How to hire an advertising account executive

How to hire an advertising account executive, step by step

Here's a step-by-step advertising account executive hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an advertising account executive job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new advertising account executive
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an advertising account executive do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The advertising account executive hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An advertising account executive's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, advertising account executives from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of advertising account executive salaries for various roles:

   Type of Advertising Account Executive	Description	Hourly rate
   Advertising Account Executive	Advertising sales agents sell advertising space to businesses and individuals. They contact potential clients, make sales presentations, and maintain client accounts.	$21-41
   New Business Development	New business development focuses on new business opportunities and new product innovation, including product design, business model design, and marketing. This includes a wide scope of responsibilities that includes marketing planning, strategic partnerships, and increased profitability... Show more	$27-58
   Corporate Account Manager	The duties of a corporate account manager depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, they are responsible for building a company's client base by devising strategies to identify market opportunities, reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence, and securing sales by offering products and services... Show more	$25-70

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Media Sales
   • CRM
   • Client Relationships
   • Cold Calls
   • PowerPoint
   • Mobile Marketing
   • Marketing Campaigns
   • Sales Process
   • Sales Presentations
   • Digital Marketing
   • Trade Shows
   • Sales Territory
   • Account Management
   • Search Engine Marketing

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage RFP responses for CPG and healthcare campaigns across various publishers (i.e.
   • Manage the everyday activities of a team of 20- 30 account managers, paid search strategist and SEO specialists.
   • Generate leads using a variety of sources, including the Internet, corporate CRM, industry publications and company publication library.
   • Manage copywriting and spot production scheduling
   • Manage and grow existing account list through maintaining agency relationships, increase ROI, and campaign optimization recommendations.
   • Manage day-to-day activity of client relate projects including IP voice, MPLS infrastructures and CPE implementations in a deadline-orient high-pressure environment.

   More advertising account executive duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your advertising account executive job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An advertising account executive salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, advertising account executives' average salary in north carolina is 37% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level advertising account executives earn 49% less than senior-level advertising account executives.
   • Certifications. An advertising account executive with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an advertising account executive's salary.

   Average advertising account executive salary

   $62,123yearly

   $29.87 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level advertising account executive salary

   $44,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average advertising account executive salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$80,184	$39
   2	Texas	$74,300	$36
   3	New York	$71,126	$34
   4	Illinois	$66,121	$32
   5	Virginia	$62,896	$30
   6	Kansas	$62,880	$30
   7	Ohio	$62,515	$30
   8	Nevada	$61,031	$29
   9	New Mexico	$60,800	$29
   10	Colorado	$58,576	$28
   11	Georgia	$57,609	$28
   12	Montana	$55,892	$27
   13	Missouri	$54,999	$26
   14	Florida	$52,477	$25
   15	South Carolina	$52,402	$25
   16	Alabama	$52,171	$25
   17	Wyoming	$47,062	$23
   18	North Carolina	$46,167	$22
   19	Arizona	$46,001	$22

   Average advertising account executive salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$101,817	$48.95	27
   2	Yelp	$87,268	$41.96	27
   3	Simon Property Group	$73,432	$35.30	3
   4	Cox Communications	$68,408	$32.89	50
   5	PubMatic	$67,269	$32.34	9
   6	AMC Networks	$65,536	$31.51	4
   7	Townsquare Media	$65,460	$31.47	91
   8	Cumulus Media	$65,041	$31.27	58
   9	AXIOS HR	$63,727	$30.64	4
   10	The Mars Agency	$63,263	$30.41	1
   11	Ad Pages	$63,022	$30.30
   12	RevHealth	$61,696	$29.66	2
   13	MUFG Capital Analytics	$61,452	$29.54
   14	Comcast	$61,364	$29.50	440
   15	PEAKE	$61,239	$29.44
   16	Mid-states Supply	$60,918	$29.29
   17	Robert Half	$59,600	$28.65	83
   18	AAAZA	$56,952	$27.38
   19	PSB Holdings, Inc.	$54,625	$26.26
   20	Chattanooga Times Free Press	$54,006	$25.96

4. Writing an advertising account executive job description

   An advertising account executive job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an advertising account executive job description:

   Advertising account executive job description example

   The Roanoke Times is seeking an energetic sales professional that is a standout sales professional who has local media experience (SWVA) and awareness of the market to serve as a key contributor for revenue generation. This role demands strong outreach efforts, great idea and advertising concept generation, local relationships, and advanced networking skills. This is a hands-on sales position that develops new business and guides sales for emerging products. Successful candidates understand who the marketing players within our service area are, and how we can craft smart ideas to grow their businesses.
   
   Lee Enterprises offers an exceptional training program along with career advancement potential. In addition, successful candidates in this role can operate in both strategic and tactical settings, are widely read, intellectually curious, and appreciate the evolution that is currently happening with our organization.
   The candidate must have general advertising knowledge:
   
   * Keen understanding of print and digital advertising products;
   * Deftly manage existing base of customers;
   * Generate advertising sales revenue within an existing, geographic territory;
   * Diligent outreach to new prospects.
   
   We offer a competitive benefit and compensation package with a base plus a commission potential if sales goals are achieved.
   
   EOE
   
   Why Join Us?
   
   Lee Enterprises offers competitive wages in a dynamic, interesting work environment with career growth opportunities. We offer an extensive benefit program that can be personalized to your needs. Our benefit program includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, company provided life insurance and supplemental life insurance. In addition, we offer a 401K retirement plan with company match. We also offer generous paid time off to allow the flexibility to balance personal life and work. This includes paid parental leave for new parents.
   
   Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of high-quality local news, with 77 daily newspapers in 26 states that have print, digital and e-replica versions. Lee's newspapers have a combined circulation of more than 1.2 million daily. Our digital sites attract more than 44 million unique visits monthly. We also have a rapidly growing roster of digital products for consumers, and are committed to aggressive digital growth.
   
   Lee Enterprises is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to attracting and retaining a workforce whose diversity reflects the communities we serve. Lee embraces change, and we recognize that we must create and maintain a culture of fervent inclusion. For more information about Lee, check us out at www.lee.net.
   
   We are focused on building a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you are excited about this role but do not meet 100% of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply.
   
   Other details
   
   * Pay Type Salary
   * Travel Required Yes
   * Required Education Bachelor's Degree
   * Job Start Date Monday, October 24, 2022
   
   Apply Now
   
   * Roanoke, VA, USA

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find advertising account executives for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your advertising account executive job on Zippia to find and recruit advertising account executive candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting advertising account executives requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new advertising account executive

   Once you have selected a candidate for the advertising account executive position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new advertising account executive first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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