What is earned media?

• A. Content produced by the brand and distributed by owned channels.
• B. Paid advertisements on social networks.
• C. Media coverage gained through PR and publicity.
• D. User-generated content.

Answer: (C)

Earned media is the publicity a brand earns through PR and publicity rather than paid placements. It happens when journalists, bloggers, or other independent outlets cover your story or mention your brand because they find it newsworthy or valuable. This third-party coverage carries more credibility with audiences and can reach wider or different audiences without paid ad spend. In contrast, owned media refers to content you create and control on your own channels, paid media is paid advertising, and user-generated content is content created by consumers (which can sometimes become earned media if picked up by media, but isn’t the standard definition).