LinkedIn Ads budget calculator: reverse-engineer pipeline target to spend

LinkedIn Ads budget calculator

Start with the pipeline you need to source, then work backwards through win rate, opportunity rate, MQL rate and cost per lead. The calculator returns the total and monthly LinkedIn Ads spend required, plus a sanity check on whether the plan sits in the platform's efficient operating range.

Currency

Time horizon (months)

Pipeline / closed-won target (£)

Total revenue you want LinkedIn + other channels to source over the time horizon.LinkedIn share of pipeline (%)

How much of total pipeline should LinkedIn Ads source.Average order value / deal size (£)

Win rate: opp → closed-won (%)

MQL → opportunity rate (%)

Lead → MQL rate (%)

Cost per lead (£)

Use the LinkedIn benchmark tool if you don't have your own data.

Required total spend

£113,333

Across 12 months

Monthly spend

£9,444

111 leads / month

LinkedIn-sourced pipeline

£300,000

60% of total target

Funnel needed

Closed-won deals

Opportunities

400

MQLs

1,333

Raw leads

Plan check

This sits in LinkedIn Ads' efficient operating range. Achievable with a mature account, refreshed creative every 3-4 weeks, and tight ICP targeting.

Calculator works backwards from a closed-won target through win rates, opportunity and MQL conversion, and cost per lead. Defaults assume mid-market B2B SaaS. Plug in your own conversion rates for a tighter estimate.

How the maths works

The calculator reverse-engineers a funnel: pipeline target → deals needed (target ÷ AOV) → opportunities (deals ÷ win rate) → MQLs (opps ÷ opp rate) → raw leads (MQLs ÷ MQL rate) → spend (leads × CPL). Each step compounds, which is why small changes in win rate or CPL have outsized effects on required spend.

Where to get the inputs

Win rate, opp rate, MQL rate: pull from your CRM. If you do not have data, mid-market B2B SaaS averages are roughly 20% win, 15% MQL→opp, 30% lead→MQL.
Cost per lead: use your own historical CPL if you have it. Otherwise estimate it with the LinkedIn Ads benchmark tool.
LinkedIn share of pipeline: most B2B teams target 30-60% from LinkedIn depending on category. New channels usually start at 15-25%.

What to do with the output

If the monthly spend is under £2,000, the plan is below LinkedIn's efficient operating range - either widen the LinkedIn share, accept a longer time horizon, or run a different paid mix. If it sits above £100k/month, plan ahead for creative refresh and audience expansion before saturation hits.

For setup and structure, see the LinkedIn Campaign Manager guide. For account architecture, see the account structure lesson.