# LinkedIn Message Ad brief (blank)

Copy this brief, fill the fields you know, and write `Unknown` for facts you have not checked. This is a planning document. `Ready for account check` means the copy is draftable; it does not mean the ad can be launched.

LinkedIn currently documents Message Ads as one message with **one advertiser-selected CTA**. LinkedIn also adds a required **Not Interested** button. Conversation Ads can branch through several advertiser CTAs. Click-to-Message starts from a feed ad. Confirm Message Ads in the intended account before treating this brief as launch ready.

## 1. Campaign and offer

| Field | Answer |
|---|---|
| Brief owner and review date (date and timezone) | |
| Advertiser, ad account ID, and account owner | |
| Objective: website visits, lead generation, or website conversions | |
| Audience, geography, profile language, and why this offer fits | |
| Offer: what the recipient gets and any eligibility or terms | |
| Offer start/end dates and source or approval receipt | |
| Why a paid inbox send is warranted; reason to hold if weak | |
| Selected route: website or LinkedIn Lead Gen Form | |
| One advertiser-selected action and success event | |

## 2. Sender and message

| Field | Answer |
|---|---|
| Sender name, role, profile, and relationship to advertiser | |
| Sender request owner and account permission receipt | |
| First-degree connection, verified primary email, and sender acceptance receipts | |
| Business Manager ownership and required admin/access receipt, if applicable | |
| Ad name (255 characters maximum) | |
| Subject (60 characters maximum) | |
| Body (1,500 characters maximum; generally aim below 500; at most 10 emojis) | |
| Personalization macros and literal fallback subject/body | |
| Advertiser CTA label (20 characters maximum) | |
| Required automatic Not Interested button acknowledged | |
| In-body links, if any (up to three; linked text at most 70 characters each) | |
| Optional footer (20,000 characters maximum) | |
| Optional desktop banner (300 × 250 px; JPG, PNG, or nonanimated GIF; 2 MB maximum) | |

The person who requests a sender needs **Account Manager** access, a first-degree connection to that person. The invited sender must have a verified primary email. A Business Manager-owned account adds its documented admin/access condition. The person creating the ad needs **Creative Manager or higher**. These are different roles. Record the actual permission and acceptance receipts; a drafted sender name is not consent. Sender access timing differs across LinkedIn help pages, so verify it in the account. Removing a sender or revoking approval can irreversibly cancel affected ads; do not use it as a pause control.

## 3. Destination: complete only the selected route

### Website route

| Field | Answer |
|---|---|
| Full destination URL (http/https, 1,024 characters maximum) | |
| Final URL after redirects and test date/device | |
| Page promise, CTA, and conversion path match the message | |
| UTM or other campaign identifiers and analytics event | |
| Mobile/load/accessibility and privacy checks | |
| Test conversion receipt or reason unavailable | |

### LinkedIn Lead Gen Form route

LinkedIn’s create flow also asks for a Landing page URL. Record and test that URL and the form’s thank-you destination; a form does not remove the documented URL field.

| Field | Answer |
|---|---|
| Ad landing-page URL and test; form thank-you URL/action and test | |
| Attached form ID, title, and owner | |
| Form fields, consent/privacy text, and thank-you action | |
| Form preview and test submission receipt | |
| CRM integration, routing owner, duplicate policy, and sync receipt | |
| Source/ad/form identifiers preserved on the CRM record | |
| Test lead status, follow-up owner, and handoff deadline | |

Website route does not require a LinkedIn form or form sync. Lead generation objective requires an attached Lead Gen Form. If the form route is chosen, missing form or CRM handoff evidence blocks launch readiness.

## 4. Account and delivery checks

| Check | Receipt, date, owner, or `Unknown` |
|---|---|
| Message Ad format appears for the chosen objective in this ad account | |
| Creator has Creative Manager or higher | |
| Sender request/approval and sender visibility confirmed in account | |
| English profile-language effect considered if targeting English | |
| EEA/Swiss native-inbox opt-in limits considered if included | |
| Preview on desktop and mobile, including subject, body, CTA, Not Interested, and destination/form | |
| Send test message; check macro-filled and generic-fallback versions | |
| Ad is Active, ad set is launched/saved, and review state checked | |
| Approved delivery/serving receipt after launch | |

Active, review approval, and serving are separate observations. LinkedIn controls frequency and charges Sponsored Messaging by **cost per send**. Do not fill an unknown receipt with `Pass` or `0`. Edits require review again and do not rewrite delivered messages.

## 5. Reporting plan

| Field | Answer |
|---|---|
| Reporting account/ad/ad-set IDs, route, currency, timezone | |
| Send cohort start/end (inclusive) and data-as-of date | |
| Native source and units for cost, sends, opens, and clicks | |
| Website conversion or form-submission source and event date rule | |
| CRM match key, scope, dedupe rule, and expected lag window | |
| Qualified outcome definition, owner, and cutoff date | |
| Missing data, unmatched records, and exclusions | |
| Review date and decision owner | |

Calculate within the **same account, ad, and send window**: open rate = opens ÷ sends; click-to-open rate = Sponsored Messaging clicks ÷ opens; calculated clicks-per-send = Sponsored Messaging clicks ÷ sends; cost per send = spend ÷ sends. Keep the exact export column name; clicks-per-send is not native CTR, and October 2026 eligible Sponsored Message clicks are not interchangeable with the dedicated click breakouts. Report website conversions or form submissions separately, with their event window. Qualified rate = qualified CRM outcomes ÷ sends only when attribution and follow-up coverage make that denominator valid. Cost per qualified outcome = spend ÷ qualified outcomes only when both cover the same scope and outcome window. If a denominator is zero, report `Undefined`; if data or matching is incomplete, report `Unknown/partial`, not zero. Native opens and clicks are engagement, not qualified outcomes.

## 6. Disposition

| Field | Answer |
|---|---|
| Copy disposition: draftable / hold | |
| Account disposition: ready for account check / hold | |
| Launch disposition: ready / hold / not checked | |
| Exact blockers, next owner, and evidence needed | |
| Reviewer, review date, and revision ID | |

Use the companion review prompt on this completed brief. A blank is intentional here; blanks in a completed brief become explicit questions or holds.