Strategy vs. schedule — what's the difference?
These two documents are related but distinct, and students often conflate them. A media strategy is the rationale — it explains why specific channels were chosen, how they reach the target audience, what role each channel plays and what the expected reach is. A media schedule is the execution plan — it shows when each channel runs, what the specific placement is, how much it costs and how the budget is allocated week by week.
You need both. The strategy justifies the decisions. The schedule implements them. In a coursework context, the media schedule is typically a complement to — not a replacement for — the media strategy document.
Scheduling patterns
One of the key decisions in a media schedule is the pattern — whether to run continuously throughout the campaign period, in defined bursts, or in a variable rhythm that responds to seasonal demand. There are three main patterns:
In practice, different channels in the same campaign often follow different patterns. A TV spot might flight around a product launch, while social media runs continuously at a lower base level throughout.
The anatomy of a media schedule row
The Media Schedule Creator is built around rows — each row represents a single media selection with its own placement, format, cost and timing. Understanding what each column means is key to filling the schedule correctly.
| Media | Placement | Size / Length | Cost (£) | Executions | Combined | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feed Ad | 1080×1080px · 30s | £800 | 3 | £2,400 | |||||
| TV | STV — Peak time | 30" spot | £4,200 | 2 | £8,400 | ||||
| OOH | Glasgow — 48-sheet billboard | 48-sheet poster | £1,100 | 4 | £4,400 |
Each column captures a specific dimension of the media booking. Here's what to put in each one:
- Media Selection — the channel or medium. Be specific: not just "digital" but "Instagram", "YouTube", "Spotify". If the same channel is used with two different placements (e.g. Instagram Feed and Instagram Stories), create a separate row for each.
- Placement — where within the channel the ad appears. "STV — peak time" rather than just "TV". "Instagram Feed" rather than just "Instagram". The more specific, the more useful the schedule.
- Size / Dimension / Length — the format of the execution. For digital: pixel dimensions (1080×1080px) or aspect ratio (9:16). For broadcast: duration (30", 60"). For print: format and size. For OOH: poster sheet size (6-sheet, 48-sheet, 96-sheet).
- Cost (£) — the cost per single execution or booking. This is the unit cost, not the total.
- No. of Executions — how many times this placement runs. The tool automatically multiplies cost × executions to give the combined cost.
- Week cells — click to mark which weeks this media selection is active. Optionally type a specific date or note inside the active cell (e.g. "1–7 Feb" or "Launch week").
Worked example — Irn Bru summer campaign
| Media | Placement | Size / Length | Cost | Exec. | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV | STV — peak / daytime | 30" spot | £4,200 | 3 | £12,600 |
| OOH | Glasgow & Edinburgh — 48-sheet | 48-sheet poster | £1,200 | 6 | £7,200 |
| Feed & Stories — paid social | 1080×1080 / 9:16 | £900 | 6 | £5,400 | |
| TikTok | In-Feed Ad | 9:16 · 15–30s | £850 | 6 | £5,100 |
| Spotify | Audio ad + companion banner | 30" audio · 640×640px | £525 | 4 | £2,100 |
In this example, TV and OOH are concentrated in launch weeks (flighting) to build mass awareness, while Instagram, TikTok and Spotify run across the full three-month period (continuous/pulsing) to sustain engagement. Different channels, different patterns — all planned in one schedule.
Tool walkthrough: the Media Schedule Creator, field by field
The Media Schedule Creator automatically generates a weekly grid from your campaign dates, lets you mark active weeks per media row, calculates combined costs, and exports the full schedule as an Excel file. Here's what to fill in.
Client & Campaign Title
The brand or client name and the campaign title. These appear in the output header and in the exported Excel file name. Use the campaign title consistently with your other campaign documents.
e.g. Client: Irn Bru · Campaign: #GetSomeIrn SummerCampaign Start & End Dates
The full date range of the campaign. The tool automatically builds a monthly grid with four-week columns for every month in the range. Set these before adding rows — the schedule grid is built from these dates. You can rename the month and week column headers by clicking them directly in the table.
e.g. Start: 1 June 2025 · End: 31 August 2025 → generates June, July, August with four week columns eachMedia Selection (per row)
The specific channel for this booking. One row per channel/placement combination. If you're using Instagram Feed and Instagram Stories as separate placements with separate budgets, create two rows — one for each.
e.g. Instagram · STV · Spotify · OOH · TikTok · YouTubePlacement (per row)
Where within the channel the ad appears. This is the level of detail that makes a schedule useful rather than generic. "STV — peak time" tells you something. "TV" tells you almost nothing.
e.g. STV — peak time · Instagram Stories · Glasgow 48-sheet billboard · Spotify audio ad + bannerSize / Dimension / Length (per row)
The technical format of the execution — what the creative team will need to produce. For digital: pixel dimensions or aspect ratio. For broadcast: duration. For print/OOH: sheet size and format.
e.g. 1080×1080px · 30" spot · 9:16 vertical video · 48-sheet poster · 640×640px companion bannerCost & No. of Executions (per row)
Cost is the unit cost per booking or placement. Executions is how many times it runs. The tool multiplies these to show the combined cost and adds all rows for a total campaign budget at the bottom. Use realistic costs if known — or note they are estimates.
e.g. Cost: £900 · Executions: 6 → Combined: £5,400Week cells
Click any week column cell to mark it as active (orange) for that media row — indicating this channel is running that week. Click the × to deactivate. You can type a specific date or short note inside an active cell (e.g. "1–7 Jun" or "Launch"). This determines the schedule pattern for each media selection.
Mark consecutive weeks for continuous scheduling · Mark alternating weeks for flighting · Add specific dates for key launch or burst momentsCommon mistakes to avoid
"Social media" as a media selection. Which platform? What placement? What format? A generic entry doesn't tell the media buyer or the creative team what to produce or book.
"Instagram — Feed Ad · 1080×1080px · £800 per execution · 3 executions" tells you exactly what's being planned, what it looks like, and what it costs.
- Scheduling everything continuously without reason. If TV, OOH, social and email all run every week of the campaign at full intensity, the schedule either has an unrealistic budget or hasn't been thought through. Different channels have different optimal patterns — plan each deliberately.
- Disconnecting the schedule from the strategy. The channels in the schedule should match those justified in the media strategy. If the strategy recommends Instagram and TikTok but the schedule has Facebook and LinkedIn, something hasn't been carried through correctly.
- Leaving costs blank or using round numbers without basis. "£1,000" as a cost for a TV spot without any research or rationale undermines the credibility of the schedule. Use realistic estimates based on the channel, format and audience size — or note clearly that costs are indicative.
- One row for all digital activity. Digital is not a single channel. Instagram Feed, Instagram Stories, TikTok In-Feed and YouTube Pre-Roll are four separate placements with different formats, audiences and costs. Each deserves its own row.
- No sense of campaign shape. A good schedule tells a story — it's obvious when the campaign launches, where the budget concentrates, and when activity winds down. If every week looks identical across every channel, the schedule has no strategic shape.
Build your media schedule now
Add your media selections, mark your active weeks, and export the full schedule as an Excel file.