Earned Media: Leveraging PR and Word-of-Mouth

Earned media—coverage earned through news, social mentions, word-of-mouth—has 3-5x higher credibility and engagement than paid media.

Types of Earned Media

Press Coverage: Feature articles, news coverage, interviews

Social Mentions: References and discussions on social platforms

Word-of-Mouth: Direct recommendations from peers

Reviews & Testimonials: Customer feedback on review sites

Backlinks: External websites linking to your content

Generating Earned Media

Press Releases: Announce news, partnerships, milestones to reporters

Thought Leadership: Share expertise through interviews, op-eds, articles

Awards & Recognition: Submit for industry awards, certifications

Crisis Response: Handle situations transparently, build trust

Influencer Partnerships: Influencers naturally generate earned media

Newsworthy Events: Host events, research, studies that attract media

PR Strategy Best Practices

• Target Right Outlets: Focus on publications your audience reads
• Build Relationships: Nurture relationships with journalists (long-term game)
• Provide Story Angles: Give journalists something newsworthy, not just promotion
• Offer Expert Access: Be available for interviews and commentary
• Long-Term Thinking: Earned media builds slowly, compounds over time

Measuring Earned Media

Media Impressions: Total estimated audience reached

Share of Voice: Your mentions vs. competitors

Sentiment: % of mentions positive, neutral, negative

Reach & Frequency: How many people, how many times

Engagement: Comments, shares, conversions from coverage

Earned vs. Owned vs. Paid Media

Owned Media: Channels you control (website, email, social)

Paid Media: Ads you purchase (Google Ads, Facebook Ads)

Earned Media: Coverage earned through merit (PR, reviews, word-of-mouth)

Best strategy: Integrate all three for maximum reach and credibility.