Paid, Owned & Earned Media Examples [+ How To Use Each]

Paid, owned, and earned media are the three channels a brand can use to reach an audience. Each plays a different role. Paid drives traffic. Owned is where you build a destination. Earned is the trust you can’t fake. The most successful marketers use all three.

But the lines blur. Is social media owned or earned? Where does word of mouth fit? What’s the right mix for your business?

This article covers the differences, trade-offs, and real examples for each type. We’ll also look at why word-of-mouth marketing is the one channel that crosses all three, and what it takes to make it work.

What is paid, owned, and earned media?

Paid, owned, and earned media are the different types of content and channels through which your brand can reach its audience. From social media sponsorships to YouTube ads, most of the marketing we see falls into one of these three types of media.

Each type serves a specific function and requires a specific approach. Taking the time to learn how each media type fits into your overall marketing strategy helps your message reach your target audience in the best way possible.

To use each one well, you have to first understand the difference between them.

What’s the difference between paid, owned, and earned media?

Paid media is any content or channel that requires payment (YouTube ads, podcast sponsorships, sponsored posts). Usually aimed at increasing traffic.

Owned media is content published on channels you create and control (your website, your newsletter, your social profiles).

Earned media is conversation or publicity around your brand that comes voluntarily from others (social mentions, referrals, third-party reviews).

The end goal is the same across all three: build brand awareness and generate business. The difference is how much control you have, what it costs, and how fast it works.

The sections below break each one down with examples.

What are paid media channels?

Paid media is any type of content or marketing channel that involves a payment. Most of us are already familiar with this type of paid media: billboard ads, commercials, and PPC (pay per click).

Paid media is targeted to specific consumer segments, such as a certain demographic or even past customers.

Why pay for media mentions? Paid media works well if you’re just getting started and need a customer base, because it guarantees your content reaches your target market. It’s also good for remarketing or retargeting campaigns: bringing back people who’ve already shown interest.

When leveraged alongside other media types, paid media can be very effective in reaching people with high purchase intent.

Advantages and disadvantages of paid media

How much does paid media cost?

The cost of paid media depends on the channel and duration of your ad. Social media ads are relatively affordable, while a full-page print placement can cost a pretty penny.

Duration and frequency factor in too. A weekend run is cheaper than a month-long campaign, but longer runs reach more people.

Setup costs can exceed the placement itself. If you don’t have someone in-house to create assets, factor in contractor fees, content creation, design, production, and any website configuration.

What is the return on investment (ROI) for paid media?

ROI for paid media varies wildly, depending on the channel, cost of goods sold, lifetime value of a customer, and other factors. The good news: most paid media channels include tracking, so you can measure ROI against direct spend.

Know your budget and minimum required sales beforehand, so you can tell quickly whether a channel is worth it.

How much time does paid media take?

Time to set up: Creating an ad from scratch takes time. Promoting or revising existing content is faster. If you’re driving traffic to a landing page, that adds setup time too.

Time to see results: Once an ad is live, it generates traffic almost immediately. This makes paid media especially useful for brands that need fast visibility.

Paid media examples and types

There are several subcategories under paid media, including both online and offline channels. Here are the main types of paid media, along with some examples of how they work within an overall media strategy:

Paid media example #1: Display ads

Display ads are one of the founding fathers of online paid media. Their initial popularity came mostly in the form of ubiquitous static banner ads that appeared on website sidebars.

But display ads have come a long way since then. Here are a few current display ad options:

• Pop-ups: A small ad that pops up as visitors browse a website (these can be triggered depending on time, clicks, exit intent, etc.)
• Wallpaper ads: A website background image that displays an ad on the entire page (WeTransfer is a popular one!)
• Video ads: A small video that automatically plays whenever a visitor scrolls past the section of the page

Display ads are usually affordable, though pricing depends on the site, the exact placement (above the fold costs more), and the site’s average traffic.

They’re great for remarketing or retargeting campaigns. The visual aspect catches the eye and reminds potential customers of your brand. Dynamic Search Ads work similarly.

Paid media example #2: Social media advertising

On social media platforms, most ads are designed to blend in. Instagram uses native ads that appear in your feed. If you’re scrolling, you may not even notice that some posts are sponsored.

Common types of native ads include in-feed, promoted posts or listings, and search result ads.

Social media ads have become increasingly popular with all companies, online and offline. A major value: they can be set up as pay-per-click, so you only pay when you get actual leads from the ad.

If you pay an influencer or ambassador to create social media posts promoting your brand, this also counts as paid media on social.

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Paid media example #3: Search engine marketing (SEM)

Search engine ads are listings that appear at the top of search results. They’re a quick way to put your brand on top of the competition (literally), making this one of the most popular forms of online advertisement.

SEM ads are typically pay-per-click (PPC) or cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM).

Paid media example #4: Video ads

Has video ever gone out of style? Between YouTube channels and other streaming platforms, you’ve already seen your share of video ads.

The most popular spots are right within streaming videos (before or during the actual video, not while browsing the site). Some high-traffic websites also rent out video ad space that plays automatically when a visitor lands on the page. For an idea of cost, here’s an article on how much it costs to advertise on YouTube.

Here’s an example of a video ad by Squarespace:

Paid media example #5: Radio or podcast ads

Though still a niche type of paid media, radio or podcast ads can be effective. They’re short, succinct, and played to a captive audience.

The trick is getting all your information into a tight time slot. Radio ads can be as short as 15 or 30 seconds, so running the same ad multiple times a day helps.

With podcasts specifically, you usually get an option for a pre-roll ad (played before the show starts) or the host may read the ad live. If you have a preference, be sure to do your research.

A useful sanity check: listen to the station or podcast you’re considering. If no one in your industry (or with your target market) is advertising there, that may be a signal to reconsider.

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Paid media example #6: Offline print ads

Print ads are one of the most traditional forms of paid media: newspaper ads, magazine ads, billboards, flyers, etc. Although it’s hard to measure the effectiveness of a print ad, they are still widely used.

Think of how many ads you see on the way to your favorite cafe. Billboards, posters, flyers in shop windows. You probably see them so often you’ve developed a sort of filter against them.

With the right placement at the right time, offline ads can still work. You can also bridge offline and online — a QR code on a flyer that encourages people to visit your site or download your app.

Check out Delta’s interactive offline ad, which encourages sharing pictures taken with its travel backgrounds. People remember Delta as they take their photos (and if Delta is lucky, someone mentions the brand when they post, creating earned media).

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Paid media example #7: Word-of-mouth marketing

You may not think of word-of-mouth marketing as paid media. But in many cases, it is. Any word of mouth that happens through a customer referral program, employee referral program, influencer marketing program, or affiliate program comes with a cost.

The difference from other paid channels: you only pay when you get a new customer. The cost is whatever referral incentive you offer for the referral to happen.

Lime Crime, for example, offers customers $5 for every successful referral. But here’s where most programs get it backwards. They obsess over what the sharer earns. The Lime Crime offer reads as a transaction: refer your friend, get paid. That framing turns the sharer into a salesperson.

The programs that actually work flip the focus. The best referral isn’t an ask — it’s a gift the sharer is giving their friend. The headline should be what the friend gets. The sharer’s reward stays in the dashboard. Same incentive, completely different feel: one says “monetize your relationships,” the other says “do your friend a favor.”

The second thing most people get wrong: they treat the referral program like a campaign. Big launch, blast the list, hope for a spike, then it fades. A working referral program isn’t a launch event. It’s continuous promotion: built into how you communicate with new customers, woven into the touchpoints they already see (receipts, follow-ups, your team’s conversations).

Done right, the cost is small, the ROI is the highest of any paid media (you only pay for results), and the channel compounds over time.

What are owned media channels?

Owned media is everything that is published on channels you control. It includes your website or newsletter, plus any social media accounts. (Even if you don’t own the actual platform, you do own your account and content.)

In most cases, owned media is the final destination — paid and earned media are the channels used to push traffic there. Thanks to the popularity of content marketing and social media, it’s become easier to draw traffic to owned media channels.

But what happens once a visitor lands on your site? Owned media works best when it offers value for the visitor. It should pull customers toward your brand’s offerings, not push products onto them.

Advantages and disadvantages of owned media

How much does owned media cost?

If you want something simple and fast, free platforms like WordPress.com or Wix.com, plus free social accounts, get you going.

Over time, you may want to buy your own channel — a comprehensive website on your own server, for instance. Cost depends on the domain name and host, ranging from $10/year up to thousands for custom domain and hosting.

Take account of the features you actually need and check prices. Custom design and development add up. Common line items: domain name, web hosting, designer/developer fee, themes, plugins.

What’s the return on investment (ROI) for owned media?

For an ecommerce site, ROI is straightforward: products sold and profit made.

For other site types, it’s trickier. Google Analytics shows traffic; blog stats show how much your content marketing contributes.

How much time does owned media take?

Time to set up: Owned media takes time. Every element is under your control, so it deserves real thought.

Plug-and-play platforms speed this up, but even then, expect a few days of planning. And owned media doesn’t run itself. It needs fresh content and updates. Depending on your team, that might mean a few posts a week.

Time to see results: It can take weeks or months for pages to be crawled and ranked. Give SEO metrics a few weeks before checking analytics. Social media platforms, on the other hand, can attract likes in seconds, though it still takes time to build a real following.

Owned media examples and types

The most common examples of owned media are websites. Blogs, social media accounts, and other platforms are also owned media. Let’s go through a few.

Owned media example#1: Your website

A company’s website is its introduction to the digital world. As compared to other owned media, a website is a long-term, versatile property your brand has total control over.

Though it usually takes the most time to scale, a website is great for carving out your own space in the industry and fostering customer relationships.

Owned media example #2: Content marketing

Content marketing is one of the best ways to give direct value to your audience, as well as establish your brand position in the market.

Blogs, for example, are a key content strategy that extends your brand. They allow you to share more about your company in a more conversational tone. Podcasts also fall under content marketing, and let your company talk about areas of expertise in conversation.

If you keep adding high-quality content and share it through other paid media channels, you can compound your content marketing efforts.

Owned media example #3: Social media marketing

Even though you don’t own the actual platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn), your social media pages are considered owned media. You create and control all content that goes into each account.

A major benefit: the opportunity to reach a large, targeted audience. Once you set up an account (which is free), you can share content in a few clicks.

Owned media example #4: Email marketing

Email marketing is also owned media. Even if your company pays for an email service provider, you still own the email list and the email content.

Email is one of the most versatile owned media channels. It can be combined with other media (sending blog posts or website updates) and delivers tailored content straight to engaged readers.

Owned media example #5: Word-of-mouth marketing

Word of mouth is one of the key benefits of using owned media channels. For example, you may have a new blog post, online campaign, or referral program.

By posting updates on your social media profiles, you’re sharing your owned media (the content or campaign) on another owned media (the social platform). If your audience likes what they see, that could create double the word-of-mouth marketing!

What are earned media channels?

Earned media is any mention or conversation about your brand that comes voluntarily from others. You can’t pay for it or own it. You get it organically — even if it’s the downstream result of paid or owned media.

The most common types of earned media include non-paid news features, product features from bloggers, positive reviews, and social media mentions.

Advantages and disadvantages of earned media

How much does earned media cost?

Earned media is generally free, but some of it comes with a cost. Many third-party review sites offer a free basic account plus paid premium features.

The recognition you get on these platforms is still considered earned media. Other costs to factor: platform or software fees, the resources to build a profile, and content creation expenses.

What’s the return on investment (ROI) for earned media?

The biggest challenge with earned media ROI: measuring it with 100% accuracy. It’s hard to estimate how much effort actually generates word of mouth, whether that’s reaching out to influencers or promoting campaigns.

It’s also nearly impossible to attribute a traffic or sales bump solely to earned media.

But while earned media effects are estimations, most companies feel it’s well worth it, as earned media builds authentic trust and loyalty.

How much time does earned media take?

Time to set up: Earned media is typically the downstream result of other marketing efforts. If someone shares your blog post or reposts your campaign, the sharing is the earned media, but it required you to design, create, and publish the content first.

Time to get results: Measuring effects takes weeks to months. Social metrics like likes and shares show up instantly, but tracking impressions, clicks, and SEO data takes more time. Promote consistently to build engagement.

Earned media examples and types

Earned media is essentially word-of-mouth marketing, including brand mentions, shares, and reviews outside paid or owned channels. Here are common examples.

Earned media example #1: Media publicity (public relations)

Many small or starting businesses don’t have a big marketing budget. Even with a strong social media presence, reaching the screens of potential customers in your target market isn’t easy.

So instead, some businesses focus on getting publicity from existing media outlets. If you have a product that stands out or offers something new, you may be able to get free press coverage. The media also loves a good story or new find.

To get media coverage, consider sending a memorable press release. Share back story or include a sample of your product, as anything unique helps you stand out from the pile.

If you have more budget, you can also sponsor an event. Your brand name gets into headlines, and you can showcase your product to a curated group.

Earned media example #2: SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is another form of earned media. Instead of spending money on a paid ad space, you’re aiming for organic traffic to your content.

For example, if you create content for specific keywords or search queries, you may start to see a rise in visitors, higher search rankings, or even score a featured snippet.

SEO takes time before you see results. Unlike paid media, SEO is long-term and strategic. Used alongside paid or owned media, SEO is a great part of modern marketing strategies. Consider creating an SEO report to track progress over time.

Earned media example #3: Social media

Between brand mentions and reposts, social media is an obvious earned media channel. In fact, social media is where you’ll see most people discussing brands and sharing content. Engage with your followers and encourage them to post user-generated content (UGC), which you can repost so they gain exposure too.

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Social media works especially well alongside paid and owned media. Say you share a piece of owned media (a blog post) on a social account.

Then you engage in paid media by boosting that post across the platform, attracting attention to your blog. This leads to more earned media and social shares.

Or you might repost a piece of UGC on your own brand account (with the creator’s permission). That’s a combination of earned and owned media.

If the UGC post is especially popular, you might run paid social ads to further promote the products in it.

Here’s another example combining all three: You create a post on social media (your owned channel) inviting customers to share with friends for entry into a giveaway (earned media). Then you pay to promote that post as an ad (paid media).

One piece of content, paid + owned + earned media at work.

Earned media example #4: Third-party review sites

Most companies see reviews and testimonials as a great way to build credibility. They highlight feedback from existing customers and create an opportunity for positive word of mouth.

Build a presence on third-party review sites in your niche by inviting your most satisfied customers to leave a review. If you’re a destination, focus on TripAdvisor. Brick-and-mortar, focus on Yelp. Software, focus on Capterra.

You can also collect reviews and social comments from across the internet and highlight them in a reviews/testimonials section on your site, like PeaTos does.

Earned media example #5: Other unpaid UGC

If someone mentions you in their blog, their video, or their website without being paid for the mention, this also counts as earned media. Finding, acknowledging and promoting these mentions is vital, just like with social media UGC. You might also reach out to the people who mentioned you and ask if they’d like to keep promoting you as ambassadors, in exchange for payment.

Earned media example #6: Word-of-mouth marketing

Word-of-mouth marketing is also a form of earned media, which makes it the rare channel that operates as paid, owned, and earned media depending on how you use it.

But here’s the part most articles skip: a referral program doesn’t create word of mouth. It captures and amplifies what’s already there.

If no one’s talking about you, no incentive will fix that. You can’t pay your way into word of mouth. It’s earned upstream, through the things that make a business worth talking about:

• Product: does it solve a need in a simpler or more intuitive way? Does it delight, save time, or remove pain?
• Service: how are customers treated when something goes wrong? Great service turns upset customers into your biggest fans.
• Value: the feeling that customers got way more than they paid for, beyond just ROI math.
• Story: the intangible feeling people have about your brand. Strong values, a narrative that resonates, personality that differentiates.

The best businesses excel at two or three of these. Being exceptional at even one can make you buzz-worthy.

If people are already talking about you (or would if asked), you’re leaving money on the table without a system to capture it. That’s exactly what a referral program does — it takes word of mouth from random to reliable, and gives the people who already would refer you an easy way to actually do it.

Get the foundation right and the channel takes care of itself, with viral growth potential the other paid media types can’t match.

Paid, owned, and earned media: What’s right for your business?

Each channel earns its place when it does the job the others can’t. Paid gets you in front of people fast. Owned is where you build something they want to come back to. Earned is the trust no budget can buy.

Word of mouth sits across all three, but it can’t be incentivized into existence. People talk about businesses worth talking about — strong product, strong service, strong value, or a story that lands. A referral program doesn’t manufacture that conversation. It captures it and makes it easier for the people who already would refer you to actually do it.

If you’ve already earned the word of mouth, you’re leaving money on the table without a system to scale it. That’s where a customer referral program comes in. See our referral program ultimate guide for how to operationalize it.