How To Become A Digital Media Planner: What It Is and Career Path

What is a digital media planner and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Kimberly Pichot

A digital media planner manages campaign budgets for clients' advertising companies or social media campaigns to make sure they are within in budget and done well. They also collect market data, develop audience personas, optimize campaigns, and monitor budgets. They report on the success of digital media campaigns to upper management and determine the suitability of media campaigns.

This position requires analytical skills, a good working teamwork attitude, numerical abilities, computer skills, and decision-making skills. You will need a bachelor's degree in market research, marketing, business administration or a similar subject to qualify to be a digital media planner. You will also need experience as a marketing director, computer researcher or in business administration. You can make a median salary of $50,000 per year.

What general advice would you give to a digital media planner?

Kimberly Pichot

Associate Professor of Marketing, Andrews University

If connections were meaningful before, now they are more than crucial. Find ways to connect with marketing professionals, join the American Marketing Association, and join a local chapter. Take the time to build a strong portfolio, develop your brand, and stay out there, no matter how hard it is. And consider starting a side hustle that utilizes your most treasured part of marketing - starting and running a small business while you job hunt will give you some extra skills and push you to new levels.

ScoreDigital Media PlannerUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $55,361

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.59%

Asian 5.36%

Black or African American 10.37%

Hispanic or Latino 12.28%

Unknown 5.12%

White 66.28%

Gender

female 61.89%

male 38.11%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a digital media planner

Explore digital media planner education requirements

Most common digital media planner degrees

Bachelor's

89.4 %

Master's

7.2 %

Associate

2.1 %

Start to develop specific digital media planner skills

Skills	Percentages
PowerPoint	8.68%
Media Planning	7.66%
Campaign Performance	7.60%
Digital Marketing	7.30%
DoubleClick	4.46%

Complete relevant digital media planner training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New digital media planners learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a digital media planner based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real digital media planner resumes.

Research digital media planner duties and responsibilities

Manage the domestic and international marketing media budget - evaluate opportunities for acceptable ROI and ensure budgetary constraints are met.
Provide day-to-day campaign management on paid and SEO marketing campaigns to ensure successful results.
Set up and maintain all campaigns in DoubleClick
Put together POVs for potential partnerships and present feedback and findings.

Prepare your digital media planner resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your digital media planner resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a digital media planner resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable digital media planner resume templates

Build a professional digital media planner resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your digital media planner resume.