Advertising media buyer
Media buyers book advert space on newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and websites.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
You could:
- work out who the audience is and where to put adverts so they'll see them
- build relationships with clients and media sales companies
- negotiate for the best advert spots at the cheapest rates
- manage budgets and outline costs to clients
- monitor campaign audience figures
- analyse sales data, to judge a campaign's effectiveness
Working environment
You could work in an office or at a client's business.
You may need to wear smart business clothes.
Career path and progression
You can choose to specialise in buying radio, online or TV adverts.
With experience, you could eventually become a:
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- knowledge of media production and communication
- the ability to use your initiative
- the ability to organise your time and workload
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- to be flexible and open to change
- the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- specialist courses run by professional bodies
You could get into advertising with any degree subject.
However, for this role some employers may prefer subjects like:
- advertising and marketing
- statistics or operational research
- communication and media studies
- business or management
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
You could do an advertising apprenticeship like an assistant buyer higher apprenticeship or an advertising media executive advanced apprenticeship.
With experience these may give you some of the skills, knowledge and industry contacts you need to move into advertising media buying roles.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
More Information
You could start in a junior position like office assistant in a small advertising agency and work your way up through training and promotion.
You'll find it useful to get experience before you apply for roles. It will help you understand the industry and make contacts.
You could try:
- work experience
- internships
- temporary employment
You could get in touch with agencies directly to ask about placements, or contact companies through social media channels like LinkedIn.
You could study the Foundation Certificate offered by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.
To apply, you must have less than one year of experience in an advertising, marketing or communications role.
Career tips
Employers will usually be interested in your personal qualities, like creativity, quick thinking and business sense, as well as your formal qualifications.
Professional and industry bodies
You could join the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, for professional development, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.
Further information
You can find out more about a career in advertising from the IPA and Discover Creative Careers.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.