Use the bulk import CSV template to create new LinkedIn advertising campaigns and edit existing ad set settings in bulk.
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Create new ad sets – Download a blank CSV template and fill out the fields.
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Edit existing ad set settings – Select existing ad sets to include in the template and edit the relevant fields.
After downloading your template, fill out or edit fields in the template and upload the file to Campaign Manager.
Download CSV template to create or edit ad sets
To download the CSV template:
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Go to your ad account in Campaign Manager.
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Click Advertise on the left menu.
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Click the Ad sets tab.
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To generate a blank template, click the Bulk Actions
dropdown menu and select Download template. -
To export all existing ad sets:
- Click the Bulk Actions
dropdown menu and select Export all Ad sets. - Click Export.
- Click the Bulk Actions
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To choose the ad sets you want to export:
- Select the checkboxes next to the ads you want to update.
- Click the Bulk Actions
dropdown menu and select Export selection. - Click Export.
Complete the fields of the template for new or updated ad sets and save the updated template as a CSV file.
Required fields for the CSV template
This chart explains the template columns required to create or edit bulk ad sets.
Here's a tip
Field inputs are not case sensitive.
Chart legend
- * = Required for creating new ad sets
- ** = At least one is required for creating new ad sets
| Status | Columns | Inputs/values available (not case sensitive) |
|---|---|---|
| Required new | *Account ID | You can’t make changes to this column. |
| Read only | Account Name | You can’t make changes to this column. |
| Read only | Campaign ID | You can’t make changes to this column. If left blank, it will put ad sets into default campaign. Leave blank to create new ad sets. |
| Read only | Campaign Name | You can’t make changes to this column. |
| Read only | Ad Set ID | You can't make changes to this column. All rows in the file should have a unique Ad Set ID as rows with duplicate Ad Set IDs will not be processed. |
| Required new | *Ad Set Name | Use up to 200 characters for your ad set name. |
| Required new | *Ad Set Status | Choose from: Active, Paused, Archived, Completed, Canceled, Draft Note: Canceled won’t delete ad sets. |
| Required new | *Objective | Review the ad formats for objective-based advertising article to learn more about ad objectives and ad formats. |
| Required new | *Ad Format | Review the ad formats for objective-based advertising article to learn more about ad objectives and ad formats. |
| Required new | *Profile Language | Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Filipino, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish |
| Required new Choose Audience Template or Audience String | **Audience Template ID | If left blank, Audience String will be used. Use a new ID number for all your saved audiences. Make modifications to an existing audience and save it as new saved audience or use an existing one to override current targeting. In the Saved Audiences drop down menu, click See all audiences. Template ID is listed as a new column. Note: Audience template ID is unique to each user and cannot be shared. Audience template IDs will NOT download to the CSV file. |
| Required new Choose Audience Template or Audience String | **Audience String | If left blank, you must use the template ID. Do not edit the audience string as it requires light programming experience. |
| Optional | Enable Audience Expansion | Yes or no. If left blank, the default is no. |
| Optional | Enable LinkedIn Audience Network | Yes or no. If left blank, the default is no. |
| Required new | Ad Set Lifetime Budget | Must be at least $10. If left blank, will use daily budget only and ad set will end if budget runs out or end date is reached. |
| Optional | Ad Set Total Budget | Must be greater than daily budget. If left blank, will use daily budget only and ad set will end if budget runs out or your ad set hits its end date, whichever occurs first. |
| Required new | *Ad Set Start Date | Supports: MM/DD/YYYY format for all regions. CSV file leads with YYYY. Start date must be set to today or in the future. |
| Optional | Ad Set End Date: | Supports: MM/DD/YYYY format for all regions. CSV file leads with YYYY. End date must be set to today or in the future. If left blank, it will continuously run until total budget runs out. |
| Required new | *Optimization Goal | Review the ad formats for objective-based advertising article to learn more about ad objectives and ad formats. |
| Available with manual bidding strategy | Enable bid adjustment for high- value clicks | For ad sets with manual bidding strategy, enter Yes to enable automatic bid adjustment to drive more results. Enter No for maximum control of your bid amount. |
| Required for ad sets with manual and cost cap bidding strategies | Bid Amount | Refer to Campaign Manager recommendations or past ad sets for guidance on minimum bids. |
Once you’ve created or edited your ad set settings in the bulk import template, you must upload the CSV file back into Campaign Manager.
Important to know
Your CSV file must be 20 MB or smaller.
To import a file:
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Go to your ad account in Campaign Manager.
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Click Advertise on the left menu.
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Click the Ad Sets tab.
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Click the Bulk Actions
dropdown menu and click Import file. -
Click Select File, choose the correct file, and click Open.
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Click Next.
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Our system will validate your template.
- If there are no errors, click Import File.
- If errors are reported on your template, update the template and re-import.
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Once your file has been successfully imported, you’ll be redirected to the Bulk Imports page to review its status.
A few tips when you download your CSV file:
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Expand column widths to reveal instructions. Instructions and input values for each column are hidden due to formatting limitations within the CSV file. We recommend expanding column width to make them easier to read. You can input your values in Row 6.
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Use an existing exported ad set to help you create new ad sets. Creating new ad sets using the bulk CSV may be easier when you have an existing ad set to get you started. Export the existing ad set, erase the ad set ID in the CSV (to create a new ad set), and change the values in the editable columns you wish to change.
You can choose to define your target audience two ways:
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The Audience Template ID associated with your saved audience in Campaign Manager.
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Copy and paste the Audience String from another exported ad set.
We recommend using the Audience Template ID as Audience String requires light programming experience.
If you include both Audience Template ID and Audience String, then:
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New facets in the Audience String will get appended to Audience Template ID.
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If there are common facets in both, the facets from the Audience String will override those in the Audience Template ID.
You can view the status of each bulk import CSV you upload from the Bulk Imports page for your account.
To get to your Bulk Imports page for your ad sets:
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Go to your ad account in Campaign Manager.
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Click Advertise on the left menu.
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Click the Ad Sets tab.
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Click the Bulk Actions
dropdown menu. -
Click View bulk imports.
| Import Status | Definition |
|---|---|
| Complete | Successfully processed CSV without any errors |
| Completed with Errors | Processed CSV file but there are some errors for some rows |
| Failed | Unable to process file |
| In progress | Processing of CSV file is in progress |
| Pending | Upload is successful and processing is not started yet |
Keep in mind:
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You can’t make bulk changes to ad accounts at this time.
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New ad sets can be set to any status but won’t run until creatives are added in Campaign Manager.
- A best practice is to create new ad sets in Draft status.
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New campaigns must be created in Campaign Manager first.
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You can’t include more than one ad account in a single CSV file.
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