Updated on 12 November 2026 by Nicolas Finet, CEO of Sortlist. We have rewritten this guide to be practical: what a media plan is, nine steps to build one, how to split budget across paid, owned and earned media, current UK digital advertising context and how to measure results. The earlier version referred to 2020 to 2021 social media trends, so we replaced them with recent UK market data and a reusable template.
A media plan is the blueprint for where, when and how often your advertising and content will appear, and how much you will spend on each channel to reach a specific audience. It turns marketing objectives into a schedule and budget by channel. A good plan starts with the business goal, not with a favourite platform.
Key takeaways
- Build the plan from objective, audience and budget, then choose channels and timing.
- Balance paid media (reach), owned media (direct relationships) and earned media (credibility).
- UK digital advertising was about £40.5bn in 2025 (IAB UK), with search the largest channel and social and video growing fastest, so competition for attention is rising.
- Keep a test budget and set review points before launch.
- Measure against the objective with agreed KPIs and attribution that reflects how customers actually buy.
Nine steps to a media plan
- Set objectives. Awareness, leads, sales or retention, with targets and a time frame.
- Define the target audience. Who they are, where they spend time, and what influences them. See target audience analysis.
- Study the market and competitors. Where do competitors advertise and what share of voice do they hold?
- Set the budget. Start from the objective and cost of reaching the audience, not from a flat percentage alone.
- Choose channels. Match channels to audience and funnel stage.
- Plan timing. Flighting (bursts), continuous or pulsing schedules, around seasons and events.
- Define messages and creative. Formats and versions for each channel.
- Set KPIs and tracking. Measures, tags, dashboards and reporting dates.
- Launch, monitor and optimise. Review weekly, shift spend towards what works and document learning.
Paid, owned and earned media
| Type | Examples | Strength | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid | Search ads, social ads, video, display, out of home, audio, retail media, influencers | Fast reach and targeting | Stops when spend stops |
| Owned | Website, email, app, blog, social profiles | Direct relationship and low marginal cost | Slow to build audience |
| Earned | Press, reviews, shares, word of mouth, backlinks | Credibility | Hard to control |
Dropping one leg usually makes the others work harder. Paid search captures existing demand, while paid social and video create demand and test hooks quickly.
UK context for channel choice
- Digital adspend. IAB UK reported digital advertising of about £40.5bn in 2025, up 10%. Search was the largest channel at £17.9bn but grew 6%, social grew 21% to £11.5bn and video grew 20% to £9.3bn.
- 2026. The first half of 2026 reached £21.2bn (up 13%), driven by retail media and video, with a full-year forecast of about £44.7bn.
- Retail media is a fast-growing area for brands selling through retailers.
These are market-wide figures. Use them to understand competition, not to set your own mix: your channels should follow your audience and economics.
A simple budget allocation approach
| Bucket | Share (indicative) | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Proven channels | 60% to 70% | Spend where return is known |
| Growth channels | 20% to 30% | Scale promising channels |
| Test budget | 10% | New audiences, formats and platforms |
Adjust to your situation: a new business has fewer proven channels and needs a bigger test share.
Sortlist editorial note: write down what result would make you stop a channel before you launch it. Decisions made after the money is spent are usually biased.
Sortlist editorial team
Media plan template columns
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| Objective | Generate 200 qualified leads |
| Audience | Operations managers in UK manufacturing |
| Channel | LinkedIn ads, search, email |
| Dates and frequency | 1 March to 30 April, continuous |
| Budget | £15,000 |
| Creative | Case study, demo offer |
| KPI | Cost per lead, conversion rate |
| Owner | Marketing manager |
Common media planning mistakes
- Choosing channels because competitors use them, rather than because the audience does.
- Spreading a small budget across too many channels, so none reaches enough people to work.
- Setting the plan once and never reviewing it against results.
- Ignoring frequency: too few exposures are forgotten, too many annoy.
- Failing to align creative with each format and funnel stage.
UK rules to remember
- Ads must follow the CAP Code and be clearly identifiable as ads.
- Targeting and tracking must respect UK GDPR and PECR.
- Influencer content needs clear labelling.
Related: SEO versus SEA.
Frequently asked questions
What should a media plan include?
Objectives, audience, budget, channels, schedule, creative requirements, KPIs and reporting.
How long should a media plan cover?
Typically a campaign, a quarter or a year, with regular reviews.
What is the difference between a media plan and a marketing plan?
A marketing plan covers strategy across product, price, place and promotion; a media plan details the paid and owned channels used for promotion.
Need help with media planning? Post your project on Sortlist and compare UK media agencies for free.
Sources: IAB UK, Digital Adspend 2025, Semrush, what is media planning, Hallam, a guide to media planning, Channel V Media, how to allocate a marketing budget. Budget shares are a suggested starting point, not a standard.
