Earned media is publicity gained through organic mentions, news coverage, word-of-mouth, and social shares. It is more valuable than advertising because it gives provides more credibility, trust, and long-term brand growth. We’re going to explain more about earned media, provide examples, and how we can help you add it to your marketing strategy.
What is earned media?
Earned media is essentially public relations. It can be a blend of several strategies such as media relations, event marketing, and community relations. Here are some specific examples:
- News articles about your brand
- Mentions in blogs and online forums
- Customer reviews and testimonials
- Social media shares and influencer recommendations
- Industry awards and recognitions
The main difference with earned media is that it’s not directly controlled by your business. So, the emphasis here is the word “earned.” You have to be doing something truly newsworthy. The key factors that contribute to newsworthy are:
- Timeliness: Is the event happening now, in the future, or happened recently?
- Proximity: Does the event affect people nearby or within the community?
- Prominence: Are well-known people involved?
- Conflict: Does the story involve opposing viewpoints or tension?
- Human Interest: Does the story evoke emotion or connect with people on a personal level?
- Impact: How significantly does the event affect people or society?
- Novelty/Oddity: Is the story unique or unusual?
Why earned media is more valuable than paid ads
What makes earned media much more valuable than advertising is that consumers trust third-party endorsements more than self-promotional ads. Even if you truly have a valuable product or service you’re offering, you’re a valuable business to your area, and do good things for the community, consumers assume self-promotion has a level of bias. Nielson reports that 92% of consumers around the world say they trust earned media.
Therefore, earned media is a sort of social proof which is based on the idea that if many people are doing or saying something, it must be correct.
While Americans’ trust in media recently remains low, respondents are likely considering national news stories on political or other hard-hitting news rather than stories on the good businesses are doing in their area. Regardless of political affiliation, Americans’ feel like their local media, which is usually what we rely on for our public relations efforts, do a good job of remaining unbiased.
Further, influencer recommendations, user-generated content, testimonials and the like are still well-trusted:
- 84% of people trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations
- 69% of consumers trust influencer marketing
- 80% of consumers say user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions
Another benefit to earned media is that media coverage can last indefinitely as opposed to paid ads disappearing once the budget runs out. For example, if you were to receive a positive news article regarding your business supporting a local cause it could rank highly in search results for years. Also, viral moments, influencer recommendations, and media mentions drive more engagement than ads and social media algorithms favor organic, user-generated content over paid advertisements.
Lastly, there are significant search engine optimization benefits to earned media. Backlinks, a link created when one website links to another, have always been one of the most impactful ranking factors when it comes to search engines. Local news outlets and other high-authority publications linking to your website will improve your domain authority (essentially, how likely your website is to rank in search engine results).
How to earn more media coverage for your business
The first tip here is to build strong relationships with journalists and other influencers in your area. To do this, you need to provide value. Offer to provide expert insights for your industry. Ask them if you can write a guest column for their paper or website. Journalists will appreciate you providing content they don’t have to have much involvement in as newsrooms are worn thin.
After you’ve gained their trust, then you can pitch them your stories. Here’s some examples of what they might find newsworthy:
- Company milestones, such as your business having been open 15+ years
- Winning an industry award
- Expanding to a new location
- Implementing an innovative technology
- Announcing a merger with another company, acquiring a competitor, or a significant investment in a new business
- Launching a major charitable campaign, implementing sustainable business practices, or taking a public stance on a social issue
Another way to leverage earned media is to encourage customer reviews and testimonials. Simply ask for reviews when you feel you’ve earned them and you’d be surprised at how many people will do it. Make it easier for them by providing a QR code they can scan to take them directly to your Google reviews section or other sites you feel your reviews are highly visible.
Finally, to encourage user-generated content you can:
- Create engaging contests and challenges such as people posting pictures using your product or service
- Leverage social media hashtags by coming up with a hashtag and feature user posts (that you find by searching for the hashtag) on your social media pages to show appreciation and foster a sense of community
- Promote customer and client stories on your website, social media, or newsletters
- Run joint campaigns with an industry influencer
The oddballs can boost your brand’s visibility through earned media
Earned media is an impactful strategy to boost your brand’s visibility, reputation, and credibility. It’s more impactful and continues to influence buying decisions longer than paid advertising.
2oddballs Creative has developed public relations strategies for several businesses in the Springfield, MO area and beyond including Vital Farms, Strafford Sports Center, the Boys and Girls Club of Springfield, GOAT Events, and more! If you’re curious if earned media is the best use of your marketing dollars, contact us today for a non-decision-making meeting!
