Media Buying

What is Media Buying?

Media buyers manage paid advertising campaigns for businesses. You decide where ads run, who sees them, and how budgets are allocated to maximize return on investment. When done well, you turn advertising spend into profitable customer acquisition.

It's part science (data and testing), part art (creative and messaging), and part psychology (understanding buyers).

Why Media Buying Pays Well

Businesses Need Help

• Paid advertising is complex and constantly changing
• Poor media buying wastes significant money
• Good media buyers directly drive revenue
• Most business owners don't have time to learn

Clear Value Proposition

If you spend $10,000 on ads and generate $40,000 in revenue, you've created $30,000 in value. Charging $2,000-3,000 for that is easy to justify.

Platforms to Master

Primary Platforms

Platform	Best For	Learning Curve
Meta (Facebook/Instagram)	Most B2C, some B2B	Medium
Google Ads	Search intent, local	High
TikTok	Younger demographics	Medium
LinkedIn	B2B, professional	Medium
Pinterest	Visual products, female demo	Low-Medium

Recommendation

Start with Meta or Google—they're the biggest and have the most demand. Add platforms as you gain experience.

What Media Buyers Do

Campaign Management

Task	Description
Strategy	Define targeting, messaging, goals
Setup	Build campaigns, audiences, tracking
Creative	Guide or provide ad creative
Optimization	Adjust bids, targeting, creative
Reporting	Track and communicate results
Scaling	Increase spend on winners

Daily Activities

• Review campaign performance
• Adjust underperforming ads
• Test new creative and audiences
• Communicate with clients
• Stay current on platform changes

Getting Started

Learn the Platforms

Free certifications:

• Meta Blueprint
• Google Ads Certification
• TikTok Ads Academy

Paid courses:

• Platform-specific courses from practitioners
• Community memberships with training
• Mentorship programs

Get Real Experience

Options for practice:

• Run ads for your own projects
• Help friends/family businesses (low pressure)
• Offer heavily discounted work to build case studies
• Start with small budgets ($5-20/day)

Build Your Portfolio

Document everything:

• Screenshot results
• Calculate ROAS (return on ad spend)
• Create anonymized case studies
• Collect client testimonials

Finding Clients

Freelance Platforms

• Upwork (lots of ad management work)
• Toptal (higher-end clients)

Direct Outreach

Target businesses that:

• Are running ads poorly (you can see their ads)
• Have growing businesses that could scale with ads
• Operate in niches you understand

Agency Relationships

Many agencies subcontract media buying:

• Marketing agencies without in-house buyers
• Creative agencies needing campaign management
• Consultants who don't run ads themselves

Pricing Models

Common Structures

Model	Description	Range
% of ad spend	10-20% of monthly spend	$500-5,000+
Flat retainer	Fixed monthly fee	$1,000-5,000+
Hybrid	Base + percentage	Varies
Performance bonus	Bonus for hitting targets	Varies

What to Charge

Starting out: $1,000-2,000/month for small accounts

Experienced: $2,000-5,000+/month or 15-20% of spend

Premium: $5,000-10,000+/month for larger accounts

Managing Clients

Setting Expectations

Be clear upfront about:

• What results are realistic
• How long optimization takes
• What you need from them (creative, landing pages)
• How often you'll report

Communication

• Weekly or bi-weekly reports
• Quick updates on significant changes
• Proactive about problems
• Celebrate wins

Difficult Situations

• Campaigns that don't work: test aggressively, communicate clearly
• Unrealistic expectations: set proper expectations upfront
• Micromanaging clients: establish trust through results

Working While Nomadic

Fully Remote-Friendly

• Ad platforms work the same globally
• Client communication is scheduled
• Reporting is async
• No physical presence needed

Considerations

• Reliable internet for platform access
• Some clients prefer overlapping hours
• Account issues may need quick response
• Track spending in your home currency

Tools for Remote Work

• Notion for client management
• Google Drive for reporting templates
• Loom for video updates
• Slack or email for communication

Scaling Your Business

Solo Growth Path

1. Get first client at lower rate
2. Deliver results, get testimonials
3. Raise rates, take on more clients
4. Specialize and become known for something
5. Charge premium rates

Team Growth Path

1. Build processes and SOPs
2. Hire assistants for repetitive tasks
3. Take on more clients
4. Focus on strategy and client relationships

Common Challenges

Platform Changes

Platforms constantly update:

• Join communities that track changes
• Follow industry experts
• Test new features early
• Don't rely on tactics that may break

Attribution Complexity

Tracking has become harder (iOS changes, cookie deprecation):

• Use multiple attribution methods
• Focus on incrementality
• Be honest about what you can measure

Client Churn

Clients leave for various reasons:

• Build long-term relationships
• Deliver consistent results
• Communicate proactively
• Have a pipeline of new clients

Who Should Try This?

This works if you:

• Like working with data and optimization
• Can handle pressure and deadlines
• Are willing to keep learning constantly
• Want high earning potential
• Enjoy strategic thinking

It's not right if you:

• Dislike numbers and analytics
• Can't handle uncertainty
• Need completely predictable work
• Don't enjoy constant learning
• Prefer purely creative work

The Bottom Line

Media buying is one of the highest-paid remote skills for digital nomads. Businesses desperately need people who can turn ad spend into customers, and they'll pay well for proven ability.

The learning curve is real—platforms are complex and constantly changing. But if you invest in learning and practice, you can build a lucrative freelance business managing ads from anywhere in the world.

Start with one platform. Get real results. Build from there. The demand isn't going away.