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Advertising Sales Agents

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipModerate pressure

What they do

Sell or solicit advertising space, time, or media in publications, signage, TV, radio, or Internet establishments or public spaces.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Artistic: Creating, designing and expressing ideas through art, writing, music or performance.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $64,820 Median per year · $31.16/hr Most earn $35,240–$146,010

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Arrange for commercial taping sessions, and accompany clients to sessions.
  • Arrange for commercial taping sessions, and accompany clients to sessions.
  • Attend sales meetings, industry trade shows, and training seminars to gather information, promote products, expand network of contacts, and increase knowledge.
  • Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising.
  • Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.
  • Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.

Job outlook

United States
7% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 7,800 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Advertising, public relations, and related services44.3%
  • Newspaper publishers8.2%
  • Self-employed (their own business)7.7%
  • Radio broadcasting stations7.4%
  • Media streaming distribution services, social networks, and other media networks and content providers7.0%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Advertising Sales Agent is a good option to reach after high school or a short training program, since employers usually look for about 1 to 2 years of related sales or customer-facing experience. Many people build that experience first in an entry-level sales job and then move into advertising sales.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school while building communication, writing, and public speaking skills that you will use every day in sales.

  2. Telemarketer

    1-2 years

    Phone sales work teaches you how to pitch a product, handle objections, and keep track of clients, which are core skills for selling ad space.

  3. Advertising Sales Agent

    Ongoing career

    You sell ad space or airtime to local or national businesses for newspapers, websites, radio, TV, signs, or other media, often working toward sales targets.

Where it can lead

  1. Advertising and Promotions Manager

    2-4 years of experience first

    You move from selling ads to planning campaigns, managing budgets, and overseeing a team; a bachelor's degree is typically expected for this role.

  2. Sales Manager

    4-6 years of experience first

    You lead a whole sales team, set targets, coach other sellers, and plan sales strategy; this role usually requires a bachelor's degree and several years of sales results.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take speech, English, or business classesPublic speaking and writing classes build the clear communication skills you need to pitch ads to business owners.
  • Join a debate, drama, or business clubClubs like these give you practice presenting ideas, thinking on your feet, and working with a team.
  • Get a customer-facing part-time jobWorking at a store or restaurant teaches you how to talk with customers, handle requests, and close a sale.
  • Help sell something for a school or community groupRunning a bake sale, fundraiser, or school event promotion gives you real practice selling and tracking results.

In college

  • Study marketing, communications, or advertisingThese majors cover how ads are sold and planned, and they also help you move toward manager roles later.
  • Get an internship at a local media outletMany newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations hire interns, and you can see how ad sales teams work up close.
  • Take a part-time sales or retail jobOngoing sales work builds the 1 to 2 years of experience employers often want before hiring for advertising sales.
  • Join a marketing or sales student clubClubs often run campaigns or pitch competitions, which give you practice selling ideas and tracking results.
  • Look into sales training or certificate coursesMany community colleges and online programs offer sales or advertising certificates that can strengthen your résumé.

Tips for getting started

  • Get any kind of sales or customer-service job early, even part-time, so you start building the 1 to 2 years of experience employers often ask for.
  • Keep a simple record of your sales results or customer wins, such as numbers you hit or accounts you kept, to show employers when you apply.
  • Learn the basics of digital and social media advertising, since many media companies now sell online ad space alongside print and broadcast.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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