Paid-Owned-Earned Media (POEM)
01 Definition
Paid-Owned-Earned Media (POEM) meaning: A framework that sorts marketing channels into paid, owned, and earned media.
Paid-Owned-Earned Media, or POEM, groups channels into three types: paid media you buy, owned media you control, and earned media others give you. The model helps plan how these types work together. Some frameworks add shared media for social, but the core three remain the common structure.
Also called
Why it matters
How Paid-Owned-Earned Media (POEM) fits the work
The framework gives teams a clear way to balance investment across channels they buy, control, and earn, rather than defaulting to paid ads alone.
In context
Their POEM plan paired search ads (paid), a company blog (owned), and press coverage (earned) so each type reinforced the others during a launch.
Practical note
The categories overlap in practice; a boosted social post blends paid and owned. Use the model to plan balance, not to force every tactic into one box.