You have a useful guide and want to promote it on LinkedIn. Should people be able to read it right away, or should they fill out a form first?

Document Ads make both options possible. The document opens in the feed, and you can either share it freely or attach a Lead Gen Form that unlocks the full document after submission. LinkedIn lets you choose how many pages people see before the gate. LinkedIn’s Document Ads overview

I would not treat the gate as a default setting. It changes what the campaign is asking people to do, so it should follow the job of the document.

Start with the outcome, not the form

If the guide’s job is to introduce a new idea or help a cold audience understand a problem, letting people read it can make sense. The reader gets value before deciding whether to take another step.

If the guide offers a specific tool, detailed comparison, or buying-stage resource, a form may be reasonable. Someone asking for that resource might be ready for a follow-up. But a form submission only tells us they wanted access. It does not tell us whether they are a good prospect.

For a new campaign, I would write down one sentence before choosing the format: “This document should help the right person do what next?” That answer gives the test a purpose.

The document has to earn the next action

A short, vague PDF is not suddenly valuable because it sits behind a form.

Give the reader a useful idea early. Use a clear title and a first page that explains what they will learn. If the piece is gated, the preview needs to show enough substance for someone to decide whether the full document is worth their details.

There are two easy setup details to miss. LinkedIn does not allow Lead Gen Forms on a single-page document, because at least one page has to be available as a preview. Links inside the document are clickable only after someone downloads it. LinkedIn’s format guidance

So if the next step is important, I would also put a clear call to action in the ad or follow-up. I would not rely on an in-document link that someone may never be able to click.

Run a test that answers the gate question

A good starting place is to make two versions of the same document campaign: one free to read and one with a Lead Gen Form. Keep the audience, core creative, and budget as close as the account setup allows. Use the same underlying guide so the main difference is the gate.

Do not expect every number to be directly comparable. A gated campaign can produce a lead count that an ungated campaign will not have. The ungated version may produce more reading and downloads without capturing contact details.

I would look at each step separately:

  • Did the ad get relevant people to open the document?
  • How far did people read, and did they download it?
  • For the gated version, how many people completed the form?
  • Were those leads relevant, reachable, and interested in the next conversation?
  • Did either version lead to useful website visits, meetings, or opportunities?

LinkedIn reports document engagement and download activity, while Campaign Manager also reports form leads when a Lead Gen Form is used. Those are different events. A download shows interest in the file; a lead shows willingness to exchange details; neither one proves that the business won a customer. LinkedIn’s Document Ads feature page · Campaign Manager metric definitions

Use engagement as a follow-up signal

Document Ads can also help build a second audience. LinkedIn supports retargeting people who downloaded or interacted with a document ad, or performed chargeable clicks. You can select a lookback window from 30 to 365 days, and the matched audience needs at least 300 member accounts before it can be used for targeting. LinkedIn’s Matched Audiences guidance

I would keep that follow-up tied to the document. If the guide explains a problem, the next ad can offer a relevant case study, product page, or direct conversation. A document open is a sign of interest in the topic, not permission to assume purchase intent.

If the audience is too small to retarget, that is still useful to know. Focus first on making the guide and initial distribution work, rather than forcing a tiny second campaign.

What I would do first

  1. Pick one document with a clear audience and a useful first page.
  2. Define the next action you want readers to take.
  3. Test free access against a gated version, keeping the guide and core message consistent.
  4. Review document engagement, downloads, form completions, and lead quality as separate signals.
  5. Follow up with people who show interest when the matched audience is large enough.

The better choice is the version that moves the right people toward a useful next step. Sometimes that will be a form. Sometimes it will be letting them read first.