Are LinkedIn's new AI ad variants and Brand Kit worth using?
Use them if you run single image ads and need more copy to test. All three are built into Campaign Manager. Brand Kit stores your colors, fonts and brand voice so AI drafts stay on brand. Draft with AI writes a first ad from your URL and goals. AI ad variants writes three new headline and intro text versions of an existing ad. Use something else if you need on-brand design for carousel, document, video or conversation ads: Brand Kit only works with single image ads.
As of October 2026.
Quick answer by situation
| If you… | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Run one or two single image ads per ad set and want more to test | AI ad variants | Three new versions of an existing ad, built from its intro text and headline, in the same ad set |
| Start from a blank page | Draft with AI | Drafts intro text, headline and image from your URL and goals |
| Want AI drafts to match your brand | Brand Kit | Saves colors, fonts and brand voice for single image ads |
| Have several images and lines of copy ready | Flexible ad creation | LinkedIn mixes them into up to 64 versions and shifts delivery to the best ones |
| Want copy that changes by job title, company or industry | Personalization macros | LinkedIn fills in profile details for each member |
| Need on-brand carousel, document, video or conversation ads | Your design team or a creative tool | Brand Kit doesn't cover these formats |
| Write ads in a language other than English | Check in your account first | The LinkedIn help pages we checked state a language rule only for message ads |
If you run few single image ads and want more to test
Use AI ad variants. Click Create variant in the ad creation window, or use the More button next to an existing ad. LinkedIn's help page says the AI uses the ad's current intro text and headline, plus LinkedIn best practices, to make three ad variations in the same ad set. You can view, edit or remove each one before launch.
Why it can be worth it: LinkedIn says that, based on internal analysis, "advertisers who run five or more ad variants see over 20% higher click-through rates" than those running one ad. That is LinkedIn's own figure. It compares advertisers who test more with those who test less. It doesn't show that AI-written variants caused the lift.
The limit: LinkedIn's blog describes variants as new headlines and intro text, so plan on testing messages, not visuals. To test images, flexible ad creation (below) takes up to four images or videos.
If you start from a blank page
Use Draft with AI. On the Ads in this ad set page, click Create ad, then Draft with AI. It fills in intro text, headline and an image, and you review and edit every field. LinkedIn's blog says it works from the URL you're advertising, your campaign goals and other context such as past high-performing creatives.
Treat the output as a first draft. Read every claim, number and product name before it goes live. Your ads still go through LinkedIn's review before they run.
If you want AI drafts to match your brand
Set up Brand Kit. Go to Content & Assets, then Brand kit. LinkedIn tries to build it for you from your Company Page and past posts. If it can't (for example, your Page has no website or few posts), you can set it up by hand. Write clear do's and don'ts for your brand voice. LinkedIn says that helps AI drafts sound like you.
Two things to know:
- Brand Kit works with single image ads only. LinkedIn's help page says, "The single image ad format is currently the only available ad format for brand kit."
- LinkedIn's sources describe it a little differently. The July 2026 blog says it stores colors, fonts, logo, tone of voice and key messages. The help page lists colors, heading font, body font and brand voice. Check what your account shows.
If you have several images and lines of copy ready
Try flexible ad creation instead of variants. You upload up to four images or videos and up to five headlines and descriptions. LinkedIn mixes them into up to 64 ad versions, then shifts delivery toward the ones that perform. It needs a new campaign with budget optimization turned on, works with single image and video ads only, and has a learning phase of about a week. After that, LinkedIn may pause weaker creatives automatically.
If you want copy that changes by audience
Use personalization macros in your intro text: %COMPANYNAME%, %JOBTITLE% and %INDUSTRY%, plus %FIRSTNAME% and %LASTNAME% (first name is only available to select ad accounts). Members can opt out of ad personalization. When they do, LinkedIn shows a fallback such as "your company" or "professional."
If you need on-brand carousel, document, video or conversation ads
LinkedIn's AI tools won't cover you here. Draft with AI exists for single image, message and conversation ads, but Brand Kit only applies to single image ads. For other formats, you need your own design work or an outside creative tool.
If you write ads in a language other than English
Check before you plan around these tools. The LinkedIn help pages we checked state a language rule only for Sponsored Messaging: English must be the ad set language to use Draft with AI for message ads. The single image ad pages don't list language limits.
What to avoid
- Don't launch AI drafts unread. They can sound generic or make claims you can't back up.
- Don't count on AI ad variants for image tests. LinkedIn describes them as new headlines and intro text.
- Don't judge variants on one week. Give each version enough impressions before you pause any.
- Don't leave the brand voice vague. LinkedIn says specific do's and don'ts make AI drafts feel more authentic.
- Don't mix flexible ads into an existing campaign. LinkedIn requires a new one.
Where Tofu fits
Tofu Ads Agent (our product) makes on-brand LinkedIn single image, carousel, document, video and conversation ads, plus lead gen forms, using your brand's fonts, colors, logos and approved templates. Every element is an editable layer, so your team can change any part. That covers the formats Brand Kit doesn't. Tofu stages campaigns in your own ad account switched off, and a person turns them on. It costs $2,500 per month, flat, so if you only need more copy for a few single image ads, LinkedIn's built-in tools may be enough.
Sources
- From blank page to high-performing ad: Introducing LinkedIn's new creative tools (LinkedIn blog, July 1, 2026), checked October 23, 2026
- Create ads using the brand kit in Campaign Manager, checked October 23, 2026
- Create single image ads in Campaign Manager, checked October 23, 2026
- AI-generated ads in Campaign Manager, checked October 23, 2026
- Single image ads, checked October 23, 2026
- Flexible ads, checked October 23, 2026
- Macros available to personalize Sponsored Content ads, checked October 23, 2026
- Sponsored Messaging ads, checked October 23, 2026
