Earned media

Earned media is attention you neither bought nor published yourself: press coverage, reshares, mentions, reviews, word of mouth. It is "earned" because a third party chose to give it.

The classic triad is paid (ads), owned (your channels) and earned (others talking). Social blurs the lines: a customer's unboxing video is earned; the same video boosted with ad budget becomes paid amplification of earned content, which is a real and common tactic.

Earned media converts better per impression than the other two because it carries a stranger's endorsement, and it is also the least controllable: you influence it by being worth mentioning and easy to mention (clear names, findable handles, sharable assets).

Measuring it means listening beyond your notifications, since the most valuable earned mentions often do not tag you.