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How to hire an advertising sales

Advertising sales hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring advertising sales in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire an advertising sales is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new advertising sales to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire an advertising sales, step by step

To hire an advertising sales, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire an advertising sales:

Here's a step-by-step advertising sales 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 sales job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new advertising sales
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an advertising sales do?

An advertising sales agent is responsible for offering advertising services for the clients to boost their brand image and target potential customers on various media platforms. Advertising sales agents coordinate with the advertising team to strategize techniques in building their market presence by analyzing the current industry trends. They negotiate contracts with the clients and inform them of the business plans to help them increase revenues to achieve their long-term goals and objectives. An advertising sales agent must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling clients' requests and creating advertisement samples for their review.

Learn more about the specifics of what an advertising sales does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your advertising sales job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an advertising sales for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    An advertising sales's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, advertising sales 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.

    This list presents advertising sales salaries for various positions.

    Type of Advertising SalesDescriptionHourly rate
    Advertising SalesAdvertising sales agents sell advertising space to businesses and individuals. They contact potential clients, make sales presentations, and maintain client accounts.$27-43
    Sales Development RepresentativeA sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team... Show more$16-37
    Sales Representative InternshipIn a sales representative internship, an intern's duties depend on the directives of a supervising staff or manager. Typically, they are responsible for gaining industry insights while performing clerical tasks such as preparing and processing documents, greeting visitors, disseminating and organizing files, and running errands as needed... Show more$12-20
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Media Sales
    • Business Relationships
    • Business Development
    • Newspapers
    • SEO
    • Real Estate
    • ROI
    • Client Relationships
    • Sales Presentations
    • Sales Revenue
    • Cold Calls
    • Trade Shows
    • Sales Territory
    • Sales REP
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Operate Salesforce and manage opportunities accordingly.
    • Present an advertisement solution with an attainable ROI.
    • Account analysis and preparation, assessing customer needs, and preparation of professional sales recommendations tailor to each customer s business.
    • Educate business owners on search engines (yahoo, google, etc . )
    More advertising sales duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your advertising sales job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An advertising sales salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for an advertising sales in Louisiana may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level advertising sales usually earns less than a senior-level advertising sales. Additionally, an advertising sales with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average advertising sales salary

    $73,239yearly

    $35.21 hourly rate

    Entry-level advertising sales salary
    $58,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 17, 2025

    Average advertising sales salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New York$88,301$42
    2California$82,687$40
    3New Jersey$80,060$38
    4Iowa$77,913$37
    5Kansas$77,090$37
    6Washington$75,969$37
    7New Mexico$75,885$36
    8Colorado$75,224$36
    9Michigan$75,154$36
    10Illinois$75,084$36
    11Indiana$74,216$36
    12Arkansas$73,784$35
    13North Carolina$72,112$35
    14District of Columbia$71,444$34
    15Arizona$70,577$34
    16Florida$69,672$34
    17Texas$69,278$33
    18Ohio$68,952$33
    19Minnesota$68,356$33
    20Missouri$67,687$33

    Average advertising sales salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1eBay$105,186$50.57
    2Yelp$99,739$47.9517
    3Amazon$96,576$46.4359
    4IDT$81,190$39.0310
    5NBCUniversal$79,394$38.1713
    6Better$72,789$34.991
    7WMSN FOX 47 News, Madison$72,460$34.843
    8Goodyear$71,923$34.5832
    9Hill Holliday$71,437$34.341
    10Professional Sports Publications$69,697$33.51
    11ShelfGenie$68,141$32.763
    12Gray Television$65,641$31.5614
    13Pathfinders Advertising$56,332$27.08
    14Valpak$51,841$24.921
    15Lee Enterprises$46,842$22.524
  4. Writing an advertising sales job description

    A good advertising sales job description should include a few things:

    • Summary of the role
    • List of responsibilities
    • Required skills and experience

    Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an advertising sales job description:

    Advertising sales job description example

    COSTA MEDIA’s LATINX BOSTON 103.7 FM / 103.5 FM is seeking a highly motivated and experience broadcast sales professional to join and build our radio advertising team based in Boston.

    This position requires a good amount of prospecting and business development. And to help you along the way, our own top executives will provide you with top-of-the-line prospecting tools and research.

    YOUR QUALIFICATIONS

    The successful candidate must have good work ethic, independent, and passionate

    Have an existing list of local advertising agencies and direct local clients

    Track record of exceeding sales goals

    Proficiency in prospecting and effective listening skills

    You are confident, outgoing with resilient personality

    Great problem solving and analytical abilities and strong business acumen

    Strong understanding of the local market, marketing concepts, and digital media

    Knowledgeable of Digital products and talent to develop a strategic sales plan.

    Capacity to deliver compelling advertising presentations that address client objectives

    Cultural knowledge and creativity to work with diverse prospects and customers

    FULL DESCRIPTION / RESPONSIBILITIES

    This candidate will sell multi-media marketing solutions, including digital, broadcast and events sales, to local small-to-medium-sized businesses.

    An understanding of the local market, marketing concepts and radio media.

    Prospect for qualified local new businesses and maintain and grow current clients

    Must be self-motivated and results-oriented to build a growing revenue stream

    Deliver compelling advertising presentations and strategic plan that address client objectives, present and close appropriate marketing solution programs

    Responsible to accurately project revenues, meet and exceed monthly budgets for all product lines and overachieve annual budgets

    Follow accountabilities set forth by your sales manager to help guide you to success achieving monthly sales quotas consistently.

    REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

    Team player, creative, organized, and enthusiastic.

    Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

    Working knowledge of Word, Excel and Outlook software packages.

    Experience and working knowledge of Internet & social media platforms.

    Must have a good driving record

    DESIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

    5-8 years as a broadcast salesperson in the local market

    College degree preferred but not required

    Spanish speaker preferred but not required.

    Compensation (Draw vs commission with 6 months guarantee)

    Compensation based on years of experience and existing local client list

    Draw versus commission with 6 months guarantee salary to develop business

    Opportunity for management if proven to be successful at sales job

    COSTA MEDIA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

    Company DescriptionCosta Media Boston LLC is a NEW Hispanic OWNED broadcasting company, with a management team that has over 50 years of experience in radio programming, marketing and sales.

    Our Mission is to super serve the Latino communities in Massachusetts by introducing a NEW FORMAT that is Inclusive with a MIX of Latin Pop and Latin Urban Music.

    WCCM has been serving the Hispanic community in Boston for over 20 years and our goal is to continue that tradition with radio that entertains and informs the community through music, news and live sports.
  5. Post your job

    There are a few common ways to find advertising sales 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 sales job on Zippia to find and recruit advertising sales candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    During your first interview to recruit advertising sales, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

    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 sales

    Once you've found the advertising sales candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    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.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new advertising sales. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

  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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How much does it cost to hire an advertising sales?

There are different types of costs for hiring advertising sales. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new advertising sales employee.

You can expect to pay around $73,239 per year for an advertising sales, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for advertising sales in the US typically range between $27 and $43 an hour.

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