Differentiating Paid Media, Owned Media, and Earned Media

Mastering the ever-evolving marketing scene is balancing the three types of marketing communication: paid media, owned media, and earned media.

Paid media is when businesses pay to promote or advertise a message shown through external platforms like searches, display ads, or affiliate marketing. It is an investment to pull visitors, widen reach, and increase conversions. Most popular online paid media examples are Google ads and social media ads (e.g. Meta/Facebook ads, Instagram ads) while print, TV advertising, and direct mail are examples of offline traditional paid media.

Owned media refers to every media channel and media content owned and managed by the business itself. The business’ website, blogs, mobile apps, or presence on social media networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram are online examples of owned media while brochures and retail stores are offline examples.

Earned media is public exposure that is neither paid for nor owned by the business. It originates outside of it as a result of the business’ content, relevance, and quality. Online examples of earned media are reviews, news and feature stories about the business, shared social media content, and social media mentions. Offline examples of earned media are word-of-mouth referrals and recommendations.

• Pros:
• Immediate control. With paid media, you take control of the message, timing, and targeting of your ads.
• Measurable results. Through paid media like Google ads, you can track key performance indicators (KPIs) like clicks, impressions, and conversions.

• Cons:
• Costly. Paid media can be expensive, especially for larger campaigns.
• Limited visibility. There is a limited organic reach, which causes your visibility to decrease when the campaign ends.

• Pros:
• Long-term brand building: Consistent content can build brand awareness and trust by constantly staying top-of-mind.
• Cost-effective: Once the channels are set up, the ongoing costs are minimal.

• Cons:
• Time-consuming: Creating and maintaining owned media channels requires consistent time and effort.
• Limited reach: Without promotion, it can be difficult to reach a large audience organically.

• Pros:
• High credibility: Earned media is often seen as more credible than paid or owned media.
• Amplified reach: Positive word-of-mouth can spread quickly and reach a large audience.
• Cost-effective: It doesn’t cost anything because your customers do the job for you.

• Cons:
• Less control: You have limited control over the message and timing of earned media.
• Unpredictable: It can be difficult to predict when and how earned media will occur.

• Use paid media to drive traffic to owned media: Use paid ads to promote blog posts, social media content, or landing pages. This strategy will increase your business’ exposure by attracting new audiences to your website and social media pages.
• Leverage owned media to generate earned media: Create high-quality content that is shareable and newsworthy. Contents that are relatable and timely are most likely to be shared by customers or influencers.
• Monitor and analyze the performance of each type of media: Track KPIs to measure the effectiveness of your media strategy which will help you optimize your campaign, efficiently allocate your resources, and make data-driven decisions.

The optimal mix of media will vary depending on your target audience, budget, and marketing objectives. A well-rounded strategy that combines paid, owned, and earned media can help you optimize your marketing strategy, achieve your marketing goals, and ultimately, propel your business to new heights.