LinkedIn Ads: Setup guide

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This guide explains how to collect data from LinkedIn Ads.

Introduction

For a list of the fields that you can collect from LinkedIn Ads, see LinkedIn Ads.

This video guide explains how to create and configure a LinkedIn Ads datastream using Adverity’s report templates, which perfectly mirror your LinkedIn Ads data and make it easy to analyze your findings.

Limitations

Collecting data from LinkedIn Ads comes with the following limitations:

LinkedIn renamed its campaign hierarchy in the Campaign Manager UI. Adverity field names follow the LinkedIn API, which still uses the previous terminology. Use the following mapping when interpreting your data:

Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
LinkedIn API name (used in Adverity)
LinkedIn Campaign Manager UI name
Campaign Group
Campaign
Campaign
Ad Set
Creative
Ad
Campaigns that have been permanently deleted in the LinkedIn Ads interface are not returned by the LinkedIn API and cannot be fetched historically. Campaigns with the status REMOVED can still be collected, using the Include removed campaigns option described below.
You can combine a maximum of three pivots (breakdowns) in a single datastream. Demographic pivots, whose names begin with MEMBER_, can only be selected on their own.
Demographic report data (such as job title, seniority, and job function breakdowns) is retained for 25 months. All other data is available for up to 10 years. A single fetch cannot cover more than 25 months.

LinkedIn API name (used in Adverity)	LinkedIn Campaign Manager UI name
Campaign Group	Campaign
Campaign	Ad Set
Creative	Ad

Creating a datastream to collect data from LinkedIn Ads

The basics of creating a datastream to collect data from any data source are explained in our guide to Collecting data in Adverity. This guide contains information about the specific steps to create a datastream to fetch data from LinkedIn Ads.

Authorization: Allow Adverity to access LinkedIn Ads

Before you start, make sure that your LinkedIn user has an Account Manager or Campaign Manager role in LinkedIn Campaign Manager for each ad account that you want to use in Adverity. Users with view-only access cannot grant Adverity access to an ad account.
If you choose Access using your credentials or Access using someone else’s credentials, in Set up or edit Ad Accounts, you or the person granting access must choose one of the following options:
- Choose Grant access to all items, including those created in the future to give Adverity Ad Accounts to access all existing items and all items created in the future.
- Choose Select specific items to which you want to grant access to only give Adverity Ad Accounts to access the selected items. Adverity will not automatically have access to items created in the future. You will need to grant Adverity access to any items created in the future.
Warning
If you use your credentials to grant Adverity access to LinkedIn Ads, all the items available to you using your credentials will be visible in the Authorizations page to all Adverity users with permission to edit this authorization.
If someone else uses their credentials to grant Adverity access to LinkedIn Ads, the same applies to the items available using their credentials.
This is important to consider if you do not want all Adverity users with permission to edit the authorization to be able to see the details of the authorization items. For more information about user permissions, see Managing user permissions.

Configuration: Choose the data you want to collect from LinkedIn Ads

To choose what data to collect and customize the LinkedIn Ads datastream configuration, follow these steps:

(Optional) Rename your datastream.
In Ad accounts and Campaigns, select the ad accounts and campaigns for which to collect data. For each field, you can choose to include or exclude specific items, or select all items.

Note
If you select Include some or Exclude some for Ad accounts when using the Metadata report type, you must select at least one ad account. If this field is left empty, a validation error will occur.
In Report type, select the type of data to collect. You can choose Ad Analytics for performance data, or Metadata for the configuration of your accounts, campaigns and creatives. The selected report type determines which of the following fields are shown.
In Pivots, select up to three pivots for your data extract. You cannot select MEMBER_ type pivots with other pivots.
In Breakdown, select how you want the collected data to be broken down.
In Data level, select the data level for which to collect data. This field applies to the Metadata report type only.
In Fields, change the list of fields that you want to see in your data extract.
Select the Include completed campaigns checkbox to collect data for completed campaigns.

Important
Without this option, a campaign that finished before the start of your fetch date range is not collected, even when it is selected in Campaigns. This is the most common reason for a campaign to be missing from a data extract.
Selecting this option makes the fetch slower. Use it when you need historical campaigns, rather than leaving it on by default.
Select the Include removed campaigns checkbox to collect data for campaigns with the status REMOVED.

This option is only available if you select All in the Ad accounts and Campaigns field and if you have not selected Campaign group in the Pivots field.

Note
If either of those conditions is not met, this option has no effect and no message is shown.
In Date filter, select the field that you want to use to define the fetch date range.

What’s next?

Apply Data Mapping to your collected data to harmonize data collected from different sources in Adverity.
Transform your data to meet your needs by creating and applying transformations to your datastream.
Load your data into a warehouse to continue working with your data in Adverity.
Load your data into an external destination of your choice.