LinkedIn ad benchmarks: where good starts

Is your CTR normal for LinkedIn? In Q2 2026 the median LinkedIn campaign had a 0.56% CTR and paid $9.68 per click, $59.37 per 1,000 impressions and $288 per lead. Lead generation campaigns pay more: $27.04 per click and $694 per lead. Better than the median is where good starts. Pick your campaign goal or industry, then type your own numbers to see where you land.

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DemandSense's own benchmark data · updated 29 September 2026

Built from hundreds of B2B LinkedIn campaigns, mostly at small and mid-size companies, from 2025 to today.

Campaign goal
Industry
  • Median 0.56%
    0.29%0.56%1.42%
    %
  • Median $59.37
    $119$59.37$23.72
    $
  • Median $9.68
    $21.40$9.68$3.37
    $
  • Median $288
    $687$288$116
    $
Source: DemandSense data · updated 29 September 2026

Normal for LinkedIn, or something in your campaign?

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Ask what's normal and everyone gives a different number. Here is how to read ours.

Most “good CTR” answers are someone's memory of their own account. Ours come from campaign data, and even then, how the average is taken moves “the average CPC” from $4.67 to $28.27. Three things to check before you compare.

1How the average is takenThe median: half of campaigns paid more, half paid less.
  • $4.67all spend ÷ all clicks
  • $9.68median campaign · this page
  • $28.27average of campaigns
2Which campaigns go into itThe goal moves CPC far more than the industry. Compare with your goal first.
  • By campaign goal
    $0.95–$27.04 · 28×
  • By industry
    $7.67–$12.17 · 1.6×
3Which way it movesQ2 2026 against full-year 2025, median campaign.
CPC−16%
CPM−15%
Cost per lead−20%
CTR+9%
Source: DemandSense data · updated 29 September 2026
Free tool · Benchmark Checker

Expensive, or normal for your industry?

Enter your website and your CPC, CTR and cost per lead. The Benchmark Checker finds your industry and puts each number next to its median and its top quarter.

  • Your result on screen, the full report by email
  • You type the numbers in: no ad account access
  • Measured against your own industry, not all of LinkedIn
Compare your stats to peersFree · No account needed
1
Your website and three numbersCPC, CTR, cost per lead
2
Where each one lands, on screenNext to your industry's median and top quarter
  • CPC · you $6.20Better than median
  • CTR · you 0.42%Worse than median
  • Cost per lead · you $980Bottom quarter
3
The full report by emailWhat to improve first, number by number
4
See why, in your own accountA free DemandSense trial shows which companies your ads reached, and where the budget goes.
Example numbers. The Checker uses the ones you enter.

Your audience sets the CPM. Your ad sets everything after it.

Good CTR and still almost no leads? Then look at who clicks. Each number has one main lever. Fix them in this order.

  • Same audience, two ads
    Generic line, stock image
    0.29% CTR
    Clear hook, one offer
    1.42% CTR
    Bottom-quarter and top-quarter CTR, Q2 2026: about 5× the clicks for the same money.

    Click-through rate (CTR)median 0.56%

    Moved by · The ad

    The hook, the image and the offer decide who stops scrolling and clicks.

    Below the median? Start with the ad itself: its first line, its image and what it offers.

    Compare my ads with the top adsFree · Report by email · No ad account access
  • Median CPM by industry, Q2 2026
    • IT services
      $37.52
    • SaaS
      $56.68
    • Marketing services
      $73.77
    Who you buy sets the price of being seen.

    Cost per 1,000 impressions (CPM)median $59.37

    Moved by · Who you target

    Mostly the audience you buy. A CPM above the median can be the price of the right audience.

    Above the median? Compare with your own industry and goal first, using the picker at the top.

    Read: How to find your target audience on LinkedIn
  • CPC = CPM ÷ clicks per 1,000 impressions
    • 0.5% CTR
      $12.00
    • 1.0% CTR
      $6.00
    Example at a $60 CPM: double the CTR, halve the price of a click.

    Cost per click (CPC)median $9.68

    Moved by · CTR, at your CPM

    At the same CPM, every extra click per thousand impressions makes each click cheaper.

    Above the median? If your CPM is near the median, the gap is in CTR, so the fix is in the ad.

  • Ten clicks, same price each
    A click from someone who can never buy costs the same as one from a buyer.

    Cost per leadmedian $288

    Moved by · Who clicks

    The ad decides who clicks. If it doesn't say who it's for, the wrong people pay you a visit on your budget.

    Above the median? Make the ad say plainly who it's for and what they get.

Works with your favorite AI assistant

Ask your AI how your campaigns compare

Connect DemandSense to your favorite AI assistant and ask about your LinkedIn campaigns in plain words. It answers with your own numbers, next to these benchmarks.

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Is our LinkedIn CPC high for SaaS?

Your CPC last quarter was $6.20: better than the median for SaaS campaigns in DemandSense's benchmarks.

You
$6.20
Median
$9.33
Top quarter
<$3.37

The top quarter starts below $3.37. Want to see which campaigns hold it back?

Reply…

Is it LinkedIn, or is it you? Common questions

Is my LinkedIn CTR good?

In Q2 2026 the median LinkedIn campaign had a 0.56% CTR, and the middle half of campaigns ran 0.29%–1.42%. Above 1.42% puts a campaign in the top quarter. The goal matters: lead generation campaigns had a median of 0.45%, engagement campaigns 3.45%.

Is my CPC normal, or is LinkedIn just expensive?

In Q2 2026 the median LinkedIn campaign paid $9.68 per click, and the middle half of campaigns paid $3.37–$21.40. Under $3.37 is the cheapest quarter. Lead generation campaigns paid a median of $27.04. CPC is your CPM divided by the clicks you get per thousand impressions, so at the same CPM a higher CTR brings it down.

My CPM seems extremely high. Should I change something?

In Q2 2026 the median LinkedIn campaign paid $59.37 per 1,000 impressions, and the middle half of campaigns paid $23.72–$119. By industry the median ran from $37.52 (IT services) to $73.77 (marketing services). CPM mostly follows who you target, so a high CPM can be the price of the right audience. Compare with your own industry first.

What cost per lead should I expect on LinkedIn?

Across campaigns that record leads, the median cost per lead in Q2 2026 was $288, and the middle half ran $116–$687. For lead generation campaigns alone the median was $694.

My CTR is good, but I get almost no leads. Why?

CTR says the ad caught attention. Cost per lead depends on who clicked: if the ad doesn't say who it's for, the wrong people click on your budget. Make the ad say plainly who it's for and what they get.

Everyone quotes a different “good” number. Why?

Mostly because of how the average is taken. For the same campaigns in Q2 2026, the median CPC was $9.68, total spend divided by total clicks gave $4.67, and the average of campaigns gave $28.27. The mix of campaign goals matters too: engagement campaigns pay far less per click than lead generation.

Will the scanner tell me whether my CTR is good?

No, the bars on this page and the Benchmark Checker do that. The scanner reads the ads themselves: it puts your live LinkedIn ads next to the top ads in your category, scores yours and tells you what to fix first. That's the part of the number the ad controls.

Do I need to give access to my ad account?

No. In the Benchmark Checker you type your numbers in yourself. The scanner works from ads that are already public, and its report arrives by email.

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