3 Types of Media: Paid, Owned, Earned

Media and assets are typically broken into 3 categories: paid media, owned media, and earned media. From the company’s perspective, the difference between the buckets of media is how the media gets out into the public eye. A company definitely needs to diversify across these 3 and work on the mix, because (generally) relying on only 1 of these categories isn’t going to create a sustainable marketing strategy.

At a Glance: Paid Media, Owned Media, Earned Media

	Paid Media	Owned Media	Earned Media
Definition	Paid Media is media that you pay another platform to distribute. These established platforms have done the work of onboarding lots of engaged users, many of whom might be prime buyers.	Owned Media is fully owned and controlled by the company. Content is the name of the game here – pumping out valuable, entertaining information is what engages old and new customers.	Earned Media is coverage that you receive from others, without paying for or creating it. You can’t rely solely on earned media to tell the brand story.
Example	– Social media ads – Magazine ads – Billboards – Display ads	– Company website/blog – Marketing emails – Organic social media – Photos/videos	– News stories – User reviews – Word-of-mouth – Influencer posts
Pros	– A very quick way to get brand-new eyeballs – Very trackable, lots of metrics	– Marketers fully control the story – Generally cheaper than paid media	– Can be completely free – Can be great for brand lift
Cons	– As more brands explore paid media ads, costs are going up. – Brands are at the mercy of the platform – for example, the Facebook ad algorithm.	– Consumers can get tired of stale content fast. You have to have an absolute content machine within the company.	– Can also include negative coverage, such as reviews from unsatisfied customers