Media buying — is the purchase of advertising: impressions, clicks or ad space — with the expectation that it will pay off. The term comes from English: media buying means «buying media», or purchasing advertising space. A person who does this is called a media buyer, or simply a buyer.
Media buying in traditional advertising
Originally, media buying was handled by advertising agencies. A company wants to advertise a new product, and an agency selects suitable platforms, negotiates prices and purchases advertising: airtime on television and radio, outdoor banners and ad placements on websites. The goal — is to show ads to the right people without overpaying.
Media buying in traffic arbitrage
In traffic arbitrage, media buying refers to purchasing paid traffic from advertising networks such as Facebook, Google, TikTok and others. A media buyer launches ads, monitors performance metrics, turns off campaigns that aren't profitable and invests more in those that generate profit. They earn money from the difference between how much they spend on advertising and how much they receive for leads and sales.
Media buying vs. traffic arbitrage — what's the difference?
These terms are often used interchangeably, but there is still a difference:
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Traffic arbitrage — is a broader concept. It includes both paid advertising and organic traffic, where marketers don't pay for ads but generate views through their own accounts.
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Media buying — refers only to purchasing paid traffic.
Another difference — is whose money is being spent. An affiliate marketer is usually someone who works independently and invests their own money. A media buyer is more often a specialist who works for a team or company and purchases traffic using its budget. They typically receive a fixed salary and a percentage of the profit.
Important: media buying requires financial investment. Part of the budget always goes toward tests that don't pay off, so you should only start with an amount you're prepared to lose while searching for profitable approaches.
