Media buying was once a world of direct deals and closed negotiations. But with the rise of digital media and platforms to buy and sell, media buying isn’t only for the biggest brands anymore.

If you’ve been looking for new ways to get your ads in front of your target audience, I’m going to walk you through how to do just that — from how media buying works to the processes for carrying it out.

Then, I’ll take you through the best platforms to get you started, with tips and advice from marketing experts along the way.

Ready? Grab your free media plan template, and let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

• What is media buying?
• Media Buying vs. Media Planning
• Types of Media Buying
• How Digital Media Buying Works
• The Media Buying Process
• Media Buying Tips
• Best Digital Media Buying Platforms

Exactly what is a media buyer, then? Whether they’re watching a TV show or scrolling through a website, media buyers are the ones who get brands in front of their target market.

They’re also responsible for negotiating with publishers for ad inventory, managing budgets, and optimizing ads to improve campaign performance.

As an outbound strategy, media buying requires a well-thought-out plan. Rex Gelb, senior director of paid advertising and affiliate marketing at HubSpot, says one of the biggest mistakes brands make is not thinking through their marketing goals.

“Some ad placements might be good for one set of goals, but bad for another. Let’s say you’re an airline and your focus is impressions and awareness, rather than an immediate sale, you can buy a placement that is known to get cheap impressions,” he says.

Gelb continues, “Now, let’s say you’re a CEO who wants to promote a ‘letter to our customers.’ In this instance, what you’ll care about is cheap clicks. Buying cheap impressions, which made sense in the previous example, no longer helps you accomplish your goal.”

That’s why media planning is such an important step, as it helps you get the most out of your ads.

Media Buying vs. Media Planning

Media buying and media planning have separate but connected roles in an ad campaign. Media planners outline the campaign’s goals, focusing on overall strategy, and then media buyers carry out those goals.

The planning phase determines what media will be most effective to reach a particular audience. And the buying phase picks up from there with deal negotiations and budget management. It‘s also important to note that media planning isn’t solely for advertising — it’s for any media a brand puts out there.

However, in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the job may be done by the same person or team.

Types of Media Buying

Media buying falls into two broad categories: direct and programmatic. I’ll explain them below.

Direct Buying

In this case, ad space is purchased directly from a publisher. It involves direct negotiations and relationships rather than using automation or intermediaries.

The benefits of this type of buying are that you can guarantee ad placement in a specific location (say, a newspaper that your target audience reads), customize agreements, and foster ongoing relationships.

Best for: Direct buying works best when you’re trying to build trust with local or niche communities and small markets.

Programmatic Buying

This type of buying entered the sphere with digital media and it automates the buying and selling process. Using algorithms to place ads, exchanges happen in real-time.

The benefits of programmatic buying are that it allows precision targeting, makes it possible to participate in many exchanges at once, and can lower the cost of placing ads.

Best for: With the ability to micro-focus the target audience, this type works well for limited budgets who want to reduce ad spending.

The types of media buying have to do with how you go about purchasing ad space. But a related concept is channels.

There are also two channel types: digital (online), which can include websites, social media, and search engines, e.g., and traditional (offline), which may be TV, print, radio, billboards, etc.

While traditional channels necessitate direct deals, digital channels can operate programmatically or directly.

How Digital Media Buying Works

There are three components in the programmatic buying structure:

• Demand-side platforms (DSP). This is where advertisers and ad agencies – that is, media buyers – set up their campaigns, bid on ad inventory, and optimize their ads. It’s one-half of the automated exchange marketplace and allows media buying from multiple sources in real time.
• Supply-side platforms (SSP). This is the other half of the exchange marketplace. It’s where publishers sell their ad inventory.
• Ad exchanges. These are virtual marketplaces that connect the DSPs to the SSPs, so that advertisers and publishers can buy and sell ad inventory through real-time bidding (RTB). Marketplaces can be open, meaning anyone can join, or private, where publishers limit who can participate in the auction.

You may have also heard of ad networks, which could be considered a fourth component in this media-buying ecosystem. These platforms aggregate ad inventory from various sources and match it to advertisers’ needs, serving as intermediaries in the process. Think Google Adsense or Meta Audience Network.

But, as a quick note, programmatic buying also allows direct deals. This is known as programmatic direct buying, which sounds pretty confusing since these are usually two opposing types. The key difference is that ad inventory is sold at a fixed cost per thousand impressions (CPM), with no bidding.

As programmatic buying continues to shift in new directions along with the tech landscape, media buying will also shift.

A recent example of how quickly these shifts can occur came with the rollout of Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) in 2021. At the time, it wasn’t clear how opting out of tracking would impact targeting and conversions. Now, we know it contributed to significant declines in ad revenue.

Still, programmatic buying isn’t going anywhere and many businesses — especially SMBs — are finding success by combining media types and channels.

Successful media buying requires “multi-channel precision targeting,” says Aaron Whittaker, ​​VP of demand generation & marketing at Thrive Internet Marketing Agency.

“Connected TV (CTV) buying has become increasingly important [and] platforms like Roku Advertising have allowed our smaller clients to access television audiences at a fraction of traditional TV costs,” he told me. “The ability to layer first-party data with viewing habits has made these campaigns particularly effective.”

But the most surprising insight Whittaker shared with me? “Sometimes the most effective media buys come from combining traditional and digital channels. For instance, retargeting users who’ve been exposed to radio ads with digital display has shown promising results for local businesses.”

Want more insight into how programmatic buying can be beneficial for your business? Check out this video covering the top five paid marketing trends.

The Media Buying Process

With programmatic buying continually changing things up for media buyers, the process of media buying isn’t one size fits all. But there are still steps you can follow to keep your team organized, whether you opt for direct or programmatic buying — or a mix of both.

1. Review media plan.

Once the media plan is in place, it’ll be handed off to the media buyer. The plan will include goals, timelines, target audience, and total budget, but it will likely be up to the buyer to decide how the budget is allocated.

Now is the time to think about types of ads, where you’ll run them, and how much money you want to dedicate to various channels.

Free Resource: Get your media plan template here.

2. List media outlets.

With your target audiences in mind, develop a list of media outlets where you’d like to buy ad space. If you plan to use a combination of media types, you can also include DSPs on your list (like the ones recommended later in this article).

3. Submit RFPs.

Now that you have a list of outlets, send them each a request for proposal (RFP). This document will include all your campaign details and ask vendors to respond with proposals that match your goals. The point is to give you a series of proposals to review so you can make decisions on where to place your ads.

Free resource: Use these RFP templates to get you started.

4. Make final decisions.

Once you’ve got the RFP responses in hand, it’s time to make buying decisions. Evaluate how the proposals will help you meet your goals and how they align with your overall ad placement strategy. Then, go ahead and buy the ad space.

5. Send insertion orders.

When your ad placements are final, submit insertion orders (IO) to all the ad inventory vendors. IOs are legal agreements between publishers and advertisers that detail the specifics of an ad campaign (dates, format, placement, etc.) and they’ll require your signature as well as that of the publisher.

6. Deliver the ads.

Somewhere in the background of all this, your creative team was probably already hard at work on developing the actual ads. As a media buyer, you’ll need to coordinate with them to ensure the formats are correct for each medium and that the vendors receive the ads by the deadlines specified in the IO.

7. Monitor results.

The heavy lifting is out of the way, but it doesn’t mean the work is done. After your campaign launches, you’ll need to track its performance.

If you launched digital campaigns, you can monitor results in real time. And if your campaign is underperforming on metrics that were guaranteed by the publishers, negotiate with them for a “makegood” (meaning they’ll make up for the shortfall).

Media Buying Tips

With the media buying process as a general guide, I wanted to dig a little deeper into how to carry it out. While some organizations may have dedicated media buyers, small and medium-sized businesses don’t always have the resources for that, and roles can overlap.

So, with that in mind, I called on experienced marketers to ask for take-home tips on media buying, with a special focus on SMBs and up-and-coming brands.

1. Strategize.

When you’re planning and buying on a smaller budget, settling on a strategy before your campaign can feel even more imperative.

“We recommend an omnichannel approach,” says Jennifer Hall, associate director of agency marketing at Vision Media.

“Media plans are developed based on the brand’s goals, budget, and target audience,” she tells me, adding that prospects are most often reached through a combination of traditional and digital channels, such as “paid social, CTV, print or out-of-home (OOH), and streaming audio.”

2. Identify your target and where to find them.

Determining your target audience and experimenting with where exactly to reach them is another important piece of the media-buying puzzle.

“Focusing on digital platforms that cater to passionate niche communities has been a game-changer,” Maris Laatre, CMO of Bully Max, says. “For example, we’ve used video ads on YouTube to demonstrate the benefits of our products, which drives engagement and builds trust with pet owners.”

Also, finding a space where the competition hasn’t yet caught up has its advantages, she says, mentioning TikTok. “It’s an underutilized platform for ecommerce brands in our niche, but it offers a lot of potential for those willing to experiment.”

3. Set up your campaign.

Whether you’re using a DSP or coordinating direct deals, you’ll need to specify your campaign parameters.

Both programmatic and direct buying have their pros and cons when it comes to getting set up, according to David Hunter, SEO expert and founder of Local Falcon.

In the case of the first option, “it’s automated, which means ad space can be bought in real-time, often at a lower cost, and it helps target specific audiences based on their behavior and preferences. It’s efficient, but you need to monitor it closely to avoid wasting money on clicks that don’t convert.”

“For businesses that value more control or have niche audiences, direct deals with media outlets can work better,” he continues. “It’s slower to set up, but the personal connection with the publisher often makes the investment worth it.”

4. Track the results and optimize.

The most exciting (and possibly scariest) part of launching an ad campaign is tracking its performance.

“It’s not just about choosing a strategy or platform,” Hunter tells me. “You have to track everything — what works, what doesn’t — and adjust quickly.”

“Sometimes what looks great on paper flops when you actually run the campaign. Small changes, like tweaking the timing of an ad or narrowing the audience slightly, can make a massive difference.”

If you decide to go the programmatic route, your next step will be deciding on a DSP.

To put together a list of the leading platforms for media buying, I asked marketers which ones they use and why they’d recommend them. Below is the compiled list, with tips to get you started.

1. Google Display & Video 360

Inside the Google Marketing Platform, you’ll find Display & Video 360. Originally DoubleClick Bid Management, DV360 integrates seamlessly with Google Analytics and other Google products. So, if your team is already using those tools, this may be the right media buying tool for you.

There are five modules in DV360 to build your campaign, manage your audience and creative assets, analyze your data, and access ad inventory from top publishers. It also offers automated bidding and custom targeting using first and third-party data, making it easier to reach the right audience.

Lastly, the platform allows advertisers to not only reach users on websites and YouTube but also CTV.

Best for: Integrating with other Google products and accessing a wide range of tools.

2. The Trade Desk

If you want access to premium publishers, the Trade Desk is one place you’ll want to look.

The platform has ad inventory from influential publishers,like Spotify, ABC, The Wall Street Journal, and ESPN.

One of the platform‘s key features is the AI-driven “Koa,” which uses data from over 600 billion daily queries to determine the smartest and most cost-effective way to run your digital campaign. The Trade Desk also has cross-device targeting capabilities to optimize your campaign’s reach.

Best for: Larger-scale campaigns “because it gives you access to premium publishers and uses AI to help optimize performance,” recommends David Hunter.

3. Amazon DSP

Every time I think Amazon has capped, it comes out with another vertical.

As a top three DSP, Amazon DSP is one of the most used platforms allowing your ads to appear on Amazon-owned websites like Audible and IMDb, and other Amazon partners. In addition, they can show up on Amazon connected devices, like Fire TV, Kindle, and Alexa, giving you a breadth of opportunities to get in front of the right people.

Along with targeting based on demographics and interests, it also allows targeting based on Amazon purchase history, as well as past searches and views, giving it a leg up on the competition.

Brand safety is also a top priority to ensure ads don’t appear in risky or unsuitable environments. The platform monitors real-time bids and site reviews for quality and security to ensure brand protection.

Best for: Your product-focused business. “If a client has a product-focused business, I usually recommend Amazon DSP — it uses Amazon’s consumer data, which is hard to beat for ecommerce,” Hunter says.

4. Wallester

Wallester Business simplifies campaign expense management through its user-friendly platform and application. The service enables you to create virtual and physical cards via separate accounts with customizable daily/monthly limits. You can also generate expense reports in CSV, Excel, or PDF formats, add colleagues to your account, and assign them to specific cards or campaigns.

With Wallester Business, you can avoid failed transactions on popular platforms like Meta, TikTok, Google, X (formerly Twitter), Mailchimp, and more. New users can try the platform by creating the first 300 virtual cards at no cost.

Best for: Sharing virtual cards between media buyers within an organization.

5. AdCritter

AdCritter is a DSP made for small to medium-sized businesses.

The platform has an ad builder and a library of pre-designed templates for businesses that may not have their own creative assets. This means you can get help with ad-making right on their platform.

With AdCritter, media buyers (or even one-person brands) can hand-select the websites they’ll appear on to ensure their ads reach their intended audience. You can also reach consumers based on demographics and behavior.

The real seller, though, might be that it makes TV and digital billboard ads cost-effective through precision targeting and short-term placements.

Best for: SMBs and smaller budgets looking to maximize their ad spending.

6. Adobe Advertising Cloud

In 2017, Adobe launched a powerful DSP to tie with Adobe Audience Manager and Adobe Analytics. Similar to Google, Adobe’s platforms integrate seamlessly, which makes collaboration easier and cross-data analysis simpler.

Adobe also has powerful performance optimization features to maximize return on ad spend (ROAS).

Best for: Integrating with other Adobe products, like Adobe Analytics.

7. Criteo

This platform has access to a large network of premium retailers, making it a great DSP for brands who want to reach online shoppers. Think Best Buy, CVS pharmacy, Macy’s, and Kohls.

They rely on first-party data, instead of third-party cookies, to optimize ads and determine the right time and place to engage shoppers.

Criteo’s flexible attribution models also make data analysis easier for teams.

Best for: Engaging customers across online shopping experiences.

8. StackAdapt

“StackAdapt has become our go-to platform for growing companies – they don’t demand huge minimum spends, and their team delivers solid campaign optimization advice,” says Tristan Harris, senior VP of marketing at LinkBuilder.io.

“What I especially value is their real-time reporting that shows exactly where ads appear and how they perform, eliminating any guesswork about ROI.”

Some of their key features include dynamic retargeting, machine learning optimization, and cross-device capabilities. Contextual targeting is perhaps the leading selling point, which matches ads to online content, making it about users’ interests, and shifts away from behavioral targeting.

Additionally, if your brand is a regulated industry (like alcohol, cannabis, or gambling), StackAdapt can help you strengthen your messaging and maneuver around those challenges.

Best for: Placing ads alongside relevant content through contextual targeting.

9. Simpli.fi

Some DSPs offer pre-segmented audiences for ad campaigns, which can be limiting depending on who your team wants to reach. Simpli.fi offers custom targeting options to guarantee accuracy using unstructured data.

The platform also promotes cost and analytics transparency. If you want to see a detailed breakdown of where your ad dollars are going and how much of it goes toward platform fees, you can do that here.

Another standout feature in Simpli.fi is the localization capabilities, which uses geo-targeting to reach audiences in their pinpoint physical location.

Best for: Geo-targeting for highly specific location-based interests.

10. Adelphic, a Viant DSP

If customer support is important to your team, consider Adelphic (housed under Viant). This omnichannel DSP reports consistently having a client satisfaction rate above 95%.

Unlike other DSPS, the platform offers a flexible pricing model with a subscription-based structure. This means media buyers pay one set monthly fee for unlimited media.

Additional features include advanced reporting tools and data integrations, as well as recent collaborations with premiere companies to — according the partnership press release

— “offer advertisers a more refined and effective approach to targeting and measurement, particularly in the rapidly evolving landscape of CTV.”

Best for: Targeting multiple connected devices within a single household.

11. Amobee

Now a part of the data platform Nexxen (a unified DSP/SSP platform), Amobee lets you design digital campaigns across TV and digital.

This DSP identifies potential consumers on a person-by-person level using their proprietary identity graph called “Amobee ID.” Using this tool, brands can forecast their campaign’s performance across multiple devices and channels.

The platform can also access APIs from social channels, such as Facebook and Instagram, for social campaign automation.

Best for: Managing campaigns across TV, CTV, digital, and social media in a unified platform.

12. Basis by Centro

Basis has one of the largest inventories in the market and unites ad channels in a single interface.

Its artificial intelligence (AI) tool can also review over 30 campaign parameters and automatically analyze data using either algorithms or machine learning – your choice.

Basis also has scalable features, catering to both small and large businesses.

Best for: Streamlining campaigns with automated workflows.

13. Microsoft Invest (formerly Xandr)

This DSP specializes in reaching audiences through video advertising.

The platform is built on AT&T’s first-party data, giving brands unique insight to deploy targeted campaigns. Marketers can segment users by lifestyle, interest, intent, demographic, and viewership.

It also offers a sleek user interface to plan, launch, and track campaigns.

Best for: “Advanced targeting options, access to quality inventory, and a sophisticated campaign management solution,” advises Harris.

14. AdRoll

If your website has a shopping cart or a signup button, you’ll want to check out AdRoll. You probably know them as the leader in retargeting, helping over 140,000 brands over the past 15 years turn website visitors into customers.

But to meet the demand of ecommerce merchants, AdRoll has expanded their offering to enable brands to engage with both known and unknown contacts across display ads, social media ads, and email — the only platform to do so.

With the AdRoll HubSpot integration, you can even sync your HubSpot email lists directly from your account to AdRoll, matching your contacts to anonymous site visitors and creating targetable audiences.

AdRoll also has integrations with all of the big ecommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Wix, making it really easy to get campaigns up and running quickly by instantly pulling in your product feed to create dynamic ads and emails and help you identify high-value visitors to target.

Best for: “Retargeting and display ads services, specifically to help companies reach their target audience across millions of websites and social networks,” says Harris.

Jumping Into the World of Media Buying

When I started asking around about media buying, I had no idea of the vast world I was jumping into. What I thought was a simple question about how it’s done turned out to be… complicated.

Media buyers don’t just secure locations, times, and frequencies for ads — they’re also up on the latest marketing trends and AI technologies, along with having a deep understanding of their target audience.

But I also learned that even if you don’t have a dedicated staff for media buying, there are plenty of tools out there to take the guesswork out of ad placement.

Whether you’re a large outfit or an SMB, a multi-channel approach can ensure your brand’s ad gets in front of your ideal customer.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.