Earned media is publicity you can’t buy—at least not directly. It happens when a journalist covers your company, a CEO gets quoted in an article, or a product launch sparks media interest. Unlike paid ads, this kind of exposure builds trust because it comes from a third party, not your marketing team.

Think of it like getting a restaurant recommendation. You’d trust a food critic or a friend more than a flashy ad claiming “Best pizza in town!” One carries weight. The other is just self-promotion.

Earned media isn’t luck. It’s the result of strategy. Media relations helps build relationships with journalists. Press releases and media pitches give reporters something worth covering. Executive communications position leaders as industry experts. And when a crisis hits, smart PR helps control the narrative.

Tracking earned media matters too. Media monitoring helps brands measure impact, spot trends, and refine their approach. Without it, you’re just hoping for the best.

Table: Earned Media Glossary

Earned Media: Any publicity or coverage gained through promotional efforts other than paid advertising. This typically includes media mentions, articles, and interviews.Media Relations: Building and maintaining relationships with journalists, editors, and other media professionals to secure positive coverage and earned media opportunities.
Public Relations: The strategic communication process that helps organizations build mutually beneficial relationships with their public, including efforts to secure earned media coverage.Executive Communications: Communications strategies and messages designed to position executives as industry experts or thought leaders, often to secure earned media opportunities or enhance the company’s reputation.
Employee Communications: Effectively communicating with and engaging employees to create a more informed, connected, and motivated workforce.Internal Communications: The process of sharing information and fostering dialogue within an organization to keep employees informed, engaged, and aligned with company goals and strategies.
Crisis Communications: A specialized area of public relations focused on managing an organization’s response to adverse events or situations, including efforts to minimize damage to its reputation and secure earned media coverage supporting its messaging.Media Briefing: A meeting or conference call with journalists to provide background information or context on a news story, event, or product launch, often as part of an earned media strategy.
Media Tour: A series of interviews, appearances, or events designed to generate earned media coverage for an organization, executive, or spokesperson across multiple media outlets.Media Pitching: Proposing stories, interview subjects, or newsworthy content to journalists and media outlets to secure earned media coverage.
Press Release: An official statement issued by an organization to announce news or information, often distributed to media outlets to generate earned media coverage.Brand Narrative: A company’s overarching story or message, incorporating its values, vision, and purpose, used to guide communications efforts, including earned media strategies.
Messaging: Key ideas, themes, and talking points used to consistently communicate a brand or organization’s values, offerings, or positioning as part of an overall earned media strategy.Thought Leadership: Establishing a company or its executives as industry experts or influencers by sharing informed insights, expertise, and perspectives through various channels, including earned media opportunities.
Media Outlet: Any platform communicating news, information, or content to an audience, including newspapers, magazines, radio, television, websites, and blogs.Business Media Outlets: Media outlets primarily cover news, trends, and developments related to business, finance, economics, and entrepreneurship.
Consumer Media Outlets: Media outlets that target general consumer audiences with content on lifestyle, entertainment, products, and services.Trade Media Outlets: Media outlets that offer news, information, and analysis to professionals working within a specific industry or trade sector.
Broadcast Media: Media outlets that deliver news, information, or entertainment through television, radio, or online streaming, often playing a significant role in shaping public opinion and perceptions.Media Monitoring: The practice of regularly tracking and analyzing an organization’s media coverage to evaluate the effectiveness of its earned media strategy and identify opportunities for improvement.
Article Readership – The total number of people who read an article, often used to measure the reach and effectiveness of earned media.Narrative Intelligence – The process of analyzing media trends, audience sentiment, and storytelling patterns to shape communications strategies.
Risk Management – Identifying and mitigating reputational risks associated with media exposure and public relations efforts.Synthetic Data – AI-generated data used for audience research, media analysis, or testing PR strategies.