Sales
Advertising sales agent
Sell or solicit advertising space, time, or media in publications, signage, TV, radio, or Internet establishments or public spaces.
Median pay
$64,820
Growth to 2035
−7%
declining
Openings a year
7,800
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Advertising sales agent
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Advertising sales agent: 48% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible.
- Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising.
- Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.
- Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services.
- Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts.
- Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium used.
- Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.
- Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.
Also called: Advertising Account Executive · Advertising Account Representative · Advertising Consultant · Advertising Representative · Advertising Sales Representative (Ad Sales Representative) · Directory Advertising Sales Representative (Directory Advertising Sales Rep) · Display Advertising Sales Representative (Display Advertising Sales Rep) · Media Consultant
Outlook and AI
Advertising sales agents held 99,300 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 92,200 by 2035 (−7%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Capital/labor substitution - share decreases as the ad buying and selling process is increasingly automated by technology, reducing the need for advertising sales agents.
Compare with
- Advertising sales agent vs. Advertising and promotions managers
- Advertising sales agent vs. Marketing manager
- Advertising sales agent vs. Marketing specialist
- Advertising sales agent vs. Telemarketer
- Advertising sales agent vs. Public relations specialist
- Advertising sales agent vs. Sales manager
- Advertising sales agent vs. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Advertising sales agent vs. Real estate sales agent
- Advertising sales agent vs. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products