Post to 100+ job boards and hire in days, not weeks.
Indeed Platinum Partnership Sales & Support: +1 (480) 360-6463

Digital Media Buyer job description template

If you are hiring for this role, start here. This free template is our detailed definition of the position, with everything you need to find and hire the right person. Copy it, add your own requirements, and post it.

Free job description below
Median pay
$61,004per year, about $29 an hour
Range$32,500 to $81,500 a year
Hourly$16 to $39 an hour
EducationDigital Media Buyers typically need a Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, media studies, communications, or a related field.
Also calledDigital Media Planner, Digital Media Manager, Digital Strategist
DepartmentAdvertising, Arts, and Media
The role

What is a Digital Media Buyer?

Digital Media Buyers are responsible for purchasing digital advertising space on various media outlets, such as social media channels, websites, magazines, television, radio, etc.

They help their clients reach their target audience by researching market trends, buying habits, demographics, and media usage.

Digital Media Buyers develop and manage campaign strategies, negotiate rates, airtime, and prices with media outlets, and book specific types of ads, such as text and image ads, posters, billboards, internet banners, etc.

They are also responsible for managing the campaign’s budgets and expenses and analyzing campaign data, such as views, engagement, and conversion rates.

What to screen for

The top Digital Media Buyer skills.

Five things separate a strong hire from a résumé that reads well. Use these as your scorecard criteria.

SkillWhy it matters
MarketingDigital Media Buyers should have broad marketing knowledge for this position. Familiarity with various marketing tactics, strategies, and processes can help them promote and distribute their clients’ products or services more effectively. Marketing knowledge includes an understanding of social media channels and ways to reach the target audience.
ResearchEffective research skills are essential for Digital Media Buyers because they help them find everything they need for a successful campaign. They use research skills to evaluate and analyze market trends, buying habits, demographics, and other factors. Research skills also help them identify the unique audience for specific advertising campaigns.
Communication And NegotiationStrong communication and negotiation skills are core for Digital Media Buyers. They use communication to collaborate and liaise with colleagues, clients, and other parties, convey important information, and share details. Negotiation helps them close cost-efficient deals with clients and media sales companies.
TechnicalTechnical skills include an in-depth understanding of both print and online media outlets. The knowledge of these formats means they understand how they work and how to utilize them to achieve the success of advertising campaigns. Also, it helps them track and analyze data from various platforms for future reference.
Financial KnowledgeFinancial knowledge is another crucial aspect of Digital Media Buyers’ job. Financial knowledge helps them manage and monitor campaign budgets, costs, and expenses and make informed financial decisions. Additionally, this knowledge allows them to interpret financial reports and allocate the company’s budgets appropriately.
Free template

The job description, ready to post.

Copy it as written, or edit it until it sounds like your company. Both work.

Digital Media BuyerAdvertising, Arts, and Media · Free to use and edit

Our company is hiring a competent Digital Media Buyer. In this position, you will help our clients advertise their products and services through various media outlets, such as television, radio, social media channels, billboards, internet banners, magazines, newspapers, etc. You will research market trends, target audience, buying habits, and media usage to identify the best ways to execute advertising campaigns.

Your job will also include negotiating rates, prices, and airtime with media outlets, managing and evaluating campaigns and their performance, and ensuring ads are creative, engaging, and displayed appropriately. Additionally, you will manage budgets and expenses, track and analyze campaign data for future reference, and maintain relationships with clients and media sales companies.

To be successful in this position, you should have exceptional marketing, communication, negotiation, research, and technical skills.

Duties and responsibilities

  • Develop campaign strategies and identify the target audience for specific campaigns
  • Negotiate rates, space, prices, and airtime with media outlets
  • Research market, demographics, media usage, and buying patterns
  • Select and book specific types of online and offline ads through television, radio, magazines social media channels, billboards, websites, and other formats
  • Create and manage plans for how campaigns will be executed through websites, mobile apps, social media, etc
  • Review and evaluate campaign performance to determine its effectiveness and success
  • Manage and monitor campaign budgets, costs, and expenses
  • Track and analyze campaign data such as views, click-through rates, engagement, and conversion rates
  • Keep up to date with distribution figures, such as magazines, newspapers, radio, television, etc
  • Collaborate with media sales companies to obtain the best rates and media space for online, broadcast, and print advertising
  • Ensure ads are creative, engaging, and displayed appropriately
  • Coordinate with designers and other team members to ensure ads meet clients’ requirements
  • Maintain relationships with clients, media sales companies, and other parties

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, media studies, communications, or a related field
  • Previous working experience as a Digital Media Buyer or a similar media position
  • In-depth knowledge of various marketing strategies and processes
  • Extensive experience with media planning and research
  • Familiarity with a variety of advertising mediums, such as print, radio, television, and social media
  • Exceptional communication and negotiation skills
  • Excellent research and analytical skills
  • Creativity
Add your pay range, benefits, and location before you post. Postings with a stated range get significantly more finished applications than the ones that leave it out.

Take the template with you

Copy it straight into your job board or ATS, or have it emailed to you with the interview questions for this role.

Education

What education this role needs.

Digital Media Buyers typically need a Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, media studies, communications, or a related field.

Coursework that helps them develop skills for this position includes statistics, research methods, business law, etc.

Certification is often not a requirement, but it can be a great way of demonstrating proficiency in the field.

Most employers would prefer candidates with a few years of experience in the media or advertising field.

However, candidates may receive on-the-job training as a part of the onboarding process.

After the applications land

Sample interview questions for a Digital Media Buyer.

Once you have gathered the applications, work through these in order. Twelve questions across four areas, enough to tell your shortlist apart.

Personal
  • Could you tell us more about your personality?
  • What are some of your life goals?
  • How would your close friends briefly describe you?
Human Resources
  • Could you tell us about your responsibilities in your previous job as a Digital Media Buyer?
  • In what ways do you believe you can contribute to our company?
  • Do you have a preferred salary range?
Management
  • What is your experience with managing multiple projects and deadlines at once?
  • How would you go about attracting a younger audience for a specific campaign?
  • What factors do you consider when buying a media space?
Technical Skills and Knowledge
  • How do you typically stay updated on changes and innovations in the media world?
  • What research and analytic tools do you use to measure a campaign’s success?
  • In your own experience, do you think television or radio advertising is more effective?
Pay

How much to pay when hiring.

Annual pay by percentile. Where you land depends on the size of the cycle they will own, and the 25th percentile is usually where a first analyst hire sits.

10th percentile$32,500
25th percentile$49,000
Median$61,004
75th percentile$70,500
90th percentile$81,500

Hourly equivalents run from $16 at the 10th percentile to $39 at the 90th.

Related job titles

Candidates may apply under a different name.

Post the title your industry uses and keep the rest of the description. These three roles overlap enough that the same posting usually reaches all of them.

Same work, different title

Three titles, one description.

Search behavior varies by industry, so the same job is advertised under several names. If you are unsure which one your candidates search for, run two titles and see which fills.

Digital Media Planner

Digital Media Manager

Digital Strategist

$92,126 median
Questions

Frequently asked questions.

What do Digital Media Buyers do?

Digital Media Buyers purchase media space for their clients to advertise their products and services.

They research and book various media outlets, such as social media channels, television, radio, billboards, magazines, etc.

They also evaluate market trends and buying habits, manage advertising campaigns, and monitor budgets and expenses.

Where do Digital Media Buyers work?

Digital Media Buyers are typically based in media, marketing, or advertising agencies.

They can also work across other media outlets, such as radio, television, print, etc.

What education is essential for Digital Media Buyers?

Typical educational requirements for Digital Media Buyers include a Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, media studies, communications, or a similar field.

What skills should Digital Media Buyers have?

Digital Media Buyers should have outstanding marketing, communication, negotiation, technical, creative, and research skills.

More in finance

Other job description templates.

Same format, same free, same median pay data. Browse the full library if the role you are hiring for is not here.

You have the description. Now go find the person.

Paste this template into AvaHR, publish to 100+ job boards in one click, and screen every applicant in one pipeline. Free to start.

You'll never hire alone.