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The differences between media planners and media buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a media planner, becoming a media buyer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a media buyer has an average salary of $74,390, which is higher than the $58,044 average annual salary of a media planner.
The top three skills for a media planner include media planning, powerpoint and campaign performance. The most important skills for a media buyer are digital marketing, campaign performance, and media buying.
| Media Planner | Media Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,044 | $74,390 |
| Hourly rate | $27.91 | $35.76 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 24,126 | 20,884 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 89% | Bachelor's Degree, 87% |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A media planner is responsible for managing market campaigns and promotions for clients' advertising needs through various social media platforms and other mediums of communications. Media planners handle the brand's media presence, strategizing its maximum appeal to the target audience. They coordinate closely with the clients for the progress updates, as well as informing them of any adjustments, especially on meeting the public's interests and concerns. A media planner develops innovative techniques, analyzes market data, and manage campaign results, ensuring to meet the clients' objectives and goals.
Media Buyers are marketing professionals who manage the company's advertisements. They create the company's media plan to determine the advertising needs of the company. They negotiate with external providers to get the best advertisement placement values. To do this, Media Buyers are expected to conduct thorough research on the different advertising companies, networks, media, size of placement, and length of advertisement. Their research must consider the target market and determine the best media to reach their target market. Media Buyers should have good negotiation skills and must be able to maintain good working relationships with providers.
Media planners and media buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Planner | Media Buyer | |
| Average salary | $58,044 | $74,390 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $69,000 | Between $56,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Burlington, VT |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Vermont |
| Best paying company | RPA | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a media planner and a media buyer in terms of educational background:
| Media Planner | Media Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 89% | Bachelor's Degree, 87% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between media planners' and media buyers' demographics:
| Media Planner | Media Buyer | |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 7% |