The owned, earned, paid media framework helps categorise marketing channels and understand how they work together. A balanced approach uses all three.

Media Types Defined

View Definitions

Owned Media: Channels you control - website, email list, app, social profiles. You own the relationship.
Earned Media: Coverage you earn - PR, reviews, social shares, word of mouth. Others talk about you.
Paid Media: Exposure you pay for - ads, sponsorships, influencer partnerships. You buy attention.

Examples

  • Owned: Blog, email newsletter, YouTube channel, website
  • Earned: Press coverage, customer reviews, viral content, organic social shares
  • Paid: Google Ads, Meta Ads, sponsored content, paid influencers

Pros and Cons

  • Owned: Full control, long-term asset, takes time to build
  • Earned: High credibility, free, unpredictable and hard to scale
  • Paid: Immediate results, scalable, costs money and stops when you stop paying

Integration

The best strategies integrate all three. Use paid to amplify owned content. Turn earned coverage into owned assets. Build owned audiences to reduce paid dependency over time.