Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Magazine and Online Sales Executive

🎯 Role Definition

The Magazine and Online Sales Executive is a results-driven commercial professional responsible for generating revenue across print and digital products by selling advertising, sponsorships and subscription packages. This role combines consultative selling, campaign strategy, client relationship management, and cross-functional coordination with editorial, production and ad operations teams to ensure timely, measurable and high-quality campaign execution. The ideal candidate has a strong track record of hitting revenue targets in media or digital advertising environments, is fluent with ad tech and CRM tools, and can create compelling commercial proposals that drive long-term client partnerships.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Sales Assistant / Sales Coordinator (Magazine or Digital)
Junior Advertising Sales Executive
Account Coordinator in Media or Agency

Advancement To:

Senior Sales Executive / Senior Account Manager
Sales Manager / Regional Sales Lead
Head of Commercial / Commercial Director

Lateral Moves:

Digital Marketing Manager
Client Success / Account Director
Sponsorship & Partnerships Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Prospect, qualify and build a consistent pipeline of new advertisers and sponsors across print, web, newsletters, native content and events, achieving monthly and quarterly revenue targets through a mix of outbound outreach, warm leads and agency relationships.
Develop tailored, data-driven media proposals and multi-channel packages (print, display, programmatic, native, video, email sponsorships) that align client objectives with the publication’s audience, reader demographics and brand position.
Lead full sales cycles from initial contact to contract close: prepare commercial proposals, present rate cards, negotiate terms, secure commitments, and execute signed insertion orders or sponsorship agreements.
Manage and grow a book of business by upselling premium placements, cross-selling digital products (newsletters, sponsored content, homepage takeovers) and driving annual renewals that maximize lifetime customer value.
Work closely with editorial and marketing teams to shape sponsored content campaigns that meet editorial standards and client KPIs while protecting brand integrity and reader trust.
Coordinate with Ad Operations, Traffic and Production teams to ensure accurate ad trafficking, creative specs compliance, scheduling, QA and on-time delivery of print and digital campaigns.
Monitor and report campaign performance using Google Analytics, ad server reporting, campaign tracking pixels and vendor dashboards; provide performance summaries and optimization recommendations to advertisers.
Maintain and update CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot or equivalent) with activity notes, forecasted revenue, pipeline stages and contact information to ensure accurate sales forecasting and reporting.
Negotiate pricing, insertion orders and contractual terms with clients and agencies, escalating complex deals to management while protecting margin and rate card integrity.
Execute seasonal and promotional sales initiatives (special issues, verticals, event sponsorships) by creating targeted offers, coordinating internal resources and driving client engagement.
Drive subscription and membership revenue where relevant by selling reader acquisition and retention packages bundled with advertising and promotions.
Build and manage strong agency relationships to secure programmatic and direct-buy opportunities, ensuring alignment on campaign goals, targeting and measurement.
Conduct market and competitor research to identify new product opportunities, white-space in the market and pricing strategies; present recommendations to commercial leadership.
Prepare weekly and monthly sales performance reports, pipeline reviews and forecast updates for the Head of Sales and senior management.
Lead client onboarding calls and ensure a smooth handover to campaign operations and account management teams for delivery and post-campaign reporting.
Maintain knowledge of digital advertising products, IAB ad specs, header bidding, programmatic basics and emerging content monetization tactics to advise clients accurately.
Create and deliver persuasive sales presentations, media kits and case studies that demonstrate return on investment and past campaign success metrics.
Respond to RFPs and tenders from agencies and direct clients, coordinating inputs from editorial, creative and technical teams to deliver compelling pitches on deadline.
Attend industry trade shows, client events and networking opportunities to generate leads, strengthen relationships and keep the brand front-of-mind with advertisers.
Manage billing handoffs and liaise with finance to resolve invoicing issues, credit terms and campaign reconciliations in a timely fashion.
Mentor and collaborate with junior sales staff, sharing best practices for prospecting, proposal construction and objection handling to improve overall team performance.
Continuously test and iterate on pricing, product bundles and sales messaging using A/B approaches and customer feedback to increase conversion rates and deal size.

Secondary Functions

Support market intelligence activities by tracking advertiser trends, audience changes and publisher product developments to inform product roadmap decisions.
Contribute to go-to-market materials, commercial playbooks, media kits and sample proposals that standardize successful selling approaches.
Assist marketing and audience teams with advertiser-led content planning, ensuring audience alignment and editorial fit for sponsored initiatives.
Provide input to product management on digital product features (ad formats, targeting, measurement) based on client feedback and sales conversations.
Participate in cross-functional sprint planning for new advertising product launches and collaborate on UAT for ad serving and reporting tools.
Help define and refine SLAs for campaign delivery, reporting cadence and client communication to improve operational predictability.
Facilitate post-campaign debriefs with clients to gather testimonials, case study material and upsell opportunities.
Support training sessions for sales and commercial teams on new ad tech, reporting features and creative specifications.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

CRM proficiency (Salesforce, HubSpot or similar) — pipeline management, forecasting, contact hygiene and activity logging.
Familiarity with digital analytics platforms (Google Analytics, Google Data Studio / Looker Studio) for campaign measurement and reporting.
Knowledge of ad serving systems and programmatic basics (Google Ad Manager / DoubleClick, Prebid, DSP/SSP concepts).
Understanding of IAB ad specs, common creative formats (display/banner, native, in-article, video, mobile, rich media) and technical delivery requirements.
Experience preparing commercial proposals, IOs (Insertion Orders), contracts and SOWs; comfortable with contract negotiation and basic legal commercial terms.
Strong Excel skills for revenue modeling, commission calculations and sales forecasts (pivot tables, v-lookups, basic formulas).
Ability to read audience and campaign performance data and translate into actionable optimization recommendations.
Familiarity with email marketing sponsorships and newsletter monetization strategies (sponsorship blocks, dedicated sends, native editorial integrations).
Experience using project management and collaboration tools (Asana, Trello, Slack) to coordinate campaign delivery.
Basic understanding of SEO/SEM principles as they relate to sponsored content and campaign visibility.

Soft Skills

Consultative selling and solution-oriented approach: ability to translate client business goals into measurable media solutions.
Strong negotiation skills and resilience; adept at closing deals while protecting margin.
Excellent verbal and written communication; polished presenter comfortable with C-suite conversations.
Relationship-building and account stewardship: long-term client advocacy and responsiveness.
High level of organization and time management; able to manage multiple campaigns and deadlines simultaneously.
Analytical mindset with details-first orientation; interprets data to tell a commercial story.
Creativity in packaging and presenting media opportunities that differentiate the publisher.
Collaborative team player who partners with editorial, operations and finance to deliver campaigns.
Adaptability and a growth mindset: comfortable navigating changes in ad tech and market dynamics.
Professional integrity and editorial sensitivity when balancing commercial objectives with reader trust.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Business, Marketing, Communications, Journalism or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Media Studies, or a related discipline.
Professional sales training or certifications (e.g., Digital Marketing Institute, Google Analytics) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Marketing
Business Administration
Communications
Media Studies
Journalism
Advertising

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–6 years in media sales, digital advertising, agency sales or related commercial roles.

Preferred:

3+ years of demonstrable success in magazine or digital media sales with direct responsibility for print and/or online advertising revenue.
Proven track record managing full sales cycles, meeting quotas, and growing accounts.
Experience working with agency buyers, direct clients and cross-functional publisher teams to deliver integrated campaigns.