AdAce AdsLinkedIn bidding: maximum delivery, cost cap and manual bid
LinkedIn is an auction, and the bid strategy decides how your budget is spent inside it. The three practical options are maximum delivery, cost cap and manual bidding. They trade control for learning in different proportions, and the right one depends on your objective, budget and how much data you already have.
What it does
Maximum delivery (automated bidding) lets LinkedIn spend your budget to get as many results as possible for the chosen optimization goal. It is the simplest and the best starting point on a new campaign, because LinkedIn does not need a number from you. The risk is that cost per result is not guaranteed: it can be high on a narrow audience in a competitive moment.
Cost cap keeps the average cost per result at or below the amount you set, while still letting the system optimize. It is useful after you know what a result is worth. Set the cap too low and the campaign will under-deliver or not spend; set it too high and the cap has no effect. A cap is not a promise either, it limits the average.
Manual bidding sets a fixed bid per click or per thousand impressions (or per video view). It gives control, and it is useful for tests where you want to hold price constant, or on small audiences where automated bids go too high. It needs attention: a manual bid below the market level simply does not win impressions, so you may see a campaign that is active but spends almost nothing.
Match strategy to stage. Start with maximum delivery on a new campaign with enough budget to learn. When you know the value of a result, move to a cost cap and set it slightly above your target while data builds. Use manual bidding for controlled comparisons. Change one thing at a time, and give each change time before judging it.
Why it helps
- You choose control level on purpose instead of by default.
- A cost cap ties the campaign to the value of a result.
- Manual bids give a stable price for tests.
How to set it up
- Start a new campaign with maximum delivery and a budget that can produce a handful of results per week.
- After you know the value of a result and have data, switch to a cost cap slightly above your target and watch delivery.
- Use a manual bid only for controlled tests, starting near the suggested bid range.
- Change one setting per review and note the date.
- If a campaign is active but spends little, check the bid against the suggested range before changing the audience.
Good to know
- In AdAce Ads the campaign bid strategy (maximum delivery, manual with an amount, or cost cap with an amount) is changed through a proposal with before and after; with maximum delivery the bid amount does not apply, so a bid change is refused there.
- Available strategies and the pricing basis depend on the objective.
- A new strategy needs time to settle; avoid several changes in a week.
Sources and further reading
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