Types of Earned Media

• Social Media Mentions & Shares: Organic posts, shares, and mentions of a brand by influencers or followers on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok.

• Online Reviews: Positive customer reviews or mentions on platforms like Yelp, Google Reviews, and Trustpilot that help build a brand’s reputation.

• Blog Posts & Articles: Content where influencers, bloggers, or media outlets naturally write about a brand, often after positive experiences with the product or service.

• Word-of-Mouth Marketing: Organic conversations and recommendations about a brand between individuals, which can spread through friends, family, and social networks.

How Does Earned Media Work?

Earned media is not directly controlled by the brand. Instead, it emerges from positive interactions and perceptions. For example:

• Influencer Collaborations: After a successful paid campaign, an influencer may continue to mention the brand because they genuinely like the product.

• Customer Satisfaction: Happy customers are more likely to leave positive reviews or share their experiences on social media, which contributes to earned media.

• Engaging Content: When a brand creates valuable, shareable content, it encourages its audience to spread the word organically, generating earned media.

Encouraging Earned Media

While earned media cannot be directly purchased, brands can encourage it in several ways:

• Build Relationships with Influencers: Nurturing long-term, positive relationships with influencers can lead to organic mentions beyond the scope of paid campaigns.

• Encourage Reviews and Feedback: Brands should make it easy for customers to leave reviews, whether on their website, social media, or review platforms.

• Create Shareable Content: High-quality, engaging, and useful content that resonates with the audience is more likely to be shared, leading to earned media.

• Monitor Brand Mentions: Tracking mentions of your brand across different platforms helps to understand sentiment and identify opportunities to engage with customers and influencers.

• Leverage Positive Mentions: Share positive reviews, user-generated content, and mentions across your own social media platforms to amplify the impact of earned media.

Why is Earned Media Important?

1. Builds Trust and Credibility: Consumers often see earned media, such as organic reviews or mentions, as more authentic and trustworthy than paid ads.

2. Expands Brand Reach: As influencers and customers share their experiences, earned media helps introduce the brand to new audiences, increasing brand awareness.

3. Boosts Engagement: Earned media can spark conversations, leading to higher levels of engagement and interaction with the brand.

4. Provides Social Proof: Positive mentions, reviews, and shared experiences validate the brand's claims and can strongly influence potential customers' purchasing decisions.

5. Cost-Effective: Unlike paid media, earned media doesn't require a direct monetary investment, making it a highly valuable asset, particularly for small businesses.

Measuring the Impact of Earned Media

Brands can assess the impact of earned media through Earned Media Value (EMV). EMV is a way of quantifying the value of earned media based on its potential cost if it were purchased as paid media. This helps brands understand the organic reach and influence their influencer marketing efforts are generating.

Conclusion

Earned media is a powerful tool in influencer marketing that can significantly enhance brand reputation, reach, and engagement. While it is not directly controllable, fostering genuine relationships, creating shareable content, and encouraging customer feedback can help brands generate and leverage earned media effectively. By doing so, brands can amplify their marketing efforts without the need for paid media, ultimately building trust and authenticity with their audience.