54% of LinkedIn advertisers let LinkedIn set the bid.
Across 926 advertisers, 54% put at least 5% of their feed budget on maximum delivery, LinkedIn's automated bid, and for 31% it was the largest bid type. In the same account and objective, maximum delivery costs roughly double per landing page click.
By Phil Ilic · Published 26 Oct 2026 · From Kiin Labs Report No. 5, How Much Do LinkedIn Ads Cost
| Bid strategy | Accounts using it | Median share of feed spend among users | Largest bid type for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual CPC | 56% | 55% | 33% |
| Maximum delivery | 54% | 56% | 31% |
| Manual + enhanced conversions | 50% | 51% | 27% |
| Cost cap | 13% | 33% | 5% |
| Manual CPV | 11% | 18% | 2% |
| Manual CPM | 9% | 26% | 3% |
Feed formats only: single image, video, document, carousel and thought leader ads. Median advertiser account.
Kiin Labs (2026). 54% of LinkedIn advertisers put 5% or more of feed spend on maximum delivery bidding and 56% on manual CPC (926 accounts, 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2026). https://kiin.co/research/linkedin-bidding-strategy-usage
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The default bid is the expensive one.
What it costs
When the same advertiser runs the same objective on both, maximum delivery costs 103% more per landing page click than a manual CPC bid in Report No. 5 (102 pairs). The CPM rises; the click rate does not.
Why so many use it
Maximum delivery is the default on most objectives and needs no bid. Accounts set up quickly, or by LinkedIn's own guided flows, end up on it.
What to do
Start feed campaigns on a manual CPC bid near the low end of LinkedIn's suggested range and raise it only if the campaign under-delivers. Use cost cap if you need automation with a ceiling. See LinkedIn bidding strategy.
Where the number comes from
Kiin Labs panel, 1,000+ advertiser accounts and $65M+ of LinkedIn spend; this cut covers the twelve months to 30 September 2026, feed spend outside Audience Network campaigns, accounts with $1,000 or more.
Questions about this number.
What is the best bidding strategy for LinkedIn ads?
A manual CPC bid for most B2B feed campaigns. In the same account and objective, maximum delivery cost roughly double per landing page click (+103% in Report No. 5).
How many advertisers use LinkedIn maximum delivery?
54% of 926 advertisers put 5% or more of their feed budget on it in the twelve months to 30 September 2026, and it was the largest bid type for 31%.
Is manual bidding better on LinkedIn?
On cost per landing page click, yes: manual CPC was the cheaper side in roughly three of four paired comparisons in Report No. 5.
What is cost cap bidding on LinkedIn?
Automated bidding with a maximum average cost you set. 13% of advertisers in the panel use it on 5% or more of feed spend.
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Your benchmark
Your CPM, CTR, CPC, CPL and cost per demo, next to advertisers buying your audience. From $65M+ of real LinkedIn spend.
Your business case
What LinkedIn should cost for your market, and the pipeline range your budget can realistically buy.
Your first three fixes
The changes that would move your numbers most, ranked by how much spend each one touches.
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