Venturing into paid ads can be daunting – there’s cash at stake and you need returns. And if you’re building a start-up, the stakes are even higher.

Keeping up with the algorithm is a job on its own, let alone the nuances of successful ads.

To get seasoned, expert advice, I turned to someone who lives and breathes LinkedIn ads: Lisa Kyriacou Faulks, founder of Social Medicine, a digital marketing agency for the biotech, pharma and medtech industries.

With an academic background in medical microbiology, she was naturally drawn to the data-driven nature of advertising, where results can be measured clearly and refined over time.

I met Lisa Uplift Live, a conference on all things LinkedIn, earlier this year, and she kindly agreed to share some tips for those new to LinkedIn advertising – but also those who’ve already tried it out.

In the first part of her interview, we discussed whether LinkedIn ads are the right move in the first place.

Lisa, for early-stage founders getting started with their marketing, what is the right balance of paid vs organic content?

I always recommend that companies get their organic content right first. There’s so much you can do for free, but you need a clear strategy.

Founders must build a relevant network and develop quality ‘thought leadership’. When you’re sharing content that your audience genuinely wants to engage with, you should start to see traction.

You can then use your ad budget more strategically. This could be to share big news that investors will want to and should know, such as approved CE marking for a medical device. Or it could be to boost awareness of your product and encourage traffic to your company page.

So for early-stage founders, the message is: don’t rush into LinkedIn ads before you have the right message and you know what content is already resonating organically.

And it’s not simply about generating leads?

Exactly. Not every campaign will generate leads.

For instance, I’ve noticed that ads perform terribly with event promotion. Why? People rarely decide to attend a conference on the spot.

They’ll see the event listing, think about it, ask for permission, check their diary, and then perhaps buy a ticket.

You won’t get these insights without testing so you need to factor this into your budget. If you go all in straight away, there’s a risk your ads will fall flat and fail to produce the desired outcome. The more you test, the better your results.

When marketers say LinkedIn ads “don’t work”, it’s often the approach that’s the issue – not the platform.

In your view, what are some of the biggest misconceptions marketers have about LinkedIn ads?

LinkedIn ads tend to be seen as expensive. And it’s true – cost per click and lead acquisition typically costs more than platforms like Meta.

However, the quality of the audience and the targeting precision can make the returns worthwhile, especially in B2B. People are typically in a more business-focused mindset on LinkedIn.

I often see a misalignment between goals and spend. You can’t spend £200 and expect dozens of high-quality leads.

It’s better to invest enough to actually learn what works and clarify expectations with clients, than under-spend and have little to report for it.