How to Build a Lead Gen Form LinkedIn Users Actually Convert On

LinkedIn lead forms give B2B sales and marketing teams a faster, more seamless way to capture leads directly from LinkedIn ads. Instead of sending prospects to an external landing page, a lead gen form on LinkedIn opens natively and can automatically capture lead contact information directly on the platform. This reduces friction, improves the user experience, and often results in higher conversion rates.

This guide will show you how to build a lead gen form that LinkedIn users actually convert on, starting with the step-by-step process in LinkedIn Campaign Manager. You’ll learn what assets you need to get started, how to create and attach a lead gen form to your ads, and how B2B teams use these forms to generate and nurture qualified leads more effectively.

How LinkedIn lead gen forms work with different ad formats

LinkedIn lead forms are customizable templates that automatically populate a member’s contact and profile information when they click an ad’s call-to-action button. Instead of redirecting users to an external landing page, the form opens natively on LinkedIn and pulls in details such as name, email address, job title, and company directly from the member’s profile.

One of the biggest advantages of using a lead gen form on LinkedIn is its flexibility. These forms can be attached to several ad styles, allowing B2B teams to match the experience to their offer and audience. Supported styles include those for single images, videos, and documents.

• Single-image ads: Ideal for simple, high-impact offers such as webinars or reports.
• Carousel image ads: Useful for showcasing multiple features, use cases, or content pieces.
• Video ads: Effective for storytelling, product overviews, and thought leadership.
• Message ads: Deliver the form directly to a prospect’s LinkedIn inbox for more personalized outreach.
• Document ads: Let users preview content before submitting their information.
• Conversation ads: Guide prospects through a structured decision path before presenting the form.

Because the form auto-fills and stays on-platform, users can submit their information in just a few clicks, resulting in higher conversion rates than with traditional click-through ads. For B2B marketers, this means faster lead capture, cleaner data, and more consistent performance across different campaign types.

How to build LinkedIn lead forms in Campaign Manager 

Once you’ve identified your preferred ad style and what you’re going to offer (your lead magnet), it’s time to build your LinkedIn lead form. 

In LinkedIn Campaign Manager, this process ties together four essential elements: defining your target audience, choosing an ad format, creating the lead gen form, and setting a clear next step with a thank-you message and link.

Although LinkedIn has an intuitive workflow, small decisions, such as which fields you include, how you frame the offer, and what happens after submission, can make or break conversion rates. 

Below, I’ll walk you through the exact steps to create a LinkedIn lead gen form inside Campaign Manager, with notes for teams that already have a LinkedIn company page and those that still need to set one up.

Step 1: Get the right LinkedIn setup for lead gen forms

Before you can build a lead gen form that LinkedIn users can submit, you need access to the right LinkedIn assets. The exact requirements depend on whether you’re running ads from a company page or through a personalized profile via an agency/team setup.

You’ll need:

• A LinkedIn profile with access to LinkedIn Campaign Manager
• An Ad account in Campaign Manager or permission to use one
• A LinkedIn company page (recommended and often required if you're running sponsored content)

If you already have a company page and ad access

1. Log in to LinkedIn and open Campaign Manager
2. Select the correct ad account
3. Confirm you have the right permission (you should be able to create campaigns and account assets like lead generation forms)

 If you don't have a company page (or don't have access yet)

• Create a LinkedIn company page for your business or request admin access from whoever manages it. Most B2B lead gen ads perform best when they're tied to a company page because prospects can quickly verify credibility before submitting a form.
• If your company already has a page but you don't have access, ask for page admin access and Campaign Manager access so you can create and manage lead gen forms.

Once you confirm you have the right access, you're ready to start building the campaign in Campaign Manager and to attach your form.

Step 2: Create a lead generation campaign in LinkedIn Campaign Manager

With your account and permissions in place, the next step is to create a campaign that supports LinkedIn lead forms. Forms are only available when you choose the right campaign objective, so this setup step is critical.

1. Open LinkedIn Campaign Manager and select the ad account you'll use for the campaign.
2. Choose an existing campaign group from your company archive or create a new one to keep your lead generation efforts organized.
3. Click Create Campaign, then select Lead Generation as your campaign objective.

Choosing the lead generation objective lets you add a lead form that LinkedIn users can complete directly from your ad. At this stage, you're not building the form yet; you're simply informing LinkedIn that your goal is to collect lead information rather than to drive traffic or impressions.

Once your campaign is created, you'll move on to defining your audience and ad format. This step determines who will see your offer and how they will interact with your lead gen form.

Step 3: Define your B2B audience and targeting

Now it's time to decide who will see your lead gen form. LinkedIn's targeting options are one of the platform's biggest strengths for B2B teams, allowing you to reach prospects based on professional attributes rather than consumer behavior.

In Campaign Manager, you'll narrow your audience using criteria such as:

• Job titles or job functions
• Seniority level
• Company size
• Industry
• Skills or groups
• Geographic location

For most B2B lead generation campaigns, it's best to start with broader criteria such as job function and seniority, or job title and company size. This approach helps avoid overly narrow targeting. If your audience is too small, costs can increase rapidly and your ad delivery may be limited.

You can also enhance your targeting by using matched audiences, if available. This includes website visitors, contact or account lists, and users who have engaged with your previous LinkedIn campaigns. These audiences tend to convert at a higher rate because they are already familiar with your brand.

Once your targeting is set, you can proceed to choose how your ad will appear and where your lead generation form will be located.

Step 4: Choose your ad format and placement

After defining your audience, you'll select the ad format that will deliver your LinkedIn lead form to the right users. Not all ad formats perform the same, so your choice should align with your offer and where prospects are most likely to engage.

In Campaign Manager, you’ll typically choose from sponsored content or message ads.

• Sponsored content: These ads appear directly in the LinkedIn feed and are the most common format for lead gen forms. Sponsored content works well for promoting webinars, gated resources, reports, and demo offers because users can engage without leaving their feed.
• Message ads: These ads deliver your offer directly to a prospect’s LinkedIn inbox. You can attach a lead gen form to message ads, making them useful for event invitations, account-based campaigns, and targeted outreach. This format is more interruptive and typically performs best with highly relevant, well-defined audiences.

For most B2B teams, sponsored content is the safest starting point because it offers greater visibility and lower friction. Once you’ve selected your ad format, you can proceed to create and customize the lead generation form that will be attached to your ad.

Step 5: Set your budget, bidding, and pay for the ad

LinkedIn lead gen forms only work when they’re attached to paid ads, so before your campaign can run, you’ll need to set your budget and bidding strategy in Campaign Manager.

At this stage, you’ll choose:

• Daily or total budget for the campaign
• Bid strategy (automated bidding is recommended for most teams starting out)
• Schedule for when your ads should run

LinkedIn uses an auction-based pricing model, meaning your costs depend on audience competition, targeting precision, and ad relevance. While pricing varies, many B2B advertisers see higher costs than other platforms due to LinkedIn’s professional targeting.

For meaningful testing, LinkedIn often recommends budgeting at least $100 per day or around $5,000 per month, though smaller tests can still provide directional insights. Once your budget and bid are set, you’ll review your campaign, confirm payment details, and launch your ads.

Step 6: Create and attach your LinkedIn lead gen form

Once you've chosen your ad format and budget, it's time to customize the LinkedIn lead form that users will actually fill out. In Campaign Manager, lead gen forms are created and attached at the ad level, not earlier in the campaign setup.

When prompted to add a lead gen form, you can either create a new form or reuse an existing one (which is helpful if you're running multiple ads with the same offer).

If you're creating a new form, LinkedIn will guide you through a short setup process that includes:

• Form name (internal only, so you can use something descriptive for reporting purposes)
• Offer headline and description, which should clearly explain what the lead receives
• Privacy policy URL, which is required before you can publish the form

At this stage, focus on clarity rather than creativity. Your headline and description should emphasize the value of the offer presented in the ad and clearly set expectations for what will happen after submission. 

Once the form framework is established, you'll proceed to select the fields needed to capture lead information.

Step 7: Select form fields and minimize friction

The fields you include in your form directly impact conversion rates. One of the biggest advantages of LinkedIn's lead generation form is the ability to autofill information from a user's LinkedIn profile, making it easy for prospects to submit their details with just a few clicks.

LinkedIn provides a mix of standard fields and custom questions, including:

• Name
• Email address
• Job title
• Company name
• Company size
• Industry
• Location

While it may be tempting to collect as much information as possible, shorter forms almost always convert better. For top-of-funnel offers like e-books or webinars, stick to the essentials. 

For higher-intent offers, such as demos or consultations, adding one or two qualifying questions can help sales teams prioritize follow-up without hurting performance.

Step 8: Create the thank-you message and the final steps

Once your fields are set, the final step is to define what happens after someone submits the form. After a prospect submits your form, LinkedIn displays a thank-you screen, which is where many campaigns miss an easy conversion opportunity. 

Instead of treating it as a simple confirmation, use this step to guide leads toward a clear next action.

 In Campaign Manager, you can customize:

• Thank You headline and message
• Call to action (CTA) button
• Destination link (optional)

If your offer is a downloadable asset, link directly to the resource so that leads can access it immediately. For demos, consultations, or events, the CTA might send users to a scheduling, event registration, or confirmation page. This helps maintain momentum while interest is high.

A well-structured thank-you screen reinforces the value of your offer and sets expectations for follow-up, whether that's an email from your team or access to gated content. Once this is complete, you're ready to review your campaign settings, launch your ads, and begin collecting leads. 

Common use cases for LinkedIn lead gen forms

LinkedIn lead gen forms are versatile and can support a range of B2B sales and marketing objectives, but the most successful campaigns align the offer, audience, and form length. 

When those elements work together, LinkedIn lead gen forms can become a reliable source of high-quality B2B leads.  

Below are some of the most common, high-performing use cases:

Webinars, events, and virtual sessionsProduct demos and consultationsGated content and thought leadershipEmail list growth and lead nurturing

Lead gen forms make it easy for professionals to register without leaving LinkedIn, thereby significantly increasing sign-ups for live and on-demand events.

Who should use LinkedIn lead gen forms?

LinkedIn lead gen forms help businesses grow their sales pipeline by enabling quick, low-friction opt-ins, making them a strong fit for B2B teams that want to capture lead details without a separate landing page. 

In general, sponsored content campaigns run from a LinkedIn company page, while messages can be run through Campaign Manager with the right account setup and permissions. 

Either way, LinkedIn lead forms are best for teams investing in paid LinkedIn strategies and offering something valuable in exchange for contact information. Here are a few specific examples of who should use them:

• Marketers who want better lead insights and cleaner data for nurturing
• Sales teams looking for higher conversion rates than traditional click-to-landing-page ads
• Teams planning to retarget engaged users with follow-up offers or deeper-funnel campaigns
• Companies with strong lead magnets, such as webinars, demos, or downloadable resources
• Organizations that are building authority by using content to communicate their expertise 

Benefits and drawbacks of LinkedIn lead gen forms

LinkedIn lead generation forms can be a powerful tool for B2B teams, but, like any paid acquisition channel, they come with trade-offs. 

Understanding both the advantages and limitations of these forms helps you determine when they align with your goals, budget, and stage in the sales funnel.

Below is a side-by-side look at the key benefits and drawbacks of using a LinkedIn lead gen form.

Benefits of LinkedIn lead gen forms	Drawbacks of LinkedIn lead gen forms
Higher conversion rates due to native, in-platform forms	Higher ad costs compared to many other social platforms
Auto-filled fields reduce friction and save users time	Less control over UX than a custom landing page
No external landing page required, speeding up launch	Limited customization of form design and layout
Strong B2B targeting options based on job and company data	Lead quality can vary depending on form length
Mobile-friendly by default, improving accessibility	Requires paid ads — lacks organic lead gen form options
Easy integrations with CRMs and marketing tools	Not ideal for complex lead qualification without follow-up

Overall, LinkedIn lead forms are most effective when your goal is to quickly capture interest, particularly at the top or middle of the sales funnel. They are especially useful for webinars, gated content, and demo requests, where minimizing friction is more important than thorough upfront qualification.

However, if your sales process requires extensive screening or a highly customized experience, a traditional landing page may be the better option. Many B2B teams find success by using LinkedIn lead generation forms for initial capture, then qualifying leads further through email outreach or follow-up campaigns.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How much does LinkedIn lead generation cost?

The cost to use LinkedIn lead gen forms comes from the ads, not the forms. Once you create a LinkedIn campaign, there is no extra cost to incorporate a form. That said, LinkedIn advertising is generally more expensive than many other platforms. It’s not uncommon to see costs around $5 per click or $6 per 1,000 impressions, depending on your audience, industry, and competition.

Can I edit a lead gen form after creating it?

You can make limited edits to a LinkedIn lead generation form after it's created, such as adjusting the headline, description, or thank-you message. However, you can't change key elements once the form is live. To modify fields or questions, it's best to duplicate the form, make your changes, and attach the new version to your ads. This approach preserves historical data while allowing for future campaign optimization.

How do I retrieve the lead info I collect?

Lead data collected through LinkedIn lead forms can be accessed directly in Campaign Manager, where you can manually download leads as a CSV file. LinkedIn also supports integrations with many popular CRMs and marketing automation platforms, allowing leads to sync automatically for faster follow-up.

Bottom line 

LinkedIn lead forms provide a smart solution to a common challenge marketers encounter: capturing information when a lead clicks on an ad. To succeed with these forms, it's important to allocate funds for testing and adjustments, create an engaging ad, and ask the right questions in your form. 

If you're considering outsourcing your LinkedIn lead generation strategies, take a look at our guide to the best LinkedIn marketing agencies for lead generation.