LinkedIn Document Ads Playbook

You have seen them. Carousels that you can scroll through horizontally. But techinically, they are PDFs. LinkedIn calls them Document Ads. And right now, the algorithm loves them. They get 3x the dwell time of a video. They get 5x the click-through rate of a single image.

Why They Work

1. Native Consumption: The user gets value without leaving the feed.
2. Psychology: We are trained to skim. A Document Ad is a "Skim Machine."
3. Lead Gen: You can gate the document. "Read first 3 pages. Unlock the rest by submitting email."

The "Ungated" Strategy (Awareness)

Goal: Viral Reach. Method: Upload a 10-slide PDF. Give it all away for free. CTA: "Follow for more." Result: Massive CPM efficiency. You build a retargeting pool of thousands of people who read your content.

The "Gated" Strategy (Lead Gen)

Goal: Emails. Method: Upload a "Teaser" (first 3 pages). Trigger: When they swipe to Page 4, a Lead Form pops up. "Unlock the rest." Why it works: They are already invested. The "Sunk Cost Fallacy" kicks in. They want to finish what they started.

Design Rules for 2024

1. Format: Vertical (4:5) or Square (1:1). Never Landscape (it looks tiny on mobile).
2. Font Size: Huge. If you can't read it while holding your phone at arm's length, it's too small.
3. The "Arrow": Put a visual cue (an arrow) on the right side of every slide pointing to the next one. It subconsciously forces the thumb to swipe.

Summary

Stop forcing people to your website to read a blog. Put the blog in the feed. That is the Document Ad.