Free Media Plan Template (XLSX)
This tool generates a formatted media plan template as an Excel (.xlsx) file — channels, tactics, budgets, rates, forecast delivery, and flight dates, with the structure a planner actually uses. It downloads straight from the browser: no signup, no email wall.
What is in the template
- Plan header — client, campaign, flight dates, total budget, and primary objective.
- Line items — channel, tactic, funnel stage, audience, buying unit, rate (CPM/CPC), budget, forecast impressions or clicks, and flight start and end dates.
- Rollups — budget and forecast delivery summarised by channel and by funnel stage, which is the view most clients ask for first.
- Assumptions — a place to record the benchmark rates each forecast is based on, so the plan can be defended six weeks later.
How to fill it out
Start with the objective stated in measurable terms — "grow aided awareness in our top five metros by ten points" is something a plan can be built against; "drive awareness" is not. Define the audience precisely, then pick channels for the job each funnel stage has to do rather than out of habit. Price each line against a benchmark CPM or CPC to forecast impressions or clicks, set flight dates, and check the rollups against the budget you were actually given. Record your rate assumptions as you go — the assumptions row is what turns a spreadsheet into something you can defend when delivery differs from forecast.
When a template stops being enough
A spreadsheet is a fine container and a poor collaborator: it will not tell you a $12 CTV CPM is unrealistic, will not rebalance the mix when the budget is cut, and will not turn itself into a client deck. That is where MediaPlan takes over — describe the campaign and it drafts the full plan, checks each line against channel benchmarks, and exports the result as a branded XLSX workbook, CSV, or presentation. The template is the starting point; the plan is the work.
Frequently asked questions
What should a media plan template include?
At minimum: channel and tactic, the funnel stage each line serves, the audience it targets, budget, buying unit and rate (CPM or CPC), forecast impressions or clicks, flight start and end dates, and the KPI each line is accountable for. Add a summary view that rolls budget up by channel and by funnel stage — that is the view a client actually reads.
Is there a free media plan template in Excel?
Yes. This tool generates a formatted XLSX media plan template with the standard planning columns and formulas already in place. It downloads directly in the browser with no signup and no email wall.
How do you fill out a media plan?
Work top-down: set the objective and the measurable target first, define the audience, then choose channels that fit the funnel stage rather than starting from the channels you always buy. Price each line against a benchmark CPM or CPC to forecast delivery, set flight dates, and only then check whether the totals still add up to the budget you were given.