Earned media is the shoutout you earned (by being awesome) but didn’t pay for. Pretty simple, right? Kinda. 

The boundaries between owned media, paid media, and earned media can seem clear on paper—for instance, owned media includes things like your website, social media pages (kinda), and blog, while paid media typically refers to traditional advertisements, and earned media refers to free coverage—but IRL things can get a little fuzzy.

Let us be your guide to earning media and gaining that all-important brand visibility, all without spending a (direct) dime.

The good ‘ole fashioned version of earned media is word of mouth, and don’t discount the importance of it. Word of mouth is still a really important way of increasing your visibility. Think about all the times you’ve found a hairdresser, gardener, or dog sitter by asking around! It’s the same in business. Entrepreneurs ask their professional and personal networks for people recommendations (writers, salespeople, etc.) and service recommendations (payroll companies, marketing firms, etc.). YOUR job is to be so great that when your customers’ business besties ask around for recommendations, you and your business come straight to mind. 

The digital version of word of mouth is online reviews. Depending on your business, customer reviews online may or may not apply. But other forms of earned media coverage include being picked up by a journalist or blogger who wants to tell your story, being featured on a podcast, and being highlighted by an influencer on social media. 

If you’re looking to gain visibility through earned media coverage, here are three ways to do it for free!

1. IG takeover: When you take over someone’s Instagram account, you get the chance to introduce yourself and your brand/company/service to another person’s audience. This can be so powerful! As someone who’s been invited to do a takeover, you’re automatically set up as a trusted authority on whatever topic you’re there to share about. Since you’re invited to provide value to the account holder’s followers, there is no charge—and that’s earned media coverage! 
   
2. IG Live with a guest: Being someone’s guest on Instagram Live is another wonderful opportunity to earn yourself some brand visibility for free. Your main goal as an IG Live guest is to offer as much value as possible to the account holder’s audience and then let that sell you. The fact that you’re there is like an automatic thumbs-up endorsement from the account holder. 
   
3. Podcast guest: People typically listen to podcasts because they trust and respect the host and enjoy and/or benefit from the content. When a podcast host invites a guest, it’s a clear sign to her listeners that she thinks this person is the real deal. You want to be that person with that stamp of approval. Being a podcast guest puts you in a position of authority on a topic and makes it easier for new people to find and connect with you. (For tips on how to pitch being a podcast guest, listen to this Served Neat podcast episode here.)

Earned media is a super helpful way to build your brand’s visibility and credibility. It may not directly cost you anything, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to invest in earning that free coverage. Your assets need to be ready to go when that opportunity for earned media pops up. (If you get the chance to be a podcast guest, but you don’t have a functional website to direct people to, then you probably won’t capture that new audience.)

Earned media also requires time. It takes time to pitch journalists, bloggers, influencers, and podcast hosts. Even if you score an opportunity without a pitch, it’ll probably still require time—like the time you’re literally recording the podcast or the time you’re prepping for the IG takeover. But, trust us, the time spent on earning media is time well spent.

For help landing earned media opportunities that grow your brand visibility, book a sales call with us!