How do I keep a HubSpot list or Salesforce report synced to a LinkedIn matched audience automatically?

TofuAnswer by the Tofu team · checked

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For HubSpot, use HubSpot's own ads audiences. A contact segment audience (Marketing Hub Starter or higher) syncs to LinkedIn automatically, but HubSpot only sends marketing contacts. Target accounts or a company tier can sync as a company audience. For Salesforce, LinkedIn has no built-in report-to-audience sync: its CRM Sync brings Salesforce data in for reporting and conversions, not audiences. Use LeadsBridge (syncs Salesforce reports, list views and campaigns), Zapier (adds records one at a time) or Tray.ai (you build the workflow). Teams with developers can apply for LinkedIn's Matched Audiences API.

As of October 2026.

Your options at a glance

OptionWhat it doesCostMain limit
HubSpot ads audiencesSyncs a contact segment, your target accounts or a company tier to LinkedInContact and company audiences need Marketing Hub Starter or higherMarketing contacts only; company audiences only from target accounts or tiers
LinkedIn CRM SyncBrings Salesforce, HubSpot or Dynamics 365 data into LinkedInFreeBuilt for reporting and conversions, not audiences
LinkedIn Matched Audiences APIYour own code creates audiences and adds or removes contacts and companiesFree API; you build and run itNeeds approved API access; 1,000 audiences per ad account
LeadsBridgeSyncs Salesforce leads, contacts and accounts from reports, list views or campaigns, and HubSpot listsLinkedIn audiences are on the Pro plan, from $79/month ($60/month billed yearly)Price grows with record volume and number of syncs; doesn't say whether records that leave a report are removed
ZapierAdds a contact or company to an audience when a trigger firesLinkedIn Ads is a Premium app; paid plans from $19.99/monthAdds records as events happen; doesn't mirror a whole report
Tray.aiAutomation platform with LinkedIn audience operations and a Salesforce-to-audience templatePlans through sales; Tray says it starts at $50/monthYou build and maintain the workflow
Tofu Ads Agent (our product)Builds a matched contact or company audience from a HubSpot or Salesforce list or report$2,500/month flat for the whole agentDoesn't keep the audience synced afterward

1. HubSpot's own ads audiences

This is the right first choice if your list lives in HubSpot. In HubSpot, go to Marketing > Ads, click Create audience, and pick one of these:

  • Contact segment (Marketing Hub Starter, Professional or Enterprise): choose the segment, confirm data sharing, select your LinkedIn ad account and name the audience.
  • Company segment: choose Target accounts or a tier, then select your LinkedIn ad account.

HubSpot says these audiences sync both ways with your ad network. It doesn't publish a sync interval; its privacy article only says contacts are "periodically synced." For LinkedIn, HubSpot sends each contact's email addresses, first name, last name, company name, job title and country. For companies it sends name, domain, Company Page URL, industry, phone and location, and it only syncs companies that have a name or a domain.

To use the audience, open the ad set in Campaign Manager, go to Audiences, then Third party, and pick Third party contact or Third party company.

Limits: only marketing contacts sync (see below). Company audiences come from target accounts or tiers, not any company segment you like. Salesforce data only works here if it already syncs into HubSpot.

2. LinkedIn's own CRM connection and API

CRM Sync. In Campaign Manager, click Data, then Signals manager, select Salesforce and choose CRM Sync. LinkedIn's help says only Salesforce connects directly in Campaign Manager, and HubSpot and Dynamics 365 connect through Business Manager. LinkedIn's September 14, 2026 blog says Salesforce or Dynamics can connect directly in Campaign Manager. Check which your account shows. CRM Sync gives you revenue reporting and auto-created conversions. LinkedIn's help says CRM data "may also in the future support" expanded targeting, but today it doesn't build a matched audience from a report. First data can take up to 72 hours to reach Business Manager, then 24 to 48 more hours to reach Campaign Manager.

LinkedIn's blog also says the Companies dashboard has pre-built segments, including audiences from CRM data such as open opportunities. LinkedIn's Companies hub help says saving a company list isn't available in the Revenue view, and lists only Export there, not Create audience. The pages don't line up, so test it in your account.

Matched Audiences API. Since August 2026, LinkedIn accepts applications for the Matched Audiences API from all qualified developers, through the Developer Portal. You need Advertising API access first. An advertiser using it for its own ad accounts creates a segment, then adds or removes contacts or companies as your report changes. The first build can take up to 48 hours; later changes take up to 24 hours. Each ad account can hold 1,000 audience segments.

3. LeadsBridge

LeadsBridge is a no-code option that reads straight from a Salesforce report. Its Salesforce integration syncs leads, contacts, accounts, person accounts, opportunities and cases to LinkedIn Matched Audiences, from campaigns, lead sources, list views or reports. Its HubSpot integration syncs contacts and companies from smart lists, static lists, forms and deals. LinkedIn audiences are on the Pro plan, from $79 a month ($60 a month billed yearly) for 2,000 leads a month and 15 "bridges," and the price rises with volume. LeadsBridge counts each synced list or audience as a bridge. Its setup guide has you pick a sync frequency, but its pages don't list the options or say whether a record that leaves your report is removed from the LinkedIn audience, so ask before you count on removals.

4. Zapier

Zapier's LinkedIn Ads app has Create Audience, Add Contact to Audience, Add Company to Audience and Remove Email from Audience actions. Templates include adding new Salesforce leads or new HubSpot list contacts to a LinkedIn audience. This works well for adding records as they appear. It doesn't mirror a report: a record that leaves your Salesforce report isn't removed unless you build a separate Zap, and the only removal action is by email, so companies can't be removed. LinkedIn Ads is a Premium app, so you need a paid plan (Professional starts at $19.99 a month).

5. Tray.ai

Tray.ai is a general automation platform for ops teams. Its LinkedIn connector includes DMP segment operations (create a segment and batch add or remove companies or users), and Tray publishes a "Salesforce Account List to LinkedIn Matched Audience Sync" template that compares the Salesforce list with the LinkedIn audience and adds or removes accounts. You build and maintain the workflow yourself. Plans are quoted by sales; Tray's FAQ says it starts at $50 a month.

6. Tofu Ads Agent (our product)

Tofu connects to HubSpot or Salesforce and builds LinkedIn matched contact and company audiences from a list or report. It can also start from an existing LinkedIn audience or a plain-English description. Tofu doesn't keep the audience synced as the list changes, so if you need ongoing sync, pair it with one of the options above or rebuild the audience when the list moves. Tofu is a full ads agent at a flat $2,500 a month, so it only makes sense if you want it to plan and build the campaigns too.

Why isn't my HubSpot list syncing all its contacts?

  1. Non-marketing contacts are skipped. HubSpot's "Understand marketing contacts" article says contact segment audiences in the ads tool only work for marketing contacts. The same goes for the "Add to or Remove from ads audiences" workflow action. To include more people, set them as marketing contacts, which counts toward your billed contact tier.
  2. LinkedIn can't match everyone. HubSpot's Size column shows the matched size, which HubSpot says is "typically much lower" than your contact count. Contacts whose details don't match a LinkedIn member won't appear.
  3. The audience is still processing. LinkedIn says building or updating an audience can take up to 48 hours, and rarely up to 72.
  4. The audience was archived. LinkedIn archives an audience that hasn't been used in an ad set or changed for 30 days. For lists from HubSpot, add the audience to an active or draft ad set to bring it back. After 90 days it expires.
  5. It's too small to run. HubSpot lists LinkedIn's minimum as 300 members.

How to choose

  • Your list is in HubSpot: use HubSpot's ads audiences and fix your marketing contact settings first.
  • Your source is a Salesforce report and you want it pushed to LinkedIn on a schedule with no code: LeadsBridge (confirm how it handles records that leave the report).
  • You only need new records added as they appear: Zapier.
  • You have an ops or engineering team and custom rules: Tray.ai or the Matched Audiences API.
  • You want the audience built as part of a full LinkedIn program: Tofu, plus a sync tool if the list changes often.
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