Strategic Media Planning Consultant

Media planning consultants develop the strategic roadmap for how advertising budgets should be allocated across channels, audiences, and time periods to achieve campaign objectives.

Unlike media buyers who execute, planners make strategic decisions about which media to use, how much to spend where, what audiences to target, and when to run campaigns.

You analyze target audiences, competitive media presence, channel effectiveness, budget constraints, and campaign goals to create integrated media plans.

Deliverables include media recommendations, budget allocations, reach and frequency projections, timing calendars, and success metrics.

Planning fees range from $5,000-$30,000 for project-based plans to $3,000-$15,000 monthly retainers for ongoing planning.

Target clients include companies with substantial advertising budgets ($100,000+annually), businesses planning major product launches, organizations entering new markets, and clients needing independent strategic guidance separate from media sellers.

Services might include annual media planning, campaign-specific planning, media mix modeling, attribution analysis, and competitive intelligence.

Initial investment includes media research tools, planning software, and industry data sources.

Success requires understanding of all media channels, analytical abilities, strategic thinking, and ability to balance reach, frequency, and budget efficiently.

Many planners come from agency media departments before offering independent consulting.

The shift to digital has made media planning more complex with endless channel options, requiring expertise to cut through and recommend optimal approaches.