# Media team decision worksheet

By Revenue Arc Marketing | Version 1.0 | September 7, 2026

Guide: https://revenuearc.com/en/resources/media-outsourcing-vs-hiring

Use this original planning template for your own business or client work. Copy,
edit, and share a completed version with your decision team. Blank inputs require
your data; this is not a salary benchmark or a recommendation to outsource.

## 1. Decision and scope

- Business / agency:
- Decision owner:
- Decision date:
- Comparison period (use the same period for every option):
- Currency (keep different currencies separate):
- Options under consideration: hire / outsource / hybrid
- Accounts and markets:
- Channels:
- Typical monthly media budget:
- Typical monthly campaign / pitch volume:
- Busy-month volume and expected duration:
- What must improve:
- Evidence that demand will continue:

## 2. Work and ownership

Fill each cell with an owner and expected hours per month. Include the internal
time required to brief and review a partner. Do not count a task twice in the
cost model if its time is already covered by another line.

| Work | Hire option | Outsource option | Hybrid option | Service level / acceptance standard |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Client strategy and brief | | | | |
| Planning and forecasting | | | | |
| New-business pitches | | | | |
| Creative coordination | | | | |
| Campaign setup and review | | | | |
| Tagging and measurement | | | | |
| Pacing and optimization | | | | |
| Reporting and explanation | | | | |
| Billing and reconciliation | | | | |
| Client meetings | | | | |
| Urgent changes and absences | | | | |

## 3. Compare costs on an equivalent basis

Use media-team-cost-comparison.csv as an input sheet. It has no formulas; enter
your figures and calculate totals for the common comparison period. Record the
source, date, and confidence of each assumption.

Internal team:

- Compensation: wages / salaries plus employer benefits and payroll costs
- Recruiting and onboarding: separate one-time and recurring costs
- Software, data, platform access, equipment, and training
- Management and support time not already included in compensation
- Cover, contractors, and specialist support

Partner / hybrid:

- Service fees and minimum commitments
- Technology, data, creative, and other charges
- Margin included in quoted media pricing, if disclosed separately
- Internal briefing, strategy, review, and client-service time
- Setup, transition, and exit costs

Basis checks:

- [ ] Same currency, time period, media volume, and service scope
- [ ] Gross / net media pricing and tax treatment are identified
- [ ] Media margins are not counted twice
- [ ] Retained internal work is included
- [ ] One-time costs are separate from recurring costs
- [ ] Uncertain figures have low / expected / high scenarios

## 4. Compare operating fit

| Decision factor | Evidence | Hire implication | Outsource implication | Hybrid implication |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Stable workload | | | | |
| Hiring lead time and management capacity | | | | |
| Specialist channel coverage | | | | |
| Urgent response needs | | | | |
| Client and data ownership | | | | |
| Reporting and billing requirements | | | | |
| Ability to change scope | | | | |

Avoid converting unknowns into a precise numerical score. Record what would
change the decision and what evidence is needed to resolve it.

## 5. Partner evaluation questions

- Who handles our account day to day? Who covers absences?
- What can you show using this same anonymized brief?
- Can we see a labeled sample plan, report, and reconciliation?
- Which charges are separate, and which are included in media prices?
- Who owns each account, pixel, audience, creative asset, and export?
- Who may contact the client, and with whose permission?
- Which budget and targeting changes require approval?
- What is the escalation route and expected response time?
- What can we retrieve at exit, and what platform limits apply?
- Which promises will appear in the scope and commercial agreement?

## 6. Bounded pilot and decision

- Account / campaign in scope:
- Start and end dates:
- Approved budget and funding responsibility:
- Included and excluded work:
- Deliverables:
- Launch accuracy criteria:
- Reporting / communication criteria:
- Campaign performance question and measurement limits:
- Review date and owner:
- Expand if:
- Revise if:
- Stop if:
- Exit and handoff requirements:

Decision: hire / outsource / hybrid / obtain more evidence

Reasons:

Open assumptions and owners:

## Source context

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics distinguishes wages and salaries from benefits
in employer compensation reporting. Use your own relevant costs for this decision:
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.toc.htm

Revenue Arc white-label service: https://revenuearc.com/en/solutions/white-label-media-buying