My First LinkedIn A/B Test Isn't Crushing, But Here's What I Learned

As a fun-employed job-seeker spending my own money on a platform I had never used before, this was a high-risk campaign, but that was part of the appeal. This experiment wasn’t just about results; it's about taking risks, solving problems, and learning new platforms to expand my skillset as a Digital Marketer.

I chose LinkedIn as my starting point because this is where my audience is actively engaged. I chose an A/B test to see which creatives would resonate with this audience, but the platform had limitations that made me uneasy.

Limitations of an A/B Test on LinkedIn:

1. Minimum spend: $50/day

2. Minimum duration: 14 days

3. Creative approval: 48hrs+

4. CAN'T PAUSE once the campaign is live

5. No day-parting or TOD insights

   
   

Because the creative approval took more than 2 days, my campaign launched on a Friday afternoon. Unable to pause my campaign, we had to deliver impressions to people OOO. At this time, my CPC bid was set to maximize delivery (because my audience is so niche) but the campaign didn't drive traffic over the weekend.

A little disheartened, I found a hack to lower my cost cap and slow delivery way down.

Hack: Since we can't pause A/B tests, if you need to slow or stop delivery, lower your cost cap!

I've decided to end the A/B test early because

A: We're not driving significant traffic to site

B: The creatives are tied so there are no real insights to be made.

The real learning here comes from the platform capabilities/limitations as we establish benchmarks for future campaigns.

Onward and upward! My next launch is in the works as I build out my creatives using Canva. Sneak peak below. What do you think? We're giving mystery, we're giving intrigue. I'm no graphic designer and welcome all feedback!