Advertising media planner

Advertising media planners decide which media is best to advertise their client's products or services.

In this guide

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In this role you could:

  • research and analyse data to find out how people use different media
  • create a media plan of how, when and where to advertise
  • work out costs with a media buyer
  • present plans and costs to clients and book advertising space
  • monitor the effectiveness of campaigns
  • work closely with creative teams, researchers and other media organisations

Working environment

You could work in an office or at a client's business.

Career path and progression

With experience you could:

  • get a job as an advertising account manager
  • become a senior advertising planner or strategic manager
  • work as a freelance media planner

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • knowledge of media production and communication
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
  • the ability to sell products and services
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Most relevant

  • Mathematics - Advertising media planners work with data every day – analysing audience figures, calculating campaign costs, and working out return on investment for clients. They use statistics to compare how different media channels perform and to decide where advertising budgets should be spent.
  • Business - Advertising media planners need to understand how businesses operate, including budgets, target markets, and competitive strategy. They work closely with clients to align advertising plans with broader business goals and ensure campaigns deliver value for money.
  • Media Studies - Advertising media planners choose where and when adverts appear across TV, radio, online, and social platforms. Media Studies builds an understanding of how different formats reach different audiences, how media industries operate commercially, and how to analyse audience data and consumption patterns.
  • Psychology - Advertising media planners research how people behave, what grabs their attention, and what motivates them to act. Understanding consumer psychology helps them choose the right media channels and timing to reach specific audiences effectively.

Also relevant

  • English Language - Advertising media planners write detailed media plans, present proposals to clients, and communicate with creative teams and media organisations. Being able to argue a case persuasively – both in writing and in person – is essential when pitching campaign strategies.
  • Economics - Advertising media planners consider market trends, consumer spending patterns, and how economic conditions affect advertising budgets. Understanding supply and demand also helps when negotiating the cost of advertising space across different platforms.
  • Sociology - Advertising media planners analyse how different social groups – by age, location, income, or lifestyle – consume media. Understanding social trends and group behaviour helps them target campaigns at the right audiences in the right places.
  • Computer Science - Advertising media planners increasingly work with programmatic advertising platforms, data analytics tools, and algorithms that automate ad placement. Understanding how these digital systems work helps them make better use of technology-driven advertising channels.

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

To become an advertising media planner, you'll usually need a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a subject like:

  • advertising and marketing
  • statistics or operational research
  • communication and media studies
  • business or management
  • psychology

You can apply for graduate roles in advertising agencies like junior media planner if you have a degree.

Some employers combine the roles of media planner and media buyer which means you could get a wide range of experience before specialising in planning.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

More Information

You could start on an advertising and media executive advanced apprenticeship.

If you also get some advertising experience, you can apply for jobs as a media planner.

This usually takes 18 months to complete and is a mix of learning in the workplace and study.

Entry requirements

Employers will set their own entry requirements.

More Information

You might be able to start in a junior position at a small advertising agency in a position like admin assistant.

You can then work your way up as your experience in advertising grows.

Experience will help you understand advertising and allow you to meet new people who may help you find paid work.

You could try:

  • work experience
  • internships
  • temporary employment

You could contact agencies directly to ask about volunteering opportunities. You could also make contacts on social media channels like LinkedIn.

You could take the advertising Foundation Certificate to get some of the skills you need to get a paid job in advertising.

The course is offered by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and is open to anyone with less than one year of experience in an advertising, marketing or communications role.

Career tips

It might be useful to get some work experience in a media, marketing, communication or sales role.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) to find training opportunities for professional development and to make industry contacts.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become an advertising media planner from the IPA.

You can also find out about working in a creative career from Discover Creative Careers.

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