Professional social network + official APIs for posting and ads reporting automation
LinkedIn is the default B2B distribution channel; use its official UGC + Reporting APIs to build a compliant publish-and-measure loop.
Why we love it
- Official posting flow: UGC API (ugcPosts) is documented with required headers and permissions
- Clear permissions split: w_member_social for posts, r_ads_reporting for ads reporting
- Reporting APIs cover performance metrics and professional demographic pivots
Things to know
- API compliance adds overhead (OAuth scopes, headers, rate limits, approvals depending on product access)
- adAnalytics limitations (no pagination) can influence data pipeline design
- Professional demographic metrics can be approximate and delayed
About
LinkedIn is the core distribution channel for B2B content, hiring, and professional networking—and it offers official APIs for two high-value automation jobs: (1) publishing content and (2) pulling ad performance reporting. 1) Publishing: Share on LinkedIn uses the User Generated Content (UGC) API. You create posts via POST https://api.linkedin.com/v2/ugcPosts, and requests require the header X-Restli-Protocol-Version: 2.0.0. To post on behalf of a member you need the w_member_social permission/scope. 2) Ads reporting: LinkedIn Reporting APIs return metrics like clicks, impressions, and ad spend; they require r_ads_reporting permission. The docs also note constraints like no pagination for adAnalytics, privacy-driven approximations for professional demographics, and specific retention windows. Typical workflow: monitor content pipeline → approve copy → publish via UGC API → measure via Reporting API → push results into Automation Tools (Slack/CRM/warehouse). Pricing: LinkedIn has a free tier, while Premium subscriptions are paid and commonly start around $29.99/month (varies by plan/region).
Key Features
- ✓Publish posts via UGC API: POST /v2/ugcPosts with X-Restli-Protocol-Version: 2.0.0 header
- ✓Use OAuth permissions: w_member_social for posting, r_ads_reporting for ads reporting
- ✓Pull ad performance + professional demographic insights with LinkedIn Reporting APIs
- ✓Respect documented constraints: adAnalytics has no pagination; demographics can be approximate for privacy
Frequently Asked Questions
Use the Share on LinkedIn flow: request OAuth with the w_member_social scope, then create a post via POST https://api.linkedin.com/v2/ugcPosts and include the X-Restli-Protocol-Version: 2.0.0 header. For images/videos, register an upload via the assets endpoint (action=registerUpload) before creating the UGC post.
Use the LinkedIn Reporting APIs with the r_ads_reporting permission to retrieve advertising account reporting (clicks, impressions, spend, and more). The docs note adAnalytics doesn’t support pagination and demographic metrics can be approximate for privacy.
The Share on LinkedIn guide lists daily throttles of 150 requests per member and 100,000 requests per application (UTC).