LinkedIn Document Ads combined with a Lead Gen Form are currently one of the strongest LinkedIn ad formats for generating a high volume of B2B leads.

For straightforward offers such as consultations, demos or enquiries, Single Image Ads combined with a LinkedIn Lead Gen Form are also one of the most reliable options.

The important bit is the Lead Gen Form.

Instead of sending somebody away from LinkedIn to a landing page, LinkedIn opens a native form that is already populated with information from the person’s LinkedIn profile.

That means fewer clicks, less typing and less friction.

And generally, less friction means more leads.

According to LinkedIn, its Lead Gen Forms average around a 13% conversion rate, compared with an average landing-page conversion rate of around 4.02%.

LinkedIn’s more recent advertising data also shows that Document Ads achieved 2x higher Lead Gen Form completion rates and 4.5x higher engagement rates than other formats in 2025.

So if your objective is simply:

“How do I generate more leads from LinkedIn Ads?”

Our starting point would usually be:

Strong offer + Document Ad or Single Image Ad + LinkedIn Lead Gen Form.

But there is a little more to it than that.

Which LinkedIn ad format generates the most leads?

There isn’t one LinkedIn ad format that will win for every company, audience and offer.

However, for B2B lead generation, we would normally put the strongest options in this order:

1. Document Ads with Lead Gen Forms

For guides, reports, checklists, research, templates and other useful resources, this is currently one of our favourite LinkedIn lead generation combinations.

A Document Ad lets somebody start consuming your content directly inside their LinkedIn feed.

They might see the first few pages of a guide before LinkedIn asks them to complete a Lead Gen Form to unlock the rest.

That is powerful because the prospect has already seen some of the value before being asked for their information.

LinkedIn itself recommends Document Ads for lead capture and says the format can be gated with a Lead Gen Form to collect leads directly inside LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has also reported that Document Ads can achieve significantly stronger engagement and Lead Gen Form completion than other formats.

2. Single Image Ads with Lead Gen Forms

Do not underestimate a simple LinkedIn Single Image Ad.

You don’t need an elaborate video production or complicated campaign to generate leads.

Sometimes you need:

A clear problem.

A strong offer.

A simple image.

A good audience.

And a Lead Gen Form.

Single Image Ads are particularly effective when the proposition can be understood almost immediately.

For example:

Get our 2026 LinkedIn Ads benchmark report

See the exact funnel we use to generate B2B leads

Book a 45-minute LinkedIn Ads workshop

Download the CFO payment risk checklist

The user clicks the call to action and LinkedIn opens the Lead Gen Form without requiring them to visit another website.

LinkedIn officially supports Lead Gen Forms with Single Image Ads as well as Video, Carousel, Message, Conversation and Document Ads.

For direct lead generation campaigns, Single Image Ads are still one of the formats we test most often because they are simple, quick to understand and easy to test at scale.

Why do LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms generate so many leads?

The answer is simple.

They remove friction.

Imagine somebody is scrolling LinkedIn on their phone.

They see an advert.

If the advert sends them to a website, they have to:

Click the advert.

Wait for the website to load.

Read the landing page.

Find the form.

Type their name.

Type their email.

Potentially type their company, job title and phone number.

Then submit it.

Every additional step creates another opportunity for that person to disappear.

A LinkedIn Lead Gen Form is different.

LinkedIn can pre-populate information such as a person’s name, contact information, company, seniority, job title and location using information from their LinkedIn profile.

They can effectively click, check their details and submit.

That is why native LinkedIn lead generation will often generate considerably more form submissions than sending the same traffic to an external website.

Are Document Ads better than Single Image Ads for leads?

Sometimes.

But it depends on the offer.

If you are advertising a downloadable resource, Document Ads are usually one of the first formats I would test.

For example:

A benchmark report.

A salary guide.

An industry report.

A checklist.

A buyer’s guide.

A strategy framework.

A research report.

A case study.

A “how we did it” guide.

The document itself becomes part of the advert.

People can begin looking through it without leaving LinkedIn.

That lets the content do some of the selling before you ask for their details.

LinkedIn reports that advertisers using Document Ads have previously seen up to a 35% reduction in cost per lead, while its newer 2025 data reports 2x higher Lead Gen Form completion rates compared with other formats.

That makes Document Ads particularly interesting if your objective is lead volume at a sensible CPL.

What about LinkedIn Video Ads?

Video Ads can be brilliant.

But I would not automatically choose video because my objective was generating the maximum possible number of immediate leads.

Video is often better higher up the funnel.

It can:

Build trust.

Introduce the founder.

Explain a problem.

Demonstrate expertise.

Show a customer story.

Educate a cold audience.

Create a retargeting audience.

LinkedIn says video is one of its most highly engaged formats and reports average engagement around three times higher than non-video ads in its recent advertiser guidance.

But high engagement isn’t necessarily the same thing as high lead volume.

That distinction matters.

You can have a fantastic video with thousands of views that generates fewer leads than a very simple Document Ad offering exactly what the target customer wants.

This is why we normally think about LinkedIn Ads as a funnel rather than looking for one magical advert.

The LinkedIn Ads funnel we prefer

At Olivia Hudson, we specialise in LinkedIn rather than trying to be a Google, Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn agency all at once.

And one of the biggest mistakes we see is businesses asking one advert to do everything.

A cold prospect might have never heard of you before.

Asking them to immediately book a sales call can be a big jump.

Instead, we often build campaigns across different stages.

At the top of the funnel, Video Ads, Thought Leader Ads and useful educational content can introduce the business.

In the middle, we can retarget people who have watched videos, engaged with content or interacted with the company.

Then we can introduce a stronger lead generation offer using a Document Ad or Single Image Ad with a LinkedIn Lead Gen Form.

The ad format matters.

But the offer and the journey around it matter even more.

What information should you ask for on a LinkedIn Lead Gen Form?

Another mistake is asking for everything.

Name.

Email.

Phone number.

Company.

Company size.

Country.

Job title.

Budget.

Favourite colour.

Inside leg measurement.

You get the idea.

Every additional question gives the prospect another reason not to submit the form.

LinkedIn currently recommends using around three to four fields where possible and specifically notes that reducing the number of fields can improve conversion rates.

We normally want enough information to make the lead useful without turning the form into an application for a mortgage.

If the sales team is going to call the leads, a phone number can also be extremely valuable.

The important part then becomes what happens after the lead arrives.

Generating 100 leads and leaving them sitting inside Campaign Manager for three days isn’t a lead generation strategy.

Speed matters.

More leads doesn’t always mean better LinkedIn Ads

This is probably the most important part of this article.

Do not optimise LinkedIn Ads purely for the cheapest lead.

Imagine Campaign A generates:

100 leads at £20 each.

Campaign B generates:

40 leads at £40 each.

Campaign A appears to be the obvious winner.

But what happens if Campaign A produces two sales and Campaign B produces ten?

Suddenly the “expensive” leads were considerably more valuable.

This is why we look beyond CPL.

You should ideally track:

Lead volume, lead quality, sales-qualified leads, meetings booked, opportunities created, pipeline generated and ultimately revenue.

A £10 LinkedIn lead that will never buy anything is expensive.

A £150 LinkedIn lead that becomes a £50,000 customer is cheap.

What is the best LinkedIn ad format for a B2B company?

Here is the simple answer.

If you want maximum lead volume from LinkedIn, test LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms before immediately sending everybody to a website.

For a content-based offer, start with:

Document Ad + Lead Gen Form

For a simple direct offer, start with:

Single Image Ad + Lead Gen Form

For awareness and education, test:

Video Ads and Thought Leader Ads

Then retarget the people who engage.

That is usually a much stronger approach than expecting a single cold advert to generate your entire pipeline.

Which LinkedIn ad format has the lowest cost per lead?

There is no universal LinkedIn ad format with the lowest CPL because performance changes according to audience, country, offer, competition, targeting and creative.

However, Document Ads using Lead Gen Forms are one of the strongest formats to test for low-cost lead generation, particularly where the offer is an educational resource.

LinkedIn has reported reductions in CPL of up to 35% from Document Ads and more recent platform data found significantly higher Lead Gen Form completion rates than other formats.

Are LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms better than landing pages?

If your primary objective is generating the highest number of leads, they frequently can be.

LinkedIn reports an average Lead Gen Form conversion rate of around 13%, compared with 4.02% for the external landing-page benchmark cited in its own guidance.

But landing pages still have a role.

A landing page gives somebody more opportunity to understand your business, see proof, read case studies and qualify themselves before submitting.

That can sometimes reduce the number of leads while increasing intent.

Again, volume and quality are not the same thing.

Can you use a Lead Gen Form with a LinkedIn Document Ad?

Yes.

In fact, it is one of the combinations LinkedIn specifically promotes for lead generation.

Users can preview part of the document directly inside their LinkedIn feed and then complete a pre-filled Lead Gen Form to unlock the full content.

For the right B2B offer, this can be extremely effective.

What is the best LinkedIn Ads strategy for lead generation in 2026?

Don’t start by asking:

“Which advert should I run?”

Start with:

Who exactly am I trying to reach?

What problem do they care about?

What would they genuinely exchange their details for?

How do I reduce the friction involved in getting it?

What happens immediately after they become a lead?

The winning ad format becomes much easier to choose after answering those questions.

If the offer is strong and educational, I would test Document Ads.

If the offer is simple and immediately understandable, I would test Single Image Ads.

If the audience needs educating first, I would use video and thought leadership before retargeting them with lead generation campaigns.

And whenever lead volume is the priority, I would seriously consider keeping the conversion inside LinkedIn using a Lead Gen Form.

Final answer: which LinkedIn ad format generates the highest number of leads?

For most B2B advertisers focused on lead volume, LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms combined with Sponsored Content are one of the strongest options. In 2026, Document Ads with Lead Gen Forms are particularly worth testing because LinkedIn’s recent data shows significantly higher form completion and engagement than other formats.

For direct enquiries, demos and consultations, Single Image Ads with Lead Gen Forms remain one of the simplest and most dependable lead generation setups.

But there is no single format that wins every account.

Audience + offer + creative + form + follow-up will beat blindly choosing an ad format every time.

About Olivia Hudson

Olivia Hudson is a specialist LinkedIn Ads agency focused on helping B2B companies generate demand, leads and pipeline through LinkedIn.

Rather than spreading our attention across every advertising platform, we specialise in LinkedIn Ads, LinkedIn content and outreach.

Brett Creed, co-founder of Olivia Hudson, has spent more than a decade working with LinkedIn advertising and B2B lead generation campaigns.

If you’d like us to look at your LinkedIn Ads strategy, you can book a free 45-minute LinkedIn session with Brett and we’ll walk through your audience, funnel, campaign structure and opportunities to improve performance.