6 free templates: general, digital, social, content, paid, and unpaid, with a built-in guide to the DOL primary-beneficiary test and the paid-versus-unpaid decision the generic templates skip. Download as DOCX.
A marketing intern is a temporary, learning-focused hire who supports your marketing team while gaining real experience. Writing the posting well means more than listing tasks: you have to decide the type of internship, whether it is paid or unpaid, and, if unpaid, whether it actually satisfies the federal rules. That last part is where most small companies get into trouble, and where most templates stay silent.
These six templates cover the common variants: general, digital, social media, and content marketing intern, plus a clearly labeled paid version and a compliance-aware unpaid version. Each is ready to use, with the paid-versus-unpaid guidance and DOL primary-beneficiary language the generic templates leave out. For the fundamentals behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description is a useful companion.
TL;DR
A marketing intern supports the marketing team in a temporary, learning-focused role. The biggest decision is paid versus unpaid: a paid intern is non-exempt and hourly (market data shows around $17 an hour), while an unpaid intern at a for-profit company is only lawful if the intern is the primary beneficiary under the DOL seven-factor test (Fact Sheet #71). Paying hourly is the simplest, safest path. Download six templates as DOCX, including paid and compliance-aware unpaid versions.
What a Marketing Intern Does
A marketing intern supports the marketing team and learns hands-on, contributing to real projects under supervision. The work spans campaigns and content, research and data, and channel support, with the specific emphasis depending on the type of internship. The defining feature is that it is a learning role: the intern should complement the paid team, not replace it.
There is no dedicated federal occupation code for interns; under BLS classification, trainees are grouped with the occupation they train for, which here is market research analysts and marketing specialists (13-1161). That occupation's wages reflect trained marketers, not interns, who are paid at a training-level hourly rate. The templates here are organized by type and by pay structure so you can match the posting to exactly the internship you are offering.
Types of Marketing Intern
Marketing internships split by channel focus and by pay structure. These six templates cover the variants employers hire for, including the paid and unpaid versions that carry different compliance weight.
Type
Focus
Pay structure
General marketing intern
Across channels
Paid or unpaid
Digital marketing intern
SEO, ads, analytics
Paid or unpaid
Social media marketing intern
Content and community
Paid or unpaid
Content marketing intern
Writing and editing
Paid or unpaid
Paid marketing intern
Any focus, compensated
Non-exempt, hourly
Unpaid marketing intern
Any focus, educational
Primary beneficiary test
Pick the channel type that fits the work, then choose the paid or unpaid structure. Most small companies are best served by a paid, hourly internship, which avoids the compliance questions entirely.
Duties and Responsibilities
Marketing intern duties cluster into four areas: campaigns and content, research and data, learning and growth, and support and coordination. A strong internship posting picks the specific responsibilities that match the type, and frames them as supervised learning rather than core paid work.
Campaigns and content
Support campaigns and projects
Help create and schedule content
Assist with social media and email
Research and data
Conduct basic market research
Gather and organize marketing data
Track campaign performance
Learning and growth
Learn marketing tools and processes
Shadow experienced marketers
Build skills tied to coursework
Support and coordination
Support events and outreach
Help maintain the content calendar
Collaborate with the marketing team
A digital intern weights toward research and data; a social intern toward content. For a structured way to scope the role, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by channel focus, then by pay structure. The core structure is the same across all six, but each emphasizes the duties and, for the paid and unpaid versions, the compliance framing that fits. Use this guide to choose the closest fit, then adjust.
General Marketing Intern
Any channel
The core version: support marketing projects across channels and learn hands-on. The version most employers search for, easy to adapt.
Digital Marketing Intern
SEO, ads, analytics
For data-driven marketing: support SEO, paid ads, email, and analytics. Weighted toward digital tools and measurable channels.
Social Media Marketing Intern
Content and community
For social: help create posts, schedule content, engage the community, and track performance. Built around content and platforms.
Content Marketing Intern
Writing and SEO
For content: help draft, edit, and organize blog posts, emails, and copy. Weighted toward writing and editorial work.
Paid Marketing Intern
Hourly, non-exempt
The paid version, stated clearly as hourly and non-exempt with overtime. Use this whenever the intern is compensated.
Unpaid Marketing Intern
Compliance-aware
The unpaid version with the DOL primary-beneficiary language built in. Only lawful if the intern is the primary beneficiary.
Match the Template to the Internship
Broad marketing support: General. SEO, ads, and analytics: Digital. Posts and community: Social Media. Writing and editing: Content. Whenever you are paying the intern: use the Paid version for the correct non-exempt framing. Considering an unpaid role: use the Unpaid version and read the compliance note first. The channel and pay versions can be combined.
6 Free Marketing Intern Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company and role summary, what the intern will learn and do, qualifications, and a term-and-compensation section, with an EEO statement. The unpaid version adds a compliance note. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
General, digital, social, content, paid, and unpaid marketing intern. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: General Marketing Intern
The core version: support marketing projects across channels and learn hands-on. The version most employers search for, easy to adapt to any focus.
Marketing Intern Job Description (General)
MARKETING INTERN JOB DESCRIPTION (GENERAL)
Company: __
Location: __ ([on-site / hybrid / remote])
Reports to: __ (Marketing Manager / Founder)
Term: [Summer / Fall / Spring], [number] weeks, [hours] per week
The paid version, stated clearly as hourly and non-exempt with overtime. Use this whenever the intern is compensated, which is the simplest and safest path.
Paid Marketing Intern Job Description
PAID MARKETING INTERN JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __
Reports to: __ (Marketing Manager / Founder)
Term: [Summer / Fall / Spring], [number] weeks, [hours] per week
FLSA status: Non-exempt (hourly, eligible for overtime over 40 hours)
Pay: $_____ per hour
ROLE SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Paid Marketing Intern to support our
marketing team and gain hands-on experience. This is a paid, hourly
role. You will contribute to real marketing work while learning under an
experienced marketer.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN AND DO
•Support marketing campaigns and projects
•Help create and schedule content
•Assist with social media, email, and ads
•Gather and organize marketing data
•Support events and outreach
•Conduct basic market research
•Learn marketing tools and processes
•Collaborate with the marketing team
QUALIFICATIONS
•Pursuing or recently completed a relevant program
•Interest in marketing and willingness to learn
•Strong communication skills
•Comfort with common software and platforms
•Reliable and detail-oriented
PAY AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay: $_____ per hour (non-exempt; overtime applies over 40 hours per week)
Term: [number] weeks at [hours] per week
To apply, send your resume to __.
Note: A paid intern is a non-exempt employee entitled to at least minimum
wage and overtime. This is general information, not legal advice.
The unpaid version with the DOL primary-beneficiary language built in. Only lawful if the intern is the primary beneficiary; read the compliance note before posting.
Term: [Summer / Fall / Spring], [number] weeks, [hours] per week
Status: Unpaid (educational internship; read the compliance note)
Academic credit: [ ] Yes [ ] No
IMPORTANT COMPLIANCE NOTE (READ BEFORE POSTING)
At a for-profit company, an unpaid internship is only lawful if the
intern, not the employer, is the primary beneficiary, under the DOL
seven-factor test (Fact Sheet #71). Unpaid internships are most
defensible when tied to academic credit and structured as learning, not
free labor. If the company is the primary beneficiary, the intern is an
employee owed minimum wage and overtime. Some states (California, New
York, Illinois, Oregon, and others) add their own rules and protections.
Confirm before posting. This is general information, not legal advice.
ROLE SUMMARY
This is an educational, unpaid internship designed to give the intern
hands-on marketing learning that complements their formal education. The
intern works under close supervision and does not replace a paid
employee.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
•Learn how marketing campaigns are planned and run
•Gain supervised, hands-on experience across channels
•Shadow and learn from experienced marketers
•Build skills tied to your coursework or program
•Work on learning projects, not core paid duties
STRUCTURE (SUPPORTS THE PRIMARY BENEFICIARY TEST)
•Tied to academic credit or a formal program where possible
•Accommodates the intern's academic calendar
•Limited to the period of beneficial learning
•Focused on training, with no promise of a paid job
•Work complements, and does not displace, paid staff
QUALIFICATIONS
•Enrolled in a relevant program (credit preferred)
•Interest in marketing and willingness to learn
•Reliable and eager to develop skills
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, send your resume to __.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Paid vs Unpaid and the DOL Test
The single most important decision when hiring a marketing intern is whether to pay them, because it determines which legal rules apply. A paid intern is a non-exempt employee, simple and safe. An unpaid intern at a for-profit company is only lawful if the intern is the primary beneficiary, judged by the DOL seven-factor test.
1
No expectation of compensation. Any promise of pay, express or implied, suggests the intern is an employee.
2
Training similar to an educational environment, including hands-on training like a school would provide.
3
Tied to the intern's formal education through integrated coursework or academic credit.
4
Accommodates the intern's academic commitments and corresponds to the academic calendar.
5
Limited in duration to the period in which the internship provides beneficial learning.
6
Complements, rather than displaces, the work of paid employees while providing significant educational benefit.
7
No entitlement to a paid job at the conclusion of the internship.
No Single Factor Decides It
Since January 2018, the Department of Labor uses a flexible seven-factor primary beneficiary test (Fact Sheet #71) to decide whether an unpaid intern at a for-profit employer is really an employee. No single factor is determinative; it is decided case by case. If the employer is the primary beneficiary, the intern is owed minimum wage and overtime. This is general information, not legal advice.
Internship Compliance for Employers
Beyond the paid-versus-unpaid decision, a few compliance points protect a smaller employer hiring its first or next intern: the non-exempt status of paid interns, documenting the educational structure of unpaid ones, and state rules that can be stricter than federal law.
Paid interns are non-exempt employees
The simplest path, and the safest, is to pay the intern. A paid marketing intern is a non-exempt employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act, entitled to at least the minimum wage and to overtime at one and a half times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Market data puts marketing intern pay around 17 dollars an hour nationally, which keeps it affordable for a smaller company while removing the legal uncertainty that surrounds unpaid internships. If you are unsure whether your internship can lawfully be unpaid, paying the intern hourly resolves the question. This is general information, not legal advice.
Unpaid interns must pass the primary beneficiary test
At a for-profit company, an unpaid internship is only lawful if the intern, not the employer, is the primary beneficiary of the relationship. Since January 2018, the Department of Labor has used a flexible seven-factor test (Fact Sheet #71), and no single factor is decisive. The internship is most defensible when it is tied to academic credit, structured as genuine learning, limited in duration, and does not displace paid staff. The for-profit presumption is that a worker is an employee, so a free-labor internship that mainly benefits the company is almost always a violation. If the employer is the primary beneficiary, the intern is owed minimum wage and overtime. This is general information, not legal advice.
Document the educational structure
Whether an internship is paid or unpaid, documenting the structure protects the company. For an unpaid role, that means writing down how the internship ties to the intern's education, what they will learn, the limited duration, and the fact that there is no promise of a paid job, the same elements the primary beneficiary test weighs. Structured training, a clear learning plan, and a signed internship agreement that states the unpaid, educational nature all help show the intern is the primary beneficiary. This documentation is exactly what a structured onboarding process produces as a byproduct. This is general information, not legal advice.
State rules can be stricter
Federal law is the floor, not the ceiling. Several states add their own requirements and protections for interns. California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, and the District of Columbia extend anti-harassment and anti-discrimination protections to unpaid interns even though they are not technically employees, and California layers additional educational-purpose requirements onto the federal test and applies a stricter state standard. State minimum wages also apply to paid interns and can be well above the federal rate. Check the rules in your state before posting an internship, especially an unpaid one, and treat the federal test as the minimum. This is general information, not legal advice.
Internships start from interest and willingness to learn, not deep experience. Keep the bar realistic, since the point is to develop a student, and tailor the skills to the type of internship.
Requirement
What to look for
Education
Pursuing or recently completed a relevant program
Interest
Genuine interest in marketing and willingness to learn
Core skills
Strong writing and communication
Tools
Comfort with common software and social platforms
Specialty
Analytics (digital), content sense (social), writing (content)
Reliability
Organized, detail-oriented, and dependable
Keep the posting neutral and inclusive, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on a protected characteristic, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
Marketing Intern Pay
Paid marketing interns are compensated hourly. Set your rate to the local market and at least the applicable minimum wage, and state it clearly in the posting.
Around $17 an Hour Nationally (Market Data)
Market data shows marketing intern pay averaging roughly $17 an hour nationally, about $35,500 a year on a full-time-equivalent basis, with typical pay between $30,000 and $40,000 annualized. For benchmarking the broader role, the closest federal occupation, market research analysts and marketing specialists, reports a median of $76,950 a year (May 2024), but that reflects trained marketers, not interns.
Pay runs higher in expensive metros and at funded startups, and state minimum wages, which can be well above the federal rate, apply to paid interns. Treat the federal occupation median as a trained-role reference point, not an intern rate, and benchmark interns to the local hourly market.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the basis for the offer or internship agreement and a fast, structured onboarding. Because internships are short, getting the intern productive quickly matters, and a documented learning plan also supports the primary beneficiary test for unpaid roles.
Send the offer or agreement
Confirm the role, term, hours, and pay or unpaid educational status in writing, with an offer letter or internship agreement the intern can e-sign.
Set up the learning plan
Structure training and a learning plan, which supports the primary beneficiary test for unpaid interns and makes any intern productive faster.
Onboard in the first week
Paperwork, tools, and a clear first-week checklist so a short-term intern ramps up quickly and contributes within their term.
Store the records
Keep the signed agreement, any academic-credit documentation, and the learning plan organized for each intern.
Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and an onboarding template gives the intern a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer or internship agreement, e-signatures, the onboarding workflow, training modules that document the educational structure, and document management for signed agreements and any academic-credit paperwork, in one place so a smaller company can run a compliant, well-structured internship. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll or legal-advice tool, so confirm classification and pay with the right providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A marketing intern is a temporary, learning-focused role supporting the marketing team across campaigns, content, research, and channel support.
The six common variants are general, digital, social media, content, paid, and unpaid marketing intern.
The biggest decision is paid versus unpaid: a paid intern is non-exempt and hourly, the simplest and safest path.
An unpaid intern at a for-profit company is only lawful if the intern is the primary beneficiary under the DOL seven-factor test (Fact Sheet #71).
Market data shows marketing interns earn around $17 an hour; the trained-for occupation reports a $76,950 median, which is not an intern rate.
Document the educational structure, and check state rules, which can extend protections to interns and set higher minimum wages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a marketing intern do?
A marketing intern supports a company's marketing team and gains hands-on experience while contributing to real projects under supervision. Typical work includes helping with campaigns, creating and scheduling content, assisting with social media and email, gathering and organizing marketing data, conducting basic market research, and supporting events and outreach. The specific focus depends on the type of internship: a digital marketing intern leans toward SEO, ads, and analytics; a social media intern toward content and community; a content intern toward writing and editing. Across all of them, the role is a learning role, meant to develop skills while the intern complements, rather than replaces, the paid marketing team. The work should always be supervised by an experienced marketer. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can a marketing intern be unpaid?
Sometimes, but only under specific conditions at a for-profit company. Since January 2018, the Department of Labor uses a flexible seven-factor primary beneficiary test (Fact Sheet #71) to decide whether an unpaid intern is lawfully unpaid or is actually an employee owed minimum wage and overtime. An unpaid internship is most defensible when it is tied to academic credit, structured as genuine education, accommodates the academic calendar, is limited in duration, and does not displace paid staff. The for-profit presumption is that a worker is an employee, so a free-labor internship that mainly benefits the company is almost always a violation. The simplest and safest path for a small business is to pay the intern hourly, which removes the question entirely. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the DOL primary beneficiary test?
It is the test the Department of Labor and the courts use to decide whether an unpaid intern at a for-profit company is really an employee. Since January 2018, Fact Sheet #71 sets out seven factors that weigh whether the intern or the employer is the primary beneficiary of the relationship: whether there is no expectation of pay, whether the training is like an educational environment, whether it is tied to formal education, whether it accommodates the academic calendar, whether it is limited to the period of beneficial learning, whether it complements rather than displaces paid staff, and whether there is no entitlement to a paid job afterward. No single factor is decisive; it is a totality-of-circumstances test. If the employer is the primary beneficiary, the intern is an employee owed minimum wage and overtime. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a paid marketing intern exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A paid marketing intern is a non-exempt employee. Intern and entry-level marketing work does not meet the duties tests for the white-collar exemptions, so a paid intern is entitled to at least the minimum wage and to overtime at one and a half times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. You should not treat a paid intern as exempt or salaried to avoid overtime. Track their hours like any non-exempt employee, and remember that state minimum wages, which can be well above the federal rate, also apply. Paying the intern hourly and treating them as non-exempt is both the correct classification and the simplest way to stay compliant. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a marketing intern make?
Marketing interns are usually paid hourly. Market data places the national average around 17 dollars an hour, roughly 35,500 dollars a year on a full-time-equivalent basis, with typical pay between about 30,000 and 40,000 dollars annualized depending on location and company. Rates run higher in expensive metros like New York and Los Angeles and at funded startups, some of which pay marketing or growth interns a monthly stipend. For benchmarking the broader role, the closest federal occupation, market research analysts and marketing specialists, reports a median of 76,950 dollars a year, but that reflects the full trained-for occupation, not an intern's training-level pay. Set your intern rate to your local market and at least the applicable minimum wage. This is general information, not compensation advice.
Do small businesses hire marketing interns?
Yes, very commonly, and arguably more eagerly than large companies. For a small business, startup, or marketing agency, an intern is a cost-effective way to add marketing capacity while giving a student real experience. Agencies in particular hire a large share of marketing interns, along with tech and e-commerce startups, nonprofits, and local businesses. The risk for a smaller employer acting as its own HR is the temptation to bring on an unpaid intern without meeting the DOL primary beneficiary test, which can create back-pay liability. If your business has real marketing work and someone to supervise and teach, a marketing intern can be a strong addition, and paying them hourly keeps it simple and compliant. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a marketing intern and a marketing assistant?
They overlap but differ in purpose and permanence. A marketing intern is in a temporary, learning-focused role, often a student, hired for a defined term like a summer or semester, with the development of the intern as a central goal. A marketing assistant is a regular, ongoing employee in an entry-level marketing job, hired to do the work rather than primarily to learn, and is a standard non-exempt position without the educational framing or the unpaid-internship questions. The duties can look similar day to day, but the intern role carries the internship compliance considerations, the temporary term, and the learning emphasis, while the assistant is simply a junior member of the team. For a job description, decide which you actually need before writing. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should a marketing intern job description include?
Start by deciding the type and whether the role is paid or unpaid. Include a short company summary, a role summary that frames the position as a supervised learning opportunity, and a list of what the intern will learn and do, organized around campaigns and content, research and data, learning and growth, and support. State the term and weekly hours, since internships are time-limited, and be explicit about pay: a paid intern is non-exempt and hourly, while an unpaid intern requires the DOL primary-beneficiary structure and ideally academic credit. The additions that generic templates skip are the paid-versus-unpaid decision, the DOL compliance language for unpaid roles, and the state-specific considerations. Close with an equal opportunity statement and clear apply instructions. This is general information, not legal advice.
