Key takeaways
- Format: Text-only testimonial quote card with an avatar icon and a pill CTA.
- Best for: B2B finance, accounting and startup tools promoting reports, benchmarks and lead magnets.
- Hook: An expert observation about founders balancing runway and their own pay.
- Reuse it: Swap in a quote from a credible customer or advisor and bold the pain-point phrase.
Available sizes
What is a testimonial ad?
A testimonial ad uses a real customer's words, such as a review, quote or comment, as the main message. It answers a buyer's doubts with social proof rather than brand claims, and works especially well when the testimonial is specific about who the customer is and what changed for them.
See all testimonial ads →Why this testimonial ad works
- 01
Expert voice, not brand voice
The insight comes from a person in the industry, which reads as advice rather than advertising. Founders trust peers and advisors more than brands.
- 02
One bolded pain point
Highlighting "extend runway" makes the core worry scannable in a second. It's the phrase every early-stage founder is thinking about.
- 03
Editorial typography
Monospace type feels like a memo or research note. It signals data and honesty instead of hype.
- 04
Specific, timely offer
"2025 Founder Salary Report" is concrete and dated, so it feels fresh and worth downloading. The CTA names exactly what you get.
Full creative breakdown
Who this ad targets
The ad targets startup founders and co-founders, especially at pre-seed to Series B, who are deciding how much to pay themselves while protecting runway. It also reaches CFOs, finance leads, startup accountants and VCs who advise founders on compensation. These people are cost-conscious, data-driven and wary of generic advice. They scroll LinkedIn for benchmarks and peer insights, and are likely to exchange an email address for credible salary data that helps them justify a number to their board.
Copywriting analysis
The quote is written as an observation ("We're seeing...") which positions the speaker as an insider with access to data across many founders. It pairs two tensions, extending runway and reasonable personal compensation, which captures the founder dilemma in one sentence without being negative. "Smarter calls" flatters the reader and implies the report helps them join the smart group. Bolding "extend runway" turns a long sentence into a quick scan. The CTA is explicit and specific, naming the report and year, which reduces uncertainty about what happens after the click. Note: the attribution placeholders must be replaced with a real name and title before running.
Visual design
The design is deliberately minimal: a single sage-green field, charcoal type and one cream accent in the avatar and button text. Generous margins and large line spacing make the quote easy to read on mobile. The monospace font creates a research or terminal feel, and the bolder grey phrase adds hierarchy without colour. The avatar icon in the top left balances the pill-shaped CTA in the bottom right, forming a diagonal reading path from speaker to quote to action.
How to adapt this template for your brand
- Collect a short quote from a customer, advisor or analyst that names your audience's main tension.
- Bold or recolour the two or three words that capture the pain point.
- Set the quote in a distinctive typeface on a single calm background colour.
- Add a simple avatar or headshot plus a real name, title and company for credibility.
- End with a pill CTA naming the exact asset, such as your report title and year.
Tips for finance & fintech ads on LinkedIn
This creative is built for LinkedIn. Use it as Sponsored Content with a Lead Gen Form so founders can download the report without leaving the feed, and target job titles like Founder, Co-founder, CEO and CFO at companies with 1–50 employees. On Meta, use it in retargeting audiences who visited pricing or blog pages. Always replace the placeholder attribution, as an empty name hurts credibility and may be rejected in review.
About this creative
This square testimonial ad uses a calm sage-green background and almost nothing else. In the top left sits a simple flat illustration of a woman in profile, rendered in charcoal with a cream shoulder, acting as an anonymous speaker avatar. The centre of the creative is a large quote set in a typewriter-style monospace font: "We're seeing founders make smarter calls to extend runway while figuring out reasonable personal compensation." The words "extend runway" are bolded and set in a darker grey, pulling the eye to the key pain point. Beneath the quote is an attribution line, which in this version still contains template placeholders for name, title and company. At the bottom right, a dark charcoal pill button with cream text reads "Read the 2025 Founder Salary Report" followed by a chevron. The result feels like an editorial pull quote: understated, thoughtful and data-driven rather than salesy.
LinkedIn ad · 1200 × 1200 · Finance & Fintech
Founder Salary Report Ad: Testimonial Quote Card
This testimonial ad promotes the 2025 Founder Salary Report with a single expert quote on a sage-green background. Monospace type, one bolded phrase and a minimal avatar icon create a calm, credible look. It is an easy template for B2B finance, accounting and startup tools promoting reports or lead magnets on LinkedIn.
Added
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Details
Ad copy
Primary text
How much should a founder pay themselves? Our 2025 Founder Salary Report breaks down real founder salaries by stage, funding and location, so you can extend runway and still pay yourself fairly.
Description
Benchmark founder pay by stage and funding
On-image text
We're seeing founders make smarter calls to extend runway while figuring out reasonable personal compensation. / —[INSERT NEW NAME], [INSERT NEW TITLE AND COMPANY] / Read the 2025 Founder Salary Report >
Headline ideas for this template
- 1What are founders actually paying themselves in 2025?
- 2Pay yourself fairly without burning runway.
- 3Founder salary benchmarks, by stage and funding.
- 4Is your founder salary too high or too low?
- 5The data your board will ask about. Get the report.
Meta image ad specs
| Placement | Ratio | Size (px) |
|---|---|---|
| Feed | 1:1 or 4:5 | 1080×1080 / 1080×1350 |
| Marketplace | 1:1 | 1200×1200 |
| Messenger inbox | 1:1 | 1200×1200 |
| Stories & Reels | 9:16 | 1080×1920 |
This template is 1:1. Request 4:5 or 9:16 to cover all placements.
