Media Buyer
Media buyers plan, negotiate, and purchase advertising inventory across traditional and digital channels to maximize campaign reach and ROI. They analyze audience data, develop media plans, manage budgets, and optimize placements using programmatic platforms and analytics tools. The BLS reports a median salary of $72,000 with 6% projected growth. The shift to programmatic and data-driven buying has transformed this role into a highly analytical discipline.
A Day in the Life
A typical day starts with reviewing programmatic campaign dashboards and adjusting bids on underperforming placements. The media buyer negotiates rates with a digital publisher for a new display campaign and sends revised insertion orders. After lunch, they analyze reach and frequency reports for a current TV buy and present a media plan to a client. Late afternoon involves reconciling invoices, updating the media budget tracker, and researching new podcast advertising opportunities.
Key Stats
Education
Bachelor's Degree
Salary Range
Entry: $42,000
Median: $72,000
Senior: $115,000
Job Growth