What is Earned Media?

Earned media is any content or material written about your business that you haven't paid for or created yourself. Although this type of media is always published by a third party, there are ways marketers can position themselves for earned media opportunities.

Today's consumers are strongly influenced by their friends, families and networks and what they read and see online.

Not only do newspapers and magazines publish articles about brands and products, but now anybody can share the good, the bad, and the ugly of brands with everyone they're connected with online. This can include hundreds, thousands, or maybe even millions of people.  Any customer with a social media account or blog can post remarks and reviews, influencers can sponsor products to thousands of followers and good or bad customer service can now immediately be broadcast across Twitter and Instagram for example. Many people listen and use comments, reviews and stories from their peer networks and social media networks to make buying decisions.

As such Earned Media must be a critical part of your marketing efforts. Customer service is so crucial to todays marketing industry and excellent customer service is an excellent starting point to lead organically to positive earned media and brand sentiment.

As digital marketing and social media continue to evolve, so will earned media and marketing and customer service is become more responsible for capturing earned media attention.