Excel spreadsheet · Works in Google Sheets · All formulas editable
📊 4 interactive worksheets
⏱ 5-minute setup
📈 Industry benchmarks included
🎯 Board-ready output slide
The math on LinkedIn ads is getting worse. You already know this.
CPMs keep climbing. Your cost per lead creeps up every quarter. You're spending more to get less — and the leads you do get are cold, skeptical, and take forever to close.
Meanwhile, your happiest customers are posting about your product on LinkedIn for free. Their posts get more engagement than your branded content. Their connections trust them. And you have no system to scale it.
2–3×
Peer-referred traffic converts at 2–3× the rate of cold ad traffic. Your customers are already more credible than your ad account.
This calculator shows you exactly what happens when you redirect a portion of your LinkedIn budget into funding customer advocacy content — with real numbers, honest benchmarks, and a recommendation you can take to your CFO.
Four worksheets. One clear answer.
Not a fluffy guide. A working financial model you fill in with your numbers and get back a decision.
1
Advocacy vs. Ads Calculator
The core model. Enter your LinkedIn ad spend, CPM, CTR, and conversion rates. Then model an advocacy channel alongside it. See the blended results.
Side-by-side cost per lead comparison
Automatic budget reallocation modeling
Pipeline and revenue impact estimates
2
Benchmarks & Methodology
Every assumption documented. LinkedIn ad benchmarks, advocacy engagement rates, and warm-traffic conversion data — with sources and context.
LinkedIn CPM, CPC, and CTR benchmarks
Advocacy engagement and conversion ranges
Full model methodology explained
3
6-Month Scenario Planner
Model the ramp. See what happens at 5 advocates vs. 25 vs. 50 — and how leads compound and CPL drops as your program scales over 12 months.
Month 1 → Month 12 projections
Compounding growth visualization
CPL trajectory modeling
4
Present This: Board Slide
Your numbers, formatted for internal buy-in. A pre-built business case with before/after comparison and a list of conservative assumptions your CFO will appreciate.
Auto-generated headline from your inputs
Before/after summary table
“What's not in the model” section
Five minutes to your answer
1
Enter your LinkedIn ad spend 1 min
Monthly budget, CPM, CPC, CTR, conversion rate, deal size. If you don't know exact numbers, the defaults reflect B2B SaaS medians.
2
Model your advocacy channel 2 min
How many advocates could you activate? How often would they post? What's fair compensation? The ranges are pre-filled — just adjust to your situation.
3
Set your reallocation percentage 30 sec
Pick how much of your LinkedIn budget to redirect. 15%? 25%? 40%? The calculator shows the blended impact at whatever level you choose.
4
Read the verdict 30 sec
The model shows your new blended CPL, total leads, pipeline value, and estimated revenue — side by side with your current ads-only numbers.
5
Take it to your team 1 min
The “Present This” tab gives you a pre-formatted business case with an auto-generated headline, summary table, and list of conservative assumptions. Copy into a slide.
The most valuable marketing asset a company has isn't content — it's the network of customers who would vouch for them if asked. This calculator helps you put a dollar value on that network for the first time.
— The thesis behind Advocacy-Led Growth
Common questions
Do I need to sign up for anything to get the calculator?
No. It's a direct download. No email gate, no 47-field form. We'd rather you use it and tell a colleague about it.
Where do the benchmark numbers come from?
The Benchmarks & Methodology tab documents every assumption. LinkedIn ad benchmarks come from published industry data across B2B SaaS. Advocacy benchmarks are based on practitioner content performance data and peer-referred traffic conversion studies. All ranges, no false precision.
Is this just going to tell me to buy Kindling?
The calculator works regardless of what platform you use — or if you use no platform at all. It models the economics of shifting from paid ads to customer content. If the math works for you and you want software to run the program, Kindling is built for that. But the calculator is genuinely useful on its own.
What if I don't know my exact LinkedIn ad metrics?
Every input has a pre-filled default based on B2B SaaS medians. Start with those, then refine as you pull your actual data from LinkedIn Campaign Manager. The model is useful even with estimates.
Is the model conservative or aggressive?
Conservative. It doesn't account for LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads amplifying advocate content (which typically 2–3× the CTR), organic sharing and virality, sales cycle compression, or the compounding effect of a growing advocate network. Real-world results are likely better than what the model shows.
Can I use this in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. All formulas will carry over.
When you're ready to build the channel
The calculator shows you the math. Kindling gives you the system.
Recruit customer advocates, publish transparent rates, brief content, track performance, and pay creators automatically — all in one platform purpose-built for B2B SaaS.