Linkedin ads api

Create the LinkedIn developer app

Go to developer.linkedin.com/apps → Create app. You'll need: app name, your LinkedIn Page (the app will be 'verified by' the Page admin), app logo, legal terms URL. The Page verification step is non-obvious - a Page admin has to click a verification link before the app is usable. Get this out of the way day 1.

Apply for Marketing Developer Platform (sandbox)

Default app permissions don't include ads endpoints. Under your app → Products tab → request 'Marketing Developer Platform'. This grants sandbox access. The application form asks for: company info, use case description, integration partner status (yes/no), and which endpoints you need. Be specific in the use case - 'syncing campaign performance into our internal analytics warehouse for B2B SaaS clients' beats 'building marketing tools'.

Implement OAuth 2.0 three-legged auth

LinkedIn requires 3-legged OAuth for any user-scoped action (read someone's ad accounts, create campaigns on their behalf). Build the standard authorization-code flow: redirect to https://www.linkedin.com/oauth/v2/authorization with your client ID, scopes, state, and redirect URI; exchange the code for an access token at https://www.linkedin.com/oauth/v2/accessToken; store the access token + refresh token. Access tokens are valid 60 days; refresh tokens 365 days.

// Authorization URL
GET https://www.linkedin.com/oauth/v2/authorization
  ?response_type=code
  &client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID
  &redirect_uri=https://yourapp.com/oauth/linkedin/callback
  &state=RANDOM_CSRF_TOKEN
  &scope=r_ads r_ads_reporting rw_ads

// Token exchange
POST https://www.linkedin.com/oauth/v2/accessToken
  Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
  grant_type=authorization_code
  &code=AUTH_CODE_FROM_REDIRECT
  &redirect_uri=https://yourapp.com/oauth/linkedin/callback
  &client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID
  &client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET

Query the core endpoints

The endpoints worth knowing: /v2/adAccountsV2 (list accounts the user has access to), /v2/adCampaignGroupsV2 (campaign groups), /v2/adCampaignsV2 (campaigns), /v2/adCreativesV2 (creatives), /v2/adAnalyticsV2 (reporting - the heaviest-used endpoint). All require the X-Restli-Protocol-Version: 2.0.0 header. URN-based IDs throughout (`urn:li:sponsoredAccount:12345`).

// List ad accounts
GET https://api.linkedin.com/v2/adAccountsV2?q=search
  Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN
  X-Restli-Protocol-Version: 2.0.0

// Get analytics for a campaign
GET https://api.linkedin.com/v2/adAnalyticsV2
  ?q=analytics
  &pivot=CAMPAIGN
  &dateRange.start.day=1&dateRange.start.month=5&dateRange.start.year=2026
  &dateRange.end.day=20&dateRange.end.month=5&dateRange.end.year=2026
  &campaigns=List(urn%3Ali%3AsponsoredCampaign%3A123456789)
  &fields=impressions,clicks,costInUsd,conversionValueInLocalCurrency

Handle rate limits properly

LinkedIn enforces per-app and per-user daily/throttled rate limits. Headers `x-li-daily-limit` and `x-li-daily-limit-used` tell you where you stand. Hit 429 and back off exponentially - LinkedIn does not provide a Retry-After header reliably. Batch reads via the analyticsV2 endpoint's bulk-pivot capability instead of looping campaign-by-campaign.

Apply for production access

Once your sandbox integration works end-to-end, submit for production. Same Products tab → 'Apply for production'. LinkedIn reviews: use case clarity, OAuth implementation correctness, screenshots of your tool, links to legal docs (privacy policy, terms). Production review is 2-4 weeks typically. Be specific about volume estimates (number of accounts, calls/day).

Set up Marketing API webhooks (where available)

LinkedIn has limited webhook coverage compared to Meta - the platform leans heavily on poll-based integration. Where webhooks exist (Lead Gen Form leads, primarily), subscribe via the developer console → Webhooks. For everything else, you'll be polling on a schedule. Set polling cadence based on use case: analytics every 15-60 min, account/campaign list daily.