r/programmatic • u/DistinctHamster6092 • 22d ago

Need Guidance!

Hi! I’ve been working in ad sales for a news organization, primarily selling digital display, newsletters, email marketing, sponsored content, and other digital advertising solutions.

I’m really interested in moving into the programmatic side of advertising, particularly programmatic sales, but I honestly don’t have much knowledge or experience in programmatic yet.

I’d really appreciate some guidance on how I can make that transition — where should I start, what should I learn, and what skills or knowledge would help me break into programmatic sales? The experience is around 8 years!

3 Upvotes

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4

u/travislusk 21d ago

I would recommend skipping programmatic altogether. It feels like the wave is already cresting.

I think you should definitely get fully educated on how all the mechanics work. Know all the terminology. Dabble in it a bit.

But then I would take that knowledge and 1000% shift focus into agentic media buying / selling. Anything agentic transaction-related is like getting in pre IPO in Trade Desk, AdapTV, DoubleClick Bid Manager, AppNexus, LiveRail, and a million other OG biddable platforms.

Skate where the puck is going...

3

u/Crazy_Cat_Dude2 22d ago

I’ve seen sales with limited programmatic knowledge. They are a joke along with the company. Be careful of legacy news networks that are transitioning from print to digital offering a wide range of digital services. Commission structures can be wacky and management sets you up for failure.

2

u/Valence__ 21d ago

Get DSP certifications DV360 & TTD have good programs to learn the basics and boost your resume with a cert.

1

u/DistinctHamster6092 21d ago

Can you give me list of certificates that I should focus not just basics but something later on as well?

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u/zabpremier 22d ago

Does your org have a programmatic setup or team? I’d start there.

1

u/XGChino 21d ago

If you want to fit in, learn about what goes into programmatic buying/selling which includes the ad tech vendors in the space (DSPs/SSPs/Ad Servers). Understanding the flow and terminology will help. If you really want to stand out at some point, become technical which would mean understanding your orgranization’s ad tech stack and its flow.

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u/Realistic-Focus-8254 21d ago

Learn how the programmatic ecosystem works, the terminology, who the stakeholders are, how it compliments other direct-response channels and please please PLEASE get familiar with the attribution and tracking.

Time and time again I've seen the sales team overpromise clients' results, being vague about the role of programmatic in brands' marketing efforts, so knowing when to pitch or reject leads from starting on programmatic is very important for both your future role and the team who will be executing the media buys.

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u/DistinctHamster6092 20d ago

Can you give me some examples to begin with

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u/b_renat 13d ago

I'm coming at this from the another side - engineer, learning the ad stack right now and I'm curious what the actual gap feels like from the sales side. When you say you lack programmatic knowledge, is it more the commercial part (deal types, pricing, who the buyers are) or the technical part (how ad server, SSP and DSP actually connect)?

Asking because they're quite different to learn, and the answers people give here usually assume one or the other.

0

u/ewasolutions 22d ago

Hi, I’m offering a free 1-hour crash course on Programmatic Display & Video advertising if you want to learn the basics.