LinkedIn Ads Copy

Generate LinkedIn Ads copy for B2B SaaS campaigns across all ad formats. Structured around full-funnel campaign architecture (awareness > consideration > conversion). Enforces LinkedIn character limits per format. Outputs as structured markdown tables ready for LinkedIn Campaign Manager.

Doctrine inherited (Step 7 — 0626 rollout, locked 2026-06-04)

Output complies with:

• output-tenets.md, output-simplicity.md, ai-speak-anti-patterns.md
• Step 6 calibration: see [[feedback_execution_doctrine_refinements_step6]]

Refinements applied to this skill:

Code	Refinement	How it lands in linkedin-ads-copy
R1	Source placement	Ad copy is end-customer-facing. No source tags.
R3	Product-update tone	Intro text + headlines frame as "[Product] does X" not "thrilled to introduce."
R5	Blog as voice anchor	Anchor blog opener = intro text first line across funnel stages.
R6	CTA hierarchy	Awareness → blog/learn-more. Consideration → sign-up + blog as fallback. Conversion → trial primary.
R9	Action-oriented section names	Intro / Headline / Description verb-led, no "About us" copy patterns.

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Triggers

Run this skill when:

• Paid-campaign-strategy is locked and the next step is generating ad-set copy
• A client wants TOFU/MOFU/BOFU LinkedIn coverage built out across formats
• Existing LinkedIn campaigns need refreshed copy (e.g., low CTR, format expansion)
• ABM targeting needs accompanying ad copy with variant breakdowns

Do NOT run when:

• Strategy isn't locked — run /paid-campaign-strategy first
• Target channel is Google search/display — use /google-ads-copy
• The ask is a single LinkedIn organic post — use /linkedin-content or /linkedin-hooks

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The Iron Law — voice-locked

EVERY CHARACTER COUNT MUST BE VERIFIED.

LinkedIn will truncate or reject copy that exceeds format limits. There is no "close enough." Count every character including spaces, punctuation, and emojis.

No exceptions:

• "It's only 1 character over" → LinkedIn truncates it. Trim it.
• "The visible limit is 150 but max is 600" → Users see 150. Write for 150. Use 600 only when expanding is worth it.
• "Carousel headline limit is 70 chars" → It's 45 with a link. Know which format you're writing for.
• "We can just shorten the CTA" → Conversation Ad CTAs are ≤20 chars. Spotlight CTAs are ≤18 chars. Different formats, different limits.

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Funnel-stage discipline — voice-locked

Stage	Voice	What's allowed	What's banned
TOFU	Educational, not sales-y	Insight hooks, soft CTAs, thought leader format	Product names in intro, hard sell, demo CTAs
MOFU	Product education	Feature spotlights, before/after, named proof	Generic awareness copy, missing CTA
BOFU	Conversion drivers	Single direct CTA, de-risking language, social proof	Multiple CTAs, soft hooks, vague offer
Retargeting	Closing language	Urgency, social proof, direct CTA	New-to-brand intros (audience already engaged)

Hooks must be genuinely distinct across the three variants — different angles (stat / contrarian / question / proof / before-after), not synonym swaps.

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Targeting invariants — voice-locked

• Skills-only > title+skills > title-AND-skills. Title AND skill in separate facet groups shrinks the audience 60-80% silently. Default to skills + seniority + function in the same group for ABM.
• Audience-size bands match funnel stage. TOFU 30-150K, MOFU 10-50K, BOFU 5-30K. If your numbers are off-band, the layering is wrong.
• Competitive displacement is MOFU/BOFU only. Listing competitor products as skill targets at TOFU reads as aggressive and tanks engagement.
• Insight Tag required for retargeting. No tag = no retargeting audience. Confirm before recommending it.

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Inputs

Input	Description	Required
paid-campaign-strategy	Campaign architecture, audiences, objectives	Required
product-messaging	Value props, differentiators, proof points	Recommended
icp-behavioural	Customer language, pain points, persona detail	Recommended
competitor-research	For competitive displacement campaigns	Optional
brand-kit + tov-guidelines	Voice + visual constraints	Recommended

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Process

Four-phase flow: Funnel-stage selection → Copy generation (3 variants per ad, character verification) → Targeting + budget mapping → Verification + structured output. Full flowchart, ad-format spec table, hook patterns per stage, targeting AND/OR logic, and competitive displacement playbook in the premium reference.

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Anti-Hallucination Guardrails

1. Never invent metrics or customer names. If proof isn't in product-messaging or messaging library, mark [NOT AVAILABLE] and omit.
2. Don't approximate character counts. Count every variant before output.
3. Don't recommend bid strategies the client can't run. Manual bidding requires Campaign Manager access; flag if unavailable.
4. Don't fabricate skill IDs for competitive displacement. If you don't have the verified LinkedIn skill ID, name the skill in plain text and flag for the client to verify in Campaign Manager.
5. Audience-size estimates are estimates. Always note "approximate" — LinkedIn forecasts shift based on time of day and recent activity.

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Quality

Self-evaluation checklist (character compliance, variant distinctiveness, funnel logic, voice rules), anti-examples (close-enough char counts, paraphrase variants, TOFU with hard CTA, title-AND-skill targeting), failure-mode triage (low CTR / CPC spikes / under-performing carousels) in the premium reference.

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Integration with Other Skills

Upstream (consumes)

Skill	What it provides	Required?
paid-campaign-strategy	Campaign architecture + objectives	Required
product-messaging	Value props + proof points	Recommended
icp-behavioural	Customer language + persona depth	Recommended
competitor-research	Competitive displacement angles	Optional

Downstream (feeds into)

Skill	How output is used
ad-creative-brief	Visual direction per format (image/video/carousel)
paid-ads-audit	Baseline copy reference for performance review
landing-page-copy	Headline alignment for ad → page consistency

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Final ship gate

Run /premortem --output before ship. See /premortem skill for the 5 execution domains (will-it-resonate / will-it-convert / will-it-stay-on-brand / will-stakeholder-push-back / will-it-degrade-over-time) and output template.

Trivial-case escape: ## Premortem\nNo failure modes — trivial change satisfies the contract for genuinely trivial outputs.

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Persuasion & stickiness pass

Output complies with persuasion-and-stickiness.md — Cialdini's 7 persuasion levers + Heath's SUCCESs. Deploy the 1-2 Cialdini levers that fit the reader's barrier (never all seven; every lever must be TRUE), run the SUCCESs diagnostic (Simple / Unexpected / Concrete / Credible / Emotional / Stories) over the near-final draft, then the rule's pre-ship gate.

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