides, reports, webinars, or newsletters—to start engagements.
  • Thought Leader Ads: Boost posts from personal profiles, especially the founder/CEO. These perform better than company ads because “people are on LinkedIn to hear from other people, not to, you know, read ads from companies.” (06:12)
  • Use authentic case studies as content; high dwell time indicates deep engagement and reduces costs.

3. How to Find the Right Target Audience (08:27–10:54)

• Avoid Default (Audience Expansion) Settings:
  • Automatic expansion often strays into less-relevant audiences, diluting campaign effectiveness.
• Build Niche Audiences:
  • Start with audience research: analyze your best clients’ LinkedIn profiles to inform targeting by job title, industry, seniority, skills, groups.
  • Prefer small, clearly defined audiences over broad segments.
  • Upload custom company lists for exact targeting, especially when LinkedIn’s categories don’t align with your market. Notable Quote:
  • "Don't give it very broad, very big audiences, give it very small and niche audiences of exactly who you want to reach." — Anthony (09:50)

4. Budgets, ROI & Cost Justification (11:29–14:33)

• Higher LTV Required:
  • LinkedIn’s cost structure suits products/services with a Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) above ~$15,000. Notable Quote:
  • "You do have to have a high enough LTV for that ROI to make sense in the end." — Anthony (12:09)
• Thought Leader Ads Advantage:
  • These generate lower cost-per-click (CPC) — as low as $1–$2, or even below $1 in some cases, thanks to higher engagement.
  • Standard company page ads can be $10–$15 CPC or higher.
• Engagement Lowers Cost:
  • Platforms reward high dwell times and engagement with discounted ad costs.

5. Retargeting & Lead Capture on LinkedIn (14:33–15:30)

• Retargeting Capabilities:
  • Website visitors and company page visitors can be retargeted using LinkedIn's pixel—works similarly to Meta (Facebook).
• On-Platform Forms vs. Landing Pages:
  • LinkedIn native lead forms usually yield a lower cost per lead (CPL) due to less user friction.
  • For thought leader ads, landing pages are still often used.

6. Ad Creative & Copy Approaches (16:17–18:04)

• Tone & Style Differences:
  • LinkedIn is becoming more social, resembling Facebook in some visual elements, but its users value clarity, directness, and genuine offers above flashiness. Notable Quote:
  • "You want to be more clear and direct, who is this for and what are you offering? ... So we do keep creative a little more clear and direct." — Anthony (17:11)
• Target Click Quality over Quantity:
  • Avoid creative that attracts unqualified clicks due to high CPC.

7. Changing Culture & AI’s Impact (18:04–20:30)

• Platform Culture Shift:
  • Personal and business content now coexist. Personal stories humanize brands.
• AI Effects:
  • AI-generated comments are recognized as spammy; authenticity is still key.
  • AI helps with copy testing and mass content generation, especially useful for A/B testing ad variants.
  • Video content remains challenging unless authentic and trustworthy.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Targeting Default Settings:
  • "Ad platforms are in the business of them, you know, making money themselves." — John (04:30)
• On Authentic Content:
  • "People are on LinkedIn to hear from other people, not to, you know, read ads from companies." — Anthony (06:06)
• On B2B Ad Creative:
  • "B2B creative could always use like some spicing up. So we don't mind some of that." — Anthony (17:00)
• On AI and Authenticity:
  • "AI on social is a whole can of worms... people don't trust that content. So it doesn't work." — Anthony (19:25)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:11 – The unique value of LinkedIn’s audience and targeting
• 03:48 – Common mistakes with campaign setup and default settings
• 06:00 – Two winning campaign structures: Lead magnets & Thought Leader Ads
• 08:49 – The “secret sauce” of LinkedIn targeting and mistakes to avoid
• 11:29 – Budgeting realities, ROI calculations, and LTV thresholds
• 14:33 – Retargeting options using LinkedIn’s pixel
• 15:30 – Native lead forms vs. website landing pages
• 16:39 – Ad creative strategy and copywriting for LinkedIn
• 18:32 – The evolution of LinkedIn culture
• 18:40 – The role and limits of AI in LinkedIn advertising

Conclusion & Resources

Anthony Blattner emphasizes that effective LinkedIn advertising is less about tricks and more about thoughtful strategy, granular targeting, and testing value-driven, authentic content. He recommends using advanced targeting, leveraging company lists, and focusing on engagement-focused ad formats like Thought Leader Ads.

Connect with Anthony Blattner:

• LinkedIn: Anthony Blattner (search for his profile)
• Podcast: LinkedIn Ads Radio
• Website: speedworksocial.com

Final Thought:
To make LinkedIn ads work, focus on who you’re targeting, the genuine value you provide, and measuring true business results—not just clicks.