I wrote about this on AdTechRadar, but I reviewed 159 LinkedIn ads from The Trade Desk this year, categorizing them based on keyword analysis and a review of the creative.

After doing that work, here are a few adtech PR lessons for companies—and the adtech PR agencies that support them—to consider for the rest of the year:

1) Run LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for adtech conversations and industry chatter. Over the last year in particular, there are simply more eyeballs on the platform, migrating over from X.

Running LinkedIn ads, therefore, makes a lot of sense.

TTD runs a high volume of LinkedIn ads. I reviewed other DSPs, and they’re nowhere close in terms of activity. Viant, for example, has run 17 ads this year, with the majority of them being hiring-focused.

Earned media and owned content all have their place—but run some LinkedIn ads.

2) Faces over logos

The Trade Desk runs a lot of LinkedIn ads that promote content from team members—sales leads, executives, etc.

Generally, that content feels more compelling than faceless company-page ads. People respond to people more than they do to brands. (Duh!)

3) Plug gaps

Because LinkedIn is such a key conversation hub for adtech, ads are not just about amplification.

They’re also a way to show up where you’re weaker.

TTD runs ads related to AI, performance, and outcomes—areas where they’re not always leading the conversation organically. It’s a clear effort to plug narrative gaps.

4) Have a real content strategy

TTD promotes a mix of content: company leaders, research and whitepapers, video, and more.

It’s a fairly comprehensive strategy.

B2B tech companies—especially in adtech—generally do a poor job marketing themselves. Comparatively, this is a strong example of a multi-faceted approach that both in-house teams and adtech PR agencies should emulate.

5) Promote coverage

There were several instances where LinkedIn posts about third-party coverage of TTD were promoted by executives in a paid capacity. See this recent Business Insider piece on a partnership between TTD and LinkedIn that was promoted.

They also heavily promoted The Current, their owned property. Examples:

PR and paid can work hand in hand to drive impact. PR creates the content, and LinkedIn provides distribution and amplification.

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👉 Building your adtech company’s PR program? Contact adtech PR expert Chris Harihar on X (@chrisharihar), LinkedIn, or by email.

Chris is a 15-year adtech PR expert who has helped leading companies go public and guided up-and-comers to break through in a crowded market. He leads a top adtech PR agency in NYC.