What is Earned Media? (Defined, Benefits, & Examples)

People often ask: what is earned media, and how does it actually work?

Earned media refers to visibility or mentions a brand receives when someone else decides it’s worth talking about. You don’t pay for placement, you don’t control the final message, and coverage happens because an editor, journalist, creator, or customer believes it’s relevant.

Understanding how earned media fits alongside paid media and owned media is essential for building a sustainable digital marketing strategy, especially for teams balancing public relations with broader marketing efforts.

This guide explains:

• what earned media means in practice
• how it differs from paid or owned media
• realistic earned media examples
• how companies generate earned media
• how inbound PR and outbound PR work together
• and when earned media should (or shouldn’t) be a priority

In public relations, earned media refers to brand mentions or coverage that a company does not pay for and does not fully control.

A journalist, blogger, podcast host, or industry analyst chooses to include your brand because it adds value to their audience.

Put simply:

• You earn attention through relevance or newsworthiness
• You don’t pay for coverage
• You don’t approve headlines or wording

A classic example: a journalist includes your company in news articles about industry trends, or a trade publication quotes your founder as a thought leader, often thanks to a strong feature story pitch built around a compelling narrative. These are media examples created through editorial decisions, not advertising campaigns.

Unlike paid media, where messaging is controlled through paid advertising or paid placement, earned media coverage comes from independent voices. And unlike paid ads or a search engine ad, coverage isn’t guaranteed or predictable.

That lack of control is exactly what gives earned media credibility.

Earned media shows up across many media channels and earned media channels, not just traditional press coverage.

Common examples of earned media include:

Coverage in national outlets, trade publications, or online media outlets where journalists produce a news story mentioning your brand.

Journalists regularly seek credible sources. Being quoted as an expert helps position a company as a trusted voice.

Positive reviews or product mentions in independent articles, newsletters, or podcasts count as earned media when no payment is involved.

Feedback shared on review sites or app platforms contributes to organic mentions and social proof that influence potential customers.

Social media users discussing your product, tagging your brand, or sharing content organically can drive powerful visibility.

This includes:

• social media posts from customers
• social media shares of news articles or blog posts
• organic social media posts praising your product
• user generated content showcasing real experiences

When people start talking about your brand and encourage sharing, it often spreads across social media platforms and reaches a wider audience or even a new audience.

These conversations build trust in ways paid media cannot.

Earned media works best when understood alongside other media types, and a clear earned media strategy that connects it with paid and owned media makes those relationships easier to manage.

Channels your company creates and controls:

• Websites and blog posts
• Newsletters
• Podcasts
• Organic social media posts

Owned media supports content creation and helps communicate directly with your target audience.

Paid media includes paid ads and advertising campaigns such as:

• Search engine advertising like Google Ads
• Social media ads
• Sponsored posts
• Display advertising

Paid and owned media provide predictability, but exposure stops when spending stops.

Earned media happens when third parties mention your brand organically.

Unlike paid, it cannot be bought. Unlike paid media, results depend on editorial decisions or customer experiences.

Together, owned and paid media support visibility, while earned and paid media combined can accelerate reach when stories resonate.

Earned media helps increase brand awareness and build brand visibility because audiences trust independent sources more than brand messaging.

Benefits include:

• Building credibility through third-party validation
• Reaching a highly relevant audience via niche media outlets
• Supporting search engine optimization through backlinks and mentions
• Strengthening a brand’s reputation
• Influencing buying decisions through social proof and word of mouth

Earned media often supports long-term business success rather than quick wins.

It also produces valuable customer insights as you see how journalists and audiences frame your story and what resonates.

Modern PR blends inbound and outbound approaches.

Outbound PR includes pitching journalists and announcing company news, often through structured PR outreach that builds relationships with media professionals.

Inbound PR focuses on becoming discoverable: publishing useful content, sharing data, offering commentary, and creating resources journalists and creators seek out, supported by inbound PR techniques that use content and subscriptions to attract leads and journalists.

This includes:

• Publishing useful blog posts
• Sharing research or industry data
• Offering expert commentary
• Building credibility over time

When inbound PR works well, journalists come to you.

Combining inbound with outbound outreach makes it easier to generate earned media consistently.

Many teams use tools like Prezly because it combines newsroom publishing (inbound) with media outreach and contact management (outbound) in one workflow.

Misconceptions cause frustration.

While there’s no paid placement, it still requires time, planning, and relationship building.

Relevant coverage for potential clients beats random mentions.

Writing a good press release that clearly communicates real news supports stories, but journalists cover relevance, not announcements alone.

There is no guaranteed formula, but successful teams usually:

Journalists look for trends, insight, or news that matters, so understanding what makes a story newsworthy in the first place is essential.

Researching media outlets and understanding their target audience improves pitch success and feeds into a broader media outreach strategy focused on the right journalists.

Relationship building with journalists improves long-term results, especially when you pitch your story to journalists in a relevant, personalized way.

Exceptional service, useful insights, or innovative ideas naturally generate organic mentions and media attention and make it easier to get PR coverage for your business without annoying reporters.

Strong owned channels help too. When a company creates useful content and maintains an active brand online, journalists find reliable sources faster, especially if you maintain an online newsroom that centralizes assets and information.

Earned media also grows from customer experiences:

• Online reviews on platforms and review sites
• Social media shares from happy customers
• User generated content
• Organic recommendations across any other platform

These signals influence potential customers more than paid ads because they reflect real experiences.

When audiences see consistent social proof and positive experiences, it strengthens trust.

Earned media isn’t always right immediately.

Paid advertising may be better when:

• Short-term business goals require immediate leads
• A company lacks a clear story
• Internal resources are limited

Paid ads, social media ads, or search engine campaigns like Google Ads provide faster but temporary results.

Earned media is more cost effective long term but slower to build.

Good PR teams analyze outcomes:

• Which stories drive coverage?
• Which media channels engage most?
• Which messages attract attention?

Learning from earned media coverage improves future outreach and content creation.

Modern PR tools help teams track press coverage, manage contacts, and measure outcomes, and they can streamline press release distribution so announcements reach the right journalists without replacing thoughtful strategy.

Understanding how earned media works helps teams set realistic expectations and see how it connects with PR and content marketing as complementary disciplines.

It supports:

• Building credibility
• Improving brand visibility
• Reaching a wider audience
• Strengthening brand reputation
• Encouraging people talking positively about your brand

Unlike paid placement, earned media takes time and consistent effort. But when inbound PR and outbound PR work together, companies can steadily build trust and visibility.

Combined with strong owned media and smart digital marketing, earned media becomes a sustainable driver of long-term growth – not just short-term attention.

Media pitches perform better with Prezly

Once you’ve refined your angle, paste your pitch into Prezly to personalize it, add multimedia, and give journalists the context they need. Prezly’s real-time engagement tracking shows who opened, clicked, or viewed your newsroom – so you know exactly when to follow up.

No guesswork, no inbox roulette.

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