Determining the Size of your Media Market

One of the major factors in determining an appropriate rate for voiceover in a commercial is knowing the number of ears that will potentially hear it, also known as, the media market.

A media market is broken down into 3 broad categories: Local, Regional, and National.

But those terms can still feel a bit nebulous. Let’s say, if you’re creating an ad for candidate running for mayor of Des Moines, Iowa (pop. 200,000), that’s a pretty clear-cut Local classification. But if you’re creating an ad for candidate running for mayor of New York City (pop. 8,000,000), “Local” doesn’t really seem appropriate.

Or, what if you’re creating a spot focused on the opioid epidemic, and the spot will be airing in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine? Is that Regional, or National? And speaking of National… how many states does a commercial need to air to be considered “National?”

Identifying Your Media Market

Yeah, we know, it can be confusing. Thankfully, through our many years of experience voicing all types of commercials, we’ve come up with a rough breakdown of what the voiceover industry identifies as Local, Regional, and National Media Markets.

Local – a city or state with no major markets included (What’s a major market? See this list of the top 100 media markets. If your city is ranked 1-20, consider yourself a major market)

Regional – 1 major market, OR 2-3 states with no major markets

National – 4 or more states. NOTE: There is an enormous sliding scale with regard to rates within the National category. A commercial airing in Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, and Wyoming, will not be the same rate as a commercial airing in New York, California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. This is when the number of major markets included becomes very important.

Have additional questions about breaking down your media market — one of the most important questions when figuring out your casting spec? We understand fully, and we’re here to help. Feel free to reach out via the contact form below, and we’ll figure it out together!