How to Buy a Billboard

Set your goal and budget

Decide what one thing the billboard should do: bring people into a store, drive calls, or build awareness of a new business. One goal keeps the message short enough to read at driving speed.

Then set a budget for the whole flight, not just one month. Most advertisers need at least 4 weeks on a board, and often 2–3 boards or a digital rotation, before results show. On BillboardsIn, printing and installation are included in the price.

Choose your market and locations

Start with where your customers live, work, and drive. For a local business that usually means roads within a few miles of your location, or on the route people take to get there.

When comparing locations, look at:

• Impressions: how many people are estimated to see the board each week
• Facing and side: which direction of traffic sees it, and whether it is on the driver’s side
• Visibility: distance from the road, obstructions, and whether it is lit at night
• Nearby: competitors, your store, highway exits

Browse billboards by city to see locations, photos, and prices on a map.

Pick printed or digital

Printed (static) billboards show only your ad, all day, usually in 4-week periods. They cost more up front because the vinyl has to be printed and installed.

Digital billboards rotate your ad with others, typically every 6–8 seconds. You can book shorter flights, change the artwork quickly, and skip printing costs. That makes digital the easier first buy for most small businesses.

Check availability and compare prices

Billboards are sold by the companies that own them, from national media companies to small local owners. Prices depend on the market size, traffic count, format, and season, and the best boards book up weeks ahead.

On BillboardsIn you can see available dates and pricing for many owners in one search, instead of calling each one for a quote.

Book and sign

Booking locks in your locations and dates. Before you sign, confirm:

• The exact start and end dates of the flight
• What is included: printing, installation, and any lighting
• For digital: how many seconds per ad, how many ads rotate, and which hours your ad runs
• Payment terms and cancellation rules

On BillboardsIn, there’s no charge until we confirm availability and pricing, and you can pay by card or ACH. Booking with BillboardsIn? See our step-by-step booking guide.

Design and submit your artwork

Keep it to about 7 words, one image, and your logo. Drivers see a billboard for only a few seconds, so use large type and high-contrast colors.

We will send exact size specs. Send us artwork early: owners review every ad for content rules, and printed boards need time to print. Allow about 2–3 weeks before launch for printed boards and a week for digital.

1. Design it yourself: download a template from our library of design templates for every outdoor ad format and size, then submit your finished ad.
2. Get feedback: choose “Artwork Review” at checkout and our design team will review your ad and suggest improvements.
3. Have us design it: choose “Custom Artwork Design” at checkout and our designers will create a new ad from scratch or refresh your existing marketing materials.

Launch and measure

Once the ad is live, we send proof of posting: a photo of the printed board or a play log for digital. Then measure what you set out to do in Step 1, such as store visits, calls, website traffic, or searches for your business name in the area.