Paid Media Planning Worksheet

When it comes to campaign communications, you have a few options for getting your message in front of the people who need to see it most:

• Owned media is the campaign’s internally-produced content, like social media posts, blog posts, and emails sent to the campaign’s mailing lists

• Earned media is publicity in the media/on the internet that a campaign doesn’t pay for or control

• Paid media is what it sounds like — it’s media that the campaign pays for

Paid media for political campaigns typically manifests itself in the form of direct mail and digital advertising, but depending on the size of your campaign, your team may be looking into things like billboards, TV commercials, and/or radio advertisements as well. No matter the mode, if your campaign is considering an investment into paid media, this worksheet can help you determine if it’s worth your time (and money).

Intended as a brainstorming exercise, NDTC’s Paid Media Planning Worksheet will walk you and your team through the decision-making process behind paid media purchases, with a series of eight questions around who you need to reach, how you’ve already reached out to them, and how paid media could assist in further amplifying your message. With your campaign’s limited time, money, and people, it’s important to ask these questions before you invest in something that could end up being a waste of your precious resources.

Note: This worksheet is intended for candidates/campaigns who have already begun to map out their voter universes and initiated voter contact activities. You should also have an idea of your campaign’s messaging and what paid media could help amplify for your campaign.

To learn more about paid media, you can start by taking these courses:

• “Introduction to Using Digital Advertising on Your Campaign”

• “Direct Mail for Political Campaigns”