Breaking Through the Noise: How Owned and Earned Media Work Together

In today’s fragmented media environment, journalists aren’t just competing against each other, they’re competing against news influencers, AI-generated content and an endless churn of half-baked information. 

Shrinking newsrooms, media consolidation, and social media platforms prioritizing pay-to-play over organic reach have made shaping narratives increasingly challenging. For companies, nonprofits, associations and individuals trying to break through and earn coverage, this means one thing: If you don’t control your own narrative, someone else will.

That’s where owned media can provide an additional avenue to communicate your priorities via trusted channels and lay the foundation for earned media. A strong owned media strategy and presence shapes whether and how stories get picked up in the first place.

Owned Media is the Foundation for Earned Media

With smaller newsrooms and the 2026 midterms around the corner, owned media has evolved from a corporate communications tool into the foundation for earned media coverage. To stay ahead of the curve, investing in owned media can create opportunities for securing elusive coverage. Especially in the absence of newsjacking opportunities, earned and owned media are complimentary and build credibility and trust together.

Fewer journalists and the barrage of AI slop have made securing earned media coverage harder than ever, with only 2% of PR pros saying it hasn’t gotten harder to secure coverage in 2025. Another aspect to consider is the fragmentation of the media landscape by way of audiences’ increasing reliance on influencers for news. Substack, podcasts and social media platforms are driving this shift.

Considering that almost four in ten U.S. adults under 30 get their news from influencers, organizations can no longer rely on traditional earned media alone to get their message across. That’s where owned media becomes indispensable. A strong owned presence establishes credibility, giving journalists and emerging media timely, relevant material to draw from and a way to vet their potential sources and contributors.

Owned Media Establishes Credibility

Reporters are (justifiably) becoming more selective of their sources. This is in part due to AI-driven content and misinformation, meaning journalists are increasingly reliant on a smaller set of trusted sources.

Cision’s 2025 State of the Media report underscores this shift. For journalists, two out of the three types of content they want most from PR professionals are news announcements and original research reports. Both types of content are rooted in owned media. The takeaway? Organizations that invest in cultivating credible, compelling content on their own channels are laying the groundwork for securing stronger earned media opportunities.

Consider the Brookings Institute, which publishes insights that are available to their 23 million+ website visitors. The institutional credibility they have cultivated over decades is validated when a prestigious outlet like Forbes mentions their report and amplifies it to their global digital audience of 109 million.

If planned and managed strategically, owned media can be “leveled up” into earned media that delivers or exceeds your impressions goals. At that point, communicators can redeploy their paid media budget to create and enhance additional owned assets.

Owned Media as an AI Data Source

This approach is also forward-looking when factoring in how communicators will navigate the shift from SEO to GEO. Earned media will be critical as brands and organizations strategize how to optimize for Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT search results. Research shows that 85%-90% of citations surfaced in generative answers came from earned media. This means that Large Language Models like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini are utilizing earned media placements as the training set for credible and relevant search results. Thought leaders will be unable to secure critical earned media–and the distribution that AI provides–without establishing and building owned media resources and content. And, it’s possible your owned content will be referenced by Large Language Models too.

For businesses facing reputational risks in an era of AI deepfakes and disinformation, owned media provides an “official record” that journalists and stakeholders can trust. News mentions and podcast appearances are therefore integral to positioning your organization as the authority. 

Start Building Your Owned Media Presence

Communicators must invest in accessible multimedia storytelling that can be packaged for journalists and new media, ensuring that owned and earned media efforts are working in concert. ROKK’s full-service team builds integrated communications programs for some of the most influential companies, associations and nonprofits in the world and maximizes their impact. Contact our team to get started.