The LinkedIn Ads Library is a free, public archive of ads that have run on LinkedIn. You can search it by company name or keyword, filter by country and date, and see the actual ads: the image or video, the copy, the format and who paid for them. You do not need a LinkedIn account or an ad account to use it. Go to linkedin.com/ad-library and start typing a competitor’s name.

It will not tell you what an ad cost or how well it performed, but it shows you exactly what other businesses in your sector are saying, how often they advertise and which formats they lean on. Below we cover how to search it, what you can and cannot see, and how to turn what you find into better campaigns of your own.

The Ads Library exists for transparency

LinkedIn launched the Ads Library in 2023, partly in response to European rules on advertising transparency. It covers ads that have run since 1 June 2023, and an ad stays in the library for one year after its last impression (the last time it was shown to someone). New ads usually appear shortly after they start running.

For marketers and business owners, that makes it one of the easiest ways to see what is happening in your market. Other platforms have similar tools, but LinkedIn’s is the one that shows you how businesses are selling to other businesses.

How to search the LinkedIn ad library

1. Go to linkedin.com/ad-library in your browser.
2. Type an advertiser name (the company running the ads) or a keyword (any word or phrase that might appear in an ad, such as “accountancy software” or “Surrey”).
3. Choose a country to see ads shown in that market, such as the United Kingdom.
4. Set a date range if you want to look at a particular period, for example the run up to a trade show or the start of the financial year.
5. Click Search, then click any ad to open its details.

Keyword searches are useful when you do not know who your advertising competitors are. Search for the service you sell and see which companies come up. You may find businesses you had never thought of as competition.

LinkedIn’s help page on the LinkedIn Ad Library explains the details if the layout has changed since this was written.

What you can and cannot see

It helps to be clear about the limits before you draw any conclusions.

You can see	You cannot see
The ad creative: image, video, document or text	How much the advertiser spent
The headline and body copy	Click-through rate, leads or sales
The ad format, such as single image, video or document ad	Targeting for ads shown only outside the EU
The advertiser and who paid for the ad	Which ads are winning and which are being tested
Roughly when the ad ran	Where the ad sits in their wider sales funnel
For ads shown in the EU: impression ranges and some targeting details	The landing page experience after the click (unless you follow the link yourself)

That last row on the left is worth knowing. If a competitor also advertises in EU countries, the extra impression and targeting information can hint at which ads get the most exposure and who they are aimed at. For ads shown only in the UK, you will not get those figures.

Use it for competitor research, not copying

The library is at its best when you approach it with a few clear questions. Pick three to five competitors and work through the following:

Frequency shows commitment

A business with dozens of ads over the last year is clearly investing in LinkedIn. One with a single ad from eight months ago probably tried it and stopped. Both tell you something about the competition for attention in your sector.

The offer reveals their strategy

Look at the hook in each ad. Is it a free guide, a webinar, a demo, a discount or a case study? If every competitor is offering a free consultation, a genuinely useful download might help you stand out.

Pain points show what buyers care about

The opening line of an ad usually names a pain point. Collect these and you get a quick picture of what your market cares about, and which angles nobody is covering.

Repeated formats hint at what works

Note whether they favour video, single images or document ads (swipeable PDF slides in the feed). If a competitor keeps running the same format, it is a reasonable sign it is working for them, although you cannot be certain.

Long-running ads are likely performers

Advertisers tend to switch off ads that do not work. An ad that has run for months is more likely to be a performer than one that appeared for a week.

Keep your notes in a simple spreadsheet: advertiser, date, format, offer, headline and your thoughts. Check again every month or so and you will start to see patterns.

Turn what you find into creative ideas

Research only pays off if it changes what you make. A few ways to use the library for inspiration without copying anyone:

• Look outside your sector. Search for large B2B brands known for strong advertising and study their structure: how they open, how long the copy is, how they use faces, numbers and calls to action.
• Find the gap. If every competitor uses polished stock imagery, real photos of your team and clients will stand out in the feed.
• Borrow the format, not the message. A competitor’s document ad might give you the idea to turn your own process into a five slide guide, written in your voice about your service.
• Test your angles. Use what you learn to write two or three different hooks, then let real results tell you which works best for your business.
• Check your own ads. Search for your business to see your ads as the public sees them, and spot anything that looks dated.

Never copy another company’s wording, images or branding. Apart from the legal and reputational risk, it makes you look like everyone else, which is the opposite of what an ad should do.

A short note on running LinkedIn ads

Once you have done your research, the next step is running your own campaigns. LinkedIn ads are managed through Campaign Manager, LinkedIn’s advertising platform. Its big strength is targeting by professional details: job title, seniority, industry, company size and even specific named companies. That makes it a strong channel for B2B businesses where one new client is worth a lot.

A few things to bear in mind:

• Clicks tend to cost more on LinkedIn than on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, so it suits higher value products and services.
• Lead Gen Forms let people send you their details without leaving LinkedIn, with fields pre filled from their profile. They often make it easier for people to say yes.
• Thought Leader ads let you promote posts from a team member’s personal profile, which can feel more human than a branded ad.
• Start small and focused. A tightly defined audience and one clear offer will teach you more than a broad campaign spread thin.

Our paid social team plans, builds and manages LinkedIn campaigns for B2B businesses, including the competitor research that shapes them.

Related reading: LinkedIn Ads Agency: How to Master B2B Advertising Without the Fluff and Facebook Ads Library: The No-BS Guide to Spying on Competitors (and Winning).

Frequently asked questions

Is the LinkedIn Ads Library free?

Yes. It is free and public, and you do not need to log in or have an ad account to search it.

Will competitors know I have viewed their ads?

No. Searching the library is anonymous. Advertisers are not told who has looked at their ads.

Why can’t I find a competitor’s ads?

They may not be advertising on LinkedIn, their ads may be more than a year past their last impression, or the company may be advertising under a different page name. Try a keyword search for their brand or services.

Can I see how much a competitor spends on LinkedIn ads?

No. The library does not show spend or results for any ads. For ads shown in the EU you can see impression ranges, which give a rough idea of reach.

Get expert help with LinkedIn advertising

If you want LinkedIn ads that stand out from everything else in your sector, Delivered Social can do the research, write the creative and run the campaigns for you. Find out more about our paid social services or get in touch to talk about your goals.