Extract search data from LinkedIn Ad Library
Learn how to scrape LinkedIn Ad Library search results using R. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process, from setup to implementation.
First, you'll need a ScrapeCreators API key to authenticate your requests.
Sign up at app.scrapecreators.com to get your free API key with 100 requests.
Make sure you have the following installed:
httr is a user-friendly HTTP client for R
install.packages("httr")Now let's make a request to the LinkedIn Ad Library API using R. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.
library(httr)
library(jsonlite)
API_KEY <- "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE_URL <- "https://api.scrapecreators.com"
ENDPOINT_PATH <- "/v1/linkedin/ads/search"
scrape <- function() {
# Build query parameters
params <- list(
"company" = "microsoft",
"keyword" = "scraping",
"countries" = "US,CA,MX",
"startDate" = "2024-01-01",
"endDate" = "2024-01-10",
"paginationToken" = "640547184-1743616612000"
)
tryCatch({
response <- GET(
url = paste0(BASE_URL, ENDPOINT_PATH),
add_headers(
"x-api-key" = API_KEY,
"Content-Type" = "application/json"
),
query = params
)
if (status_code(response) == 200) {
data <- fromJSON(rawToChar(response$content))
cat("Response:
")
print(data)
return(data)
} else {
stop(paste("HTTP", status_code(response), ":", rawToChar(response$content)))
}
}, error = function(e) {
cat("Error:", e$message, "
")
return(NULL)
})
}
# Usage
result <- scrape()This endpoint accepts the following parameters:
companyOptional(string)The company name to search for. 'Microsoft' for example
Example: microsoft
keywordOptional(string)The keyword to search for
Example: scraping
countriesOptional(string)Comma separated list of countries. Example: US,CA,MX
Example: US,CA,MX
startDateOptional(string)Start date to search for. Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Example: 2024-01-01
endDateOptional(string)End date to search for. Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Example: 2024-01-10
paginationTokenOptional(string)Pagination token to paginate through results
Example: 640547184-1743616612000
Execute your script to test the API connection. You should see a JSON response with LinkedIn Ad Library search results data.
✅ Success: You should receive a structured JSON response containing the requested data.
Here's an example of the JSON response you'll receive:
{
"success": true,
"ads": [
{
"id": "823975056",
"description": "The countdown has begun – grab your discounted tickets now for #FabConEurope in Vienna!\nJoin us for an unforgettable experience filled with deep learning, expert insights, and top-tier networking opportunities.\n\nRegister today and be part of the future of innovation: http://msft.it/6043sMFt3 \n\n#MicrosoftFabric",
"headline": null,
"poster": "Microsoft",
"posterTitle": "Promoted",
"promotedBy": null,
"targeting": {
"language": "Targeting includes English",
"location": "Targeting includes Netherlands",
"company": "Exclusion targeting applied"
},
"image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5610AQH8f223ANJdoQ/image-shrink_1280/B56ZiDa0MFHkAQ-/0/1754551502346?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=ZuZ0zUs1KInS8ysVO7FxzmlzxHP9B_JX2b6kdMU8GT4",
"video": null,
"carouselImages": [],
"adType": "Single Image Ad",
"advertiser": "Microsoft",
"advertiserLinkedinPage": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/1035",
"cta": null,
"destinationUrl": "http://msft.it/6043sMFt3?trk=ad_library_ad_preview_headline_content",
"adDuration": "Ran from Aug 10, 2025 to Aug 10, 2025",
"startDate": "2025-08-10T05:00:00.000Z",
"endDate": "2025-08-10T05:00:00.000Z",
"totalImpressions": "< 1k",
"impressionsByCountry": []
},
{
"id": "756473943",
"description": "Tailor your language with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat so your message connects with any audience.",
"headline": "Speak to your audience with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.",
"poster": "Microsoft 365",
"posterTitle": "Promoted",
"promotedBy": null,
"targeting": {},
"image": null,
"video": "https://dms.licdn.com/playlist/vid/v2/D4D10AQFRXuUWwLFasQ/mp4-720p-30fp-crf28/B4DZiFJPraHYCQ-/0/1754580468019/SRTs_Copilot_Linkedin-Theme2-15s_USA_1080x1080_VIP_SubTheme2E_COMM-EN_NA_Standard_SQV_TCN_NA_1mp4?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=O5kDsmtaT10Gp-tWI_-_gDmBXZyN02Qd2BJR_j5f5tY",
"carouselImages": [],
"adType": "Video Ad",
"advertiser": "Microsoft 365",
"advertiserLinkedinPage": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/3509299",
"cta": "Learn more",
"destinationUrl": "https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N572608.271051LINKEDIN/B33660529.424033181;dc_trk_aid=616963828;dc_trk_cid=237340786;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;gdpr=$%7BGDPR%7D;gdpr_consent=$%7BGDPR_CONSENT_755%7D;gpp=$%7BGPP_STRING_755%7D;gpp_sid=$%7BGPP_SID%7D;ltd=;dc_tdv=1?trk=ad_library_ad_preview_headline_content",
"adDuration": "",
"startDate": null,
"endDate": null,
"totalImpressions": null,
"impressionsByCountry": []
}
],
"paginationToken": "756412693-1754569518292",
"isLastPage": false
}Check that your response includes the expected fields:
success(boolean)ads(object)paginationToken(string)isLastPage(boolean)Implement comprehensive error handling and retry logic for failed requests. Log errors properly for debugging.
Cache responses when possible to reduce API calls and improve performance. Consider data freshness requirements.
Never expose your API key in client-side code. Use environment variables and secure key management practices.
When scraping multiple search results, consider batching requests to maximize throughput while staying within rate limits.
Use asynchronous processing in R to handle multiple requests concurrently and improve overall performance.
Analyze LinkedIn Ad Library search results to understand market trends, competitor analysis, and audience insights.
Track performance metrics, engagement rates, and content trends across LinkedIn Ad Library search results.
Identify potential customers and business opportunities throughLinkedIn Ad Library data analysis.
Check your API key is correct and properly formatted in the x-api-key header.
You ran out of credits and need to buy more.
The resource might not exist or be private.
Temporary server issue. Implement retry logic with exponential backoff.
ScrapeCreators offers 100 free API calls to get started. After that, pricing starts at $10 for 5k requests with volume discounts available.
Scraping publicly available data is fair game, and we only collect public data. So anything that you can see in an incognito browser is what we collect.
There is no rate limit! So you can scrape as fast as you want!
All API responses are returned in JSON format, making it easy to integrate with any programming language or application.
Yes! This tutorial focuses on core R HTTP concepts that work with any framework. The API calls remain the same regardless of your specific R setup.
For large datasets, implement pagination, use streaming responses where available, and consider storing data in a database for efficient querying.
Get started with 100 free API calls. No credit card required.