Paid Social Advertising Benchmarks in 2026: Meta vs. TikTok vs. LinkedIn by Industry
Paid social benchmarks for 2026: what Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn actually charge, what good performance looks like by industry, and how to know when your campaigns are underperforming.
Meta Ads Benchmarks 2026
Meta remains the volume play for B2C paid social. Average CPMs in Canada run $8–14 for feed placements; Reels inventory runs $5–8 CPM but delivers lower CTR. Benchmark CTR across placements: 0.9–1.4%. Conversion rates vary widely by industry but average 2–3% for e-commerce and 4–6% for lead gen on well-optimized campaigns.
TikTok Ads Benchmarks 2026
TikTok CPMs average $6–12 in Canada, with in-feed ads delivering CTRs of 0.5–1.2%. The platform rewards native-feeling creative — polished brand content underperforms UGC-style video. Conversion rates average 1.5–2.5% for e-commerce. TikTok's algorithm favours accounts with consistent upload cadence, so creative volume matters more here than on Meta.
LinkedIn Ads Benchmarks 2026
LinkedIn is expensive: CPMs average $28–60 in Canada depending on audience size and seniority. But the intent is unmatched for B2B. CTRs average 0.4–0.7% for Sponsored Content; Message Ads drive open rates of 40–60%. Conversion rates for lead gen forms average 8–12% — significantly higher than landing page conversions because the form pre-fills from profile data.
Pinterest Ads Benchmarks 2026
Pinterest CPMs average $2–5, making it one of the most cost-efficient paid social platforms. CTRs average 0.4–0.7%. Pinterest performs best for home, fashion, food, and DIY categories. Conversion rates average 1.5–2.5%.
How to Use These Benchmarks
Benchmarks are a floor, not a ceiling. If your CTR is at or below the average but your conversion rate is strong, focus on creative testing to improve top-of-funnel. If CTR is strong but conversion rate is low, the landing page is the problem. If both are below average, start with audience targeting — you're likely reaching the wrong people. For broader context on what digital channels cost in 2026, compare these numbers against our average ROAS benchmarks by industry and channel to see where paid social fits in your overall media mix.
Not hitting these benchmarks on your paid social?
NA Media Experts manages Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Pinterest campaigns for Canadian and US brands. We'll audit your current campaigns for free and show you exactly where performance is leaking.
Sources
Industry figures in this article are drawn from the organisations below. Campaign-level benchmarks reflect North American Media Experts client data.