The participation of El Salvador in the OTI Festival began at the third OTI Festival in 1974. The Salvadoran participating broadcasters were until 1985 and (TCS) since 1986, which were member of the (OTI). They participated in all twenty-six editions after its debut. Its best result was sixth achieved in 1977.
The first Salvadorean entry was "" performed by Félix Lopez, which placed 10th with three points in a tie with Mexico, Honduras and the Netherlands Antilles. Since then, the country took part in every edition of the festival till the last edition which was held again in Acapulco.
El Salvador was one of the least successful participants in the OTI Festival. In 1975, one year after its debut, it finished last with zero points in a tie with Bolivia.
In 1977, it achieved sixth place with "" by Ana Marcela D'Antonio. This was the first and only time when the Salvadorean delegation reached the top ten places in the contest.