Earned Media
01 Definition
Earned Media meaning: Exposure a brand gains through others, such as press, reviews, and word of mouth.
Earned media is attention a brand receives from others rather than buying or publishing itself. It includes press coverage, customer reviews, social mentions, and word of mouth. Because it comes from third parties, it can build strong trust, but the brand cannot fully control the message or timing.
Why it matters
How Earned Media fits the work
Earned media carries credibility that ads often lack, since recommendations and coverage from others tend to be trusted more than a brand's own claims.
In context
A positive review from a well known tech blog gave the startup earned media that drove more signups than its paid campaign that same week.
Practical note
You can influence earned media through quality and outreach but cannot control it. Coverage may be negative, so monitor mentions and respond to issues promptly.