What Is Earned Media?
Earned media is any attention your brand gets that you did not pay for and do not fully control. It happens when other people choose to talk about you because they want to.
This can be a news story, a customer review, a social media share, or a friend telling another friend about your product.
Definition
Earned media is free coverage or promotion created by people outside your company. It is different from ads because you do not buy it. It is different from your own channels because you do not publish it yourself.
In simple words, it is word of mouth that shows up in public places like social networks, blogs, news sites, podcasts, and forums.
Why Earned Media Matters
- Builds trust People trust real users, experts, and journalists more than brand ads.
- Helps SEO Mentions, backlinks, and social buzz can send more visitors to your site and can support better search rankings.
- Costs less You do not pay for each view or click like with ads.
- Spreads fast A single good story or review can be shared many times and reach large new audiences.
- Proves value If people choose to talk about you, it is a strong sign your product or content is useful.
How Earned Media Works
Earned media usually starts with something worth talking about. This could be a great product, helpful content, a strong story, or an interesting event.
- You create value, like a useful guide, a fun video, or a smart product feature.
- People notice it and feel something about it, like surprise, joy, or trust.
- They share it with others, write reviews, post on social media, or cover it in the news.
- More people see these mentions and may visit your site, follow you, or buy from you.
You cannot fully control earned media, but you can encourage it by being helpful, honest, and easy to share.
Earned Media vs Related Terms
Marketers often talk about three main types of media.
- Owned media Channels you control, like your website, blog, email list, and social profiles.
- Paid media Any placement you pay for, like online ads, sponsored posts, and paid influencers.
- Earned media Unpaid mentions from others, like reviews, news stories, social shares, and forum posts.
These three work best together. Strong owned content and smart paid promotion can lead to more earned media over time.
Example of Earned Media
Imagine a small bakery that posts a video of a new cake recipe on its website and social pages. A food blogger sees the video, loves it, and writes a review on their blog with a link to the bakery. Then people share the blog on social media and leave comments saying they want to try the cake.
The blog review, the social shares, and the comments are all earned media. The bakery did not pay for that attention, but it still gets more visits and more customers from it.
FAQs
Is earned media really free?
Yes and no. You do not pay for the mention itself, but you usually invest time and money in creating good products, content, and customer service that inspire people to talk about you.
How can I get more earned media?
Make useful or entertaining content, treat customers well, be active on social media, respond kindly to feedback, and build relationships with journalists and creators in your field.
Can earned media be negative?
Yes. Bad reviews and critical posts are also earned media. This is why it is important to listen, fix problems, and answer people with respect.
How is earned media measured?
People often track the number of mentions, backlinks, reviews, shares, and the traffic or sales that come from those mentions.
Why is earned media good for SEO?
When trusted sites and real people talk about you and link to your pages, it can send more visitors and can help search engines see your brand as more trustworthy and relevant.
