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

What is a media planner and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

A media planner works in advertising to develop and execute effective marketing campaigns. They work with clients and team members to determine target audiences and appropriate media channels, such as television, radio, print, or digital. Media planners research and analyze consumer behavior and media trends. They also negotiate media buys and manage budgets to ensure cost-effective campaigns. Media planners use data and metrics to measure campaign success and make adjustments to achieve optimal results.

ScoreMedia PlannerUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $58,044

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 5.35%

Black or African American 10.41%

Hispanic or Latino 12.27%

Unknown 5.12%

White 66.26%

Gender

female 60.83%

male 39.17%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a media planner?

Pros

Exposure to a variety of industries and clients
High potential for career growth and advancement
Collaborative work with diverse teams (creative, account management, data analysis)
Chance to develop strong negotiation skills
Possibility for flexible work arrangements (remote work, flexible hours)

Cons

Long working hours during peak periods (e.g. holiday season)
High level of competition in the industry
Potential for conflicts with clients or colleagues due to differences in opinions or expectations
Limited ability to control external factors that can affect campaign success (e.g. market changes or competitor actions)
Possibility of limited creativity due to strict client guidelines or budget constraints

Key steps to become a media planner

Explore media planner education requirements

Most common media planner degrees

Bachelor's

89.2 %

Master's

7.5 %

Associate

2.3 %

Start to develop specific media planner skills

Skills	Percentages
Media Planning	11.30%
PowerPoint	8.26%
Campaign Performance	5.18%
MRI	4.41%
Digital Marketing	4.13%

Complete relevant media planner training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New 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 media planner based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real media planner resumes.

Research media planner duties and responsibilities

Partner with programmatic buying team to manage DSP campaign and ensure tactics maintain maximum efficiency.
Lead monthly meetings with each AE to discuss key accounts and strategize for revenue growth.
Manage multiple inboxes handling numerous RFP inquiries from top tier clients while training new employees on processes.
Manage multiple million dollar budgets, budget analysis and reconciliations.

Prepare your media planner resume

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

Build a professional 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 media planner resume.