linkedin-ads-manager

LinkedIn Ads Manager

Manage LinkedIn ad campaigns programmatically via a Python CLI. Full campaign lifecycle: creation, cloning, budget management, targeting configuration, performance analytics, and batch operations.

Credential Handling

Before asking the user for any API credentials, tokens, or account IDs, always check the .env file in the project root first:

cat .env 2>/dev/null

If the required credentials are present, load them silently and proceed — do not ask the user to provide them. Only ask for credentials if they are genuinely missing from .env.

Setup

Before using this skill, credentials must be configured. Run /linkedin-setup or set environment variables:

• LINKEDIN_CAMPAIGNS_TOKEN — OAuth token from Marketing Developer Platform app (scopes: rw_ads, r_ads_reporting)
• LINKEDIN_POSTS_TOKEN — OAuth token from Community Management API app (scope: w_organization_social)
• LINKEDIN_ACCOUNT_ID — Your LinkedIn ad account ID

Get tokens from https://www.linkedin.com/developers/apps → Auth → OAuth 2.0 tools.

Why two tokens: LinkedIn doesn't allow a single app to have both Marketing Developer Platform AND Community Management API products. You need separate apps.

Usage

The CLI script lives on a read-only filesystem — always invoke it with bash directly (do not use chmod +x):

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin [command] [options]

Command Reference

Campaign Management

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin list [--name SEARCH] [--status ACTIVE,PAUSED] [--limit 20]
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin get CAMPAIGN_ID [--json]
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin clone --source CAMPAIGN --name NEW_NAME [--clone-creatives] [--budget 50]
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin update-status CAMPAIGN_ID --status PAUSED|ACTIVE|DRAFT
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin update-budget CAMPAIGN_ID --budget 100
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin pause-all [--name FILTER] [--dry-run]
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin resume-all [--dry-run]

Targeting Operations

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin analyze CAMPAIGN_ID [--recommend]
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin update-targeting CAMPAIGN_ID [--add-organization ORG_ID] [--add-titles IDS] [--add-skills IDS]
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin copy-targeting --source CAMPAIGN_ID --target CAMPAIGN_ID
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin recommend-skills [--campaign-id CAMPAIGN_ID]

Search & Discovery

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin find-org "Company Name"
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin find-skill "Kubernetes"
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin find-title "DevOps Engineer"

Analytics

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin performance --campaign-id CAMPAIGN_ID [--days 30]
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin performance --name "ABM" [--days 7]
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin daily                                    # Yesterday's snapshot + MTD pacing + alerts
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin daily --date 2026-03-10                  # Specific date report
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin daily --month-budget 25000               # Override monthly budget for pacing
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin audit                                    # Quick operational check
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin audit-v2                                 # Comprehensive strategic audit
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin campaign-group --group-id GROUP_ID [--by-type] [--active-only]

When to Use Each Command

• campaign-group: Breakdown by ad type, campaign group performance, BoFu/MoFu/ToFu analysis.
• analyze: Campaign targeting questions, role coverage, recommendations for missing titles/skills.
• daily: Yesterday's snapshot, MTD pacing, morning check-in, creative fatigue/CPC spike detection.
• audit: Quick operational check (~30 seconds), simple pause recommendations.
• audit-v2: Comprehensive health assessment, monthly strategic review, benchmarks, prioritized action plan.
• pause-all/resume-all: Holiday pausing, budget holds, emergency pause. NOT for weekend pausing — disrupts LinkedIn's learning algorithm.
• clone: New ABM campaign for a company. Do NOT use --clone-creatives by default (each campaign needs custom creatives).
• performance: Specific campaign metrics, spend/conversion data, last N days.

Key pattern: Before writing a custom script, check if an existing command handles the use case.

Common Workflows

Launch ABM Campaign for New Account

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin find-org "Company Name"
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin clone --source TEMPLATE_CAMPAIGN --name "ABM_CompanyName" --clone-creatives
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin update-targeting NEW_ID --add-organization ORG_ID --org-name "Company Name"
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin analyze NEW_ID

Fix Underperforming Campaign

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin analyze CAMPAIGN_ID
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin copy-targeting --source WINNING_ID --target CAMPAIGN_ID
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin update-targeting CAMPAIGN_ID --add-organization ORG_ID --org-name "Company Name"

Batch Pause for Holidays

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin pause-all --dry-run
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin pause-all
# ... after holiday ...
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin resume-all --dry-run
bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/linkedin-ads-manager/linkedin resume-all

Reference Documents

For deeper strategic guidance, read the reference files:

• references/BEST_PRACTICES_B2B_SAAS.md — Full strategic playbook: funnel architecture, ICP-first targeting, creative refresh cycles, benchmarks
• references/PLAYBOOK.md — Proven operational patterns for ABM campaigns, targeting diagnostics
• references/AUDIT_FRAMEWORK.md — Monthly audit checklists and benchmark comparison frameworks
• references/TROUBLESHOOTING.md — Common errors and solutions

API Gotchas

• Pagination mandatory: API returns max 100 results. Always paginate with nextPageToken.
• Integer IDs: API returns campaign IDs as integers. Always convert with str() before string operations.
• politicalIntent required: Creating campaigns without it causes 422. Always include "politicalIntent": "NOT_DECLARED".
• Empty response on create: 201 Created returns empty body. Check x-restli-id header for new ID.
• Account whitelisting: Having rw_ads scope isn't enough — must add account ID in Developer Portal → Products → View Ad Accounts.

Required Permissions

OAuth Scopes: rw_ads (read/write campaigns), r_ads_reporting (analytics)

Account Role: ACCOUNT_MANAGER, CAMPAIGN_MANAGER, or ACCOUNT_BILLING_ADMIN