LinkedIn Launches Off-Platform Event Ads

LinkedIn is expanding how Event Ads work by allowing advertisers to promote events outside its platform. The company is is rolling out Off-Platform Event Ads, a new format that lets advertisers promote externally hosted events in the feed without creating a LinkedIn Event Page.

This means event promotions are no longer limited to the LinkedIn feed. Instead, they can appear across external websites and mobile apps where LinkedIn serves ads. The format is rolling out globally and will be available to all LinkedIn advertisers by May 6.

How Off-Platform Event Ads Work

The update builds on LinkedIn’s existing Event Ads format. Previously, these ads appeared only within LinkedIn and were used to drive registrations for webinars, virtual events, and in-person sessions.

With this expansion, advertisers can take an existing Event Ad campaign and enable off-platform delivery. LinkedIn distributes these ads through its Audience Network, which includes partner apps and sites.

Advertisers can set up the format by entering a third-party event URL and adding details including event type, date, time, and imagery. When members click the ad, they go directly to the external registration page, webinar platform, or livestream destination. No LinkedIn Event Page is required at any point in the workflow.

The format supports four campaign objectives: brand awareness, engagement, website visits, and lead generation. Performance is tracked in Campaign Manager based on the selected objective. Event-based calls to action and accelerated delivery are available within the format.

What Changes for Event Advertisers

LinkedIn Event Ads have previously required advertisers to create a LinkedIn Event Page, which adds an intermediary step between the ad click and the external event platform. Off-Platform Event Ads remove that requirement. Members go from the feed directly to the advertiser's own registration infrastructure.

For marketers running webinars on external platforms, field events with dedicated landing pages, or hybrid experiences, this removes a friction point that has split event registration traffic between LinkedIn and the actual event destination. LinkedIn's professional targeting, including job title, seniority, industry, and company size, is available for the format without requiring the LinkedIn Event Page step that previously gated access. LinkedIn previously expanded its Event Ads promotion options alongside its broader B2B video ad push.