Every LinkedIn ad set needs a profile language, and the choice works differently from what most people assume. Pick English and the ad set targets every member in your locations, whatever language their profile is in. Pick any other language and it reaches only members who match it. Sponsored Messaging is the exception: there, every language, English included, is a filter.
So switching an ad set to French doesn't win you French speakers you were missing. It narrows the audience to them. That changes how a local-language test should be built.
A small audience in two markets
On a mentoring call, a marketer was running a brand awareness video on LinkedIn to aviation and logistics decision makers in two small markets where French is an official language. The audience was about 990 members, reach stalled at around 450 to 500, and the ads ran out of new people. Our first fix was to widen it: add related industries such as freight and package transportation, drop a years-of-experience filter that overlapped with seniority, and exclude manager-level seniority. The estimate went from about 1,000 to about 2,400. (More on that overlap in why the LinkedIn audience number is not your audience.)
The second experiment we suggested was language: a separate test in French, with a translated video. In our own accounts we run local-language ads in markets such as Turkey, Germany and Brazil, because in our experience people respond better to ads in the language they use. LinkedIn's rules explain why it has to be a separate ad set, and why it won't grow the audience.
What the language setting actually does
- English, outside Sponsored Messaging. Targets all members in the location, regardless of the language on their profile.
- Any other language. Shows the ad only to members who match your selection. LinkedIn may use other profile information to make the match.
- Sponsored Messaging, any language. Always a filter. An English message ad reaches only members whose profile language is English.
- Locked once an ad is added. After that, the ad set's language can't change. A different language needs a new ad set.
- 35 languages. French and German are on the list. Chinese isn't supported.
LinkedIn recommends that the ad and the landing page match the language you select. For lead generation, an English Lead Gen Form can attach to an ad set in any language except simplified Chinese, but a non-English form has to match the ad set's language.
How to run the language test
- Keep the English ad set running. It already reaches French-profile members. For a narrow language audience, LinkedIn itself suggests running another ad set in English for the same locations, to reach people who speak both.
- Add a French ad set, not a French ad. Translate the video, captions, intro text and landing page, so the whole path is in one language.
- Expect it to be smaller. The French ad set is a subset of the location. In a market that's already under 1,000 members, widen the targeting first, as on the call, or the test won't have enough people.
- Compare like with like. Read engagement rate and cost per result for both ad sets over the same dates. The same French-profile members can sit in both, so treat it as a direction, not a clean split.
The takeaways
- An English LinkedIn ad set targets everyone in the location, whatever their profile language. Sponsored Messaging is the exception.
- Any other language, and every language in Sponsored Messaging, narrows the audience to matching members.
- The language locks once an ad is added, so test a local language in its own ad set.
- Translate the full path: video, text, form and landing page.
- In small markets, widen the audience before you split it by language.
Common questions
Does LinkedIn show English ads to people whose profile is in another language?
Yes, for ad sets other than Sponsored Messaging. LinkedIn says that when you select English, your ad set targets all member accounts in your locations, regardless of the language they selected on their profiles.
What happens if I target French or another language on LinkedIn?
Your ads appear only to member accounts that meet your targeting and match your language selection. LinkedIn may use additional profile information to make that match. In Sponsored Messaging, every language works this way, including English.
Can I change the language of a LinkedIn ad set?
Not after you add an ad. LinkedIn says that once you select a language and add an ad, the selection can't be changed, so a different language needs a new ad set.
Which languages can LinkedIn ads target?
LinkedIn supports 35 profile languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish and Japanese. Chinese is not supported for LinkedIn ad sets.
Does my LinkedIn Lead Gen Form need to be in the same language as the ad set?
Only if it isn't in English. LinkedIn says English forms can be associated with ad sets of any language except simplified Chinese, while non-English forms must match the ad set language. A form's language can't be edited once it's saved.