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Founder's noteNo. 29

How to Media Plan Like a Boss in 2026

TGBy Tushaar Garg, Founder & CEO, StreamO · 7 min read

Every year, media planning gets harder. Costs on the two biggest platforms keep rising: by one set of benchmarks, Google CPCs rose 12% in a year and Meta CPMs 20% (House of Performance). Audiences are spread across more screens than ever. And the youngest consumers, the ones every brand says it wants, are the hardest to reach with a standard plan, because half of them block ads and the rest skip them.

WHATWHEREWHOKPIMEDIA PLAN LIKE A BOSS

The answer isn't more channels. It's a better plan. Here is how I'd build one in 2026.

+12%Google CPCs in a year
+20%Meta CPMs in a year
3 to 5%typical test budget for gaming and live

The biggest mistake: starting with channels

Most plans start with "we'll do Meta, Google, some YouTube and a bit of influencer". That's a list of channels, not a plan. A plan starts with what you need to achieve, and works back to the places that can achieve it.

Step 1: Start with the job, not the media

Write down five things before you open a spreadsheet:

  • The objective: launch, trial, consideration, sales or loyalty. Pick one primary job.

  • The audience: who exactly, and in which cities and languages.

  • Where their hours go: not where they have accounts, but where they spend time. For India's Gen Z, a large share goes to gaming, streaming and audio, not the feed.

  • The constraints: budget, creative assets, tracking and timelines.

  • Everything else running: trade promotions, retail, PR and sponsorships.

An impression counts a two-second skip and a two-hour stay as exactly the same thing.

Step 2: Plan for attention, not just reach

An impression counts a two-second skip and a two-hour stay as exactly the same thing. They aren't. When you compare channels, compare what each gives you: how long people stay with your brand, whether they can skip it, and whether they can act on it.

A StreamO campaign dashboard
Plan for attention, then track it: views, reach and clicks by day

Step 3: Use a simple framework

For every line in the plan, answer seven questions:

Question Example
What (tactic) Product launch integration
Where (platform) YouTube Live gaming streams
When (timing) Two weeks before and during launch
Who (audience) 18 to 24, Tier 1 and Tier 2, Hindi and English
How (format) In-stream overlay, product consumption, chat link and QR
KPI View-through, CTR, brand lift
Budget Share of the total

If you can't answer all seven, the line isn't ready.

Step 4: Build the full funnel, with the right job for each channel

  • Search captures intent that already exists.

  • Feeds create quick discovery at scale.

  • Livestreams build conviction: hours with a trusted creator, questions answered live, action taken in the moment.

  • Retargeting and commerce close the sale.

Most plans buy the first two and the last one, and leave out the middle, where a young buyer actually makes up their mind.

Step 5: Ring-fence a test budget, and use it

Most Indian brands put gaming and live in a 3 to 5% test budget. That's fine, if the test is designed to learn something. Set a clear hypothesis, a KPI and a timeline, and scale what works.

Better planning is still the cheapest way to better performance.

The takeaway

  1. Start with the objective, not the channel.

  2. Plan for attention, not just reach.

  3. Give every channel a clear job.

  4. Don't depend on one or two platforms.

  5. Test new channels on purpose, with a plan to scale.

Better planning is still the cheapest way to better performance.

Sources