LinkedIn Matched Audiences: Custom Targeting Guide

LinkedIn Matched Audiences let you target specific companies, website visitors, and contact lists with your ads. This precision targeting transforms LinkedIn from a broad B2B platform into a surgical ABM tool.

In 2026, Matched Audiences remain one of LinkedIn's most powerful features for B2B marketers. This guide covers setup, best practices, and optimization strategies for each audience type.

What Are LinkedIn Matched Audiences?

Matched Audiences are custom targeting options that let you reach people based on your own data rather than LinkedIn's demographic filters.

According to LinkedIn's official documentation, there are three core Matched Audience types:

Audience Type	Data Source	Use Case
Website Retargeting	LinkedIn Insight Tag	Re-engage site visitors
Contact Targeting	Email/company uploads	Reach known prospects
Account Targeting	Company list uploads	ABM campaigns

Additionally, LinkedIn offers Predictive Audiences (which replaced Lookalike Audiences in February 2024) to expand reach beyond your matched data.

Website Retargeting

Website retargeting lets you serve ads to LinkedIn members who visited your website.

Setup Requirements

1. Install the LinkedIn Insight Tag on your website
2. Wait for the tag to collect visitor data
3. Create audience segments in Campaign Manager

Audience Configuration

According to LinkedIn's targeting specifications, website audiences support:

• Lookback window: 30 to 365 days
• URL rules: Exact match, starts with, or contains
• Minimum size: 300 matched members required to serve ads

Segmentation Strategies

Create separate audiences for different intent signals:

Segment	URL Pattern	Intent Level
Pricing page visitors	/pricing	High
Case study readers	/case-studies/*	Medium-High
Blog visitors	/blog/*	Low-Medium
Homepage bounces	/ (1 page only)	Low

Bid higher on high-intent segments and use different messaging for each group.

Best Practices

• Exclude converters: Remove people who already filled out forms
• Layer with demographics: Combine retargeting with job title filters
• Set frequency caps: Avoid overwhelming recent visitors
• Refresh creative: Update ads every 2-4 weeks to prevent fatigue

Contact Targeting

Contact targeting lets you upload email lists or company data to reach specific individuals.

Supported Data Types

According to LinkedIn's data matching documentation:

• Email addresses (primary matching method)
• First name + last name + company
• Company name + job title
• LinkedIn member IDs (via API)

Match Rate Expectations

LinkedIn typically matches 30-60% of uploaded contacts, depending on:

• Email address type (work emails match better than personal)
• Data freshness (recent data matches better)
• Profile completeness of your contacts

Upload Requirements

• Minimum: 300 matched members to serve ads
• Maximum: 300,000 records per list
• Format: CSV with proper column headers
• Processing time: 24-48 hours for matching

Use Cases

Customer suppression: Exclude existing customers from acquisition campaigns

Upsell campaigns: Target current customers with expansion offers

Event promotion: Reach registered attendees or past attendees

Lost deal re-engagement: Target prospects who didn't close

Account Targeting

Account targeting lets you upload company lists for ABM campaigns—reaching everyone at target accounts.

How It Works

Upload a list of company names, and LinkedIn matches them against its company database. According to LinkedIn's ABM targeting guide, you can then target all LinkedIn members who work at those companies.

Upload Specifications

Specification	Limit
Maximum companies per list	300,000
Minimum matched companies	300
Matching fields	Company name, website, LinkedIn page URL
Processing time	24-48 hours

Improving Match Rates

Company matching can be tricky due to name variations. Improve match rates by:

• Including both parent company and subsidiary names
• Using official company names (not abbreviations)
• Adding company website URLs as secondary identifiers
• Including LinkedIn Company Page URLs when available

Layering Account Targeting

Account lists work best when combined with additional filters:

Account List: Fortune 500 target accounts
+ Job Function: Marketing, Sales
+ Seniority: Director+
+ Geography: United States
= Focused buying committee targeting

This combination ensures ads reach decision-makers at target accounts, not entry-level employees.

Predictive Audiences

In February 2024, LinkedIn replaced Lookalike Audiences with Predictive Audiences. This AI-powered feature expands targeting beyond your seed data.

How Predictive Audiences Work

LinkedIn analyzes your conversion data, Lead Gen Form submissions, or contact lists to identify patterns. It then finds similar LinkedIn members who match those patterns.

Creating Predictive Audiences

1. Navigate to Plan > Audiences in Campaign Manager
2. Select "Create audience" > "Predictive audience"
3. Choose a data source:
   • Contact list
   • Conversions (requires conversion tracking)
   • Lead Gen Form submissions
4. LinkedIn generates an expanded audience automatically

Best Practices

• Use quality seed data: Better inputs create better predictions
• Minimum seed size: At least 300 matched contacts recommended
• Monitor performance: Predictive audiences may need refinement
• Compare to original: Test predictive vs. original audience performance

Lead Gen Form Retargeting

A newer Matched Audiences feature lets you retarget people who interacted with your Lead Gen Forms.

Audience Options

According to 2026 LinkedIn updates, you can create audiences based on:

• Form opens: People who clicked but didn't submit
• Form submissions: People who completed forms (for nurturing)

Strategic Applications

Form abandonment recovery: Target people who opened but didn't submit with a simplified offer or incentive.

Post-conversion nurturing: Move form submitters through your funnel with sequential content campaigns.

Combining Matched Audiences

The real power comes from combining multiple Matched Audience types.

Example: Full-Funnel ABM Stack

Stage	Audience Combination	Message
Awareness	Account list + Senior titles	Thought leadership
Consideration	Website visitors from accounts	Case studies
Decision	Engaged contacts at accounts	Demo offer

Exclusion Strategy

Use Matched Audiences for exclusions as effectively as inclusions:

• Exclude customers from acquisition campaigns
• Exclude recent converters from repeated offers
• Exclude competitors from seeing your ads
• Exclude unqualified contacts from ABM lists

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the minimum audience size for LinkedIn Matched Audiences?

LinkedIn requires a minimum of 300 matched members before serving ads to any Matched Audience. This applies to website retargeting, contact targeting, and account targeting. If your audience is smaller, combine it with broader targeting or grow your seed data.

How long does it take for Matched Audiences to process?

Contact and account list uploads typically take 24-48 hours to match against LinkedIn's database. Website retargeting audiences update continuously as the Insight Tag collects data, though new segments may take up to 48 hours to populate.

Did LinkedIn remove Lookalike Audiences?

Yes, LinkedIn discontinued Lookalike Audiences in February 2024, replacing them with Predictive Audiences. The new feature uses AI to find similar members based on conversion patterns, contact lists, or Lead Gen Form data rather than simple demographic matching.

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Key Takeaways

• LinkedIn Matched Audiences include website retargeting, contact targeting, and account targeting
• Minimum audience size is 300 matched members for all Matched Audience types
• Website retargeting supports 30-365 day lookback windows with URL-based segmentation
• Account targeting allows up to 300,000 companies per list for ABM campaigns
• Predictive Audiences replaced Lookalike Audiences in February 2024
• Combine Matched Audiences with demographic filters for precision targeting
• Use exclusions strategically to prevent wasted spend on wrong audiences

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