Earned media and owned media: why you need both
Key takeaways
- Earned and owned media are crucial components in a successful business marketing strategy.
- Earned media – when your brand is featured in unpaid coverage in independent media – can build brand credibility and high levels of trust.
- Owned media – any content your brand owns and controls – is an opportunity for well-crafted and consistent communications with your audience.
- A strategic approach is absolutely necessary to ensure clear messaging and a strong brand presence that connects with your target audience in all forms of media.
- Create messaging for your target personas and generate ideas for content over time. Don’t forget to consider newsjacking if you have experts who can add to trending discussions.
Your brand’s reputation and gravitas are dependent on both sorts of media coverage: earned and owned. But are both of equal value? And what are the key differences between the two? Lastly, how can you secure earned media coverage that supports your owned media messaging? Read on for all you need to know about earned media and owned media in B2B marketing.
The media as a superpower
When people talk about ‘the media’, usually they are referring to the news, television and entertainment. Like it or not, in an always-on society the media is a powerful tool that can determine elections, influence national policies, create sell-out eyelash extensions or viral ‘dad dances’! However, in B2B PR, earned media has far more depth than the latest Microsoft tweet.
The characteristics of B2B media
B2B PR campaigns are usually designed to educate, inform and persuade. These campaigns harness a wide variety of earned media channels from trade publications to broadcast media and podcasts.
Most importantly in B2B PR you are positioning your business leaders as experts in their fields, by sharing their knowledge and industry insights through long form thought leadership articles and interviews. It is through thought leadership that you build the gravitas needed to gain influence with your target customers.
But no B2B campaign would be complete without also sharing your messaging, news and articles on social media and specifically LinkedIn. This is part of the owned media landscape which includes your website, your blog and your social media channels.
Now that you know media has a powerful influence, let me explain to you why that is. The media works in tandem with all marketing strategies. Whether premeditated or as a bout of good luck, the media automatically impacts public perception of your brand, boosting its performance and reach… or destroying everything you worked strenuously to build.
What is earned media?
Earned media is independent reportage, coverage or conversations about your brand from third parties for which you have made no payment. It is high trust because no payment has passed between your business and the media organisation publishing content or featuring your experts. The implication is that an external media organisation has seen enough value in your content and opinion to publish it unpaid on their website. They believe enough in its content that their audience or readers would find significant value.
Earned media examples include:
- News and opinion content published about your company or thought leaders not paid-for as advertising or advertorial
- Unpaid journalist or podcast interviews with your subject matter experts
- Unsolicited product or service reviews shared in person or online forums
What is owned media?
Owned media is any content on a platform that your company controls and owns.
Examples of owned media include:
- Your company’s official website
- Company blogs or catalogues
- Your business’s profiles and posts on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
- Your e-mail newsletters – regular updates sent directly to your subscribers
- Any proprietary applications you develop
While your brand works on getting its name talked about, owned media is one of the simplest ways you can start spreading the word, because you have absolute control of what is said, when it is said, and how often it is said.
However, be aware that owned media is always going to be less trusted by your ideal customer than something you have published in independent, earned media outlets.
How do businesses benefit from earned media?
Nothing impacts your business’s performance quite as dramatically as that of your brand’s public perception. Without a good reputation – you have nothing. A bad reputation will do lasting, often irreparable, damage. Earned media accelerates how people come to understand and relate to what your business stands for and how it plays an integral role in enhancing their lives and will determine whether your business remains stagnant or takes flight. Earned media stimulates organic interest by encouraging conversations, engagement and comments amongst your audiences.
“The head of PR is perhaps one of the most important people in a company and a good chairman will have them by their side. They are critical for managing the brand and save millions in advertising; people talking about your company is much more important than anything.”
With organic interest in your company blooming, your marketing team can finally take that Fiji sabbatical they keep talking about!
…Okay, maybe not right now, and not everyone at once, but it does mean they don’t need to worry about running overtime to crunch new ads and promos. When the public is already giving your business ‘airtime’, your company’s engagement skyrockets even without the manual push.
Earned media versus owned media: which is better?
Our answer is that successful B2B marketing needs both!
Earned media will be wasted without owned media supporting it. And owned media will struggle to win the trust and endorsement that positive earned media brings.
Strong earned media coverage in your target publications is a dream for your marketing team – assuming that coverage is positive of course. It helps ensure that your target customers are talking about your brand and can build brand credibility and awareness in new audiences.
The weakness of earned media is that sizeable coverage is not a certainty, plus the short term nature of news and unpredictability of word-of-mouth discussion means you can’t rely on it alone. And so, your brand must also cultivate your business’ reputation, reach and messaging through your owned media channels.
Where earned media cultivates credibility and gravitas, owned media is the foundational brand presence, where you are master of your messaging. Owned media is where your prospects will go if they are interested in your brand or are considering purchasing a service from your business. They may view your website, LinkedIn company page or visit your CEO’s LinkedIn profile while they decide whether to engage with your services.
Where customer reviews fit in
Online business reviews (Google reviews, LinkedIn endorsements or other third party review service providers) are also a type of earned media.
So, when you read the surveys and reviews of your company, is your target market chirping to the tune you love, or are they confused, disappointed, or, dare I say, enraged at you?
Thankfully, an integrated operation that handles reviews, addresses and remedies negative feedback, and also requests reviews from reliably satisfied customers is not a difficult task.
Whatever the case, you can be sure that clients will not withhold their opinions from their networks and communities, which means your marketing strategy needs to be ready to steer this kind of earned media in a promising direction with brevity.
For all types of media coverage, start with strategy. Always.
Start with the messaging for each of your target personas, as captured in your communication strategy. Your messaging should be distinct to your brand. Use this to build a Brilliant Ideas Bank. Populate it extensively – I do this by considering how each phrase may require interpretation, provoke a question, or incite a challenge to conventional thinking. Each of your seed ideas will provide you with potential earned media content, and best of all, every seed idea will be on-strategy.
Once you have your working bank of ideas decide what format best suits a given topic: some will be owned media e.g. website blogs or white papers, others will be earned media e.g. thought leadership articles and news. In many cases one format will generate the opportunity for content in the other. For example, a white paper might inspire thought leadership editorial and blogs; while an original thought leadership piece may ignite ideas for blogs and a roundtable or research.
How can you secure trending earned media?
A successful media strategy cannot flourish without staying relevant and relatable. In media land, we call it ‘newsjacking’ or a social media trend. Seek ways to engage your audience, share invaluable knowledge, and meet your Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) where they’re already flocking (with a trend that’s all the rage, if possible – so in tech that might be around AI, cybersecurity, or equality in the workplace).
Earned media over time: building an audience
Grabbing the attention of your target market is only part of the work. Remember, earned media is a fragile thing. If you try to generate earned media haphazardly, you’ll have your hands full of sticks and kindling but no fire to cook up a feast.
Earned media depends on organic reach and engagement.
It takes time.
Give yourself grace while waiting for your audience to form their opinions and start talking. When your next quarterly brand survey is due, you’ll be surprised to see the uptick of onlookers your brand has gained.
Invest in PR media mangagement for sustained growth and long term influence
The interplay between earned and owned media is crucial for developing and nurturing your business’s reputation and relationships. Both forms of media serve distinct yet complementary roles in shaping public perception and driving engagement.
A strategic approach that integrates earned and owned media is essential. Building a strong media presence is a marathon, not a sprint. Consistency, creativity, and strategic thinking will help you navigate the ever-evolving media landscape. By effectively balancing earned and owned media, investing time and resources in both, your brand can achieve sustained growth, enhanced credibility, and lasting influence in your industry. Together they form the backbone of a resilient and influential brand presence.
EC-PR cultivates public relation strategies that not only unleash your brand beast, but are personalised to your business’ focal points, key issues, and unique identity. If you’re interested in developing the perfect combination of media management and analysis for your business longevity, your discovery call is a click away.
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