Modern marketing success rarely comes from relying on a single channel. Audiences consume information in diverse ways like scrolling social media feeds, reading news articles, searching Google, and engaging with thought leadership content. To cut through the noise and competitive nature of nonprofit and for-profit businesses today, the most effective strategies integrate multiple forms of marketing (and media) in an complementary, strategic fashion.
Three primary categories dominate this marketing mix: earned, owned, and paid media. Here, we are including social media under the owned media umbrella although some PR and Marketing practitioners separate it out. Either way, the principles we’ve outlined apply.
Each offers unique advantages and plays a distinct role in building awareness, credibility, and measurable results. While some organizations lean heavily on one type, long-term success comes from balancing all three in a way that supports both brand goals and audience needs.
Drawing on decades of experience as a trusted media relations PR firm, we break down each media type, explore their benefits and limitations, and show you how to create a well-balanced strategy that maximizes ROI.
Earned Media
Earned media obviously refers to unpaid media coverage or attention a nonprofit or for-profit brand receives through public relations and media outreach. Unlike owned or paid channels, you have somewhat less control over when or how it appears; you earn it through relevance, relationships, and storytelling. A nonprofit’s community initiative featured in a regional newspaper, a healthcare expert quoted in a national outlet like USA Today, or an organic (nonpaid) social media post made by an influencer about a school’s innovative learning program are all examples of earned coverage. Positive reviews from bloggers or influencers can also fall into this category if they’re organic.
The power of earned media lies in its authenticity. Because it comes from third parties rather than the brand itself, audiences tend to view it as more credible and trustworthy. Cision’s 2023 State of the Media Report found that 75% of consumers trust editorial content and news coverage, compared to just 46% who trust paid advertisements. It’s an important driver of awareness and brand reputation, and it can be leveraged across all your marketing, communications, and social channels. However, it’s also unpredictable. You can’t simply launch an earned media campaign overnight; it requires consistent outreach, strong relationships with reporters and influencers, and stories that resonate.
Seek guidance from a trusted pr agency to discover how to identify compelling story angles, pitch them effectively to the right journalists, and secure coverage that amplifies your credibility and reach.
Owned Media
Owned media includes the content and channels a brand completely controls, making it foundational to your communications strategy and plan. This can be your website, blog, e-newsletter, or branded social media accounts. It’s your platform for shaping your message exactly the way you want and guiding audiences to take such actions as donations, signups, subscriptions, or purchases.
Because it’s “your” space, owned media is where you can showcase your mission, demonstrate thought leadership, and build a narrative over time. For example, an organization might use its blog to highlight success stories, share insights, provide educational resources, and drive Website traffic through SEO. A nonprofit’s Instagram account might feature behind-the-scenes photos from community events, while its e- newsletter offers exclusive updates and calls to action.
The strength of owned media lies in its control and long-term value. Once created, content can continue to work for you indefinitely. However, it does require consistent investment in production and search optimization. Building a loyal audience takes time, and without regular updates, even the best-owned channels can lose relevance and impact.
Paid Media
Paid media is any marketing that a brand invests in financially to promote content, drive traffic, or generate leads. It offers the ability to scale quickly and target precise audiences, making it an essential complement to earned and owned channels. Examples include Google Ads (or Google Grants, even though you do not pay per click) targeting specific search queries, sponsored content in industry publications, paid social campaigns on LinkedIn or Instagram, geotargeting/fencing, and retargeting ads that re-engage website visitors.
What makes paid media so effective is its immediacy. You can put your message in front of the right audience within minutes or hours, whether you’re promoting an event, launching a new product, or amplifying your earned coverage. This speed and targeting precision can be especially powerful when paired with compelling creative and strategic calls to action.
The downsides are worth noting: the exposure stops when the budget runs out and paid media can be perceived as less authentic than earned coverage, particularly if the message feels overly promotional. To maximize ROI, paid campaigns should be data-driven, tested with small ad spend budgets before scaling, and used to amplify, not replace strong owned and earned content.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Channel
When evaluating earned, owned, and paid media, it’s important to understand where each excels and where it may fall short. No single channel can achieve every goal on its own; each plays a distinct role in your marketing ecosystem. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each will help you create a balanced strategy that builds credibility, increases reach, and drives measurable results.
Earned Media Strengths:
- High credibility and builds trust and thought leadership.
- Can be leveraged for stakeholder communications, SEO, email marketing, website content/credibility, and reputation management.
- Drives awareness, website traffic, and (potentially) inbound leads.
Earned Media Weaknesses:
- Less control over timing and frequency.
- Inbound (do follow) links to your website are not guaranteed.
Owned Media Strengths:
- Complete editorial control.
- Cost-effective long-term asset.
- Serves as the central hub for brand messaging.
Owned Media Weaknesses:
- Requires a stream of fresh, relevant, optimized content.
- Organic search benefits take time to realize.
Paid Media Strengths:
- Immediate reach and the ability to target specific audiences/demographics.
- Measurable results and scalable campaigns.
- Ideal for driving traffic to key landing pages or events.
Paid Media Weaknesses:
- Can be costly to execute.
- May be perceived as less authentic than earned media coverage.
How to Balance Earned, Owned, and Paid Media for Maximum Impact
A truly effective marketing plan integrates earned, owned, and paid media into a single ecosystem.
1. Start with Owned Media
Before investing in digital and traditional ads, even PR, make sure your website, blog, and social channels are current, consistent, and conversion-ready. Your owned platforms should clearly communicate your mission, showcase thought leadership, and guide visitors toward specific actions.
2. Leverage Earned Media for Credibility and High-value Content
PR is ideal for storytelling, which is very hard to do in a concise ad advertisement. Therefore, start securing earned media coverage about your good news. This includes expert views and subject matter expert commentary, awards and recognition, organizational milestones, human-interest stories, personnel news, new products and services, etc. When securing press coverage, take immediate action and share these highly credible stories across your owned channels including email marketing campaigns (and e-newsletters), social channels, grant applications, website, presentations, and collateral materials. Note: highlighting earned media in ads can improve click-through rates because they carry third-party validation.
3. Amplify with Paid Media
Once your owned media is up-to-date and you’re receiving constant recognition across earned media channels, test and use paid media to reinforce your brand’s story. This tool can obviously be used to drive targeted traffic to your website, but there are also specific applications that may make sense for your organization. For example, you might run a LinkedIn ad campaign promoting a blog post that demonstrates industry expertise. In addition, you may be attending a tradeshow or conference and would like attendees to see your message. This can be achieved through geofencing where you can target a three-mile radius around the conference center and serve up your ads to conference goers.
It’s important to stay informed on LinkedIn algorithm updates, as they may affect the way you want to run your ad campaign. Again, always test small campaigns before committing major budget dollars, and ensure your calls to action are relevant, intuitive, and smart.
4. Integrate Measurement Across Channel
Too often, nonprofit and for-profit brands measure each channel in isolation; PR tracks media hits, marketing tracks website visits, and advertising tracks conversions. For a true picture of ROI, measure how each type of media influences the others. For instance, earned media might spark initial awareness, owned media nurtures the relationship, and paid media drives the final conversion.
Rosica Communications developed the Thought Leadership Measurement Matrix™, a proprietary framework to track and optimize your organization’s influence over time. It evaluates more than 20 different categories through integrated analytics to benchmark your thought leadership, diagnose gaps, and prioritize the activities that will move your authority forward.
Conclusion
Balancing earned, owned, and paid media is less about splitting your budget evenly and more about leveraging the strengths of each while ensuring they reinforce one another.
An integrated marketing communications and PR strategy can expand reach, boost credibility, and generate measurable results far more effectively than relying on any single channel. Brands that routinely evaluate and adjust this mix will see more consistent, sustainable growth no matter how the media landscape evolves.
About Rosica Communications
Rosica Communications is a national PR firm specializing in strategies that integrate earned, owned, and paid media for maximum ROI.
With more than 40 years of experience in public relations, digital marketing, and brand storytelling, we help clients in the nonprofit, education, healthcare, food, and animal health sectors amplify thought leadership, visibility, and credibility. Our team designs programs that align with your goals and deliver measurable results, ensuring your message reaches the right audience at the right time.
Learn more by scheduling a call with CEO and President Chris Rosica: https://calendly.com/rosica/30min.