LinkedIn BrandLink Ads: How the Pre-Roll Creator and Publisher Format Works

What BrandLink is

LinkedIn BrandLink puts a brand's short video before an approved creator or publisher video. The ad plays as pre-roll in the LinkedIn feed. The brand can still use LinkedIn's ad tools to pick who sees it.

The key point is simple. BrandLink buys a spot next to trusted work. It does not mean the creator used the product. It also does not mean the creator backs the brand.

Most access still starts with LinkedIn's sales team. Some brands can now set up publisher campaigns on their own. Those accounts still need sales support. So "self-serve" does not mean that any brand can log in and buy any creator.

BrandLink can be a good fit for reach and trust. It can also waste a lot of money. That happens when the brand buys a famous name but ignores the video, the audience, or the goal. The name does not fix a weak match.

LinkedIn calls BrandLink an in-stream video ad. A brand uploads a short ad. That ad runs before a video from a creator or publisher. It shows in the feeds of people the brand has picked.

The brand ad and the main video are two pieces of work. The creator may never speak about the brand. The brand also does not own the main video just because its ad ran first.

That makes BrandLink quite unlike a normal creator ad. In a creator ad, the creator brings the brand into the work. They may show the product. They may tell a story or make a case for it. Their own words are part of what the brand buys.

BrandLink is closer to a media placement. The creator or publisher provides access to an audience whose trust and relevance make that placement more valuable. The brand is not buying an endorsement. It still has to earn the click, view, or sale with its own ad.

This is not a small detail. It should shape the brief, the rate, and the goal.

What BrandLink is not

BrandLink is not a Thought Leader Ad. A Thought Leader Ad puts paid reach behind a member's own post. The post itself is the ad. BrandLink puts a separate brand video before other video work.

It is not a baked-in creator read. It is not a promise that the creator likes the product. It is not broad access to all LinkedIn creators. It is also not the same as LinkedIn CTV or the LinkedIn Audience Network.

Here is the clean way to think about it:

These formats can work well together. They still solve different needs. A team that mixes them up will set the wrong goal. It may also pay for rights it does not have.

Who can buy BrandLink now

LinkedIn still says BrandLink is in a test phase. Its main page tells brands to call their LinkedIn sales team.

The sales-led path can include one creator or publisher. It can also cover a topic group with more than one partner. LinkedIn says the sales team can share the set of topics each partner covers.

In 2026, LinkedIn added more ways to buy. The names can make this feel more open than it is.

Sales-led creator or publisher plans

A brand can ask for a plan around one partner. It can also ask for a topic package. LinkedIn helps set up the deal and the media.

This is still the main path for creator-led BrandLink work. Do not plan a launch around a creator before LinkedIn says that creator is in the program.

Self-serve publisher ads

Some brands can now find publisher video in Creator Marketplace. They can then build the ad in Campaign Manager. LinkedIn says this is for select accounts. The account must also have help from a LinkedIn sales team.

Self-serve is doing a lot of work in that name. The brand can do more of the setup. It does not get open access.

The current tool shows a set of publisher videos. It has topics such as tech, AI, finance, and business. The brand can search by word, date, or publisher. It can also check the video before it buys.

LinkedIn now says a brand may pick only one video post per month from this list. The list gets new work on the first day of each month. That rule may change fast. Check it before each plan.

Our usual recommendation for a first LinkedIn creator partnership is three posts or angles. If this one-video-per-month rule applies, plan the BrandLink test across three months or ask LinkedIn whether a sales-led package can provide more than one placement. Do not let a platform limit turn one placement into a verdict on the audience.

Shows and Top Voices 360

LinkedIn also sells larger creator plans. Its March 2026 news post calls one path Top Voices 360. A brand may back a full show. It may then add posts, live events, or other work.

That is a much wider deal. The pre-roll is only one part. Each added use needs its own scope and pay.

LinkedIn also said it will use Stripe for some creator pay. That tells us how funds may move. It does not tell us what a fair creator rate is.

Start with the brand's real goal

Before you call sales, ask what the brand wants to change.

If the goal is reach, BrandLink may fit well. The brand can pick a work role, field, firm size, or other group. It can then place a short ad by work that feels tied to the same need.

If the goal is trust, be precise about what BrandLink provides. The brand gets proximity to an audience that trusts the creator. It does not inherit the creator's endorsement. The topic and audience still need to be relevant to the problem the brand solves.

If the goal is sales, be careful. The main BrandLink setup uses video views as its ad goal. A view can help a sale. It is not a sale.

We often see teams pick the metric that looks best after the fact. That is backwards. If the plan was meant to drive good leads, a high view rate does not erase weak lead data. If the plan was built for reach, it is also unfair to judge it like a last-click ad.

Set the goal first. Then set the proof.

For reach, that may be the right people, enough views, and useful brand lift. For demand, it may be site use, target firm visits, leads, or sales calls. The brand may need both sets of data.

Pick the video, not just the name

A known creator can still be the wrong fit. The same is true for a large news brand.

Open the exact video. Watch it all. Read the post and comments. Ask who cares about that topic and why.

Then ask one more thing: does this ad make sense beside this video and for this audience? It does not need to improve the creator's content. It needs a credible media fit.

Say a cash-flow tool runs before a video on late client pay. That can feel quite natural. The ad meets a real need in the next piece of work.

Now put the same ad before a video on founder stress. The viewers may still own firms. Yet the match is thin. The brand bought the right job title and the wrong moment.

This is why we look past reach. We want to know:

• What does the brand need from this ad?
• Who watches this type of video?
• What does the comment feed tell us?
• Has this topic drawn strong use before?
• Is this audience likely to care about the problem the ad solves?
• Is there a close brand clash?
• Will the pre-roll feel odd or useful?

BrandLink puts most of the creative burden on the brand. The partner can help judge whether the placement fits the audience they built, then the brand needs to own the ad itself.

How the BrandLink setup works

The exact steps depend on access. The sales team may do more of the work. A select brand may do more in Campaign Manager.

The core flow is much the same.

BrandLink video specs

LinkedIn's BrandLink page says the ad should be 3 to 30 seconds. Its main setup guide also caps the ad at 30 seconds.

The broad video ad spec page says some in-stream ads can reach 90 seconds. That does not match the BrandLink pages. Use 30 seconds as the cap unless LinkedIn tells you more in writing.

The main file rules are:

• Use an MP4 file.
• Keep it from 75 KB to 500 MB.
• Use H.264 or VP8 video.
• Keep the frame rate under 30 FPS.
• Use AAC or MPEG-4 audio.
• Add captions with an SRT file.
• Upload the file to LinkedIn.
• Do not use a YouTube or Vimeo link.

Plan to match the shape of both videos. Common shapes are 16:9, 1:1, 4:5, and 9:16. Square can have more room to pair. Still, check the live setup.

A CTA button may not show on each in-stream spot. The video can still link to a site. Build the first seconds so the ad makes sense with no button.

Ads over five seconds may be able to show a skip button. That makes the first line and first frame count more.

Price the placement before anyone clicks yes

LinkedIn lets a creator or publisher click yes. That click does not make the terms fair.

Before the click, both sides should know:

• Which brand and product may run.
• Which main videos are in scope.
• Whether the partner has any approval over the pre-roll creative, or only brand and category guardrails.
• How long the ad may run.
• Which places and users may see it.
• What the partner will earn.
• When they will get paid.
• What data each side will get.
• If the brand has any rival limits.
• What happens if access is pulled.
• If any use can move off LinkedIn.

The exact term should fit the plan. A short test may need a short term. A show may need more time. Thirty, 60, or 90 days can be useful points to discuss. They are not a rule for all deals.

Perpetual use is almost never a fair default. The same goes for a wide rival ban. If the brand wants more time, more places, or less freedom for the creator, it should pay for that added value.

LinkedIn also lets a publisher make a video that does not show on its Page. It can then let a brand run pre-roll on that video. LinkedIn says the publisher cannot use that same video as its own ad once it gives this right to a third party.

That limit has real value. It should not hide in a click box.

The creator or publisher is being paid for the trust and relevance of the audience around their work. They are not being paid to endorse the product.

The deal should split each type of value. Media spend is one cost. Access to a trusted, relevant audience is another. New video work is another. So are added rights, a fast turn, cross-posts, event work, and a rival ban.

If the creator must make a new video, pay for the work. If the brand wants the creator to speak about it, that is a new brief. Do not wrap it into "access" and hope no one asks.

Creators should expect less creative control here than in an integration—sometimes none—because the ad is separate and is not delivered in their voice. They also do not need to vet the brand as if they were personally recommending it. A lighter screen for legitimacy, obvious reputation risk, and excluded categories is usually enough. If exact-ad approval matters, negotiate it rather than assuming it comes with the placement.

This section is about sound deal design. It is not legal advice. Have the final terms checked by the right legal team.

Disclosure still matters

LinkedIn says paid ads get an ad, promoted, or sponsored tag. It also has a Brand Partnership label for a member post made in return for pay, gifts, or other value.

Those are not the same rule. A paid pre-roll is an ad. A creator's own paid post may also need a brand label.

If a creator made the main video as part of the deal, ask which label it needs. Do not assume the pre-roll tag fixes each duty. Use LinkedIn's live rules. Check the FTC's current guide too.

This is general education. It is not legal advice.

Measure more than views

LinkedIn's video report can show plays, views, view rate, and cost per view. It can show watch marks at 25%, 50%, and 75%. It can also show full plays, watch time, skips, and skip rate.

A LinkedIn view needs two seconds. At least half of the ad must be on screen. A full play means 97% to 100% of the ad ran.

These facts help you read the ad. They do not tell you what the work did for the firm.

LinkedIn says BrandLink has seen a 130% higher full-play rate than a normal feed video ad. It also says view rate was 23% higher. Its lead claim says an exposed member was up to 18% more likely to become a lead before a Lead Gen Form.

Those facts came from LinkedIn's own data from July 2024 to January 2025. They are not a promise. The first BrandLink pool was also a picked set of content. Treat the numbers as a reason to test, not a rate card for success. LinkedIn gives the dates here.

We would ask for a wider report:

• Who got the ad?
• How often did they get it?
• Did they watch or skip?
• Did they visit the site?
• Were target firms in the group?
• Did good leads move down the path?
• Did brand lift change?
• Which main video drove the best use?

If clicks are low but later use is good, the first ask may need work. If clicks are high but leads are weak, the page or target may be wrong. If the ad gets few views but great target firms, do not throw that out with a broad rate.

Brands should share this data with the partner when they can. It helps the brand improve its targeting and ad while showing the partner which topics and audience segments created value. The creator should not be treated as the owner of an ad they did not make.

Three cases that change the call

A launch check for brands

Before launch, make sure you can say yes to each point:

• We know which BrandLink path we have.
• We know the exact business goal.
• We watched each main video.
• The people watching that video are relevant to the brand.
• Our learning plan covers three placements or ad angles, even if they must run across different months.
• The creator or publisher gave placement consent, and we are not presenting that consent as an endorsement.
• The rights and pay are in writing, including what the partner earns for the trust and relevance of the audience.
• The term and rival limits are clear.
• The ad meets the current specs.
• The page works with no CTA button.
• We can read more than view rate.

If one answer is no, fix it before spend starts.