What Is Earned Media and How to Get It
Insight Curator:
DeepDive Team
Read time:
4
min
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September 27, 2025
Fabiana Binte Mesbah
Imagine you’re at a party. Everyone’s talking. People mention your name, share stories about your work, compliment your taste. You haven’t paid for the spotlight, but you earned the buzz. That, in essence, can be used to understand what is earned media. And, in today’s digital world, its power is bigger than ever.
So, in a world where paid ads are everywhere, the real question is: how do you get people talking about your brand without paying for it? Follow along to find out examples and tactics to optimize your earned media strategy.
Earned media refers to publicity your brand receives organically, i.e., without paid ads or direct control. It comes about through other people’s endorsements in favor of your brand: word-of-mouth, social media shares, reviews, influencer shout-outs, podcast interviews, or press mentions. It’s the credibility you get because others choose to talk about you.
Unlike paid media (ads, sponsorships) or owned media (your website, email list), earned media offers a level of authenticity money can’t buy. That’s why more than 60% of marketers say they use earned media placements to drive their sales pipeline.
If you want a picture of what earned media looks like in action, think of these scenarios:
Each of these is an example of the kind of attention you earn by offering value that others want to talk about.
Beyond building credibility, earned media can bring tangible results that you can track. Research on more than 2,000 campaigns found that for every dollar invested in earned media strategies, marketers generated about $5.78 in value. That ROI beats most paid advertising campaigns.
And the reach lasts longer, too. A news article or customer review continues to show up in searches, while a paid ad disappears the moment your budget runs dry. Tools like DeepDive, our AI-powered social listening platform, make this value even clearer by tracking mentions, analyzing sentiment, and calculating your earned media value (EMV) so you can see exactly what the buzz is worth in real terms.
So, how do you spark the kind of attention that turns into powerful earned media? It comes down to a smart combination of earned media tactics:
By tying your actions to measurable outcomes, you can refine your earned media strategy over time, making each campaign more impactful than the last.
Q: Is earned media really “free”?
A: Not exactly. You don’t pay for placement, but you do invest in content, PR, and listening tools. The difference is in ROI — with returns like $5.78 for every $1 invested, the payoff is clear.
Q: How can I measure earned media success?
A: Look at metrics like mentions, impressions, sentiment, referral traffic, and EMV. Platforms like DeepDive simplify this by turning organic chatter into measurable value.
Q: Can startups benefit from earned media?
A: Absolutely. Niche brands often have more authentic stories and passionate customers, which makes them ideal for generating buzz at relatively low cost.
Earned media is about trust, authenticity, and momentum. By understanding what is earned media, drawing inspiration from earned media examples, and focusing on earned media value, you can build a strategy that consistently earns attention. Whether through customer reviews, viral moments, or press coverage, the credibility you gain lasts far longer than a paid campaign. With the right tactics and tools guiding your earned media strategy, you’ll not only capture attention but turn it into lasting growth.
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